1991 Mercedes-Benz S-Class 560 SEL from North America - Comments

The auxiliary fan switch had to be replaced. ($55.00 part & labor)

The button that is used to set the clock no longer works properly.

One window switch did not work when I bought the car. ($16.00 part & labor)

I purchased this car on Ebay, sight unseen. I planed to have it delivered, but the seller could not arrange that. I live in the very top corner of east Tennessee, and the car was in Malibu, California. After two weeks of listening to the sellers lies, I bought a plane ticket and went after my car. I did not realize that I just got on a plane to go get a car that I knew nothing about, other than it was a Mercedes, until the plane was landing. I took a taxi to the dealership, got in the car and started home. To make a very long story short, I drove at 90mph for 18 hours per day for three days. I went through the desert, the national forest, and tornado season in Oklahoma City. (nightmare - don't ask) The car never faltered.

The car runs perfectly, with out any audible noise from the motor in the passenger compartment.

The seats are very comfortable, even on long trips. With other cars I have always been stiff and sore after driving for a long period of time, but not with this car. The leather is buttery soft and still show no signs of wear at all.

The trunk is massive. It would be a wonderful gangster car, you could fit an entire family in the trunk. (just kidding)

It is definitely an open road car, and not intended for country back roads. It is not exactly a car that you can zip around curves in.

The power is unbelievable. If you press the gas down, you don't really feel the car speeding up, but you can feel your head go back against the head rest. I do enjoy being able to out run teenagers in there little sport cars that they have spent more money modifying than they did on the car itself. This car will do it with out even having to push the engine.

Maintenance is not cheap. While I have had no problems to report, Mercedes are all about preventative maintenance. These cars require a major service around 125,000 miles. This major service ran me around $6,000. As for all the other required services, they need to be done as recommended by the maintenance book. If you should come across a Mercedes with a lot of problems, more than likely it has not been maintained properly. If you own a Mercedes and it has some problems, get out the maintenance book, have you done everything as the book recommends? Those do come with the car for a reason you know. Most people would be surprised at how often the service intervals are. (I am making reference to everything other than the oil changes.)

Mercedes do not have any actual problems very often, but when they do get out the smelling salts and be sitting down.

Mercedes are not cheap, but, think about this. The old Mercedes diesels have gone a million miles, and with the modern higher end Mercedes it is not uncommon to go seven or eight hundred thousand miles. How many cheaper cars that you see everyday would it take to last as long as one Mercedes? -you get what you pay for.

What a great car! I absolutely agree with every single word you wrote. Right now I want to buy a 1991 560 SEL in Germany, as a friend of mine, who lives there, is trying to find a decent one for me. I have been dreaming of this car since I turned 11-12, when a neighbor of mine brought a used 1985 500 SEL to Almaty, Kazakhstan (used to be a part of the Soviet Union) from Germany. To tell you the truth we did not have many foreign cars in the USSR till the end of the 80's when people started bringing cars from all over Europe (most of them coming straight from the German scrap yards). All cars that you would see around in the mid eighties would be Volgas, Jigulis and Moskvichs. That's why I was so struck by the beauty and mightiness of this piece of the finest West German machinery. It was so different from anything that I had seen till that day. Many years have passed since that day and now as I became a grown-up and earn my money myself I started searching for my dream car to be bought and brought to my country. Nowadays, as a sovereign state with so much crude oil Kazakhstan has more and more rich people day by day. You can see so many luxurious cars around costing tens of thousands on the streets, but I bet that mine will be a head turner, as they do not produce cars of this quality and value anymore. This MB is a live classic that you can use as your daily driver and it will last forever if you change everything on time and according to the mechanical guide book. I wish this car was produced after 1991, but this is the last year that a W 126 Benz 560 SEL rolled off the production line in Stuttgart. The later W 140 is a great machine, but it lacks the spirit of its ancestor. As for the latest W220...it's less Mercedes than any S class that had been produced before. Put a Lexus emblem on its steering wheel and on the back of the car and no one will know that it is actually a merc..

P.S. W126 rules forever... Buy yourself one and you won't ride anything else afterwards...

Ismail.

Add another kudo.

I bought my 560SEL two years ago. Also on Ebay.

I would not buy one of the newer models, as they are different creatures than the last W126 flagships. This model is the end of the 20th century world class power sedans. Nobody will ever improve what this vehicle embodies.

The power is amazing. The bearing and simple curb-side charisma of this vehicle is beyond the pale. Particularly the 560SEL, for it means something to those who know the breed. It is at once elegant and brutal. Particularly in the color I have, pearl black with gray interior. It does not simply park - it presides.

I just picked up my 1990 560SEL from Phoenix, AZ. I took on an 800 mile road trip home. What a dream!! The car is every bit as good as people told me it would be. What a classic design!! And, talk about smooth power!! I am getting the timing chain replaced, since it is right at 100K. I am also going to replace the air suspension later this year with a standard Bilstein suspension system (same as what the 420SEL has). My mechanic told me in the long run, this is the cheaper route to go, and a more dependable suspension system.

Make sure you use Mobil 1 oil, and change it every 6,000 miles. And yes, follow all regular maintenance, and the car will last as long as you want it to!! For me, I am looking forward too many great years cruising the highways with my new best friend!!

This review is great. I too acquired my 1990 560 SEL in 2003 (from an auction, with similar miles) which was an upgrade from my w123 Diesel. Everything said here about this car is very accurate. I am VERY pleased with my car, and I agree that the w126 truly is the last of the great Mercedes touring cars.

If you can afford the maintenance, don't hesitate to buy a w126 as long as the car is in good shape to begin with.

I agree that the curb appeal is amazing. Upkeep is so costly that I'd compare it to boating. On the other hand, the car is not a money pit. I returned or resold my cars out of boredom

never for mechanical reasons. This is a great car for reps.

I truly agree with this review. I bought my 560SEL new in 1990. Its still running smoothly, and I have been driving it for the past fifteen years. Right after I bought it, I took it to Cape Cod and Rhode Island from Connecticut about a week after I purchased the car. There was no trouble with the engine, and I once looked down at the speedometer to see I was going well over 85 mph! It felt like twenty normally. And I hadn't had any major problems with the car except in 2003 when the radiator cracked. You might expect this after driving over 300,000 miles in over 15 years. Otherwise, I had no problems with it. It worked great and always will for as long as I have it (hopefully for the next twenty years). The only other problem I've had with the car is that for minor things (oil changes, etc.) it can get kind of pricey. After paying over $80,000 for the car, I didn't expect to pay over $25,000 in maintaince fees.

This car has a purposeful elegance that is lacking in the later models.

Drove beautifully, was surprisingly comfortable in view of the hard seats and never let me down.

On one occasion I noticed the temp gauge climbing, stopped the car immediately & removed and discarded the thermostat before topping up and continuing, replacing the thermostat myself later.

Never let these engines overheat as they are all-alloy block and heads and can be easily ruined.

It's the only car I've owned that I insisted on hand washing myself so I could admire its details and check out the condition, touching up occasionally where necessary.

I miss it very much.

I often used to sit in the garage and look at it.

Wife and daughters thought I was mad.

I have a 1991 Black Beauty. It is the Master of any other cars that ever exsited. the only major problem I had ever haa was the a.c. I bought it in 2002 with 85000 miles it now has 102000 miles. It is a Head Turner and cops sea it coming. Best car with Personality that say Move Over here I come.

I purchased my 1991 560 SEL out of Southern California in August 2005. It only had 64000 original one owner miles. It now has 71000. I take it out and drive at least every couple of weeks to keep everything operating well. I have had to put some money into it, but it was in such immaculate shape when I got it. I keep garaged when not being driven. I don't think Merecedes will ever be able to top it for style. The only other one that would tie it is the older model Mercedes 600 limos. Not very practical for me though. I love my 560 SEL. I don't know who is designing the look of the Mercedes since 1991 but they seem to have lost their touch. Although, I saw a newer model the other day in the 500 series sedan and it looked a little better than what has been out in previous years.

I enjoy my Pearl Black with Gray Interior. When I bought it the previous owner had the polished fender guards and the polished chrome Mercedes wheels done when he bought it in 1991. I normally wouldn't do this, but it really looks good with the black exterior. The 560 SEL with the 126 body is a classic like no other and I plan to keep mine for many years to come as a collectible car. It truly is the Flagship of the Mercedes Line and the last of a breed.