For anyone who hasn't, do yourself a favor and check out thomaspin's web site. A great resource. Thanks again for all the work Thomas.
I purchased my 86 420 sel in November 2001. It had 80,000 and I bought it from a repair shop who had changed the engine because the timing chain broke and trashed the valves and pistons. So beware of that. My car came with a used 125k engine with new chain and guides. The car now has 130,000 and I get those admiring comments from whoever gets in the car and sometimes from strangers. To this point I do all of my own maintenance which includes, new brakes and rotors $200, oil and filter change every 3000 to 5000 miles (3000 if I have the time) a new voltage regulator/brush set(see instructions to replace on thomaspin's web site), new left window regulator (gear stripped at the top) new radiator( the top neck was of the old non metal reinforced style, Tires. I guess about $1500 total. Not bad for 50,000 miles
I absolutely love this car. When I bought it I was really looking for a 140 but got a great deal on this one ($7000). The cheapest 140 I could find at the time was about 15,000. I still like the 140 and look forward to it someday, but for now my old 126 still takes me on 300-500 mile trips without problems and impresses my customers when I get there. She is white with red leather.