Hi,

1st time visitor, 1st time poster. I've been a fan of the W126 body style for years and love the SL's, too.

I've been considering a 1987 560 SEL with 110k, one owner
rust free in a dry southern state. Service records are available
as well as original manuals, window sticker, etc. I can get it for
between $5-6k but I'll have two states over to check it out.

I'm not a mechanic and I live in a small town between Austin and
San Antonio, Texas. I've got an honest mechanic here in town that
doesn't mind me bringing in my own parts if I can find a better deal. He's worked on MB but isn't an expert.

In reading forums for the past hour or so, I'm wondering if this is the right move for me. I've seen a mix of good and bad stories which seem to have a lot to do with how well the car has been taken care of.

I was attracted to the idea of a classy older sedan that's quick and will last a long time. I work at home so I don't have a daily commute but I like to take road trips. If I buy this particular car, I'd be driving it from Arizona to Texas.

Any advice here? Is an older car like this best left to DIYers?

Also can anyone recommend a good MB shop in either the Austin or San Antonio areas?

Thanks,

Bill

It's not quite this simple, but it's almost this simple - if you are a DIYer, and you enjoy working on your own cars, owning a used Mercedes is a great thing - you get to work on it, you buy parts mail order for reasonable prices, and you get solid, safe reliable transportation at a reasonable cost. But if on the other hand, you are not a DIYer and you simple take your car into the shop and say "fix it", owning an out-of-warrenty Mercedes can be an anguished nightmare. I'm convinced there are not too many exceptions to this rule.

But this sounds like a nice car, you like the body style, you've got an honest mechanic, and it sounds like he'll work with you on it. I wouldn't rule it out. It really helps if you just want to get involved in maintaining it. You can make up for a lack of skill with a certain amount of enthusiam. There's actually a lot of information sources out there, including the archives herein, to make it easier.

I appreciate that. Can you recommend a shop in your area that does a good pre-sale inspection? If I get this particular car, it's in your area.

Btw, are there any hassles bringing in parts from Germany? I've got friends there that won't mind sending things but is it worth the effort?

Again, appreciate your advice.

~Bill

That price seems a little high for one that old.

Mike

__________________
1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

sponsors this forum, and a number of other Mercedes parts specialists online should do just as well for you. Although you contemplate purchase of a somewhat complex vehicle, I believe an '87 will be largely pre-computer, thus eliminating the built-in problems with electronics that come with all "newer" cars.

I recommend that anyone contemplating a Mercedes purchase find a copy of "The Mercedes-Benz Buyers Guide" by Frank Barrett...now out of print, but copies can still be found for well under $20...TONS of info on what to look for AND look out for.

You may also want to wait and find out more about the cars in general...maybe get together with some people near you who post on this board...I'd also urge you to consider a diesel, but that's my prejudice.

Best of luck

I agree with Deanyel's post. Even with your mechanic, you will need to learn everything you can and do what you can , work with him, etc.

At the same time, the car's description sounds good.

Check to make sure basic major maintenance items have been done like the timing chain, very important.

These cars are excellent drivers for 3 to 4000 miles per year. I rode my car for nearly 10 years like that (bought it at 100,000) before I really had to roll-up my sleeves with it. the fact that you are putting low mileage on the car makes owning an old Mercedes a much better propostion in my subjective opinion.

In one word....NO.
Parts ( at least what you can buy them for in Germany ) are not much cheaper.
By the time you add freight, it is simply not worth it.
Also, what if you got the wrong or a defective part?

__________________
2007 C 230 Sport.

Phoenix is blessed with a lot of good MB shops - either of the following would be good:

Mike @ Schulte Automotive, 602-231-0049, in central Phoenix, or
Goody @ Goody's Automotive, 480-596-4033, in North Scottsdale

Both are capable and impeccably honest.

Thanks, Dean. The car is in Scottsdale so that's perfect.

~ Bill

Well the timing chain on a 560/M117 is stronger then the 420 M116. The M116's would break the chain guides their plastic and get brittle with age. When they start to go bad you will hear it on start up, it sounds like a rattle. Now the M117 on the other hand didn't seem to break them as often. You can let the chain go for a little while if you have to. But on the other hand your better off just getting it changed and be done with it. M117's also seem to wear their cams kind of fast and all MB V8's of this era seem to need valve jobs between 150k and 200k. From your description it sounds like the kind of W126 you want to buy and that is a real good price. If he stuck that car on ebay it would probably go for around $6k. Maybe more because the mileage is real low.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

If major repair bills could cause you financial harm, do yourself a favor and buy something else. Some folks are lucky and some just don't do the recommended maintenance but keeping these cars up can cost a small fortune. In the last 5 years I have spent $1700 in professional service (Timing chain, water pump, radiator...) and another $5000 in parts (including a $1,400 stainless exhaust). If you want everything done properly and on schedule it will cost a lot. Sure, you could get lucky but it could be a money pit as well. Estimate your resources and tolerance for risk before buying the car. I bought mine cheap and knew it needed some work but not to the extent it did. BTW, if I took it to a shop for installation of the parts, it would have cost another $10,000, easy. I still don't have the AC working nor the ACC working correctly.

If you buy a good one you could get lucky too. Good luck. If I knew then, what I know now, I would have bought a better example.

Regarding the timing chain, there is no specific interval. The 100-120,000 mile is for the guides. They get brittle and break. Timing chain wear is measured by stretch and there are offset keyways to compensate for around 8 degrees of stretch. After that it must be replaced.

MHO...

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Steve
1985 Mercedes 500SL Euro (Gray market)
1995 BMW 520i Euro (Gray market)
1992 BMW 525it Wagon
1994 Honda Del Sol Si

Thanks, Steve. So, had you taken it to the shop for all these repairs, it sounds like the car would have cost you about $265 per month.

Financially, that wouldn't be a disaster for me for a 560SEL that cost me less than $5k initially. However, there are other concerns. Let me ask you this, out of the repairs you've had done, how many, if any, were situations where the car had to be towed rather than driven into the shop?

I live outside of Austin, TX. It will take me about 45 minutes to get to a reliable MB indy. The logistics might be what kills me. I can't drop the car off and catch a taxi.

A few years ago while I was writing a book, I worked for an executive sedan service. I took corporate execs to and from the airport in Houston. Over a two-year period, I drove five different Lincoln Towncars. The first was a `95 with almost 300k. I put anywhere from 200-300 miles a day on those cars and rarely had a problem. The only reason I drove five is we'd get switched around from time to time.

In this particular company, there was no central maintenance facility. We paid a weekly lease on the cars and were responsible for getting maintenance done on our own. I very rarely had any problems with the cars.

I was assuming (or hoping) that the same was true with the MB S-Class cars with the added benefit of higher resale value. It sounds like this isn't the case at all especially if you're not into DIY.

At this point, I'm still undecided.

~Bill

A reputable shop here in Santa Clara, CA charged me approx. $400 for a new chain & tensioner - parts & labor included. My chain appeared to be original and it showed the first hint of start up rattle at ~192K miles.

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'86 560SEL | Silver Ext. / Blue Int. | 201K miles (Apr. 05) | 204K miles (Feb. 06)

There was no time the car ever needed to be towed for maintenance or operational repair. The work I have done is restorative. The entire ignition, idle control system and fuel injectors have been replaced. At one point the car would barely run, but only when hot, and only at idle. The ignition system needed parts. Changing the fuel injectors made a huge difference but I could have limped them along for a long time. Sometimes the repair is for better drivability, not for lack of operation. I changed the sub frame bushings and it rides a lot better. Did it need to be done? Yes and no. The car didn’t collapse or anything but the bushings were quite shot. I changed motor mounts. They were broken in two. The motor didn’t fall out but they needed to be changed. It goes on and on.

I want to buy a pre-’92 SEL but am afraid to take on another project. My wife might kill me. But I like to tinker, so it’s okay. At this point I am willing to pay up for a better one. Believe me, it’s cheaper.

BTW, SJ, that is a great price, but it is critical to change the guides. Did they change your chain guides? I also had the tensioner changed, as long as they are in there. I paid to have it done but would do it myself the next time. I think the SEL is easier with so much more room in front of the motor.

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Steve
1985 Mercedes 500SL Euro (Gray market)
1995 BMW 520i Euro (Gray market)
1992 BMW 525it Wagon
1994 Honda Del Sol Si

Steve,

No, they did not change it. I did ask but they said it looks fine when inspected; saving me some $.

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'86 560SEL | Silver Ext. / Blue Int. | 201K miles (Apr. 05) | 204K miles (Feb. 06)