Sorting through a deceased loved one’s possessions is hardly a fun chore, even if their property includes a forgotten collector car like this 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SL. There’s always more paperwork involved than you’d like, and dealing with a car you know very little about is particularly challenging. This 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SL belonged to the seller’s father for years before he quit driving; eventually, he passed away and the R107 has been sitting ever since. This model is an interesting one, as low-mileage preservation examples routinely sell for over $40,000, but project-grade models are available for modest sums. Find it here on Facebook Marketplace where it’s listed as a non-runner for $10,000.
The seller doesn’t provide much information, likely because he has none. That’s the trouble with buying from an estate as on many occasions, the heirs don’t know much about what they’re selling. In addition, they also lack the mean (or the desire) to perform any sort of investigative work to assess what the car will need to run again. This 560SL looks to have gone into the garage in reasonable condition, with the gray bodywork in good shape and the soft top looking nearly new. The stock Mercedes wheels don’t appear to be caked in brake dust, and really, aside from the layer of dust on top, the cosmetics look pretty good. You also don’t see these roadsters in steel gray all that often.
The trouble with the R107 is this: they are extremely risky buys in rough condition. There’s also a ton of them still on the road in good, driver-quality condition for about the price the seller is asking here. It’s one of those tricky collector cars where it really does pay to buy one with either low miles or incredible cosmetic condition and maintenance records if you hope to preserve your investment. The seller reports this car has 120,000 miles on the clock, so it’s not exactly a low mileage unicorn. Generally speaking, you can find all the spares you need to bring this Mercedes back to life, so it does have that going for it. The larger U.S. bumpers can be swapped out for the slimmer European assemblies if you desire a cosmetic upgrade.
As this second photo of the car from the passenger side shows, it comes with the factory hard top, painted to match. The 560SL is a fine cruiser when it’s in sound condition, but you’ll likely spend more money than it’s worth to bring this one back to life. And honestly, given how proven the driving experience is, I wouldn’t fault someone for trying to restore this car, especially given the attractive paint scheme. Restore it as a car you want to keep long term rather than attempting a quick flip and you’ll be alright; just make sure you look underneath for any rust before committing to an offer below the somewhat unrealistic asking price.
At 120K on the clock don’t even waste your time on this one. You will potentially spend 5K just to get this back on the road. Problem with most of these cars is many people don’t keep up on maintenance deferring the cost to the next sucker, I mean buyer. I have a R107 and 2 W126 cars and believe me they need lots of upkeep but they reward you when they are made right. Offer 5K for this one.
Agree 100%. The fuel/injector systems are a PIA and they go bad if not used. I always thought I wanted one till I had one that I bought cheap after sitting for a couple years.
Yup. Been there, done that!
I worked in a busy shop where a very good customer who brought in one of these for us to inspect it AFTER he bought it. Rust every where. And while factory MB parts are available, you better have Jeff Bezos money to fix these. These are common cars for sale. They look great, but ride like garbage and eat gas.
Add said sold so they actually did sell it or they decided to go a different direction with it I would have got it and put a Toyota engine and transmission in it then just enjoyed it.
Take a look at passenger door gaps. Either the door isn’t closed or there is evidence of a previous collision here. These cars were perfect when new and barring an accident should have remained so. A general rule is to check door/fender/hood /deck gaps for evenness. I always wondered why so many, if not all of these cars are automatics. To me an automatic is the equivalent of a condom. You miss the whole experience.
The SL was never sold with a manual transmission in the US. To my knowledge only the 280SL could be ordered with a 4-speed or 5-speed on later models in other parts of the world. The M116 or M117 engines were never coupled to a manual transmission as Mercedes did not have one to cope with the torque.
Mercedes did offer the 4 spd manual behind the M116 in the European 350SL. I have a ’71 and they went into the early ’80’s. Very different than driving a 450SL auto.
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