PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post - 86 560SEL- located and considering

86560SEL · #21 02-13-2004, 11:58 PM

Oh, sorry if my topic sounded "whiney", or "gloomy". At any rate- thanks for the information!!!!!

I really want a 300SD turbo diesel and for some reason- when I see somone asking for advice on these- never hear many people say - "check head gaskets, check suspension, check this and that". Perhaps I would be better off buying a 300SD or some other diesel Mercedes, rather than a gasoline model. This 560SEL I was considering has 188K. 188K is nothing for a diesel Mercedes.

Since I have posted here last- I have found a local 85 300SD in VGC for $2995. I am going to check into it this week.

Quote:

Originally posted by cgoodwin
Are you enthusiasts or little old ladies? I have never heard such a load of ney saying, doom and gloom whiners!

You want a 560SEL and you found one that looks good and appears to be a bargain, GREAT! I am really happy for you! Try to curb the ENTHUSIASM we all feel with a little common sense and have the car looked at by a qualified MB tech, hopefully it will be what it appears and you will have found a steal! If not...Keep looking because they are out there.

Look at the service records (hopefully they are available form the seller, if not ask where the car was worked on and give them a call) and watch for head gasket leaks, 9 out of 10 leak (good bargaining point) but I would say that only 2 out of that nine do more than weep a little oil from the rear corners and the combustion chambers, oil passages and coolant are all free of contamination and can run that way for years. Timing chains are another item to watch for but really can be done, and I am sure have been done, by many on this board. Check the rear rams (shocks) for leaks ($300 ea +/-)and if they are ok, the accumulators, springs and front shocks are all relatively inexpensive. Rust is a death sentance. Look at the interior carefully, good leather is a must as is a good headliner, uncracked dash, working heat and sunroof as all these are VERY expensive to repair. Most importantly be realistic about what you (and your friends) can AND are willing to do, and what the project will cost to get it where you want it. If you have $12k to spend and you can get a 10 point car for that, just go and buy one, if you have $3500 spare right now and want a project and are willing to spend the (hypothetical) $5k more it will take to build your dream car, go for it..... But if the car is $3500 and will cost another $10k to end up with a $5k halfa$$ hack job, then what is the point?

I recently bought a 1988 560 SEL with 175k on the clock for $2200.00, it was a trade in at an associates car brokerage and frankly looked pretty crap. The paint was filthy and had been in a garage with cats walking across it and had not been washed or waxed in years, the windows had old tint which had gone "ghetto purple", neither of the front power seats worked, the sunroof was not working, some of the lower body trim was missing and the rear was sitting low. I put it on a lift and everything looked good underneath except the typical weeping head gaskets.

She drove very well and sounded good. I had the paint looked at by a detail shop and they assured me it was very salvagable (gloss black), the upolstery and headliner were in excellent condition. A good compression check (hot and cold), good leak down test, pressure checked the cooling system and examined the oil... All good. The AC blew cold and the climate control worked properly as tested with the service manual daignostics. The owners manual, first aid kit, tool kit, spare and jack were all still in the car (in the trunk I found the missing trim pieces). I bought the car.

The drivers seat had a motor drive cable where the housing had slipped from the crimped connector, and the passenger seat had ablown fuse - seats fixed. The sunroof had a bunch of broken plastic bits lodged in what was left of the works, but a local yard sold me a complete working sunroof assembly for $200 - That took 2 techs all day to disassemble and repair with parts from the new one. Tint removal, clean, buff out, polish and wax was another $150, the rear accumulators were about another $200.

I have about 1500 miles on the car now and could not be happier, she has only used 1/2 quart of oil, does not smoke and runs like a champ. I love the car as does everyone who sees it or rides in it. I love it so much that I am going for new springs, 17" rims and good tires - mostly because the acceleration is so impressive that I feel it needs to handle better so that I can get the tickets I bought it to avoid. I will most likely do the head gaskets in the next few months, not because I am worried about it but because I can and I hate knowing things are not as functioning properly.

The point of this is not to gloat or brag about the deal I got but to point out that deals are out there and all I hear on this board is the voice of doom with no balance of encouragement from fellow enthusiasts. You know exactly what car you want (this time) and that puts you in the top 1% of car buyers, the car you want is a 16 year old luxury car and that puts you in a good position to find a deal. In my experience these cars are either well maintained or really beaten badly, in Seattle where my shop is located most are pretty well taken car of and driven by older first or second owners (at least among my clients) who take car of thier cars then sell them on as they move into another Benz or no longer need a large 4 door.

Personally I think the w126 is one of the finest mercedes ever built. ABS, Air bag, Passenger safety cell, automatic seat belt tensioners and off-center impact protection - all introduced in the 126 which was designed to keep mercedes at the top of the luxury car market for 10 years to come. It did that and became an icon for other luxury car makers as well as automobile safety designers. The styling is classicly attractive yet contemporary, almost timeless and the interior is easily the most comfortable of any car produced since. The W126 is, in my opinion, one of the best cars ever produced.

Good luck, watch your wallet and enjoy your quest as much as you will enjoy the car.... And don't listen to chicken little too much.

Chris