One of my friends is considering buying a local 85 500SEL with 73,000 miles. The car is amazing looking (dark blue, gray leather). It for sure is a gray market - german on the cruise control, short bumpers, a box with the original euro lights and a set of tail lights (assume the US versions must be different?). The service book is stamped up to 1992 when the car had 32K. Not any other records. The guy wants $6,500. I told my friend absolutely do not buy this car without a PPI !!! for the reasons we all know I am also thinking the price is a little high for the following reasons:
1) needs tires they are showing signs of dry rot
2) at idle has a slight stumble/rough idle - not all the time but is something in need of attention - not sure what that could be, it drives great, no hesitation etc
3) steering wheel is off center when driving straight (assume is alignment or worse) - but it tracks straight down the road, no pulling etc.
Other concerns
4) we can't get the vin to work on any decode sites it comes up as 2001 model so assume the gray market is causing that ??
5) I can't tell for sure if it is really a 500 or a 380 - it does not have rear head rest, rear power seat or any heated seats. - on the 86 on I can tell a 420 from 560 by the dual air intake on the air cleaner for the 560, but on the pre 86 I think they all had single intake... any thought on how to tell this is a 500? Does not look like it has hydro suspension but could not tell for sure...

As always appreciate the forum's insight - you guys are the best!!!

Mark

Where are you getting the VIN from? The seller? Or photo? I noticed there are VIN stickers all over the car, like most. Maybe grab the VIN form a different spot. Then again, maybe grey-market cars had those removed/replaced too.

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1991 560 SEL / 185k miles
1992 750il / 17k miles - project car

it was on a metal tab on the A pillar on the driver's side where they usually are. It does not look like the normal vin tag - looks like something the feds maybe put on it after the fact - etched etc - no dark background on the WDB etc... Did not see any other vin tags (but honestly did not look that hard since I found that one).

Well that would be the one to replace first. So its the most unreliable.

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1991 560 SEL / 185k miles
1992 750il / 17k miles - project car

There should also be a VIN stamped somewhere on the firewall in the engine bay.

The best way to identify the engine is to find its number and if you aren't able to run it, then check with the classic center in Irvine, CA. They should be able to check it for you. Talk to Tom; he's head of the parts dept.

The car should be inspected very carefully - not because it is a Euro model but because of the stupid things that the feds have been known to do during the bastardization process of a perfectly good German car. It only becomes "Gray" after the USDOT get their incompetent hands on it.

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Don't Chrome them; polish them

First off, if the speedometer is the mph+kph kind, that was installed on entry to the US, so the milage is off by whatever was done overseas, maybe 5000km or 50,000km.

Second, someplace on the car should be a tag or stamped, 126xxx12yyyyyy, fill in the x's and the y's.

As for the price, anything over 2,500$ for a car that isn't just eye candy is money wasted.

Those idling problems must be addressed too. They probably mean about 750$ worth of rebuilt CIS parts with 3 hours of labor to fix the fact that the car was sitting too long.

-CTH

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- cth350@gmail.com
http://www.111lakeside.com/

To identify the engine, look at the air cleaner assembly mounts, one on each valve cover. On the attachment photo you will see item #47. If the car has this #47 bracket, then it is a 380. If it doesn't, then it is a 500.
Hope this helps.

Paul

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84 500 SEL (307,xxx miles)