1987 Mercedes 560SEL Review - A High Quality 80's Luxury Car!

[@hollybirge4087]

Peak Mercedes. I love the color, the look, everything.

[@drmnishikawa]

I have the W126 as an icon. If I was to point a single automobile that epitomizes timeless elegance, it would be the W126 560SEL. As said within sports "form is temporary, class is permanent".

[@RUfromthe40s]

i prefer the SE the L as longer back room but shorter bagage room or the trunk isn´t so long

[@CrystalClearWith8BE]

This is literally my favorite Mercedes-Benz in the 1980s.

[@RUfromthe40s]

if correctelly speaking is from the 70´s as it came out in 73

[@CrystalClearWith8BE]

​@@RUfromthe40s, the W126 was concepted in the late 1970s and made the model last from 1979 (some say 1980) to 1991. You were talking about the W116 which is a 1970s S-Class that lasted from 1972 to 1979.

[@samuelegunlusi1017]

I love the 560 SEL the best Mercedes Benz ever built in my opinion. The reason why I like foreign cars especially from Germany 🇩🇪 is because the attention to detail. I love how complex the engine is and the drive quality is amazing. I just wish newer model’s of Mercedes Benz would be reliable as the 560 SEL.

[@faheemabbas3965]

They will never be ever again. The idea of luxury providing a peace of mind is dead. They’re running on their badge for status now. Even a Genesis nowadays is higher in quality compared to a modern Benz. Look at Mercedes’ advertisements as of recent. All show off and making it “the thing”.

[@RUfromthe40s]

560 SEL is one of the several model of SE cars, L is limousine for long feet room on the back seat and shorter trunk, the SE as longer trunk and regular confortable room in the back seat, but the 70´s model is said to be the best as the 60´s and 50´s, my oldest is a 190SL and in 61 i bought a 220S ,in 65 a 280S(EC) and in 67 a 280SL, in 68 a 250 w114 and in 71 a 350SE in 73 a 350SL and in 75 a 450SLC

[@RUfromthe40s]

from which year and the L only gets you more space in the back seats and less trunk space i have a 500SE from 73 , when released that as the back leveled by it´s hidraulic system no matter the weight

[@BSFJeebus]

so back in the day, and bentley/rolls were known for this, the horn is called a country and city horn, the idea being that one reverbed less in the countryside. fancy

[@carexpertandy]

Dang, that’s so interesting how you can change which sound you want the horn to make!

[@Rmzkm007]

It’s the “city” and the “country” horn mode

[@Rmzkm007]

When Mercedes were built like tanks!

[@misterpotato4775]

Only time :')

[@faheemabbas3965]

And now they’re the definition of planned obsolescence. Luxury as a peace of mind is dead.

[@Clement.V]

When Mercedes do real cars :/

[@RUfromthe40s]

@@Clement.V before Daimler left the building, they were

[@ralphabreu5022]

When Mercedes were real car's

[@JonathanMoosey]

The people who drove these cars back in the 1980s either ran corporations or entire countries

[@Josef007]

One of the best cars ever made. Too bad all MBs are crap today.

[@doug6191]

It's hilarious that Lincoln and especially Cadillac were selling absolute dinosaurs as the best in luxury while this was also in showrooms. Their *only* advantage was price and unsophisticated mechanicals.

[@bwofficial1776]

You bought a Cadillac or Lincoln if you loved chrome and wanted to show off. You bought a Mercedes-Benz if you cared about the engineering and solid driving experience. You bought a BMW if you liked Mercedes-Benz but wanted a little more sport in exchange for a slight tradeoff in quality.

[@doug6191]

@bwofficial1776 Now, they're all ugly, and Korea has the best-looking, best-equipped choice. Sure, the Germans have more powerful options and better prestige, but...they're hideous and ridiculously expensive. And the Escalade is a nice Tahoe.

[@TassieLorenzo]

"unsophisticated mechanicals" Isn't the front wheel drive in the Sedan de Ville meant to be "more modern" than the old-fashioned rear drive Mercedes according to GM? 🙂

[@wigletron2846]

Eh, I'd argue it's more if you prefer driving a floating couch VS a more performance oriented machine.

[@lordbrennanofsealand5772]

Those SELs Brought back a lot of memories. They were cast cars when I worked on ‘the fifth element’ back in 90s. Great video.

[@TheRealSpeedWolf]

You put the price sticker. The thing is, it might seem like a lot today, but people's salaries back then were livable. Growing up back then, I can tell you that the price was reasonable for that model of Mercedes. My father had a similar model that he paid $75,000 for; it was a 1989 Mercedes 300. He later upgraded to a Mercedes 600 SEL 1992, which cost $100,000. Keep in mind that my father was a diplomat, so he didn't pay any taxes on top of that. The point is that the prices look extreme now, but back then, they looked the same as they do now. The difference is that people's salaries have not gone up since the '90s. Of course, this is my observation and opinion and I'm speaking from a European perspective.

[@Kamala_Harris_2024_official]

In 1989 a home in San Diego was 120k, today it's about 950k. Ounce of gold was about $350, now it's 2,500. The 100k Benz in 89 was the same money as a Rolls Royce, Ferrari 348 etc

[@chrisallen766]

Back when they were durable cars and worth the premium.....

[@JDStickland]

I picked up a '91 300SE about 2 years ago, the polar opposite of the W126 price spectrum. A rebuilt title $1500 beater of a car, but it is AWESOME. Despite a checkered past, the car has never let me down. It always starts and always gets me where I need to go. Sure there are a lot of little problems here and there, but it has all been straightforward to fix in my driveway with easily available (and cheap) parts!

[@M123OCT]

I'm interested to know how and where you get parts. Do you mean new, or do you have to hunt down used parts? This is my dream car, but that aspect worries me. Cheers.

[@damilolaakanni]

You can't say that about newer Mercedes models, unfortunately. These days they chase profits at the expense of build quality and reliability.

[@davidraezer5937]

I had my V126 for 2 years. Only complaint was the fuel consumption. I always thought the 126 cars were the pinnacle of MB build but recently I bought a 92 W140 400SE and it’s a toss up. The early W1240 took the 126 chassis to a higher level with more gadgets but the ride has even more waft. I feel like setting the cruise at 120mph. The ride is that good.

[@joeseeking3572]

Many will tell you this was peak S class - build quality and overall competence compared to anything offered at the time - though the successor W140 also has its fans (who tend to like the more tnaklike feel and available 12). By the early 2000s that had started to fade and big Merc became just another luxo sedan.

[@no-damn-alias]

Crazy how US emissions choked those engines. In Europe that exact engine could have up to 300hp

[@bwofficial1776]

That's why we have the 25-year import ban. People were importing 500SLs and 500SELs that were both more powerful and cheaper than the officially imported 560SL and 560SELs. Mercedes-Benz was getting mad about the lost revenue so they lobbied Congress for the ban, claiming that the imports were not compliant with US regulations.

[@sammyt3514]

I remember reviewers gushing about this car when it was brand new, but I also remember that they often highlighted how vague the recirculating ball steering mechanism of it was, especially when compared to the BMW 7-Series of that era.

[@TassieLorenzo]

I thought BMW also had recirculating ball steering, at least on models with the V8 engine. Or was that only for the E34 5 Series (and presumably the earlier E28 as well)?

[@sammyt3514]

@@TassieLorenzo It did, but BMW's implementation was markedly sportier/more alert per the reviews I remember reading at the time.

[@dave11686]

Love these old Mercs

[@edstenson7764]

The previous gen had hvac issues, it was an overly complex electronic controlled valve system that failed. There was a manually activated valve repair. The “L” in SEL meant it was an extended wheelbase model The “E” meant it was optioned with an ethanol/gasoline engine. If it had a diesel it would be SD or SDL. Nice. Review, thank you.

[@garyzhang5099]

e means injection gas engine, not carburetor

[@turnne]

Back when they built cost no object automobiles and charged accordingly.

[@omostim2385]

That’s funny that the car didn’t lurch when putting it into gear. Mine would lurch along with the rear suspension dropping down in drive or lifting in reverse. Also I had a lot of fun toggling the horn back and forth when the Saints won the super bowl. I miss that feature

[@IceMan-il7dx]

If they built the W124/126 today. A car for life.

[@the80386]

The 560 looks majestic in that Green! Absolutely beautiful.

[@MAScurious]

I had an 1986 in light blue metallic. It was abused when I got it. When it ran it was everything i wanted in a car. Always needed some work and after I got married the wife wouldn't let me keep it. Was over 20 years old when I sold it and was no rust. Felt more stable in the rain too! If y'all can get one, get one! You'll understand!

[@robertdiehl9003]

A beautiful, solid and prestigious car especially when new..

[@arthurdardalis]

An absolute icon, majestic, elegant, timeless, everything Mercedes isn’t today. A real shame for the oldest car company in the world whose reputation for quality was hard earned through the decades, now has effing accountants making the decisions and spotty faced marketeers who wouldn’t recognise a W126 if it fell on their heads.

[@bwofficial1776]

Such a fine car and that green is fantastic. I'd take one of these in good shape over an American land yacht. American land yachts were like tractors compared to this. They're cheaper to fix but the S-Class is more rewarding to drive. It's a shame Mercedes-Benz had to abandon their cost-no-object engineering and start chasing gadgetry and flash like everyone else.

[@bazilwreckerloughead]

What a cool car, I love everything about the interior!

[@jgg02]

One of the most understated and elegant designs, great review

[@lamar7bn]

This was my first car which my late father passed it on to me in 1999 when he bought w140 s600 1996 Drove it until 2013 it was incredibly reliable except issues with fuel distributor, God i miss that car so much

[@wigletron2846]

Missed opportunity to hold the horn down and toggle the switch back and forth

[@20alphabet]

When Germans were still on the assembly line.

[@westhavenor9513]

Should you desire, these cars are built to cruise at triple digits speeds until you run out of gas.

[@bwofficial1776]

American land yachts were designed to cruise at 55MPH, maybe 65 if you wanted to push it. Mercedes-Benzes and BMWs were designed for the Autobahn.

[@GeeEm1313]

If you had a 560SEL, SL, or SEC, you knew you absolutely made it in the world.

[@davidsherrick898]

Town and country horn. I owned 3 W124 Mercedes-Benz, best built cars of that Era! That color on your test driver is my favorite, I really thought black on black would be gangster, but this color is beautiful!

[@kwaza8574]

My father had one of these and he loved the car. Until something broke every 5 weeks, even though it was only driven about 3 times a month. It’s pre ‘93 Mercedes, classic Benz. We realize years later, that as much time went into planning the elegance of the car, the same amount of planning went into obsolescence.

[@moufidyh4456]

This car is a really cool and it's reliable, V8 and RWD But OMG I really really hate the automatic gearbox

[@travisseabrooks2739]

Mercedes slow shifting transmission and that stiff gas pedal lol

[@bldontmatter5319]

Super slow and smooth

[@YangGQ]

1983 280SE is my daily driver. Less to go wrong. No sunroof. Take it to 130kph cruising speed each week for commuting drive between countries.

[@marcelpatel9017]

Actually, the two horn settings are intentionally designed when driving in city and in countryside when distances are longer. Town and country horns.

[@japanjack62]

Beautiful and rare color combo. the folks had a 91 560SEL, beautiful car, kept it till 2013 and Dad told me he was kicking himself for selling it, I'm kicking myself for not buying it.... the S550 he bought wasn't as nice...

[@garyowen9044]

Mechanical fuel injection, and mechanical ABS. Think how complex that needs to be, not having a motherboard running the show.

[@mbd501]

Great cars. My Dad once had a '94 E320 that was in a similar green color. But that color was rare on S-classes, as I recall. Most of them were black or blue.

[@nostickpeople]

Love it. Hate Bosch fuel system. Crave and earlier model! I currently drive a 2002 s500 and a 2006 r500 in winter! Hate the R. Love the S!

[@TheDoomguy3232]

Me patiently waiting for the 300 SDL review:

[@Alexi7666]

Nice job. I'm near Toledo. Shopping an '89 560SEL with 135,000 miles. I hear the problems are few, but expensive.

[@misterpotato4775]

This design isn't timeless imo but it's somehow nice to see it's design especially in the wider body version. I'm not quite sure which one but the wider ones was and still one of the greatest widebody on luxury cars.

[@craftedwithart]

It didn't have air suspension, it had rear hydraulic suspension called SLS which is very reliable. The patent was bought from Citroen and was also used by super cars

[@MrGrodsan]

I has the same but in the short body a 280SE the 6 cilinders

[@martinsv9183]

You need to push the gas pedal through the kick down switch at the bottom if you want the lowest gear possible for acc, or it will drop max 1 gear down only.

[@GeeEm1313]

The Becker radios were fairly panned for their button labeling.

[@chrisschneider5670]

They gave the horn a nice mode and a mean mode

[@michaelarmellino8334]

Should’ve hit the switch to downshift when you floored it(switch built into the gas pedal). Would’ve felt a bit quicker for sure.

[@gary1705]

Rock Hudson movie star bought this same car when very ill with AIDS took his friends for a drive upon receiving delivery from the dealership and while driving down his drive took out the gate stone pillar on the way out and never even stopped to check the damage and just kept driving in to BeverlyHills . He passed away not long after the event 🙏 RIP Rock

[@Andyface79]

My brother had one of these. It was sparkle blue. It was also a Hot Wheels.

[@GeeEm1313]

And the horn switching was for use in the city and the country.

[@osirian8025]

This was the time when Mercedes Benz made the iconic cars. I had the 1986 E300 ,I got depressed driving others cars after I sold it. I am thinking to get one of these Sel 560 or 500E but I am not sure if spare parts are available and most important, are mechanics able to fix a Mercedes car that is 40 years old?

[@BEGGARWOOD1]

The rear suspension is hydraulic not air . It’s similar to the Citroen system, if it maintained it’s not less reliable than standard springs

[@immortald8417]

Mercedes bought the patent from Citroen

[@mahmoudnowaz4097]

This car is from a different mindset era. Talk soft walk with big personality/ stick.

[@DevinS695]

Crazy they had a "Gas Guzzler" tax 😭😭😭

[@dallisb1047]

Love that car!

[@M123OCT]

I have fallen so out of love with contemporary cars, built like cheap shit with crappy screens everywhere - this is my dream car. Analogue class. Are parts available, or would you spend your whole life searching for used stuff?

[@TheBTG88]

City horn and Country horn.

[@RUfromthe40s]

in the 90´s was the most seen car in the roads by poor people in Marrocco , they send them cheap when they can´t sell them anymore in Europe and gasoline there used to be less pricey than botled water

[@MotorWisdom]

Great review of an exceptional car !

[@OmarDenarzi]

This channel is just keeps improving and has reached an amazing level in car reviews IMO, And Zack my buddy thank you so much for making such fascinating videos and sharing knowledge with petrolheads like yourself 🫡🫡.

[@krasimladenov367]

Мечти няма вече коли само кенефи

[@damilolaakanni]

God forbid that Mercedes would make the S Class, or even the E Class for that matter, front wheel drive.

[@EdwardStrong-r2f]

I have one now

[@garrettdodson6110]

Horsepower was 275 from 87 to 91

[@paulm6481]

Fit for JR

[@unowen-nh9ov]

All downhill from here.

[@normalizedaudio2481]

Hydraulic windows too. Yikes.

[@1983rush]

Exquisite

[@ChristerByklum-q5p]

No old money would ever drink anything in a car, in the 1980’s. Probably not even today. And that was the customer’s for Mercedes. At least in Europe. It is American customers that has brought cup holders into the cars of the rest of the world. When I grew up, in Europe, no chance in hell we would ever eat, or drink, anything, in a car. We didn’t eat anything standing up either. Bringing something to eat or drink in the car? We were not barbarians. It was unheard of. So why would you have a cup holder in the car?

[@kc0lif]

smooth cars.

[@medium_dog7211]

Mi gusta

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Nice 😀

[@eddiefalcongmail]

This was true luxury back in the day. I do not believe the gap that this car had over others still exists today. Also I just saw this on Coming to America 😀 As always Zack, great job

[@Lizpolygigiblissgirl]

A 1500 dollar gas guzzler tax to drive this car in the mid 80s, that is some perspective