Enthusiast Spotlight: Bob’s Immaculate 1988 Mercedes 560 SEC
Though it has 338K-plus miles, this 560 SEC still looks like it just stepped off the showroom.
If you recall from a few weeks ago, we made a post about a stunningly beautiful and incredibly rare 560 SEC AMG. One of the forum members here on MB World related to this post because he himself is the owner of a 560 SEC. While not the rarer AMG variant, it still is undoubtedly a handsome car. We got to talking to a little bit with the owner and we wanted to share the story of his wonderful 1988 Mercedes 560 SEC.
Meet Bob, currently based in of Florida, a Mercedes enthusiast and long time car fanatic. We got to do a little interview with him about his car and his story.
Bob was born in Los Angeles in the 1940s and has been the owner of many classic cars including a ’63 Split Window Corvette and ’66 Porsche 911. However, his first introduction to Mercedes was in 1963 when we swapped cars with a friend for the night. He traded the Corvette for a ’59 4 door Mercedes, running laps up and down Hollywood Boulevard. Bob after being a proud member of the U.S. Air Force, ended up as a corporate pilot and retired in 2004 from his position as a B-767 captain. Almost sounds like a movie right?
The ’88 SEC was not his first Mercedes however. His first was actually a 1976 240D, then a ’77 450SL, a ’79 300D, a ’81 300SD, a ’83 Euro 500SEC, and finally, the 560 SEC. It’s safe to say that Bob has had a long, almost epic history in classic Mercedes cars. He said during the ownership of his 500 SEC (his wife’s favorite) an individual made him an offer for the car he couldn’t resist. He regretted the decision and began looking immediately for another SEC and he found the ’88 with 61,000 miles, from the original owner.
Believe it or not, the ’88 now holds a prestigious 338,105 documented miles. The engine was rebuilt at 191,000, but the transmission is original. A true testament to the quality of the engineering put into these cars. Bob told me that a wise man said to put “$200 in a cookie jar every month you own that car and eventually you will draw from that jar, some more than others, but it will work to be true.” After the rebuild and all the repairs of the car up to that point, he said that the cost did come just right around $200 a month. Wow.
Bob said that this is the highest mileage car he has ever owned. He says keeps up with the recommend service internals and replaces parts as they fail or break. He states he pays close attention to the noises the car makes to make sure he is aligned with what the car needs. At the end of the day, the owner and the vehicle have a close and personal relationship.
While as beautiful as this vehicle is, the car is still Bob’s daily driver. While his wife has a newer Mercedes, she says she still likes to take the car out because it’s so comfortable to drive. Bob says that it’s not as easy as it used to be to get in and out of the car anymore, so he recently listed it for sale with delivery to anywhere in the U.S. However, due to the unique mileage, nobody has been willing to pull the plug. If only they knew how much love and work has gone into this single vehicle!
Bob says he still takes the time out to do basic maintenance and he dates all of the parts he installs so he knows when to replace them before they go bad. He also stated that his favorite part of the car is the “timeless design”. When he bought the car in 1994, it costed him $21,000. $200 per month since then and he says that the cost ends up being almost an “economy car.” Seemingly, Bob changed his mind about selling the vehicle because, well, he simply doesn’t want to part with it. “When some asks if I want to sell the car, I tell them to talk to my widow,” he said.
When we asked Bob about his best advice for the MBWorld community in keeping such a classic car in good shape, he let said to always follow the scheduled maintenance, listen to the car, and respect the car. The internet and CARFAX is a good source of information, but at the end of the day common sense will lead you to victory. Thanks Bob, we really appreciate you sharing your story and car with us. If any of you guys have an amazing Mercedes and would like to share your story with us, please contact me at Autoeditors@internetbrands.com.
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