One of these popped up a couple hrs away,looks rustfree and decently clean but with 350,000 km on it.
Has the hard top and a new soft top as well.
Its priced at approx half of what similiar examples with 1/2 to 2/3's the miles on the clock.
Those are too much for me to want one but a half priced high miler is tempting.
Thoughts?
I've had a 450SL and the 560SL. The 560SL is legitimately quick- the 4 speed auto and big V8 makes it accelerate surprisingly well for its heft. It is soft and wallowy riding, but in that good, tight, German way, and not like, say, a 1975 LTD, so it will still corner. And stop- 4 wheel disc brakes.
Since it's a 35 year old Mercedes, figure half of the electrical things won't work, it might need to be kept on a trickle charger to keep it from draining the battery, the AC probably won't work unless you replace some $1000+ magic box, and the price of parts will far outstrip the entry fee for the vehicle. Also, the interior will be $$$ to fix if the seats are torn up, etc.
That said, these are stout engines, so if its been maintained that mileage wouldn't scare me away. They are fine cruisers.
Unlike Miatas, these cars all came with a hardtop as standard. But, being a clam shell, it requires the need to store the top when not using. Some solutions are:
Hoist
Or cart
My point being, are you prepared for the space needed to store the top too?
Or just lay it on the ground when not in use
those lids are small compared to an e36 but tall compared to a Miata. Either way, not going to take up much space
In reply to John Welsh :
Also, unless one is of unusual size and strength, removing and replacing that hard top is a 2 person job.
I did not have a hoist, so I always had to have Mrs. VCH help me remove the top. I basically put it on in the late fall and took it off in the early spring. I used the soft top the rest of the time. I did have the hardtop stand, which worked well. Toss a blanket over the top to keep garage mung from settling on it.
I doubt I'd leave the hardtop on other then winter storage so not a big issue,be a nice day cruiser that could flop the soft top up if caught in some rain.
Me and electrical don't play well together though.
I doubt I'd leave the hardtop on other then winter storage so not a big issue,be a nice day cruiser that could flop the soft top up if caught in some rain.
Me and electrical don't play well together though.
Most normal maintenance parts for that area of Mercedes are cheap (gaskets, brake rotors, etc) but anything that wasn't meant to be replaced is very, very expensive. If you don't mind rebuilding the suspension and that type of thing I'd say yeah get it if you like driving it.
I owned an '85 gray market 500SEL, which has a very similar engine. Never had one electrical issue, everything worked.
The one thing I will warm you, if the car has been sitting for any period of time the fuel system will drive you nuts. Mine worked very well, but I have seen these that have sat and the fuel distributor will drive you insane. Not a lot of people left that really understand how to set them up properly.
How cheap are we talking? Send it my way if you pass. I might be interested.
The electrical's are pretty reliable and not hard to work with. but AC is def a PITA. I agree with Slippery, once they sit too long just buy new fuel pumps and get ready to work on fueling.
They are also quite thirsty. Don't recall if the 5.6 V8 requires premium or not. IIRC mine got like 12 mpg in mixed driving.
Things like the switchgear, hazard light switch, dash lights, cruise, A/C, etc can be flakey. Nothing that will leave you stranded, just a matter of how much having non-functional features bothers you.
All those switch's can be cleaned, they rarely fail. Also, there is a company that rebuilds the fuel distributor which is the biggest issue with one that has sat and they do excellent work. I'll find his card and post in a minute.
In reply to chandler :
Please post that when you can. As much as I hate fuel distributors I am a masochist and currently thinking of a car that uses them.
Regarding switches, I agree, they are fully rebuildable. Actually most things in that car, like the w126, are rebuildable and extremely well made.
CSI Flowtech
In reply to chandler :
Ok, yeah. They rebuilt my 500SEL distributor. Forgot about them.
Slippery said:In reply to chandler :
Ok, yeah. They rebuilt my 500SEL distributor. Forgot about them.
Did my zender 190 and my brothers 190. Good quality
And no one has said LS yet.
I am disappointed.
I have not seen any major electrical issues in these vehicles. They are from the era when Mercedes were expensive because they were built to last forever, not to have all the latest amazing gadgets.
The CIS is great if it has been driven regularly. There is very little to go wrong, unfortunately what can go wrong is not necessarily DIYable. Adjustment is super simple if you have a DVOM and the special Allen wrench. It will be a full on Motronic setup, the fuel distributor does still have the spill valve but the computer controls the fuel system with closed-loop control.
Thanks for the insights guys,I doubt this has been sitting around too long with the high miles for a not winter driven canadian car.
Owner is trying to sell me on partly on the escalating value of them,I'm like sure on a clean low mileage example but probably doesn't really apply to this one down the road.
Must resist the desire to engine swap it,my brain says run but I'm drawn to the classic nature of it.
Be around 3k cdn for euro bumper conversion which seems kinda silly regardless of how much sexier it is with them.
In reply to kevlarcorolla :
IIRC a euro bumper swap is VERY difficult. Will not just bolt on and not worth it.
In reply to kevlarcorolla :
There really is no engine you could swap into the car that would improve it, IMO. The 560s are the ultimate expression of the genteel, laid back feel of these cars. Smooth, quiet, and sufficient is the name of the game. I think that is why M-B continued with CIS on them for so long, nothing beats it for fluid drivability.
The Bosch book has all the adjustment information as well, they are really good cars if you start with a good one. I like the euro bumps but never thought they were worth it and all the engine swaps I've followed never finished which says a lot.
If you're going to engine swap, the easiest would be m119. Only ones I've seen completed. The 5.6 m117 isn't a slouch, especially for its time.
They weren't much fun to drive. I'd pass.
Noddaz said:And no one has said LS yet.
I am disappointed.
Nature is healing.
I think everyone has covered the big areas on the gas Benzes, so I'll just say that my experience of owning them (four so far, three diesel W126s and a gas S210) has been overwhelmingly good. I've never encountered electrical issues on any and they've never left me stranded. Stressed sure, but in those instances it was absolutely user error. Parts are generally not expensive, though I know that fuel accumulators are pricey and that letting the old gas cars sit for long is a recipe for headaches.
They're stout cars, but with that many miles, I'd make sure there isn't too much slop in the timing chain, and I'm willing to bet the bowden cable for the transmission needs adjusted.
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