1989 560sl Should I or shouldn't I????

[Lord Hemming]

Hi everyone,

I'm a newbe to the forum and after many years lusting for a 560SL, I think I have found the right vehicle.

The 560 I'm (VERY) interested in has had only two owners, the first added 54k miles before selling the vehicle in 2002. The second owner has added just 5k miles, making a total of 59k miles, which is OK. The 560 has full Mercedes Benz service history and was last serviced in the summer of 2005. The interior is mint, the soft top looks unused. There is no sign of rust on the car.

If I pull the trigger (I'm 95% tempted ), what should I ask the person to have done to the vehicle before I collect it, or what allowance should I make in the price to cover the cost of work likely to be required? The car is in very good condition, the 2nd owner was ill for the last two years before passing away earlier this year, his wife only drove the car a few times before putting it up for sale. It has not been used in the winters as it has been a 3rd car for both owners.

I am aware the center A/C vents are not working, any idea what this will cost to fix, it seems from reading the forum it is likely to be the vacume actuators that will need to be replaced, but I can't find any estimated costs of getting the work done in a shop.

I would like to maintain the Mercedes Benz history, is this worth doing, do the franchised dealers know how to service the W107 or are they too old these days?

I live in Houston TX, so if you think a non franchised specialist is the way to go, any recomendations?

Sorry for all the questions or if I'm going over old ground. I'm so excited about owning my first SL I assume the information in this post isn't ringing alarm bells in your minds saying, STEP AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE Lord H and keep looking???