I owned this 1989 Mercedes 560SEC when I lived in Detroit, MI. It was a testament to Mercedes build quality as it suffered a lot of abuse yet never let me down. When I moved to Michigan, I had decided that I wanted a 560SEC as a car. I had always liked the model and in the snowy conditions I wanted a car with ABS brakes etc. This particular car wasn’t exactly what I wanted, it was a bit tatty, but it was cheap ($3400) and came with a bunch of spares and had the European lights fitted. In the 80s, The US government mandated sealed beam headlights which are so dim they are dangerous.
I bought the car in November 2007 and sold it in June 2011, and during the time I owned the car it went from being my main daily driver in Michigan to becoming a winter beater/driving parts car for my other 560SEC. I finally sold it for $900 the week before I left the USA. By that time it had donated the best of its trim, its blower motor and more to the other car.
Before it became my beater car I had the timing chain replaced. It was a good time to do it as the chain was original and one of the guides was already broken. All three of my 560SECs had a broken guide when I had the chain replaced. The 1987 car was not on its original chain.
Owning this 1989 Mercedes 560SEC showed the real downside of cars from the rust belt. Doing a simple rear brake pad job took the best part of the day, having to drill out the pins that hold the pads in place. For years I wondered what had become of this car, but discovered recently it was crushed not long after I sold it. August 2,2011 to be precise. This car was the newest model year car I have ever owned, until my purchase of the 1990 300TE, but not the newest at time of ownership. That honour goes to my old 230E.
