I have seen several 56OSEL's on E-Bay recently, selling at what seems to be very low prices. None in my area of course. The 56OSEL's around here- are $5000-8000- even with over 100K miles. I have seen 89 56OSEL's with no reserve sell as cheap as $3000 on E-Bay. What should be the most I should pay for a local 86-88 56OSEL? I do not want to pay over $5Ks for one locally, when they are all over E-Bay @ low prices. Seems like the 86-newer 56O's sell for less than the older 3OOSD's, with similar mileage. I guess more people want diesels. I found a local 86 56OSEL in EC for $6995. that I was considering, but after browsing E-Bay and seeing other 86-88s for as low as $3K in VGC- it seems crazy to pay that much for this car. If I do not find one of these locally @ a fair price, I will probably just search for a 81-85 3OOSD @ a good price. Seems to be more of those locally than the 56O's. I now wish I had of bought the local gray 1984 3OOSD in average to good condition for $15OO. They finally sold it and I see the new owner driving it all of the time. The lady that I now see driving it used to have another 3OOSD, about the same year, but it had its fair share of scrapes. Thanks for any information.


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Tony

1993 Toyota Camry LE V6 4dr- white, with blue cloth interior
1995 Chrysler Concorde 4dr- teal, with tan leather interior- FOR SALE
1992 Buick Park Avenue 4dr- sand beige, with biege leather interior- FOR SALE
1989 Pontiac Grand Safari wagon- dark blue/woodgrain, with dark blue cloth interior

I would never buy a car from ebay, unless I knew the seller. You never know what you could be getting into.

It pays to always see a car in person and drive it for yourself. Pictures are nice, but they're certainly not enough to showcase the car's possible 'hidden' potential.

An '89 560SEL that SOLD for $3K? Hmmm..., there must have been something wrong with that car, eh? People tend to be extremely conservative when spending money on ebay.

As far as values go. NADA is the book of choice for me. They have three prices based on condition of vehicle.

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1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)

The value, according to NADA, for an '89 560SEL with 100K miles is anywhere from $10K - $14K USD.

If that 560SEL actually sold for $3K, then I'm sure it was a salvage car. Or a parts car. But what the heck, it's the same thing.

*maybe the engine is on it's last leg, due to neglected servicing?
*maybe the body is rotting out, but they just don't show you it in the pictures?
*maybe the interior, in certain places, looks like a dog chewed off parts of the uphoulstery?
* what about the rear end? Hydropneumatic suspension shocks? Idle control sensor? All the windows work? Passenger mirror works? Sunroof? AC? Blah, Blah, blah...

As you can see, there are many different factors to consider.

You may pay more locally, but at least you'll know what you're buying!

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1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)

For me it is better to pay top dollars for a excellent certified car that look for a bargain and have a pain in the...wallet in my garage. Good luck in your search. Buy the best you can afford.

Thanks for the replies- a lot of helpful hints. I went to KBB (Kelly Blue Book), which is the site I usually check car prices and it shows that the private party value for a 89 560SEL in good condition w/140K is $5025. I have seen some sell for this price before on E-Bay. So I guess that $6995. is not an astronomical price for a 86 560SEL in excellent condition. It just seems as if the older early 80s 300SD's with low miles are priced not much lower than a late 80s 420-560SEL's in equal condition. I will continue searching I guess for a good car at a good price. Thanks again.

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2004 Toyota Sequoia Limited 4wd
1991 Lincoln Town Car Executive
1991 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1988 Mercedes 300SEL
1972 Chevrolet Caprice Kingswood Estate 9-passenger wagon
1973 Pontiac Grand Ville
(Prior MB's: 1974 240D, 1985 380SE, 1984 190D, 1993 400SEL)