Faults:

Fuel pump relay overheated, and caused the fuel pump to cut out regularly, which was a dangerous thing to happen where I live, and took weeks and a painful amount of dollars to find.

Distributor cap went soon after purchase.

Suspension was never right, and I kept fixing niggles and replacing bushings pretty much weekly.

Brakes tended to catch little stones, and required surgical removal by a shop.

Water pump died on me.

Air conditioning stopped working soon after purchase.

Climate control started acting erratically after a few months.

Oil loss turned out to come from leaking block, horrendously expensive to fix.

Transmission noise started to develop after one year of purchase.

General Comments:

This car was an eye-opener for me, teaching me that Mercedes-longevity can indeed be a myth. I have not had this much frustration and aggravation with a car since owning a very troublesome Citroen CX 15 years ago.

This came doubly unwelcome, as I had purchased the car specifically because I was in need of a reliable, solid car at the time, and this Mercedes turned out to be anything but. Sadly, I can't even say it's my first bad Mercedes; I just keep believing in them, who knows why.

As a car though, it was a delight. Beautiful, poised, timeless, amazing ride comfort, and guaranteed to get you the attention of anyone, at least where I live.

Faults:

The air conditioning compressor failed and needed reconditioning.

The vacuum operated air vent bellows in the dashboard failed, requiring replacement.

I have another 1986 version of the same car (560 SEL) and these are common problems with the W126 vehicles. Otherwise there are only the normal day to day things like brake pads, etc.

General Comments:

We have 2 of these cars. The other one is a 1986 build vehicle which I have owned for 11 years and which now has 220,000km on the clock. Given the outstanding build quality and reliability of the older car, I could not resist buying the 1990 example when it came up for sale – with a genuine 14,000km on the clock (despite being 10 years old at the time).

I have since travelled a further 50,000km in the car.

It is in virtually brand new condition. These cars were probably the most over-engineered Mercedes ever built – that is why in real terms they were the most expensive. The result is a car which is incredibly reliable. Occasionally little things wear out – but in 11 years of owning both cars, neither has ever stranded me – except when I left the lights on and flattened the battery.

The 560SEL is huge. Incredible rear leg room and excellent interior finish – although a little sparse by some standards. Ride is firm, but that is good, and the handling is excellent given the fact that this is a 2 tonne family saloon.

It goes like the clappers. It normally accelerates starting in 2nd gear and moving up through to 4th. However if you are in a hurry, put your foot hard on the floor and it will select the little used 1st gear, and the car jumps forward from 0 – 100 kmh in just 7 seconds. Effortless. That is very good even by todays standards.

It looks good too. Much better than the 1990s model which followed it, and more “classic” Mercedes than the most recent ones. It does of course have a reputation for being the car of choice for just about every mafia boss and 3rd world dictator for several decades.

The fact that Mercedes built this chassis for 12 years (1979 to 1991) is testimony to the quality of its engineering.