1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SL 2-Door Roadster

- First Owned in Texas Car
- Black over Gray Interior
- 5.6L V8
- Both Hard and Soft Tops
- Tools, Books, and Original Window Sticker
- $63k New in 1988!

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SL on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of the car due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 155 photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around video, and a link to the 560SL's accident-and-damage-free Carfax history report, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

“The… Mercedes-Benz 560SL Is the Car I Always Wanted” – Christopher Smith, Popular Mechanics, August 2018

Mercedes automobiles, especially those from before 1990, are known to inspire remarkable loyalty. This is Chris Smith's first-person story:

“My mother always wanted a Mercedes convertible. Back in the '80s, we moved from Long Island to North Carolina, and she finally went to a dealer. I will never forget that summer day she pulled into our driveway. The car was a work of art.”

“Mercedes started building this generation SL in the early '70s, and 1989 was its last year, so the car looks older than it is. But it doesn't drive like an old car. With a 5.6-liter V-8, it has a lot of power for a two-seater. And when you hit the gas, the shifts are barely noticeable. It still feels like a luxury car. I know the prices for these are going up now. But I don't ever want to sell it.

Chris Smith's 560 SL was black over gray. (Hold that thought.)

Offered here is a 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SL in black (0400) over gray 278) under a black soft top. Sold new at Rallye Motors in Roslyn, New York, this is an upstate New York car with a Carfax-verified record of regular, dealer-performed maintenance over its life. The SL's odometer reads 83,041, or just over 2,500 miles per-year on average since new. Its outstanding condition speaks to the value of meticulous owner care.

Courtesy of lastvin.com, the car's VIN decoding shows its build statics, including a full list of optional equipment:

VIN WDBBA48D8JA088911
Model Year 1988
Model 560 SL
Engine 117967 12 038023
Transmission 722313 03 088413
Order Number 0 8 704 03277
Order Location UNITED STATES (USA)
Interior LEATHER - GRAY (278)
Paint 1 BLACK (040O)
Paint 2 BLACK (040O)
Paint 5 78
Approx. Build Date 1988-05

240 OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE INDICATOR
262 ELIMINATION OF REAR END SPOILER
442 AIRBAG IN STEERING WHEEL
461 INSTRUMENT WITH MILES IND. AND ENGLISH LEGEND
491 U.S. VERSION
506 OUTSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR, LEFT AND RIGHT, HEATED (ELECTRICALLY ADJUSTABLE ON THE RIGHT)
519 BECKER RADIO MEXICO GRAND PRIX, ELECTRONIC (USA)
524 PAINTWORK - PRESERVATION
531 AUTOMATIC ANTENNA
543 SUN VISOR WITH VANITY MIRROR, ILLUMINATED, LEFT AND RIGHT
551 ANTI-THEFT/ANTI-BREAK-IN WARNING SYSTEM
570 FOLDING ARMREST, FRONT
581 AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL
592 HEAT-INSULATING GLASS, ALL-AROUND, HEATED REAR WINDOW PANE, BAND FILTER
639 ELIMINATION OF FIRST-AID BOX AND WARNING TRIANGLE
740 BLACK SOFT TOP FABRIC 9001
808 CHANGE OF MODEL YEAR, THE LAST FIGURE SHOWING THE NEW MODEL YEAR

The car's original window sticker is also included in the sale and can be seen in the accompanying photo gallery.

The exterior black finish remains in very good-to-excellent condition. (The paint on the included removable hardtop is excellent, and the black fabric soft top with gray stitching is also in excellent, like-new condition.) There is no body damage, no dents or dings on any panel, including lower-body panels and trim. Chrome body trim is excellent overall with the exception of the rear bumper where the plating has begun separating. Cabin glass and all lighting lenses (including on the lower-front-bumper driving lights) is clear and free of cracks. All factory badging—including the center-grille 3-pointed star emblem, the Mercedes logo near the front of the hood, and the “SL560” model designation and 3-pointed star emblem on the trunk lid--remains properly in place. The car's original light alloy wheels (in the original factory finish) with 3-pointed-star center emblems are mounted with General® Altimax RT 205/65 all-season tires.

Inside, the gray leather is the classic color choice covering the bucket seats, door trim, lower-dash trim, and-rear boot trim. The surface condition of all the leather is excellent; 30 year-old leather only looks this nice if it's been properly and regularly cared for. The black steering wheel (with airbag) frames the three large instruments (170-mph speedometer, 6,000-rpm-redline tachometer, and a combination of three engine-monitoring gauges) with clear lenses and crisp, colorful markings. The black dash is covered with a custom protective mat to eliminate sun damage. Wood trim on the dash and console is in very good condition overall, with one crack noted on the forward console, another near the automatic-transmission shifter. There is some sun-fading on the lower console. A Blaupunkt® Phoenix MP33 audio head unit replaces the factory radio. Cabin carpeting is gray throughout, including in the cargo area behind the seats; the carpeting is very clean and unworn. The car's trunk (carpeted in black) appears never to have carried any cargo.

Under the hood, the 5.6-liter Mercedes V8 is unmodified. Engine surfaces retain their original finishes, and the entire engine bay is clean, complete, and properly organized. Viewed from below, the car's chassis is complete, and undamaged. Light surface rust is present on some untreated metal.

The car's original build and identification tags remain mounted. Factory literature including the owner's manual and instruction pamphlet for the tops is included in the sale, as are model-specific tools.

While the more than 155 high-definition photographs and the short walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors website showcase this '88 Mercedes 560SL in detail from every angle, including from below, we expect and encourage in-person inspections at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom. Please call to arrange an appointment in advance as our showroom is not open to the public. And feel free to get in touch anytime by phone or email if you have questions.

Mercedes SL owners swear by their car's reliability, comfort, and driving experience. Many say open-air cruising under fall colors can deliver an almost mystical level of joy. We envy the next owner of this beautiful drop top SL560.