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Newbie (and questions) from Portland, OR

466 views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  eric242340 
#1 ·
Greetings everyone. I've been reading this board for about a month now as I prepare(D) to get a 95 E350 Cabrio. SADLY, I finally went to check one out in person and found I do NOT fit! (I'm 6'9). It's not bad w/the top down (the only way I'd been in one before) but with the top up NOT! :( So, still pouting about that, I was walking out of the dealer when I saw the following.

1986 560SEL. 75K orig. miles, documented with repairs (the ones I remember the salesman mentioning were) new shocks, rear 'suspension redo' (I'm assuming the spherical system I've been reading about), and "EVERY service and repair done the moment it was needed". The car has a slight bit of 'history' as it was owned by the founder of a local company.

The car is truly amazing. The seats were in better condition than my 05 Magnum RT with 32K on it. It's light blue with matching interior and sunroof.

First, from comparing to prices on craigslist/Ebay, it seems they're WAY over on the price, ($15K), but I wanted to ask around in here for some feedback. My questions are:

1) Is 75K really that 'valuable' as "low mileage"?

2) Is $15K even reasonable? (The dealership is a local independent, they're big on specialty/high end cars, and not known to do much 'price cutting')

3) I knew all about what to look for on the E350, but what are the gotcha's to look for in a SEL (560 in this case)

4) Would I be better looking for a different engine, or is the 560 the one to get for collect-ability? (FYI, I collect cars and although I use and drive them, I also like to think about the future as I plan to keep most of what I have (10 so far)

5) Speaking of 10 cars... Am I crazy to get into a 560SEL for what the maintenance costs will be? What's normal/expected

6) What's REASONABLE gas mileage both highway and around town to expect for this car? Like I said, I actually drive them and want to be able to afford to!

Finally: Since this 560SEL was a bit of a fluke, and I was looking to replace a convertible this time around, what does everyone think (yes, all opinions welcomed) about passing on this (or any other SEL I may get into) and just waiting for an 04+ CLK convertible?

I'm sorry for so many questions, but I'd rather put them all out there now so those of you who have the time, and passion for these cars can actually see my range of questions (confusion?) and give me some good input. I do the same for some of the other car forums I'm on for my other 'kids'.

Thank you to all who have read this far, and a special thanks for anyone/everyone who will get involved with conversations with me on these topics. I LOVE cars, and truly enjoy learning all I can about new brands/models!

Ray G.
Portland, OR.
 
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#2 ·
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