This 1986 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL was purchased new in New York alongside a matching car as a "his and hers" combination and remained single-family owned until 2023. Finished in Astral Silver Metallic (735U) over Royal Blue Leather (272), power is provided by a 5.5-liter M117 V8 paired with a four-speed automatic transmission. Features include a power-operated tilting and sliding sunroof, automatic climate control, cruise control, a Becker AM/FM cassette stereo, power-adjustable heated front seats, power-adjustable heated rear reclining seats, and 15″ Gullideckel wheels. Recent service in 2024 includes all new brake pads, a window regulator, muffler, and an oil and filter service, along with a scheduled 60,000 mile service in November 2023. This W126 now shows 61k miles and is offered at No Reserve by the seller with a stamped service booklet, partial service records, original tool roll, a Carfax report, and a clean New York title.
The long-wheelbase body of this W126 is finished in Astral Silver Metallic (735U) with contrasting lower cladding and retains its original US-market lighting and bumpers front and rear. Features include a power-operated sunroof, headlight washers and wipers, and chrome trim around the windows, beltline and grille. The seller notes the passenger rear door was previously repainted due to a shopping cart mishap as noted on the Carfax in 1995. Light abrasions in the clear coat are seen up close. A spot of bubbling under the paint around the sunroof and marks on the bumpers are highlighted in the gallery.
Factory 15″ Gullideckel alloy wheels are mounted with Vredestein HiTrac tires measuring 205/65 on all four corners with 2023 date codes. The car is equipped with power-assisted steering and four-wheel disc brakes. All four brake rotors and pads were replaced in May 2024.
The cabin is trimmed in Royal Blue Leather (272) with a matching dashboard, door panels, and carpets. Original burl wood trim veneer accents the dashboard, center console and door panels and shows some minor hairline cracks and fading. Additional equipment includes automatic climate control, cruise control, a Becker Grand Prix AM/FM cassette stereo, power-adjustable heated front seats, heated and reclining rear seats, and power windows and locks. The front driver seat shows normal wear, and the rear bench seat shows some scuffs as noted in the gallery. All electronics are reportedly in good working condition.
The leather-wrapped airbag steering wheel fronts VDO instrumentation consisting of a 170-mph speedometer, a tachometer with an inset analog clock, and a combination gauge indicating coolant temperature, oil pressure, instant economy, and fuel level. The six-digit odometer shows just under 61k miles.
The fuel-injected 5.5-liter M117 V8 was factory rated at 238 horsepower and 288 lb-ft of torque when new. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission. Recent service in 2024 includes new brake pads and rotors, a top-off of all fluids, an engine oil & filter change, new window regulator, and new muffler. The scheduled 60,000 mile service was performed in November 2023 and the factory service booklet is stamped since new.
The Carfax report shows the aforementioned damage report in 1995 along with linear mileage updates and registration history in New York since new. This W126 now shows 61k miles and is offered at No Reserve by the seller with a stamped service booklet, partial service records, original tool roll, a clean Carfax report, and a clean New York title.
Driving footage along with a cold start video are provided below.
Open Transit:
Enclosed Transit:
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15 Comments
Nice
$8,200 bid placed by @Fenouz
$7,800 bid placed by @DLB79
$7,550 bid placed by @Brosedc
$7,300 bid placed by @Fenouz
$6,750 bid placed by @Brosedc
$6,500 bid placed by @mdrei
$6,250 bid placed by @Khan
$6,000 bid placed by @Awismot
$5,700 bid placed by @Xavo1978
$5,250 bid placed by @mdrei
$5,000 bid placed by @Fenouz
$4,750 bid placed by @mdrei
@Fenouz SLS was inspected in preparation for the sale on 8/23/24 with no issues found. Steering is excellent, no play, no plaintive noises. No sign or record of the air bags ever being replaced.
Beautiful ride. Anything to report regarding the leveling suspension or steering rack? Were the air bags ever replaced?
$4,375 bid placed by @Billcourcy
Dry ice will certainly blast all of that superficial corrosion off. I’m such a sucker for blue leather. Really cool car with the die cast to boot!
Additional photos have been added to the gallery.
@Erdoan24 I’m not going to have access to a lift before the auction closes but I did the best I could from lying on the ground. Confirms my initial impression of some surface rust but nothing coming through. Probably could do with a dry ice cleaning to make things sparkle, but it’s otherwise solid. I’ve uploaded the pics to the site so hopefully we’ll see them shortly.
Would love to see some underside photos
$4,000 bid placed by @weajax
$3,276 bid placed by @Billcourcy
Additional photos have been added to the gallery.
@mayolives Good catch. Upon closer inspection it turns out not to be a wire but a bit of pine straw that had slid off the hood. I retook that photo with a more discerning eye, and took a couple additional shots of the engine bay while I was at it. They should be up soon.
Nice pictures! When viewing the under hood area, I see what appears to be a small wire connected to the neg. terminal of the battery. Why is it there?
$2,750 bid placed by @mdrei
@zachmac Fair point. I’ll try and get it on a lift in the next couple of days. From what I can tell, there does appear to be surface rust on the exhaust pipe and some nuts and bolts, but the frame and floor are solid. No signs in the wheel wells or rockers. I think anyone who has driven a pre-4Matic Mercedes-Benz on snow or ice would advise leaving it in the garage and that’s probably what she did, saving it from the tragic decay you often see around here. As for the AC, it is still R12 but was recharged during the 60K service a year or so ago. The mechanic noted a leak “somewhere” and recommended converting to R134, but I haven’t noticed it blowing any less cold since (albeit not much occasion to use it in the Catskills). Vents all work as they should although the fan does chirp for 10-20 seconds at first when on Auto and the cabin is especially warm.
$2,500 bid placed by @Ranger902
Does the AC work and blow cold? Still R12 or R134? Do all the vents work and change over via the climate control panel? Any record of timing chain of guides being changed? Can we get some underside shots seeing as how this was a NY car?
$2,250 bid placed by @BD450SL
Exceptional videos. Very nice touch. A great car from a great era. Wonderful. I hope it finds a deserving home.
$2,000 bid placed by @mdrei
@Sethrpollack Gotta love the 126!
Beautiful car. If it were a 560SEC I'd be a bidder.