Wow- after reading that - does not make the 85' 500 sound so bad of a deal.

The 88' 560SEL I was considering on E-Bay appeared to be a very nice car. It had 151K miles. It was a "no reserve" auction and it sold for only $2550. No records either, but sounded OK, but I was weary about buying another car unseen.

The 87 420SEL I was mentioning is a private owned car- I think he would take $2500 for it if I offered it. It has 178K if I recall. Slight transmission leak according to the owner. New A/C recently converted to 134. Everything works save for the left rear window.

Benzboy also mentioned $1500 for a timing chain replacement - does it vary that much by location/shop? One of our local Benz repair specialists quoted me a price of $493 to replace the chain and tensioner (parts and labor) on the 85' 500SEL. Or is it About $1000 more to have it changed on a 87 420 vs. a 85 500?

I may also check on that 90 420, if the price is right.