1988 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

Convertible

5.6L V8

Automatic

WDBBA48D9JA084074

Clear

I have decided to sell my beloved 560SL, affectionately named Helga. She is one of the most reliable cars that I have ever owned. She never failed and stranded me and she is a pleasure to ride. I have owned her for the past 8 years and for the most part she lived a very sheltered life, always garaged with regular maintenance. I will attempt to describe the particulars of the car to the best of my knowledge. If I fail to mention a detail that you would like to know, please either call me or shoot me an email and I will reply as soon as I can. General history & pedigree of the car: I am the fourth owner. I purchased it from a gentleman in Sunnyvale, TX, a suburb of Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area. He purchased it from the second owner who was a friend of his. The car was purchased at Park Place Mercedes-Benz in Dallas. The odometer stands at 86,XXX right now, so it has been driven very little throughout the years. Although, it has been a garage queen, I tried to drive it regularly to upkeep the rubber seals, tires and any other parts that age by just sitting in the garage. Mechanical condition & History: I am fairly knowledgeable in this circa Mercedeses so any maintenance needs were met swiftly and using a qualified mechanic. The car was mechanically in excellent shape when I purchased it and it remains to be so today. Regular maintenance (oil changes, spark plugs, air filter etc.) were done on time. Specifically, the following was performed:Oil changes - I use Castrol GTX 20W50 on this car. The engine tolerances at the time were not built for synthetic oil. Transmission - Fluid and filter. Brakes - Rotors and pads, brake fluid.Fuel System - Fuel pump, fuel pressure regulatorElectrical systems -- nothingSteering system - steering gear box seals - read my rubber seal comment above, steering coupler - this actually is a culprit for the car to wander because of the play. Center link, tie rodsA/C system - Compressor, dryer and expansion valve - A/C is a weak part of the car, center console pods - yes they do blow from the center.Heating system - Monovalve.Automatic climate control - whole module changed - I hate this part of the car just give me knobs to turn please.Coolant system -New hoses, new coolant reservoir, new water pump and thermostat with new belts.New mufflerNew tiresMechanical Needs: Upper and lower ball joints need changing. Nothing else is needed. No leaks are detected on the car. Body Condition & History: Being a Texas car, the car did not have a speck of rust at purchase and no rust since then. Unfortunately, the old owner had difficulty putting the hard top and scratched the soft top cover and the sheet metal right before the trunk. Also, the original soft top plastic windows were shot and yellowed out. And...being a US spec car, it had the Panzer bumpers that US government regulations imposed on Mercedes-Benz. The car was not designed with those ugly bumpers originally. So, being picky, the following was performed:Body was taken to metal and painted with the original color (color code 9199 blauschwarz metallic) including the hard top.Soft top was changed - original soft top was black but I like the tan soft top color better.I found bumpers from a 1972 and voila....had European bumpers.Body Needs: Over the years, we managed the put a couple of scratches on the new paint. I tried to show these in the two pictures. These were entirely due to carelessness or limited space in the garage. Hence, the body is not perfect and it is not in showcase shape. General Comments: The car has a hard top, which was painted at the time with the body. It is in the shed and it is a nuisance to me. I have never put it on so, please please don't ask me to put it on and shoot pictures. When I bought the car, the only way to carry that monstrosity was to temporarily put it on. I have to be honest. The car looks real smart with the hard top on since the top still retains the old pagoda roof characteristics of the previous generation. Having said that, it weighs a ton and a real back breaker. In Texas, who needs a hard top? Driving top down is the real pleasure of owning this car. I even rarely put on the soft top. I recommend you invest in a windbreaker to extend the season. This is the device that you install right to the back of front seats that eliminates wind turbulence in the cabin. Remember I was mentioning a qualified mechanic....the car is maintained by Don Boland of MB Haus. When and if you are serious about purchasing this vehicle, I will provide you with his phone number and you can discuss the history and maintenance records of the car with him. He always complains that I am too particular about things but gladly manages to charge me plenty and he is a terrific resource and mechanic for these cars. He specializes in this belle epoque of Mercedes-Benz. He is very honest and reliable. If you are from the DFW area, and you are driving the old stuff, go to him and not the dealer. Dealers don't know these cars in the US. This car was maintained very well and it is a teutonically robust pleasure mobile that feels so solid and well mannered that you will fall in love with it. German cars ain't Lexuses. They have so much character and driving feel to them. I guarantee that you will have a permanent smile tatooed to your face driving my Helga. I hope I was able to describe the car to you. If you have any questions, my cell phone number is 214-734-8031 and my email address is ntulmen@gmail.com. If you need more pictures (I shot a ton but ebay only allows 24) or if you have any questions, please ask. If you are local, please come and take a look at it. If you are in the Continental US, you can fly in and drive the car to your destination (we would have to put the hard top on it). If you are a buyer from Europe, the car needs to be shipped to a port first and then shipped to a European port of entry. I don't do this professionaly so we need to sort out the details at that time. Of course if you would like to have an inspection, then let me know and I will take the car to a place of your choice. If you are a German speaker, my wife can communicate the details. Thanks for looking.