1989 Mercedes-Benz S-Class 500SE review from Australia and New Zealand

Nothing, although I will replace the front brakes soon due to slight uneven wear, due to a poor previous pad change by the previous owners.

A very rare car in the SE, short wheelbase. The SEL is the common longer wheelbase for the V8 models.

I have owned a 5 Mercedes now, and this is the best one.

The interior is almost new due to the hardwearing leather and materials used.

The exterior looks like it's almost been carved from a large hunk of steel. The interior feels like a vault.

It has the 2 stage gearbox, which selects sport, economy modes and also manual first gear select.

With a professionally installed exhaust system, there has been a power gain of 25hp taking it to approx. 285hp. This also brings out the V8 sound, but is not intrusive in the cabin unless the driver wants it that way..

It doesn't sound like much, but due to the lesser weight over the longer wheelbase model, the 500SE hauls when asked to and purrs when required.

These are classics now, and good ones are holding values very well. I had a hard time selling my 1988 300se as these cars are simply beautiful.

The best way these cars can continue to be enjoyed is to make sure that items are fixed when they break, and also the service/maintenance schedule is adhered to.