1988 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC

This near top of the range 500 SEC has been in the same family ownership for the past 23 years but because of the incoming ULEZ regulations, it will become impractical to drive in London. As you can no doubt tell from the images, this is a restoration project, though one with plenty of potential and some of the hard work already done.

A mini-restoration was carried out in 2012 with the offside front wing plus a new rear ‘parcel shelf’ panel fitted. The latter was purchased from Mercedes-Benz and used to cure a common SEC rust spot, under the rear windscreen. According to the vendor, this work has taken care of the majority of the serious corrosion on the car. This 500 was then given a blow over with new paint, but unfortunately this wasn’t a quality job.

This SEC does run and drive, though the engine has a misfire at low rpm. The vendor suggests that it might be manifold-related, but he’s no expert. Again, according to the vendor, things improve above 1500rpm, and once warm, the engine runs well enough to move it around.

Be under no illusion, this car will require significant cosmetic work to bring it back to its best. Both front wings have rust in them, the nearside is worse than the recently replaced offside. The rear arches both require attention – the offside has suffered worse than the nearside on this occasion. The offside rear three-quarter panel has corrosion just below the tail light and at the bottom of the rear window, plus a large scratch ¬and a dent to its upper trailing edge where it meets the boot lid.

Thankfully the nearside rear quarter panel appears to have survived in far better condition, though it also has corrosion at the bottom corner of the rear passenger window. While we’re talking glass, there’s also a crack in the windscreen.

Other than the fairly matt finish to the paint, the remainder of the panels appear to have survived relatively well. There’s a dent to the nearside door and another to the bonnet, plus the Sacco panel on the offside door is hanging off. There are also the usual scuffs to the outer extremities of the bumpers front and rear. The good news is that it’s all here and complete, so hopefully there won’t be too much need for time- and cash-consuming parts hunting.

There’s a damp smell to the cabin indicating moisture is getting in. That could frankly come from several sources – this is a sunroof car and those pillarless door seals have been known to cause problems. We (like the vendor) however, suspect those rusty rear window corners might have something to do with it.

Thankfully, there’s some good news in here too as the trim and seats are all present and (nearly) correct. This SEC has some nice options, chief among them being the leather-covered electric heated front seats; with two-setting memory function. These also benefit from a centre armrest and useful cargo storage nets to their backs. This SEC also has the desirable rear seat head restraints, in addition to the usual adornments of air-conditioning and electric belt butlers (the latter at least works).

The offside door trim fabric has clearly lost its adhesive ability as it’s currently held on with duct tape. The rear seats appear in very good order and the headlining looks taught everywhere except for under the passenger front grab handle. There’s a small tear to the leather in the usual spot on the driver’s seat bolster and there are a few minor cracks to the wood veneer here and there, though overall, the inside of this SEC is much better than the outside.

Some new under-bonnet soundproofing shows someone was caring for this car relatively recently, backing up the last round of major work in 2012. The car does run and drive but there is that poor running issue to address. The transmission works perfectly as the car was used as a daily driver until a few weeks ago and the suspension and brakes are solid. We think it would be safe to assume that much of this car will need a thorough going-over for peace of mind.

What we saw of the underside appeared to be in average condition for the age of this Mercedes-Benz. Sadly, snow and ride-height prevented a really thorough exploration. However, a look at the MoT history online shows clean sheet passes from 2009 to present. In fact, the car does have a current MoT, which will expire in September, so you could technically run this as a rolling restoration, or shabby-chic cruiser.

As this car has been maintained by the same trusted mechanic for most of its life, there’s not the usual paperwork. Instead, the service history consists of hand-written notes. Jan Martin was the chap who looked after this SEC and according to the vendor, it’s estimated that he’s written at least three times the volume of notes in the history folder than those you see presented here. Those chosen were picked as they show the most relevant and recent work, but before we get into that, it’s worth pointing out that the car does come with a recent RAC history check showing that it’s never been written off, stolen or scrapped and that it’s 185k miles are genuine.

Tame mechanic Jan’s notes reveal a belt and coolant service was carried out in 2014 along with the replacement of the belt butler mechanisms, which explains why they’re still in good order. A full service at the same time was bolstered by a fresh wiper blade. The following year saw the AC compressor replaced and the system re-gassed, so although we weren’t able to test it, there’s a good chance it’s still working. A few years later, in 2018, a secondhand Sony CD player was added along with its wiring loom and the old alarm was removed (no doubt causing problems). The rotor arm and distributor cap were replaced at the same point. The last hand-written invoice from October 2020 shows another full service a hand-brake adjustment and a brake fluid flush.

We include an online HPI report run at the auction start which shows no finance outstanding and no insurance markers for theft or damage.

Prices for C126s, especially the larger V8 models have been steadily climbing for a little while now. Really nice 560 SECs command proper money and similarly superb 500s aren’t too far behind. This car is very far from superb, however it’s all complete and running and some of the major jobs have already been completed.

That then presents a rare opportunity for you to get into an SEC for not a lot of money. If you wish to simply run it as is while you address its many cosmetic issues, there’s enough MoT left to allow that. If you’re handy yourself then you could scoop up this stately coupe for not a lot, fix it up, enjoy it and sell it on for a profit. With all this factored in, we feel this SEC project should sell for between £4000 - £8000.

Viewing is always encouraged, within Govt. guidelines of course, and this particular car is located with the vendor in London; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.