Factory build sheet
1989 Mercedes-Benz 420 420SEL
Build WDBCA35E-K · Sedan
VIN positions 1 through 8 read WDBCA35E and position 10 reads K. Those nine characters define this build. Position 9 and positions 11 through 17 differ on every car.
Every 420 whose VIN starts WDBCA35E and carries K in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 112 of them.
- Decoded Jul 7, 2026
- 112 known VINs
- 1 listed for sale now
Factory specification
As filed by Mercedes-Benz with NHTSA for this build. Fields the filing does not record are left out entirely — a missing row means no recorded value, not a missing feature.
Engine
- Fuel type
- Gasoline
Body & chassis
- Body class
- Sedan/Saloon
- NHTSA body type
- PASSENGER CAR
- Doors
- 4
- Manufacturer
- MERCEDES-BENZ CARS
The same build, other model years
Mercedes-Benz used the VIN pattern WDBCA35E for 3 model years. Nothing but the year changes between these pages, so the price gap between them is depreciation on an identical car.
-
1989 You are here code K
- 1990 420SEL Sedan · 126 vehicles code L
- 1991 420SEL Sedan · 153 vehicles code M
How this VIN pattern is read
A 17-character VIN carries two kinds of information: what was built, and which one it is. This page is the first kind — the nine highlighted positions.
| Positions | Characters | What they encode |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | WDB | MERCEDES-BENZ CARS · World manufacturer identifier |
| 4–8 | CA35E | Model, body style, engine and restraint system |
| 9 | × | Check digit — computed per vehicle, not part of the build |
| 10 | K | Model year — 1989 |
| 11 | × | Assembly plant |
| 12–17 | ×××××× | Production sequence number, unique to each vehicle |
112 vehicles carry this build
Every VIN we have decoded to WDBCA35E-K shares the specification above.
- 112 Known VINs
- 1 Listed for sale now
Cars are filed by a fixed rule based on the VIN, so a car never moves between groups.
Neighboring configurations
Other factory configurations of the 420, each with its own build sheet. The set is fixed by the VIN patterns themselves, so it does not shuffle as prices or inventory move.
Keep going
Where this data comes from
Specification fields are decoded from the manufacturer's filings in the NHTSA vPIC database, keyed on VIN positions 1–8 and 10. We publish the filed values as they stand and leave out anything the filing does not record.
Vehicle counts come from the 112 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.