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Valuation · Mercedes-Benz · R107 · 1985-89
Mercedes-Benz SL 560
5.5L NA V8 · 182 kW / 400 Nm · 4sp automatic · RWD
CONSIDERRated within the $30k to $100k band · 37 of 94 at this money
Model value
$80,000
Must gain each year to break even
+9.6%
The projection does not clear it, and nor does most of the library.
CarQuant score
56/100
Scored against the $30k to $100k band, not the whole library
Evidence grade
Measured
Four or more recorded Australian sales
$80,000
$81,361 lowhigh $108,320
Calibrated to recorded sales
$30,000low
$85,000high
Nine published Australian auction records, seven of them sales, which span $30,000 to $85,000 between May 2018 and February 2024. Two further lots passed in, and two current asking prices are on file.
Looking at an SL for sale?
Put in the asking price and the odometer reading. You will see what this model should make at that reading.
Should make, typical example
$80,000
At about 55,000 km. Enter an asking price to compare.
Odometer only. Colour, options, history, condition and the photographs move it further, and that is what the report reads.
A person reads the advertisement and its photographs. Usually back within 48 hours. Read a real listing report
Price history
Today $80,000 · modelled median at five years $94,908
Solid line: the value this library has carriedDashed from 2026: modelled · even money $87,782 to $101,963
The green band is the even-money range and the one to plan on: half of outcomes land inside it. The pale band behind it bounds eight in ten ($81,361 to $108,320). The path is this model's own: it starts along the momentum of its recorded history and bends toward its projected median as the horizon lengthens, so no two cars share a future curve.
The verdict
A defensible case with reservations. Scores 56/100, ranking 37 of 94 in the $30k to $100k band. Demand durability is the strongest input, risk resilience the weakest.
Running it costs about $7,960 a year (10.0% of value), which is what the economics score measures. All in, including the projected value change, it is $6,034 a year.
The model's five year median is $94,908, a +18.6% move, with the tenth percentile at $81,361.
Value calibrated to recorded sales.
Evidence
Measured7 recorded sales
Off its peak
at peak
Value band
moderate
Multiple recorded transactions plus an aggregate source. Treat the level as reliable.
Scored against every recent Australian sale this library holds, half its values land within 11.2 per cent of the price paid and the rest miss by more, in either direction. Projections are therefore damped toward flat in proportion to how little is known, and the plausible band is never narrower than the error the model is known to make.
Short term (1-5 years)$6,034 a year all in, +18.6% median value move
Long term (10-15 years)Scarcity case already formed
Negotiate from$80,000
Recorded sales
Every recorded observation, and when
13 rows on record$93k$58k$22k
20182020202220242026
the value this record published, year by yearnow $80ksoldasking1 row sits off this scale. Open the list below to see them.4 rows are undated and are not plotted
Every row, with its price and note (13) ↓
Library value against the sold record
7 sales · median $44,000Value $80,000
$30,000$85,000
Aug 2026carsales research guide$105,200Asking
ASKING. Indicative range for a 1988 560SL of A$103,500-A$106,900. A listing-derived guide figure sitting well above transacted auction evidence, not a transaction; read at research date.
Aug 2026PerformanceDrive$49,995Asking
ASKING. Current Australian dealer listing for an Australian-delivered 1986 560SL at 138,000km. Asking price, not a sale.
Jul 2025Collecting CarsNo saleContext, excluded
SOLD, PRICE NEVER PUBLISHED, and excluded from this record because a sale with no price cannot calibrate one. D 14 Jul 2025, Sydney NSW, 76,144km. Australian-delivered, Nautical Blue with matching hardtop. Sold price gated behind login and not published.
Feb 2024Donington Auctions$70,000Sold
SOLD. D 25 Feb 2024, Summer Classic Car & Number Plate Auction (sale #201), Lot 34. 1986 560SL roadster with hardtop, built April 1986, Australian-delivered by York Motors Canberra, automatic, described as exceptionally original and in superb condition throughout. Odometer not published. The auction house noted these have been bringing strong money at auctions here for a few years.
Apr 2022Collecting CarsNo saleContext, excluded
SOLD, PRICE NEVER PUBLISHED, and excluded from this record because a sale with no price cannot calibrate one. D 20 Apr 2022, Northern Beaches NSW, 138,200km. Australian-delivered RHD, Smoke Silver, both tops present. Sold price gated behind login and not published.
Apr 2021Shannons$41,000Sold
SOLD. D 13-20 Apr 2021, Autumn Timed Online Auction, Lot 109. 560SL Convertible. Odometer not published. Hammer, excludes 5% buyer's premium.
Mar 2020Shannons$44,000Sold
SOLD. D 2 Mar 2020, Melbourne Autumn Classic, Lot 34. 1986 560SL Convertible. Odometer not published. Hammer, excludes 5% buyer's premium.
Feb 2020Shannons$85,000Sold
SOLD. D 17 Feb 2020, Sydney Summer Classic & Rare Number Plates, Lot 67. 1986 560SL Convertible. Odometer not published. Hammer, excludes 5% buyer's premium.
Dec 2019Shannons$30,000Sold
SOLD. D 9 Dec 2019, Melbourne Summer Classic, Lot 13. 560SL Convertible, LHD - the low price against A$85,000 ten weeks later is a drive-side gap, not a condition gap alone. Hammer, excludes 5% buyer's premium.
Feb 2019ShannonsNo saleNot a sale
NOT A SALE. Passed in. D 18 Feb 2019, Melbourne Summer Classic, Lot 72. 1986 560SL.
Sep 2018ShannonsNo saleNot a sale
NOT A SALE. Passed in. D 17 Sep 2018, Melbourne Spring Classic, Lot 46. 1989 560SL.
Jul 2018Shannons$80,000Sold
SOLD. D 16 Jul 2018, Melbourne Winter Classic, Lot 68. 1988 560SL Convertible. Odometer not published. Hammer, excludes 5% buyer's premium.
May 2018Shannons$38,000Sold
SOLD. D 27 May 2018, Sydney Classic Auction, Lot 30. 1987 560SL Convertible. Odometer not published. Hammer, excludes 5% buyer's premium.
7 completed Australian sales of 13 rows. Rows marked asking, no sale, or context are shown for honesty but do not count toward the evidence grade: an ask is not a transaction, a pass-in is a refusal, and a provenance or overseas result does not price the ordinary local car. The badge on every row is computed by the same rule as the grade, so the two cannot drift apart.
Score breakdown
Against the $30k to $100k band median
94 cars in band · ink tick marks the medianOwnership economics30% of total
59/100+4
Scarcity25% of total
51/100-2
Demand durability20% of total
68/100+2
Liquidity15% of total
67/100+15
Risk resilience10% of total
24/100-12
Sub-scores run 0-100 before weighting; the weighted total is 56/100. Medians are computed live from the 94 cars currently in the $30k to $100k band, so this picture moves when the library does.
The working behind each factor: baseline and drivers ↓
Ownership economics30% weight
59/100Baseline84 pts
− 10.0% of value a year to run-25 pts
Sub-score (baseline plus drivers, clamped 0-100)59 pts
Scarcity25% weight
51/100Baseline20 pts
+ 600 survivors estimated in Australia+31 pts
Sub-score (baseline plus drivers, clamped 0-100)51 pts
Demand durability20% weight
68/100Baseline54 pts
+ Australia is one of only four markets that received the 560SL+14 pts
+ A genuine factory right-hand-drive local cohort in a market full of American imports+10 pts
− 49,347 built and around 600 survive here, so it is not a rare car-10 pts
Sub-score (baseline plus drivers, clamped 0-100)68 pts
Liquidity15% weight
67/100Baseline12 pts
+ 50 days on market+40 pts
+ 45 sales a year+15 pts
Sub-score (baseline plus drivers, clamped 0-100)67 pts
Risk resilience10% weight
24/100Baseline52 pts
− Rust in floors, spare-wheel well and around the hardtop mounts is an $18,000 job-12 pts
− A missing or wrong-colour hardtop is an $8,000 to $15,000 deduction-8 pts
− The within-year spread on published results is nearly three to one-8 pts
Sub-score (baseline plus drivers, clamped 0-100)24 pts
Model output, not advice or a valuation. Verify independently before acting.
What it costs to own · about 2,500 km a year
Annual cost of access, excl. fuel
$7,960a year
Share of value per year
10.0%
Scheduled servicing$1,79022%
Tyres, annualised$1,22015%
Registration and CTP$96012%
Insurance$2,27029%
Sinking fund (failure table)$1,72022%
All-in annualised (a different number)
Purchase (model value plus duty)$83,200
Running costs × 5 years$39,800
Median exit, net of selling cost$92,828
All-in annualised over 5 years$6,034/yr
Share of value per year7.5%
Cost of access is what the car costs to run. All-in annualised adds depreciation, duty and selling costs across a five year hold. They answer different questions and are labelled separately for that reason.
Break-even appreciation, 5 year hold
9.6%a year, only to get the money back
This library projects
+3.5%a year
The projection falls 6.1 points a year short of the hurdle. On these assumptions this car is a cost, not an asset, which can be an entirely rational thing to buy but should be bought knowing it.
Purchase$80,000
Stamp duty$3,200
Running costs x 5 years$39,800
Selling cost at exit, 2.6% of the salescales with price
Sale price needed at +5 years$126,283
Storage
Bought at
No forecast is used to compute the hurdle. It is the purchase, the duty, any premium and 5 years of running cost, grossed up for the cost of selling and spread back over the hold. The projection it is measured against is the weakest number in this product and is drawn that way in the chart above. Transport, finance and any restoration spend sit outside it.
Specification
Engine5.5L NA V8
Power / torque182 kW / 400 Nm
0-100 km/h7 s
Transmission4sp automatic
DriveRWD
Kerb weight1,715 kg
Built worldwide49,347
Delivered to AustraliaNot established
Effective AU survivors600
Australian sales / year45
Typical days on market50 days
Launch priceNot established
What moves the price on this model
Colour hierarchy
Original paint, documented, over an unrestored interior+8%
A factory colour matched by the hardtop, which matters more than the shade itself+5%
Resprayed, or repainted a colour the car did not leave the factory in-8%
Options
Australian-delivered right-hand drive, verified on the crossmember VIN plate+40%
Matching-colour hardtop present, with its stand and fittings+12%
Both tops present and the soft-top in correct material+8%
Odometer sensitivity±1.8% per 10,000 km vs 55,000 km
Applied on top of these
Condition, history, originality, ownership, delivery and modification multipliers apply to every car in the library. They are applied automatically when an advertisement is analysed, and the schedule is set out once, on the analyser page.
Projected value in five years
Projected value at five years
$94,908
+18.6% on today
The model's figure. Today it is $80,000.
Even odds it lands between $87,782 and $101,963.
$81,361 lowhigh $108,320
The shaded range is even money and 16% wide; the outer figures bound eight outcomes in ten. Band width follows the evidence - a model with a tight measured record carries a tight band.
A stronger five year outlook than 83% of the library.
-26.6% weakest projected move in the librarystrongest +73.1%
Five-year cost of ownership
Value change alone: +$14,908 across five years.
Running costs over the same period: $39,800.
Duty and expected selling costs: $5,280.
Net cost of five years of ownership: $30,170, or $6,034 a year.
The projected value rise offsets part of the running cost. It does not make the car free to own.
The case for and against
The case for
Australia is one of only four markets that received the 560SL, so a genuine factory right-hand-drive local cohort exists, and nine published Australian auction records stand behind this value. The model is up 40 to 70 per cent over five years and a Donington sale made $70,000 in February 2024.
The case against
The seven published sales span $30,000 to $85,000, a spread of nearly three to one that swamps the trend entirely. Rust in the floors, spare-wheel well and hardtop mounts is an $18,000 job, and 49,347 were built, so this is a condition market rather than a scarcity one.
Known faults and risks
Risk 1Left-hand-drive American imports trade far below Australian-delivered cars
Risk 2Rust in floors, spare-wheel well and around the hardtop mounts at around $18,000
Risk 3A missing hardtop is an $8,000 to $15,000 deduction
Rust in floors, spare-wheel well, front guard lower edges and around hardtop mounts$18,000
Correct-colour replacement hardtop, landed$11,500
Soft-top replacement in correct material$6,000
Duplex timing chain and tensioner$4,750
Air conditioning, R12 conversion and evaporator behind the dash$4,500
KE-Jetronic fuel distributor and warm-up regulator$3,250
Similar cars, and what they cost to run
Evidence behind this valueMeasured · 7 recorded sales
Carried value
$80,000
Historical price
2016 · $49,6002026 · $80,000
Measured
Multiple recorded transactions plus an aggregate source. Treat the level as reliable.
Nine published Australian auction records, seven of them sales
This is the best-evidenced car in the German tranche by a wide margin. Shannons and Donington between them give $30,000 in December 2019, $38,000 in May 2018, $41,000 in April 2021, $44,000 in March 2020, $70,000 in February 2024, $80,000 in July 2018 and $85,000 in February 2020, with two further cars passed in. The Shannons figures are hammer prices and exclude the five per cent buyer's premium.
Read the rest of the evidence notes (2 more)
The spread is bigger than the trend, and that is the finding
Nearly three to one across the seven, and it does not run in date order: $38,000 in May 2018 sits ten weeks before $80,000 in July 2018, and $30,000 in December 2019 ten weeks before $85,000 in February 2020. The model is up 40 to 70 per cent over five years, but a trend line drawn through this set would be a fiction, and the value is graded wide-band for exactly that reason.
Drive-side explains most of it
The $30,000 car was left-hand drive and the $85,000 car was not. Australia is one of only four markets that got the 560SL, with the United States, Canada and Japan, so a factory right-hand-drive local car exists here and is worth far more than an American import. Check the smaller European bumpers, the black boot-lid spoiler, the 260km/h speedometer and the VIN plate on the radiator crossmember. A missing hardtop is an $8,000 to $15,000 deduction on top, and a guide figure near $105,200 sits well above anything that has actually transacted.
This page prices the model.
The report prices the car in the advertisement.
The report prices the car in the advertisement.
Send the link. A person reads the advertisement and its photographs and sends back what that Mercedes-Benz SL 560 is worth, what to offer and when to walk away, with five years of costs at the distance you drive.
Backed by 7 recorded Australian sales of this model. Read a complete one on a real car first. Seventeen sections, no account, nothing to pay.
This model, today$80,000
Half of sales are further out than$8,943
The report$249
36×
the price of the report: what half of real sales of this model sit further from this page's number than, on this car
Watch this model
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