New member here, got a few questions

[Dillon]

Edit: I see that the numbers are usually written before the letters...I got some more information searching that way. But which is correct?

Hey everyone. First off let me say that I've never owned nor driven a Mercedes-Benz, so I feel a bit out of place here at the moment. But that will hopefully be changing soon. My neighbor has an older Mercedes coupe that's been sitting in his backyard for quite some time now. He takes pretty good care of it, though...every month he'll take it out, wash it, and drive it for a while. After some internet research, I believe it to be a mid-80s 500SEC. It's a black hardtop with black interior. Not much info was available on these cars online, at least not that I found. So that's why I'm here. I don't have any pictures at the moment but I should be able to take some later. Anyhow, I love the looks of this car, and I'm considering asking him if he'd be willing to sell it. So now to my questions.

1st - How much would a car like this be worth? I've no idea how many miles are on it, but probably not too much since I haven't seen it driven much. So let's just assume it has around 100k on the odo for good measure. The paint is in good condition; no rust, and glossy in most places. I haven't seen the interior up close but I think the seats are a little cracked. I don't know the mechanical condition, but I know that it runs, although I have seen my neighbor struggle to get it to crank before.

2nd - Any particularly notorious mechanical problems that these cars have had over the years? Also, how hard is it to work on these? I'm a big DIY fan and home mechanic, so I'd be doing all my own maintenance whenever possible. I will also be driving this car a lot, so it needs to be reliable.

3rd - Every one of these I've seen online has had an automatic tranny. Did they make them with a manual? I prefer driving a stick, especially if it's a car like this.

I aplogize for not knowing much about Mercedes, and I'm sure you guys get these kind of questions all the time. But that's why I'm here--I want to learn all I can before I make any decision to buy. And like I said, I couldn't find anything on the 'net. So yeah, if you guys could provide links to sites with more information on these cars, that'd be greatly appreciated. Thanks for any help you can give.

[Alex]

Dillon,

It sounds like you've found a nice car, alright. But to get really useful help rather than a bunch of guesses, you need to identify the car more precisely.

If you can't find out the exact year and model from the owner, maybe you can take a picture of the front, taken slightly from the side so a wheel can be seen, and a picture of the rear as well, and post them here. We can identify the car from the pictures. Then your questions can be answered more fully.

[Dillon]

Yeah, I know...it's just that I'm really excited about possibly owning this car for cheap. I do have a bit more information. First of all, I was wrong...the car doesn't run. It belongs to my neighbor's mother-in-law, and since it died he's just had it sitting in his backyard for lack of another place to put it. I would say that maybe it's not worth buying now, but at the same time, it could be an easy fix. I will take pictures tomorrow when there's more light. Also, I'm positive now that it's a 500 or 560 SEC. I haven't been able to get in contact with the owner because I've been a bit sick and don't want him to catch whatever I've got. (I learned the mother-in-law bit from my mom, who knows him pretty well.) One thing I forgot to mention is that the bottom part of the body matches the top. That is, it's not painted silver, and it's glossy.

Imagine this in non-convertable form. (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mercedes-Benz-500-SEC-Coupe_W0QQitemZ4625402578QQcategoryZ6332QQrdZ1QQcm dZViewItem)

The wheels appear to be the same, but they're not polished like those are. That could just be from letting the car sit and not polishing them, though. And given the fact that it was owned by my neighbor's mother-in-law, who dumped it when it stopped working, I don't think they're aftermarket. I think the holes may be a little bigger as well.

[Sokoloff]

Repeat after me - there is nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes. :)

Len

[Conrad]

Ask yourself, do you want this car "for cheap", or do you want a Mercedes Benz? Your answer may serve as a guide as to your next step.