1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SL -- 83K Original Miles, Second Owner, Private Seller
1987 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class Description
My prized 1987 Mercedes Benz 560SL Roadster with exactly 83K original miles, is for sale!
I've owned it since mid-2002, and am the second owner in its history. ("All in the family" for the other owner.)
It has always been garaged, never been in an accident, or driven in inclement weather -- in a word, "pampered," and it shows. I'll let the pictures represent the cosmetics of the car. Not perfect, but really, really nice to be an unmolested 29 years-old vehicle.
Specifics About This Car:* I have all records, including the service-stamped maintenance book dating back to 1987, as well as all repair orders throughout history. All work on this car has been done by a factory-authorized MB repair shops or dealerships.
* I do have the original hardtop, including the correct stand. I took the hardtop off when it arrived 14 years ago, and it's been on its stand in the back of my garage ever since. "Top down, baby!"
* The original German-made canvas top is in excellent condition. It hasn't been used much, either. (It's not an automatic top; the mechanism works fine, but it is a bit of a pain to deploy, so if the weather isn't good, I just don't drive it.) The canvas is original and in good condition with only two very small plastic indentation creases where the top folds into the tonneau, probably as a result of the soft top never getting used.
* It also has an expensive windscreen that makes a tremendous difference with wind noise inside the passenger cabin. You can actually carry on a normal conversation without yelling!
* The never-used tire jack is in place, as well as the never-mounted full-size spare.
* I have the original, unused tool roll, and even the plastic "first aid kit" and the contents. (Those probably shouldn't be used, however.)
* It has two sets of convertible top handles, one original, the other, a much nicer set of chromed locking handles.
* Both sets of keys, master and valet, are original.
* I have the original owner's manuals, additional books, flyers, reports, magazine articles and other interesting memorabilia.
* It includes an after market interior cover that "canopies" over the entire passenger compartment, shielding it from sun damage. Just throw it over the front windshield, velcro strap it to the outside door handles, and in :15 seconds the car is protected from sunlight. I use it every time I park anywhere near sunlight.
* I have the original floor mats, they show signs of wear, so I purchased replacement palomino after market mats. (I really never liked the MB chocolate brown inserts anyway.)
* I also have all four original wheels, which I intended to have chromed and spruced up, but never did. I bought new OEM-compliant wheels instead.
Mechanical Points About This Car:* The damn thing runs like new, with no indication of any mechanical system in the car about to break or stop working. I could provide pages of specifics, but suffice it to say it's ready to be driven anywhere without incident, assuming, of course, there's pavement. The meticulous maintenance records will provide all mechanical specifics one would want to know. The car is very quiet during operation on smooth pavement, with no unusual engine knocks, rattles, strange sounds, noises or squeaks.
* Just about everything else on the car works as well; there are no warning indicator lights on the dash, all gauges work, even the clock. The only thing that doesn't is the power mirror. (The motor makes the proper "whirring" sound, but the mirror simply doesn't rotate properly. I adjusted the mirror manually when it malfunctioned long ago, and haven't messed with it since.)
* All composite rubber parts are good, from the Michelin tires (6/32nds tread on all four) to every hose, belt, rack boot, grommet, insert, bumper guard, etc. (Granted, I haven't checked every single rubber component, but the obvious ones are in excellent shape.)
* The interior is beautiful and all original, with no rips or tears in leather or vinyl and with minimal fading or other signs of significant wear. The tonneau cover vinyl does show significant sun fading, but no signs of splitting or tearing. It wraps around and simply glues on, so a simple repair, if desired. (Didn't bother me enough to ever worry about it.) There is one small crack in the the burlwood trim next to the shifter. None of the burlwood panels are faded, nor is there any damage to any of the other panels. I visited with my mechanic about replacement of the panel, and was advised that "(1) they all cracked, most of them severely; and (2) in my car's instance, the damage is unusually minimal and not very noticeable, and he wouldn't recommend 'jacking with it' at all." (Apparently, the replacement kits don't always cosmetically match the other burlwood panels very well and are problematic to install and fit exactly.)
Very Special Things About This Car:* It has European headlights, made of brilliantly clear glass and pure white bulbs replacing the ugly, round plastic American-style assembly.
* It has über-rare, optional heated front seats!
* It has a very upgraded stereo system, all without replacing the original head unit or modifying the car body in any way. This was cleverly done by replacing the hollow, original stowage deck behind the seats with a slotted, exact match deck containing the upgraded powerful base and midrange speakers. The puny in-dash speakers were replaced with the best tweeters available that would fit without modification of the dash. An Alpine 400 watt amplifier was mounted on a perfectly matching, carpeted board and then installed in the empty cavity on the driver's side rear fender well. For the record, the stereo upgrades are completely invisible upon inspection -- most people don't even realize anything has been done to the original stereo, but the quality of the sound is oh-so-much improved over the original lousy audio system. (Hey, whaddya want for $61K new?!)
* The entire air conditioning system was converted from the no-longer-available R12 freon to R134. This required complete replacement of all A/C components, but results in extremely cold air using "modern " freon. The entire system replacement cost was approximately $3,000.
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I won't lecture anyone on these cars. People that want a 560SL have done their homework and (probably) know more about this model vehicle than I do. So, I'll just say one thing: almost everyone agrees that of the R107 model lineup, the 560SLs are by far the crème de la crème of the series!
I'd prefer to sell it to someone who can avoid shipping issues, so, fly in, drive it home! It's ready to go!
If needed, though, use one of the shipping companies here through Ebay, or google 'auto shippers' to get other quotes to your location, but I strongly hope you'll come take a test drive to make sure you like the car as much as I do.
I'll respond quickly to all questions and for clarification of anything.
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