Question on Mercedes 560SL

I know this isn't a Mercedes forum - but then, I'm not a member on any Mercedes forii, either, so I figured I'd give this a shot here... an associate of mine has been looking at mid-to-late 80's 560SL's. It's simply a car that has a style he really likes & he would use it for a weekend car, not a DD.

Today I went to look at one with him & mechanically it seemed to be in great shape - '86 with 73k miles on it, no fluid leaks that I could see anywhere, engine sounded great, both at idle & when you revved it a bit. Didn't have time to drive it, but may go back to do that at some point after he thinks about it some more. I must say, the engine sounded like it came straight off the showroom floor... purred a like a big kitten, no hiccups, misses, hesitations on revving, or anything like that.

Here's the thing... this car needs a little bit of cosmetic attention: Some paint oxidation on the trunk lid, so that entire panel needs a re-spray. The upper portion of the dash has some cracks, so that needs to be either replaced or re-covered. The passenger seat needs to be re-upholstered, and some of the veneer is cracking around the gear selector (though that seems to be a problem endemic with these vehicles, as I have not seen a single one of this vintage that doesn't have that issue), and a couple more minor odds & ends like the metal cover for the passenger seat hinge area.

They're asking $12.5k for this car, and I have a feeling one could get it for less. Assuming it drives well & doesn't have any noticeable mechanical issues (a PPI could be faciliated, as well), this kind of stuff would not bother me one bit for that price tag - it's cosmetic & can be taken care of over time if one didn't want to put the $ into it all at once, and would not detract from my enjoyment of the car at all. He, on the other hand, not knowing how much any of this stuff would cost, is worried that he could get into a money pit.

So, what say you? Those of you who are familiar with these cars... how difficult is it to source a clean dashboard & shifter cover, for example? Are there any places that you know of online that one can find some replacement parts for this vintage of Mercedes?

Any helpful input would be appreciated - and thanks in advance!

 

My Dad has owned a number of those older Mercedes. It seemed like he got a lot of his parts from autohausaz.com

 

Mercedes probably has every part the car would ever need -- their classic spares division is the best in the world.

If the engine or transmission needs attention, it can be a money pit. Back in 1999 or so, a friend in the San Francisco area had an SL with a failing transmission that she said (IIRC) would run about $8K to rebuild.

There are a lot of great, lady-driven ones for $20K-$25K, because Merc sold hundreds of thousands of them. They were hugely expensive, so tended to be babied. They're still fantastic cruisers, probably the last beautifully overbuilt cars (along with the Porsche 911 that ended production in '89).

A bad one for $10K sounds like a bad deal, but definitely get a PPI from an experienced Mercedes mechanic.

Here's a great site on the SLs: http://www.oursl.com/

 

Nice info! Is this something that can be accessed through any Mercedes dealer?

To me, this one seems like it's far from a bad one... mechanically-speaking, anyway, regardless of price. A thorough test drive & a PPI could help determine more, of course.

 

Called the local Mercedes dealer, and they said they have a database that can access parts back to 1965... pretty impressive! They said it's also easy to find out if the part is available in the US, or if it's in Germany, so that way you can tell how long it'll take to arrive.

Thanks for the help, guys!

 

Yes, Mercedes is legendary in the spares department. I would have zero worries there, and the 560SL is the one to have among the U.S.-spec cars in that body style.

 

Ive worked on alot of these cars. Main thing I would recommend is getting a good ppi, finding a good Indy shop to work on it, and go into it with both eyes open. This babies can be a money pit, if they have not been kept up.(mantiance , problems not addressed) .
Make sure the trans is checked out well also. This is usally the weakest link.
But as its been said, parts are relitively easy to aquire, comfey ride, engine has good power, and just an all around fun car.
Good luck.

 

On a side note, my 450 SL subframe broke, and the dealer replaced the entire subframe for free because there was a service bulletin (from the 70's!). They did up sell me on some stuff while the car was apart, but I could have gotten away for free.

 

Wow!

 

"Wow!" is right.

 

It's a little different than the Ferrari world...

 

This one seems like a better deal. http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/cto/2059786364.html

I had a euro '83, great car, should have kept it for what I sold it for. I wouldn't hesitate to grab this local car and use as a daily driver if the inspection looked good.

Jeff

 

I have sold these for years.

The wood panel around the shifter is about $850 plus labor to install.......the dash is about $2,000 plus labor. These are Canadian dollars I am quoting from memory, at dealer retail prices.

Used stuff is out there, as are I imagine aftermarket repro parts, but the wood grain and wood shade were matched to the car when new, so over time it fades and ages, therefore finding one piece to match effectively isn't easy, and it is visibly obvious when you change it, and buying everything can get real pricey........

I wouldn't be scared of a 560 SL unless it needed serious internal engine work (heads off and/or engine out) whereas the trannys are cheap in relative terms......