Mercedes 560 SEC

I don't have one but the guy salesman who sold me the 600sl did. It is a fairly rare car. I have always liked the 560SEL which is the long sedan. The 560 engine is fun to drive. I had a 560sl as well. I sometimes look around to see if there are any 560SEL for sale but where in the heck would I put it.

 

I currently use a 1989 420 SEL as my daily driver and love these cars. They are the last of the breed.

I have been looking for a 1991 560 SEC for some time because the 89 420 is not really worth fixing up. You see, I have this very bad habit of pouring money into old cars simply because I like everything to work the way that it is supposed to work. Because 1991 is the last year of the W136 cars, I figure that they will at least hold their value and, thus, be worth fixin.

The downside between the 420 and the 560 is that the 560 has air shocks, which are expensive to replace. But the bigger motor does make a difference.

Repairs are reasonable. There are a lot of independent Mercedes mechanics (notice I didn't say technicians ) Biggest problem are the damn sensors. MB loves sensors. They put in sensors to monitor other sensors.

And, oh, gas mileage? LOL, what planet are you from?

I have been watching Ebay for some time and this one is the nicest that I have seen, at least on the Internet:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160193744514&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=006

Please understand that I know nothing about this particular car, nor am I bidding on it. However, I'm not worried about the car selling. There is nothing wrong with asking for the moon, just don't expect to get it. 560 SEC drivers go from $5K to $10K. If I was going to make an offer on this car, I'd probably bid $15k. If I saw the car and confirmed that it is what the seller says it is, I might even go somewhere north of $17.5, but $25k? No way.

At any rate, I love driving these cars. They make great road dogs!

Dale

 

A friend of mine has one as his primary driver. Comfortable, solid cars. Steering is awful, however.

 

Watch for rust. I had a '86 S, not many engine issues but that body.

 

I had a 1991 for about 10 years. It was a splendid car. One five minute drive in a well maintained example of this car will illustrate how far Mercedes has fallen.

 

This is my '89...he rides big...but he starts in 2nd gear.
Really,the tranny is funk,a 2nd gear start? Why? MB torque? I just don't know.There was a long discussion some years ago on the mb list about the mod to the trans to allow a 1st gear,it has one, go; but I of course never did it. And I swear I didn't know it has air shocks...Dale you positive about that?...I'll go look in a min but all the times I've had it racked up and I ain't never seen'em... I just may have learned a big'un today...I know on the 600Pullman you can't have enuff $$ to fix'em and the 6.9's were bad to deflate too.
He's always worked good,some electric buggers notwithstanding[window switches,visor lites,etc]...came w/ an Alpine CD so that's a good thing,the Beckers weren't thought of too highly...I got him from the Leath family so they took good care of him before he came up here.
A big coupe is a good thing to have.Very solid. This model may have very well been the end of an era for mb,maybe I'm wrong...wouldn't be a first
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Nice car. I normally don't like MB in red, but it looks good on the SEC.

Last time, I checked on the web, the 560s had some type of air shocks vs the 420s. But am I positive, are you kidding?

Yep, definitely the end of an era because, as I sure you remember, Lexus came out in 1989. By 1991, MB had to do something!

Dale

 

Yes,the red/gray was the sale for me,,,I'd seen 1or2 red over tan,particulary in sl's but it really worked in the sec,,,that and low mi/cond
Since this pic I found a set of 16's [off a 500sl w/ mic/pilots] and man does it handle better,,,I appreciate what a previous poster said about ''steering'',not so hot,it may well be those mxv's that were on it,the bigger/wider pilots definitely helped
Appreciate the air-shocks word,a family member had a 560,had over 200 on it before it left never a prob,my acct had a 560 ditto,my lawyer/friend's 560 big miles ditto,,,I never knew,even after reading mb list for years,it just did not come up,is that weird
Yep,so tru dat,mb's world changed in 88/89 w/ Lexi...and the dealers attitude was big too.What did/do mb dealers think when a person walked/s in the door,"Ignore,maybe it'll go away"?Lots did/do,rite to the Toyo's
best cheers,RE

 

They're great cars....this is my dad's car, he's had it since 2001. Its his weekend cruiser.
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Mike,looks great in dark blue/creme? or is that black? good chromes, in black it's known as ''LAstaff car'',,,funny in a car of this quality the back window won't go all the way down,,,good car to haul a traveller from the airport,but just one

 

My father's car has a gray interior

Its currently in need of some work, it hasn't been driven in some time and we have not gotten around to taking it to a shop. It will going soon however.

 

My mother has a 1990 560SEC and absolutely LOVES that car to death! My parents have always been MB people; everything from a 1985 300TD wagon that my father bought brand new and only sold recently with 299K on it and still running great. My first car was a diesel MB and I still own it to this day 12 years on; '83 300SD with a mere 317K on the ticker and again still running strong. The key with older MBs is just to keep on top of the regular maintenance and these cars (diesel or gasser) will last forever. I actually worked for six years through college and a year after at an indie MB shop and a few things come to mind on the 560s (applicable to any of their V8s); TIMING CHAINS!! they need to be replaced along with guide rails and tensioners every 100K or else you have a high risk of either a chain breaking or a rail (usually one of the upper ones) breaking and causing valves and pistons to meet. The 560s do have hydraulic self leveling at the rear (except the SLs) and it rarely goes wrong (it's a very simple system- pump on the engine/leveling valve at the rear/hydraulic struts on the rear/hydraulic accumulators at the rear) and the most common failure are the accumulators which are about $180/each and not difficult to replace. Otherwise; trannies are stout and the bottom ends of the engines are bulletproof. All W126 S-class cars eat pads and rotors and front end bushings (caster joints and upper dog bones most notably) but again; everything comes apart and goes together very logically and parts have actually come down to reasonable prices. Oh; the other biggie on the W126s is the climate control system. There are about six vacuum elements that control the air distribution and temp flaps and if any of them fail they will cause havoc with the whole operation of the system so make sure the A/C and heat work and that the temp adjusts properly. Lastly; the coupes have one design glitch with the door window regulators in that the fixing bolts come loose over time and the windows go up crooked; and if the automatic seat belt extenders fail you can just bypass them and reach back to grab the belt. All in all though; these are great cars and a properly sorted W126 coupe makes for a great executive Autobahn cruiser!

Cheers;
Aaron
'82 GTSi

(p.s. sorry for the extensive use of semicolons I'm typing this on my Treo and I can't find the comma button lol)

 

Aaron,good stuff on the big mb's,appreciate it,good to know on the hyd/acc's [I've larned sumthin][[but a failure must be rare]],ditto on brakes/pads mine went at 33k,and the a/c got fixed by the Leaths when he came[I saw the bill 1300] has worked fine since 9yrs,noxnox,and I recall a thing on the radiator inlet too,,,again thanks for the word,you no yur snit,,,and here's a pic of a lil'car I'll bet you like too
cheers,RE
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