1986 560 SEL Seattle/Vancouver - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

The_Professor · #1 01-11-2005, 09:12 PM

Hi:

I just bought this car about a couple of months ago, right after getting back from China, and now I have just been sent overseas for yet another two years! Sheesh!!!!

I will have some pics taken in a couple of days, but for now, here are the specs:

All black exterior, with tinted rear windows. It also has the "gold package" which is gold plated exterior trim (hood ornament, washer jets, rear trunk star, rear trunk 560 sel emblem). Grey leather interior. It looks really sharp and gets lots of looks.

Odometer reads about 89,000 miles, but no guarantee about that (I have not carfaxed it). From an appearance point of view, it looks very new, but I am simply unsure and I have no records. The guy I bought it off of was a corporate lawyer I know well whose wife was supposed to use it - but they lived in a downtown condo and the car was too big for running around shopping in the downtown core. He owned it for about 4 years and the car sat in the underground parking for month after month after month. Before that, for a number of years it was a private limousine-for-hire that was used very rarely (essentially a private car for senior execs coming into Vancouver). I know both of the prior owners. The car was originally from California, but came to the west coast of Canada just over a decade ago. There are no snowy winters here, and there is also no damaging sun - cars last a very long time here because the climate is mild, year round. Dash cracks and clear coat issues are very rare here and rust is indicative of a car from somewhere else.

The car is in very good condition, and I had it checked out by two independent mechanics and they gave it relative thumbs up (more later in this post).

Everything works, except the rear interior dome light (it is not the bulb & I can't figure out what it might be). There is not a speck of rust on the car and the paint has a very good shine. The interior is in GREAT condition, but the seats could probably use a rebuild to make them perfect (probably not a major item). The driver's seat sags a bit cause the limo guy was pretty big. The leather is clean, conditioned, etc. The driver's seat has a rubbed marking from the seat belt (common). There are brand new floor mats (genuine, original Mercedes), a premium Sony am/fm/tape/cd with a 10 CD stacker (in trunk).

The car drives very strong, easy start, smooth running, and so on. The rear accumulators were just replaced last week (with a complete system flush, etc), the battery the week before, and new tires the week before that. All fluids, etc, done. One mechanic said it has a new alternator, new water pump, new fuel pumps, new hoses and a major tune-up (new wires, etc). The dash light which shows a burnt out bulb comes on when you turn the lights on - so I had every single bulb, inside and out, replaced with genuine mercedes bulbs (over a hundred bucks for that!) - and it still comes on, so it might be that the headlight bulbs need changing.

The windshield is original, without cracks or chips (usually a sign of higher mileage is a replacement).

Here is what I was going to do this month to make it a super cool car:

Timing Chain (unknown history, so I was going to be safe and my mechanic said he'd do it all for about $500 CDN)
Valve adjustment (again, unknown history, but apparently it is a recommended maintenance item)
Change both of the plastic air intake hoses that go from the front of the car to the air cleaner (both are cracked - apparently very common and about $10 each on ebay, but no one local has them in stock and all the recycle yards have cracked hoses too)
New belts (I'd get them doen with the chain)
New motor mounts (one mechanic said to do them cause it is an easy thing - the other said not yet needed)

It is a good car that burns no oil - have put 2,200 miles on it since buying it and the oil is clean and right up there. The only concern I have with this car is that it sat around for a long time for the past few years - previously, it had light limo use, but was washed/waxed at least once a week, and well maintained (I know the guy & he is a nut for perfection). Anyway, I've finished almost all of the fluids, etc.

I am going to let it go for about $4,500 Canadian (obo), which is about $3,750 US (obo). I can deliver it to the Northwest. Given that the car started in the US, I would guess that it can be easily imported back, but I haven't checked.

It is a very good buy, in my view ... and I have owned many different cars over the years.

I will get those pics as soon as possible. In the interim, feel free to email me at:

jr_thwaites@hotmail.com

The car is in the Vancouver, BC area so locals can pop by any time.

Any questions, email me.

The_Professor · #2 01-13-2005, 10:31 AM

OK, after fielding some emails about the mileage, I did some more research:

I CARFAXED the car and the mileage appears genuine - the history shows a very gradual increase in mileage, year to year, over the last decade or so as the car was being put through the government emissions test (the government agency reports mileage).

I also chatted with the last owner again. The fellow he bought the car from, the owner of Vancouver's largest limo service, is meticulous - but no one is on speaking terms with that guy any more, so who knows what happened during those years.

Anyway, someone is going to get a good buy - else I will just give it to one of the young guys in our extended family (it'll be around a tree within a year ... sigh)

Remember, the car has sat around, unused, for a long time. It probably still needs about $500 to $1000 worth of work to make it perfect (I've done about $1500 in the last month).

Oh - and one last thing for anyone who is still reading - I bought the unlimited carfax option - the first few to talk nicely to me will a vin run through (I ain't going to do dozens every day).

The_Professor · #3 01-13-2005, 02:14 PM

You know, I really hate getting rid of this car - it is a good one.

Anyway, if it does not sell here (I might even try ebay), I have a nephew that deserves it - he's a really good kid. So, over the next few days I am going to have the 90K service, including the upper rails for the timing chain and various other items while the mechanic has the valve covers off.

I want the car to be decent & reliable before i head off in case it gets gifted to a relative.

Hence, with this weekend's work, my price is quite firm.

Still waiting for my digi-cam, then I will post pics.

I also did a vehicle history search in Canada. It was originally imported to Vancouver, Canada in January 1991. Since then, 4 insurance claims:

1) Theft from inside vehicle (looks like it was personal effects)
2) Vandalism (emblem ripped off)
3) Backed into wall (new bumper shocks)
4) Rear ended at stop sign (new bumper, trunk lid, etc, and paint)

The insurance claims also validate the mileage, as does the CarFax smog offices (by the way, I have its most recent smog & it passed cleanly). There was never any salvage, rebuild, flood, fire, theft, etc.

After this weekend, only two concerns:

the driver's seat should be rebuilt & there is still a very slight rough idle right at start (lasts about 2 seconds). I cleaned the Idle Control Valve and that seemed to help, but I think it might be the big vacuum hose that goes from the ICV to somewhere else - it seems to have some black crud around one end, as if it was leaking vacuum and that black crud that was inside the ICV was also here.

Oh yeah, a 3rd concern - that darn dash light that indicates burnt out bulb (I wish IT would burn out!)

The_Professor · #4 01-13-2005, 04:43 PM

Sorry - I guess I should have got my thoughts in order before I started these postings.

Anyway, here is the CARFAX report:

http://www.carfax.com/cfm/FSBO.cfm?report=CFX000008192898

One thing to keep in mind when you read it, is that the Government reporting agency in Canada will report the actual odometer reading which, because this car started in the US, is displayed in MILES.

Now, we in Canada have cars with KILOMETERS on our odometers. So, when the government reports it to CARFAX, CARFAX will convert the report into miles, thinking that the Canadian report is in kilometers. As a result, the CARFAX report consistenly under-reports the mileage - you will see that it shows 53,437 miles in 2003 - actually, the odometer was reading about 86,000 MILES but CARFAX converted that report from the Canadian government as if it was submitted in kilometers.

Anyway, the mileage is accurate.

I have the Canadian Government registry and insurance report, starting from its importation in 1991, and it also validates the mileage growth over the past 14 years. Unfortunately, there is no way to link to it - but I have the print-out.

The_Professor · #5 01-14-2005, 05:34 PM

see if it works (my first time)

Galt · #6 01-16-2005, 12:12 PM

What would be the hassle in getting the car into the United States? Anything?

The_Professor · #7 01-16-2005, 06:54 PM

Hi

I live right at the border, so I dropped by US Customs and asked. Bringing the car into the US is effortless because the car started there - I just need to get some original documentation to prove this (underway). There are no duties, etc, and I can bring the car into Seattle for shipping, if required.

There are a few serious buyers, right now, with one who has indicated a "for sure" - I will know in a few days - I really want everything to be effortless for the buyer.

By the way, I now have the car's complete maintenace history since 1991.

Regards
Richard

savas · #8 01-21-2005, 04:21 PM

Richard - If the sale does not go through, please let me know. I'm up in Bellingham frequently and could pop up there to take a look.

Thanks,
George

The_Professor · #9 01-22-2005, 01:13 AM

Hi

Thanks for all the interest. There is a 99.99% firm buyer now (just waiting for a deposit) and the deal should close within just over a week. If it falls through, first come, first served. I know that the first to see/drige this car will buy it but, then again, I am somewhat biased cause I bought it