1989 Mercedes Benz 560sl 34,041 Original Miles Original Paint 100+ Photos on 2040-cars

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1989 Mercedes Benz 560SL Roadster

Black Pearl Metallic exterior, black leather interior, original black soft top.

This is a two owner car, it was originally purchased at Benchmark Motors Inc., the Mercedes-Benz dealership in Oklahoma City, OK on November 15, 1988. The original sales order (present with the car) states "CAR TO BE HELD AT BENCHMARK UNTIL ON OR ABOUT 20 DEC, 1988" the original purchaser bought it as a Christmas gift for his wife.

I visited the current owner of this car in Tucson, AZ on January 16th. I drove the car then and took the photos below (I tried to take some in the sun, some in the shade, to give you a good idea of condition and the color). The car had just 34,041 miles when the photos were taken, it hasn't been driven much since.

The current owner purchased the car from the original owner in August of 2004 in Oklahoma, he then brought it out to his Winter home in Tucson where it sees occasional, seasonal use.

We see LOTS of R107 body SLs, 450s, 380s, 560s, most are just used cars at this point with long lists of needs once you really look at them closely, this is NOT just a used car, this is an original survivor and would be a respectable entry in the "Preservation Class" at a Mercedes-Benz Club of America Concours d'Elegance.

ORIGINALITY... This car wears its original paint, top and interior. It has never been in an accident, the Carfax is clean. Nobody cut holes in the parcel shelf for stereo speakers, they never put those horrible chrome fender trim pieces on the car, they never had a pin stripe put on the car, this car is as it rolled off the assembly line! A/C system has been regularly serviced and blows cold, original Becker radio is still in place and works perfectly. No weird smells, it's never been smoked in. More about the mechanicals below. This is an absolute time capsule. There are two original keys with the car along with all the books and manuals, even the showroom hang tag for the cruise control and climate system. The original first aid kit is also with the car and as new. There is NO tool roll in the trunk of the car however.. the dark red cloth roll with tools was not in the trunk or under the spare tire. It is not present and is not included with the car.

EXTERIOR
The color is Black Pearl Metallic (199), a very dark grey, like a gun metal. A lot of people look at it and think it's anthracite, it is not, it is slightly darker than anthracite. It has some rock chips on the hood and front fenders, what you'd expect from some use. The owner asked me if I thought he should have the hood painted before selling the car, so there wouldn't be any evidence of rock chips... my answer was an emphatic "NO!". Original paint matters on 'survivor' 560SLs and painting any of the panels would be detrimental to the future collectibility of the car, they're only original once. The new owner can decide if he or she wants to take the car to a detailer and have the rock chips touched up, I've pointed some of them out in the photos below as a general representation of their size. There are a handful of small door dings on the car that I tried to point out in the photos as well, none are real blemishes in the paint and all could be removed via paintless dent removal (PDR).

The car was serviced the day before the photos were taken, the people at the dealership helped the owner remove the hard top (which he had never had off!). The convertible top is in essentially 'as new' condition according to the owner. There are no rips, tears or worn spots. The back window and quarter windows are CLEAR without cracks. The top fit is snug, the tech at Mercedes-Benz of Tucson explained that with use (up and down, up and down) the top would stretch out a bit. There is no curb rash on any of the wheels. Inspect the underside by looking at the photos below, while not detailed or cleaned off, it is dry and free of rust and corrosion, there isn't even the normal surface rust you see on the suspension pieces on most cars. Rubber bushings and suspension pieces are not dried up and cracked, the rubber is still supple. Rubber around the windows and doors is good too.

INTERIOR
The black leather interior of this car is in excellent condition. The only blemish on the leather, really the only visible wear at all, is on the driver's side seat bolster. The wood on the dash and console is excellent, shiny, not milky or faded there is just one small crack in the finish next to the passenger's side electric mirror control. The dash looks as new as the day it was on the showroom floor. All switches and knobs work. The radio is original, the A/C blows COLD, the antenna still goes up and down without noise or complaint. The headliner is excellent, the carpet is essentially perfect, it has had protective mats over the original carpets, I took them out for the photos. The door sills are extremely clean and unscuffed, there were rarely passengers in this car. There are no holes cut in the back parcel area for speakers, again, absolute originality. The cigarette lighter has never been used, there are no smells in the interior other than vintage Mercedes leather.

MECHANICALS
I drove the car about 10 miles, some at highway speeds, around Tucson with the owner. The car drives beautifully, it's fast and responsive, no pulling to either side, alignment is good. Acceleration is fast, there are no rattles, no play in the steering, no strange noises. Again, the A/C blows cold (we needed it in AZ), all vents work, it shifts smoothly, no clunking it's absolutely smooth and fast accelerating up an on-ramp as a 560SL should be. The cruise control also works.

This car has been largely Mercedes dealer maintained. The owner has kept a binder with service receipts from his ownership and also some of the service receipts from the original owner.

January 2014 - Mileage: 33,469 - Installed new sway bar bushings and exhaust hanger, transmission flush and transmission gasket, replaced worn shifter rod bushing, installed new 3rd brake light bulb among other things. Total bill was $1,199.24. A lean miss at idle was diagnosed, the dealership put a fuel additive in the gas tank to clean the fuel injectors and fuel distributor. The car is only driven occasionally during Winter months in AZ, it needs a few hundred fast, hard miles put on it.

CONCLUSION
This is a very original 1989 560SL with no 'stories'. I have a pdf with each page from the service receipt binder in it that I can send you via email if you're interested. There are about 100 photos below, these same 100 plus about 50 more are available for viewing in very high res on the SL Market Letter Flickr page. The car is also for sale through the SL Market Letter, the car may sell privately during the course of the auction, the auction may be ended at any time.

Call me, Dave (612) 567-0234, if you'd like to discuss the car in greater detail. I am in Minneapolis, MN. Clean, clear title in the owner's hand in Tucson, AZ.

The right Buy It Now offer can end the auction and put this car in your garage today.

$500 Paypal deposit due within 48 hours of auction end. Balance of payment due within 5 days of end of auction. We will NOT accept Paypal for the balance, the fees are too great. Bank check, wire transfer, or cash are acceptable.

Car is sold AS IS, WHERE IS, FOB Tucson, AZ. Shipping costs are the responsibility of the buyer. We work with auto transporters regularly, we can refer you to a shipper if you'd like.