1985 Mercedes-Benz S-Class 500 SEL from Finland - Comments

I just purchased a 85 500SEL mint exterior/interior (black on black) for $3000. It is by far the best vehicle I have owned. 199,000 org miles and one owner who kept up on maintenance. This car was rated the best luxury model for its time, and considered now rare and classic.

Few issues though. High idle issue. I have seen that this is common with this model. The only info I have found was to replace the idle control valve relay. Having trouble finding the part. Also heard that it could be a vacuum leak also.

The other issue is a transmission leak. It seems to be coming from the pan.. maybe seal.

All in all I feel that money I put into this car will be worth it in the long run. TO all old Mercedes owners: cherish the love and baby your car. And keep up on all proper maintenance. These cars are tanks that will last well over 300,000 miles if taken care of.

April

Indiana.

Great car - I live in the Midwest USA. I bought my 85 SEL 500 at a car auction in 2008. I paid 1000 for it.

Well it has transmission problems; it's rough in 1st gear, reverse and park. The car has 234,000 miles on it, but other than the tranny, it kicks ass. It's a tank.

She still rides smooth. The body is a little beat, but its glazy grey paint job still looks nice.

The inside is in fair condition; it's a lighter grey.

They can be expensive to fix, unless you know the right people. I've been seeing a lot of them around on the net in my area for sale at way more reasonable prices. I'm actually considering selling mine to find one in better shape. The range can be from $900 to $5000. I hear the value is going up on these cars. There's lots of models that look similar to the SEL 500; the 300s, the 420s, the 300SDs, the 300Ss. But they are not as good as the SEL 500.. If you are looking for one look in the Midwest, you might find a good deal. I'm considering letting mine go for $1200.00.

1984 MERCEDES 500 SEL.

I'm thinking about purchasing a '84 500 SEL EURO M210 engine. The body is fair with '92 S class rims, the interior is trashed, wood trim is missing, passenger seat won't operate. During test drive she sucks gas like a "drunken sailor", and for some strange reason engine temp seemed high. Would this car be a good purchase for $1900, or should I run from it?

Any suggestions?

"1984 MERCEDES 500 SEL.

I'm thinking about purchasing a '84 500 SEL EURO M210 engine. The body is fair with '92 S class rims, the interior is trashed, wood trim is missing, passenger seat won't operate. During test drive she sucks gas like a "drunken sailor", and for some strange reason engine temp seemed high. Would this car be a good purchase for $1900, or should I run from it?

Any suggestions?"

Well the 500 was not known to be economical by today's standard, but should not be too excessive. Might need a good old tune up. And the temp in those cars do sometimes get high past the half mark after a long cruise in hot weather, or sitting in traffic for very long time in hot weather. If the temperature gauge gets up there just in normal everyday driving, that means the wrong mixture and or coolant is being used, or the there could be a partial block or the fan clutch is gone or going. None of those are too expensive to replace part wise if you shop around. But the kicker is that if the car is getting close to over heating on a test drive, chances are that it was overheated at some point before, and then it's time to run unless you plan on gambling with warped heads and things.

To get the interior from trashed to right - you'll put in a pretty penny a very pretty penny, make that a pretty chunk of silver if it's leather. Now if that 500 came with burlwood, good luck on finding replacement parts and the dealer will close early from the money they will rake in if you order them through them. Zebrano pieces are bit easier to find, but if I'm not mistaken, the 500 usually came with the burlwood, but who's to know if you replace all the wood anyways.

The motors for the passenger seats is a bugger to DIY, but not too hard. And dealership will see dollar signs if you get them to do it though.

I wouldn't personally buy that car for 1900, because of the cash you most likely will have to put in it to get it right anyways. 1500 from what you described assuming everything else is average condition is about as high as I will go, unless the AC works, then I might consider 1900 because a working AC saves thousands dollars worth of work.

126s could be very expensive to repair. I would not touch one that has so many works outstanding. I am personally looking for a 300 SE or SEL to buy, but it must be in good working condition. Paul.

I bought a 1985 500 SEL in 1987 at 13500 miles. I still own it.

So far I have replaced the water pump, spark plugs, electronic ignition module, front and rear shocks, tires 5x, camshaft and valve lifter. It has 67,000 miles now. I make 13-15 miles per gallon, steering has a play, rear defogger gave out. All the rest are working.

I love this car very much.

Also would like to mention that the engine runs hot most of the time, but never overheated. I'm keeping my car until it dies.

G.