What to look for in 87 560SEL

I am doing some legwork for my cousin & looking at 87 560SEL with 125k. I don’t know much about MB, so was hoping to find someone here who can point to the things that need attention when selecting a good vehicle. So far I am getting some conflicting anecdotal messages from people I know & on-line. Some say it’s the most reliable (best) MB ever made, other complain of various things including the gas mileage and the premium gas which is kind of expected. Thanks for your help.

Ok, so I don’t get any hits, so I’ll ask some more questions about the MB.
It looks like it goes from the smallest to the biggest in the number increments.
190 the smallest @ 600 the biggest. But what is the major difference between
models like 260, 280, 300, 380, 400, 420? I am more interested in a bigger vehicles so if 260 & 280 are a lot smaller then 300 I am not going to look at those at all.
350 as I understand comes only as diesel & I am not sure I wan to look at those either.
260 – what engine does it have, what kind of the body is it?
280 – same thing?
300 – comes with 2.6 engine & I am not sure if I should even look at those, cause it’s probably a real dog…
“standard” engine on 300 seems to me the 3.0 inline 6, good? Bad? Reliable?
What’s the deal with E, SE, SEL models I assume it’s equipment because engines “look” the same
420 – gets a 4.2 V8 and it comes only in SEL trim
560 – gets a bigger 5.6 V8 so considering weight difference between 420 and 560 is 185 lbs. it makes a better weight per pounds of torque ratio for 560, but numbers are not always represent the real life. You are the once who drive em, you probably know the best.
Thanks again.

I am looking for almost exactly the same info, for a '87 420 SEL

The 420 seems to be a 5 liter V8, not a 4.2........... don't know why they call it a 420....

These cars seems to be very nice, wonderfully performing, well made and long lasting. Parts (usually from the dealer) are expensive, which makes maitenance a bit expensive. Some used cars have been neglected, which makes them expensive tobuy, since you have to fix all the earlier problems.

A friend recently scrapped his '87 560 SEL, because of engine wear. It was high mileage, but a rebuilt engine was quoted at $19,000 installed. (!)

He bought a new PT Cruiser instead.

These cars seems to be very nice, wonderfully performing, well made and long lasting. Parts (usually from the dealer) are expensive, which makes maitenance a bit expensive.
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As far as service and parts, your best bet is to find a good independent MB shop. The dealers don't even like to service the older models....and many of the techs are too young to have had much experience working on the older MBs. You can find plenty sites on the net to buy your service parts and prices are much lower than going to the dealer. I would suggest that if you are going to buy an S class then get the nicest, lowest mile car you can find and ask for all the service records. The '86 thru '91 models are the ones you want to look at. You will pay a bit more for a low miler with records but you will have a much better car and spend a lot less in the future to maintain it. I own a 1986 560 SEL with 156K miles on it that looks like and runs like new. It is a pleasure to drive daily and gets plenty of comments from other drivers

A friend recently scrapped his '87 560 SEL, because of engine wear. It was high mileage, but a rebuilt engine was quoted at $19,000 installed. (!)
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You can easily purchase a rebuilt engine for a 560 for under $6K. And that would be for a quality rebuild. And there are plenty of engines at the parts yards for well under that. $19K installed is ridiculous.....unless of course your friend went into an MB dealer for the quote.