I have an opportunity to buy a 1988 560SEL for $2000 (Northern California). I already have a '98 S500 which I will keep as my daily driver (so I am aware of the relatively high cost of ownership) for the S-class models.
A summary of the 560SEL condition is as follows:
-180K miles, at least 2 previous owners
-Body condition very good, silver color, hood, roof and trunk lid paint faded
-Brown interior, no tears or splits
-Radio questionable, antenna does not go up
-Driver's side passenger window not functional
-Battery drains after every use, new battery did not help
-A/T seems to slip into neutral when driving in D - intermittent
-Pressing driver's window up button when it's up causes tach to jump to 4000 rpm (without any change in engine speed)
-A/C is not cooling
-Engine idles about 1500-2000 rpm
Do any of these conditions present any serious red flags or alarms? If I get it, I would plan on doing as much of the work as possible myself. Appreciate your experience and knowledge!
Vehicle: 1985 500SEC, 1991 190E 2.6 (50k original miles)
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 9,266
Considering '88 560SEL Purchase - Inputs?
I have an opportunity to buy a 1988 560SEL for $2000 (Northern California). I already have a '98 S500 which I will keep as my daily driver (so I am aware of the relatively high cost of ownership) for the S-class models.
A summary of the 560SEL condition is as follows:
-180K miles, at least 2 previous owners
A: What work has been done? Documentation? Has the timing chain, rail guides, etc been done
-Body condition very good, silver color, hood, roof and trunk lid paint faded
-Brown interior, no tears or splits
-Radio questionable, antenna does not go up
A: No biggie
-Driver's side passenger window not functional
A: Switch, window regulator, motor bad?
-Battery drains after every use, new battery did not help
A: Short in the system, depends on how experienced you are to hunt this down.
-A/T seems to slip into neutral when driving in D - intermittent
A: How is the fluid level? Otherwise it might be a transmission on the way out. Could be costly.
-Pressing driver's window up button when it's up causes tach to jump to 4000 rpm (without any change in engine speed)
A: See battery drain reply.
-A/C is not cooling
A: This can be very costly, if the under dash condenser is the culprit, you could be looking at a $ 4,000+ dealer invoice.
-Engine idles about 1500-2000 rpm
A: Something most of us here had problems with. The causes can be manifold.
All these issues have been extensively discussed, a forum search will get you a better idea.
mbcoupes has a very good buyers guide.
Welcome, to take advantage of all the forum features, please re visit the 'Welcome to the Forum' tutorial sticky on top of the W126 page, as well as the two DIY stickies.
It will show how to search the forum (3 words min.), and even has a link to the Russian MB site where you can run a VIN#. The forum archive has a wealth of information.
Cheers
Was in Vacavaille at the time (4 mos ago). I walked away - if this is the same car, someone rolled the odo up to the same mileage that the PREVIOUS owner got when they bought the car in 1999 to stay true to the last reported Carfax records. Mathematically, it should have around 220k.
Tell the seller this car is a sham. Look elsewhere - you'll be glad you did.
Man i guess i was lucky. I bought mine from the original owner. The title was back from 1986, when the car had 17 miles on it.
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1985 500SEL with a 560 swap
1982 300SD on veggie (just smashed by a Sierra)
2007 Chrysler 300 powered by Paxton
2003 Ford F150 turbocharged
2000 Ford Crown Victoria stroked 5.4 swap supercharged.
2005 S500 w/AMG appearance package
Sounds like a money pit. Do not buy those cheap $2k's W126's unless you really want to shell out some money and end up with a $10,000 "$2k" car.
Buy the best model that you can upfront and you will save money in the long run. Also, the 1989+ models had an upgraded interior design which I personally like better.
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1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL; California version(soon to be European), extra factory options, many AMG bits
1991 Mercedes-Benz 190E; European version, AMG factory tuned In for restoration: July 1, will be ready by October 1, 2008
Sounds like a money pit. Do not buy those cheap $2k's W126's unless you really want to shell out some money and end up with a $10,000 "$2k" car.
Buy the best model that you can upfront and you will save money in the long run. Also, the 1989+ models had an upgraded interior design which I personally like better.
What Snibble said.
You will be overwhelmed by what it costs to fix some of the issues you describe. Be patient and buy the best you can find. I believe it's a very good buying opportunity right now.
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1990 560 SEL, 1991 560 SEC Euro
Birmingham, MI
Sounds like a money pit. Do not buy those cheap $2k's W126's unless you really want to shell out some money and end up with a $10,000 "$2k" car.
Buy the best model that you can upfront and you will save money in the long run. Also, the 1989+ models had an upgraded interior design which I personally like better.
I agree 100%. These cars when neglected, are the worst money pit imaginable.
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