SL Prices ?

I'm looking to by a 1988 560SL for around $16,500. It's in Excellent condition, with only 75k miles on it. Red exterior with a palomino interior. Whats a good price? Would love to know. It's an origional owners car with all the service records, oil changed every 3k miles. Any thoughts?

[Strife]

FWIW, I paid 16K for an 86 w/84K on it in the spring. This car was in EXCEPTIONAL exterior cosmetic condition with paint seemingly too good to be true (but it was in fact original). There was absolutely, positively, no, 0, rust except for <1 square inch of surface rust at the lip of the soft top hatch; the air was cold; the car ran and steered well, the top was perfect, including absolutely clear rear plastic windows. The dash was not cracked. All electrical items worked fine. It included the original tools and top tools.

However, I'd say I spent 3K on it since (with all the work done by me), 60% of which was not really required to drive it but needed to get it into "nearly new" condition.

Be aware that "service records" may be iffy - I have an 80K dealer sticker and stamp in my book. I had to replace all 4 calipers+rotors and my brake fluid looked like rusty milk, 400 miles after this supposed "service". 3 of the 5 shocks were leaky, two visually obvious. I know that this was not falsified by the person I bought it from.

I think I paid too much - but it all turned out well anyway.

[ctaylor738]

That price seems to be about right for a good car in a popular color combination. Now you need to do is make sure that it IS a good car and that you're not going to get stuck for thousands of dollars in deferred maintenance (brakes, suspension, fuel system, motor mounts, steering, oil leaks, etc.) and that there is no evidence of serious accident damage.

Suggest you get it checked out by a really anal mechanic and make your decision accordingly.

[DavidSoine]

When was the last service - real Mercedes type service - done...2003 or 1993?

There are a ton of rubber parts on that car that will be aged...not to mention wiring harnesses, vacuum lines, etc. A lot of that is easy to update, but...for that kind of money you want the car to be perfect, right? Make sure the brakes are perfect and the pistons go in and out...calipers are expensive. A lot of mechanics won't look that closely.

best,

Dave

[Richard1]

check motor mounts, subframe mounts, exhaust, top, drive at speed and check leaking between window and top (rubber tends to go), A/C, window regulators (I've had to change both of mine), and I agree with earlier post on rubber parts aging.

well thanks for alot of the info guys. In your opinions, which SL series is most popular from 1973-1989? I hear alot about the 280, 380, 450 and of course the 560 series. What makes one better than the other? Probably nothing, but just curious to your thoughts

[Strife]

I researched this quite a bit before I bought mine. You will pay more (maybe a lot more) for a 560 but I felt that it was worth it. It's more powerful, the brakes are easier to work on, there are a lot of refinements (some very subtle) since the beginning of the series, and, well, it's newer. TIME is a factor in how much work a car needs as well as miles and maintenance. I REALLY wanted a 72/73 or 84-85, but, my decision was largely a practical one.

Some parts for earlier models are a little trickier and pricier to get (in good shape).

Getting insurance on a really old model (<20-25 years) as a daily driver might get a little tricky if you want "full" coverage.

Just my opinion, not trying to start a flame war! So, thanks in advance for not beating me up!

[ctaylor738]

They are all neat cars. It really depends on what is important to you.

Styling -

- the pre-1974 cars have the chrome bumpers

- the pre-1986 cars have the older alloys, no 3rd brake light

- 1986-89 have the 3rd brake light and rear spoiler and less of a sporty look

Mechanics -

- the 1976-81 cars have a bizarre servo-driven climate control system guaranteed to have expensive failures

- the 1974-77 (or '76) cars had some jerry-rigged smog stuff like the cats in the engine compartment that causes problems

- 1981-83 cars have the infamous single-row timing chain though many have been converted

- 1981-85 cars have primitive engine control systems (idle and lambda) sort of grafted on to K-Jet injection, and they don't age well. There is not a week that goes by without a post on some problem with starting, idle, or running.

- 1981-85 cars are not exactly exemplary performers with their dumbed-down V8's

- 1986-89 brought better engine management, a bigger engine, air bags, and ABS

FWIW, I love my 380, it has plenty of power since I just use it for cruising, not racing, and it runs and idles perfectly. I would not be willing to pay the premium for a 560, as it would not improve my ownership experience enough to justify the price difference. I would recommend being a lot more concerned about condition and documented maintenance than which particular model the car is.

[mottgrand]

I paid $15k for Arizona 1988 560sl with 80k miles. It took about $1.5k of minor repairs such as new muffler, rubber, tie rods etc.. Things owner just didn’t want to do. After that car is about perfect, my mechanic thinks it was a great deal. I did a lot or research before and I would say your price is OK if all the major part of work was really done. Air conditioner for example may be a lot of money. Most of the 560’s I looked at were facing timing belt / valve seal jobs (including mine) and this may be another 1.5-2k... So I would say any ware between 15 and 20k is a fair price depending on how much work the owner is passing to you.