Mercedes 560 SEC detailed
- Thread starter jk83
- Start date
Viper
King Kong
She is looking goorgeoouss mate, will put some pics up, of my old Dallas wagon later
Good boy........Nice day for some Roof top down cruising
Ducati
King Kong
I have a Black 500 SEC with the good old cream leather & the full Leo spec AMG wide wheels,
PeterM
Boy Racer
I have a Black 500 SEC with the good old cream leather & the full Leo spec AMG wide wheels,
Well get the pics up then!
Viper
King Kong
Conkers
Pig F*kker
OK guys, always loved these, tell me why I should or shouldn't buy this. Ignore the price - lots of wiggle room and HK market rather different from Blighty. Who is the resident expert on old Mercs? @Uncle Benz @Riot ok @erics @Viper ??
www.carinlifeclassic.com
1988 Mercedes Benz 560SEC | Car in Life
Discover the allure of classic luxury with this 1988 Mercedes Benz 560SEC, a top-range model presented in an exquisite Black Pearl Metallic with Grey combination. Boasting a powerful 5,547cc V8 engine paired with a smooth 4-speed automatic gearbox, this rare gem has traveled just 75,626 km. As...
www.carinlifeclassic.com
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Found the original pics and updated the first post.. although I can only upload 10 images.
I used to be quite good at detailing
Re your black SEC question... do it. As a new owner of a modern classic it's great wafting round in something with more character and as new cars get ever more plastic, even more electric, even more beepy with nannying 'aids' ... old stuff like this is very appealing.
I used to be quite good at detailing
Re your black SEC question... do it. As a new owner of a modern classic it's great wafting round in something with more character and as new cars get ever more plastic, even more electric, even more beepy with nannying 'aids' ... old stuff like this is very appealing.
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Conkers
Pig F*kker
Agreed - all part of the attraction!Found the original pics and updated the first post.. although I can only upload 10 images.
I used to be quite good at detailing
Re your black SEC question... do it. As a new owner of a modern classic it's great wafting round in something with more character and as new cars get ever more plastic, even more electric, even more beepy with nannying 'aids... old stuff like this is very appealing.
barchetta_boy
Boy Racer
I've always wanted one of these. Would a 500 do? Probably
erics
Ring Warrior
First of all £38k for a 560sec is not cheap.
2nd of all, these are very complex cars and not ones you can do a bare metal resto on, would cost 2-3-400k done properly.
So the only way to go is buy a good one.
Most cars i inspected from Japan or HK were clocked. They are also detuned engines versus euro versions. 260bhp iirc.
So based on pictures and in no particular order:
Original radio is a good sign, becker suggests it was not messed about too much.
Be good to see a better picture of headliner, these often give a good idea of the kind of life a car like this has lived. 75k km should not be saggy. Should be clean too without dark marks.
Woods look shiny and crisp, unusual for these regions. Good sign. Redone?
Colour combo is great, a dark coloured 560sec is to my mind a good starting point. Needs to go around it with a paint gauge. This is probably the most crucial aspect.
Bad points:
Wheels do not have the flush bolts, i am actually wondering if these are the original wheels. Tyres should be rated to 260kph+ and VERY hard to find.
Car is saggy at the back and nowhere near the correct ride height. Should be much higher. Suggests rear levelling system is compromised. A headache to sort out. I know from experience.
Be worth seeing pictures of the sparewheel well without the wheel in it.
Make sure the aircon has been converted to modern standards. Mine needed doing and a substantial expense.
Need to see pictures of the underside.
Hard to see if leather has been recoloured or not.
Too much sun reflection.
Could be an ok buy, but you could easily be dropping 20-30k on it to ensure it is as it should be. First and foremost make sure the body is not full of fillers.
Does it have original merc glass all around?
What kind of documentation comes with it? Any money spent on it recently?
2nd of all, these are very complex cars and not ones you can do a bare metal resto on, would cost 2-3-400k done properly.
So the only way to go is buy a good one.
Most cars i inspected from Japan or HK were clocked. They are also detuned engines versus euro versions. 260bhp iirc.
So based on pictures and in no particular order:
Original radio is a good sign, becker suggests it was not messed about too much.
Be good to see a better picture of headliner, these often give a good idea of the kind of life a car like this has lived. 75k km should not be saggy. Should be clean too without dark marks.
Woods look shiny and crisp, unusual for these regions. Good sign. Redone?
Colour combo is great, a dark coloured 560sec is to my mind a good starting point. Needs to go around it with a paint gauge. This is probably the most crucial aspect.
Bad points:
Wheels do not have the flush bolts, i am actually wondering if these are the original wheels. Tyres should be rated to 260kph+ and VERY hard to find.
Car is saggy at the back and nowhere near the correct ride height. Should be much higher. Suggests rear levelling system is compromised. A headache to sort out. I know from experience.
Be worth seeing pictures of the sparewheel well without the wheel in it.
Make sure the aircon has been converted to modern standards. Mine needed doing and a substantial expense.
Need to see pictures of the underside.
Hard to see if leather has been recoloured or not.
Too much sun reflection.
Could be an ok buy, but you could easily be dropping 20-30k on it to ensure it is as it should be. First and foremost make sure the body is not full of fillers.
Does it have original merc glass all around?
What kind of documentation comes with it? Any money spent on it recently?
barchetta_boy
Boy Racer
Old Mercs absorb money like few other cars, it’s true
Allan
King Kong
Just buy one from the Highveld region of South Africa. 380SEC was the most popular but the odd 500 & 560 were imported. All SEC’s were imports so no local content or local assembly.
Highveld is dry. Cars are full European spec regarding headlamps, tail lamps, indicators and seat belts.
ZA Rand is about 23:1 currently. Worth a flight over there to see it for yourself before buying. This is more difficult to do for Japan or Hong Kong.
Highveld is dry. Cars are full European spec regarding headlamps, tail lamps, indicators and seat belts.
ZA Rand is about 23:1 currently. Worth a flight over there to see it for yourself before buying. This is more difficult to do for Japan or Hong Kong.
Conkers
Pig F*kker
Thanks everyone for the input. In particular Eric thanks for taking the time to write the detailed checklist for me. I am now forewarned/forearmed. It is a consignment sale by a large collector of old Mercs. I am told he has his own technicians and is very particular about maintenance. Unclear whether he has a supplier of original parts/correct tyres etc.. I may be allowed to go and see his facility which will give me a good sense of how serious he is about his cars. The list above is most helpful and will give me a clear sense of whether this is a money pit or not. Apparently there is a stack of papers going back to when the car was new. It has never left HK so has only been maintained here. This may or may not be a good thing!
Thank you @erics
Thank you @erics
