91 560 SEL Questions

1122 Views 16 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Benz Prodigy, Mar 31, 2009

Firewater

Discussion Starter · Mar 30, 2009 (Edited)

2

Hi guys, found what I think will be a great opportunity in the classifieds. A 91 560 SEL for less than $2000. I think if I can talk it down to near $1000 it'll be a great opportunity for parts for my car as well as creating a part inventory.

A question I have is regarding the trim color. This 560 is black with black bottoms, it doesn't have the grey bottoms. Is this factory? Is it poosible they were painted? I'm going to take a look at it soon and I'll find out more. What are some new options and differences between a 1991 560 SEL and a 1988 560 SEL (mine). They are both US versions.

Does the 1991 560 SEL have ASR? Thanks again.

EDIT: Car has SALVAGE title see more info here. Please advise.

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1 - 17 of 17 Posts

markusfmeyer

· #2 · Mar 30, 2009

91 had ASR as an option, so it could have it. Run it through the Russian VIN, that should tell you for sure.

All 1626's came factory with the "Eddie Bauer" two tone look, so if it matches the rest of the car, it was painted to match. That would be the bumpers, the lowers on the doors, and the mirror backs.

91 will have some upgrades to the 88, such as upgraded seat heaters, possibly pass side airbag, maybe ASR, upgraded sound system, different leather, etc.

dtkw

· #3 · Mar 30, 2009

The newer one would have passenger side airbag and ASR as well. My 86 doesn't. So my young son can sit in the front with me. He likes that better.

mclare

· #4 · Mar 30, 2009

I have ASR on my car and it is VERY easy to tell. Open the hood and the ABS Pump is twice the size and says "ASR" on it.

If you get this car and it has ASR, can I buy those parts if you part it out? I am in desperate need of the TPS and the C/C Servo and linkage.

Thanks Fire.

Firewater

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 30, 2009

mclare said:
I have ASR on my car and it is VERY easy to tell. Open the hood and the ABS Pump is twice the size and says "ASR" on it.

If you get this car and it has ASR, can I buy those parts if you part it out? I am in desperate need of the TPS and the C/C Servo and linkage.

Thanks Fire.

Yes.

mclare

· #6 · Mar 30, 2009

Thanks!

Never underestimate the value of having a parts car right there.....

All of the parts that Markus mentioned should fit your car if it is the same color, you can update the look. The only thing that will not fit are Elec comp. that are only on the 91 like the ASR and SRS and ABS system. The ASR, ABS and Cruise Control systems are interlinked on cars with ASR. Even the harness is completely different. When I had my engine fire I found that out.

This is why I am having trouble fixing mine. All are interlinked. I hope it has it and the deal goes through.

Thanks again FW!

Firewater

Discussion Starter · #7 · Mar 30, 2009

Turns out the car was driven OFF THE ROAD INTO THE WATER. It is on a salvage title according to car fax. Still a good buy for a cheap price for parts? Obviously I'll have to check if the replacement parts are genuine Mercedes but I could be in for a steal if they are all new replacements. it was a Florida car and apparently rebuilt. I'll check it out today and definitely not offering any more than $1000 for it. What do you guys think?

03/27/1997 Florida
Police Report
Case #539865590 Accident reported
Involving rear impact
with another motor vehicle

04/25/1997 63,000 Florida
Inspection Station
Miami, FL Passed emissions inspection

12/10/1997 Florida
Police Report
Case #544444400 Accident reported
Involving a front impact
It ran off road into water

12/15/1997 68,354 Florida
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Miami, FL
Title #49672594 Odometer reading reported

01/29/1998 Florida
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Miami, FL
Title #49672594 JUNK TITLE/CERTIFICATE ISSUED
Vehicle repossessed

01/10/2000 71,267 The Automaster
Shelburne, VT 5482
802-985-8411
Determining extended properties...
ww.theautomaster.co
m Vehicle serviced

10/22/2002 Vermont
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Saint Johnsbury, VT Vehicle purchase reported

11/12/2002 74,593 Vermont
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Saint Johnsbury, VT
Title #1112024203019 New owner reported
REBUILT TITLE ISSUED

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Benz Prodigy

· #8 · Mar 30, 2009

In 1991, it was a factory option to have the car monochromatic, and rightfully so as the two-tone paint scheme was getting quite dated.

mclare

· #9 · Mar 30, 2009

I guess that is common in FLA. Wasn't there another car recently posted about someone going into the water? He replaced it with a 124 CE I think?

Count me in still for the parts I need... I am undaunted if you are.

Firewater

Discussion Starter · #10 · Mar 30, 2009

mclare said:
I guess that is common in FLA. Wasn't there another car recently posted about someone going into the water? He replaced it with a 124 CE I think?

Count me in still for the parts I need... I am undaunted if you are.

if anything it makes it more viable for what I was going to use it for... parts.

mclare

· #11 · Mar 30, 2009

Exactly! Got the VIN? Did you run in through the Russian site?

Firewater

Discussion Starter · #12 · Mar 30, 2009

yeah I ran it through russian site. Looks loaded, it was a leased vehicle.

WDBCA39E9MA582723

mclare

· #13 · Mar 30, 2009

Looks like the lower paint is aftermarket.

Firewater

Discussion Starter · #14 · Mar 30, 2009

So I just checked it out. I don't think it has ASR as it said it nowhere near the ABS or the throttle body.

It had KYB adjust a ride shocks on it. The ride was SO MUCH smoother than my car. I guess that's what you get when you have working accumulators...

The body was in some rough shape with a few rust spots here and there, tailights cracked, headlights cloudy. The body looked really good, so whoever rebuilt it did a nice job.

Did Mercedes do away with the metal plate on the inside of the driver's door with the VIN and other information? This car had a sticker that made me guess that's part of what was replaced. The VIN stickers on the trunk and the hood were the same though. The accidents it was involved in were probably minor.

Only the driver's side window worked though and was rough coming down. I was going to use the car for parts anyway but just something I took note of.

Ultimately, I would've felt bad for lowballing this girl on the price of the car. She had a baby boy and this was in a rough part of town. I told her she'd be better off keeping the car as it was the safest thing she could drive her son around in. I told her $500 which I started to think was insulting. She paid $900 for it. She said there were others coming to look at the car who were eager to get it, I said I'd rather see what they offered her before I would reconsider something higher. I'd rather see her sell the car for a lot more than I would pay her.

I figure I'll come back here and run some numbers and see if the parts would be worth it for me to take off and put on my car for the meantime. But really, I think I'd wait for a great deal to come along to take advantage of. I'm starting to not be interested in this whole "parts car" thing. I guess I don't know enough about what things would be worth or what sorts of things people would want, in what sort of condition. Comes with experience I guess.

I did get some experience with inspecting this car. I know I need to fix the suspension on mine to have a really great ride. The more and more other W126's I look at, the more I appreciate mine and the condition it's in. It really revs me up to put more love into my car.

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MrBits

· #15 · Mar 31, 2009

FYI

If your main interest was for body parts, on CL there's this:
1987 Mercedes 420SEL - $700 (Chicopee) "car has issues starting."

This one's Black with gray lower cladding. @ 240K miles on it, dunno if I'd count the mechanicals as worth having & being a 420, some of it won't swap-over anyway. But body fits 100%

Firewater

Discussion Starter · #16 · Mar 31, 2009

MrBits said:
If your main interest was for body parts, on CL there's this:
1987 Mercedes 420SEL - $700 (Chicopee) "car has issues starting."

This one's Black with gray lower cladding. @ 240K miles on it, dunno if I'd count the mechanicals as worth having & being a 420, some of it won't swap-over anyway. But body fits 100%

haha, I actually went to go look at that car. It's a total shit box. DOESN'T start, not "has trouble starting." there wasn't a single panel on that car that wasn't FUBAR. Not to mention the interior was total crap.

I'm second guessing this '91. It ran good and I think wouldn't make a bad daily driver until I decide to strip it. It had a dent in the muffler, exhaust leak, SRS light on, and windows didn't work though. The interior was in okay shape, but just not as awesome as mine. That's really a deterrent for me for some reason. I guess I just don't know what people will pay for.

The transmission on it seemed good though. It shifted smoothly from P to N to R to D and each time the stance of the car changed. Is this normal??

Benz Prodigy

· #17 · Mar 31, 2009

Yes, the rear-ends to tend to dive or stand up, like in old Corvettes, when put into R-D.

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