RE: You Know You Want To: Mercedes C32 AMG
Thursday 20th September 2012
This week's Chris Harris video tells us, unsurprisingly, that the Mercedes CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake is a fine car.
The trouble is, it's also quite an expensive car. What we need is a Mercedes AMG estate with a downsized engine and a downsized price.
£6k's worth of supercharged goodnessLadies and gentleman, once again YKYWT comes to the rescue. This C32 AMG Kompressor (W202) harks back to a halcyon period back in the early 2000s when scaling down cubic capacity was more of a corporate experiment than a market requirement. Looking at other hot C Classes, it could be argued that the C32 was one of AMG's less successful experiments. Its precursor, the C43 AMG, was a V8. Its successor was the C55, another V8. Now we have the current C-Class AMG, with a 6.2-litre V8.
Though never as exciting a car as the E46 M3, the C32 countered with the real-world practical advantage of an estate option. And look what just £6000 buys you in 2012: a fully-stamped Mercedes service history, all the equipment you could ever need, and more torque than a new Audi RS4: we're talking 332lb ft and 349hp.
Also, with the proliferation of AMG bodykits and wheels in the current Mercedes line-up, this C32 AMG is stealth-discreet. Mated to a five-speed auto, it's ideal if you want to make rapid progress with minimal fuss.
A decent office to do business inA few words of warning, however. The early years of the last decade were not great ones for Mercedes-Benz build quality, and MB forums sound warning bells about the intercooler and supercharger clutch. Of course, not all C32s will be so afflicted: many will have contented owners. But it would be naïve to expect flawless reliability.
It would be great to finish on the efficiency benefits of the V6 but, sadly, we can't. The claimed mpg for the CLS 63 Shooting Brake, with its extra two litres and 200hp (with the Performance Pack), is 28mpg. The claimed mpg for a C32 estate was 23.7. That's progress for you.
Nonetheless, the C32 still offers a great deal of performance in a practical package, for not much cash. With two pots missing it sits rather incongruously in the AMG back catalogue, but that somehow adds to its appeal. Plus of course we're heading down that reduced-cylinder route again, so it's on trend.
You Know You Want To: Mercedes C32 AMG
A cut-price alternative to the new CLS Shooting Brake
The trouble is, it's also quite an expensive car. What we need is a Mercedes AMG estate with a downsized engine and a downsized price.
£6k's worth of supercharged goodness
Though never as exciting a car as the E46 M3, the C32 countered with the real-world practical advantage of an estate option. And look what just £6000 buys you in 2012: a fully-stamped Mercedes service history, all the equipment you could ever need, and more torque than a new Audi RS4: we're talking 332lb ft and 349hp.
Also, with the proliferation of AMG bodykits and wheels in the current Mercedes line-up, this C32 AMG is stealth-discreet. Mated to a five-speed auto, it's ideal if you want to make rapid progress with minimal fuss.
A decent office to do business in
It would be great to finish on the efficiency benefits of the V6 but, sadly, we can't. The claimed mpg for the CLS 63 Shooting Brake, with its extra two litres and 200hp (with the Performance Pack), is 28mpg. The claimed mpg for a C32 estate was 23.7. That's progress for you.
Nonetheless, the C32 still offers a great deal of performance in a practical package, for not much cash. With two pots missing it sits rather incongruously in the AMG back catalogue, but that somehow adds to its appeal. Plus of course we're heading down that reduced-cylinder route again, so it's on trend.
Mercedes C32 AMG Kompressor (2002)
Price: £5999
Why you should: It's a fast and discreet way to ferry things around, like a CLS.
Why you shouldn't: There are reliability issues, and don't you want your AMG with a V8?
Discussion
Sold my C32 a few months back. A fantastic car to waft about in but real world mpg was more like 17 and thats if you stayed away from the fast pedal.
Ended up replacing her for a E46 M3 Cab with 20K on the clock and I havent looked back. Lots of niggles with the C32 considering I only covered 8k in two years. It would eat through brakes,track rod ends, suspension bushes and rear tyres!
It was however very rapid in a straight line but with no LSD left you very numb in the bends, overall staggering value for money with the performance on offer but for fun factor the BeeEmm wins time after time
Ended up replacing her for a E46 M3 Cab with 20K on the clock and I havent looked back. Lots of niggles with the C32 considering I only covered 8k in two years. It would eat through brakes,track rod ends, suspension bushes and rear tyres!
It was however very rapid in a straight line but with no LSD left you very numb in the bends, overall staggering value for money with the performance on offer but for fun factor the BeeEmm wins time after time
sure it seemsI like these a lot, stats on paper have always looked very impressive. Not had a go in one though. Did read somewhere they can keep and E39 M5 honest, is that true?
They do seem to be stuck around the £5k mark though whilst the earlier C36 AMG and C43 can now be had for not a lot of dosh at all. Maybe the rarity value of the C32 is stopping it depreciating much further.
They do seem to be stuck around the £5k mark though whilst the earlier C36 AMG and C43 can now be had for not a lot of dosh at all. Maybe the rarity value of the C32 is stopping it depreciating much further.
Still got my SLK 32 which I run alongside my SLK 55
The acceleration on the 55 is more seamless and linear with the 7 speed box but lacks something that you get with the supercharged 3.2. With the V6 you can put your foot all the way down and after a brief pause its like being attached to a giant elastic band...performance is indeed incredible at 120 mph the car is just getting into its stride and will easily hit 160- i had it showing 170 on the autobahn and roadtests suggested it would hit 180 but I ran out of road ( and if I am honest balls)
I also got the kleemann upgrade which takes it to 404 BHP- a bargain at 2k ( convincing myself that I would not need the V8!)
Watch out for rust around the arches on mercedes of this period and the 3.2 does tend to lunch the intercooler pump ( over time the Bosch one becomes less effective- you can test this by accelerating hard a few times and seeing if the supercharger disengages). I replaced mine with a Johnson CM30 marine pump- higher flow rate and cheaper at around £150 plus fitting)
All in all a great engine in either the slk 32 or c32- with the advantage that its not a shouty 'look at me ' car- discretion is often the best way to make progress
As much as I wanted the V8 if I had to keep one of them I would still keep the 32- I can think of no greater testament than that
The acceleration on the 55 is more seamless and linear with the 7 speed box but lacks something that you get with the supercharged 3.2. With the V6 you can put your foot all the way down and after a brief pause its like being attached to a giant elastic band...performance is indeed incredible at 120 mph the car is just getting into its stride and will easily hit 160- i had it showing 170 on the autobahn and roadtests suggested it would hit 180 but I ran out of road ( and if I am honest balls)
I also got the kleemann upgrade which takes it to 404 BHP- a bargain at 2k ( convincing myself that I would not need the V8!)
Watch out for rust around the arches on mercedes of this period and the 3.2 does tend to lunch the intercooler pump ( over time the Bosch one becomes less effective- you can test this by accelerating hard a few times and seeing if the supercharger disengages). I replaced mine with a Johnson CM30 marine pump- higher flow rate and cheaper at around £150 plus fitting)
All in all a great engine in either the slk 32 or c32- with the advantage that its not a shouty 'look at me ' car- discretion is often the best way to make progress
As much as I wanted the V8 if I had to keep one of them I would still keep the 32- I can think of no greater testament than that
slk 32 said:
Still got my SLK 32 which I run alongside my SLK 55
3.2 does tend to lunch the intercooler pump ( over time the Bosch one becomes less effective- you can test this by accelerating hard a few times and seeing if the supercharger disengages). I replaced mine with a Johnson CM30 marine pump- higher flow rate and cheaper at around £150 plus fitting)
The 55AMG also does this, as mine did when I got it. Reasonably easy fix, but don't expect the main dealer to diagnose it, I had to print out a bunch of stuff from forums for them to read.3.2 does tend to lunch the intercooler pump ( over time the Bosch one becomes less effective- you can test this by accelerating hard a few times and seeing if the supercharger disengages). I replaced mine with a Johnson CM30 marine pump- higher flow rate and cheaper at around £150 plus fitting)
I had one of these around 2003, great in a straight line but not a lot else and fuel consumption was very poor. The guy who bought it off me had major engine problems (supercharger) when it was about 6 months out of warranty and he had a battle royal with MB, as he was a friend I ended up making a 'contribution' to the repair. I had moved onto an SL55 and had similar issues, it was the last MB I ever owned and would advise serious caution to anyone considering a blown MB from that era.
I love my c32 saloon always suprises people how fast it is.
Mines done 130K and going strong. Will be selling soon. Unfortunately mines not as well looked after as it could be so I only expect to get around 3-4K for it. Doubt the one in the ad will go for 6K. I want to get a gtr for the fun and a diesel for the daily slog.
I get 24mpg average from mine over 30k with a good mix of motorway and town - slightly more motorway than town.
The electrics on these can be a problem but not much else will be this fast for as cheap.
Mines done 130K and going strong. Will be selling soon. Unfortunately mines not as well looked after as it could be so I only expect to get around 3-4K for it. Doubt the one in the ad will go for 6K. I want to get a gtr for the fun and a diesel for the daily slog.
I get 24mpg average from mine over 30k with a good mix of motorway and town - slightly more motorway than town.
The electrics on these can be a problem but not much else will be this fast for as cheap.
Fantastic car.
Ran one for a couple of years that had pages and pages of history and fastidious amounts of receipts had been featured in a Mercedes buyers guide.
Rust on the rear arches was an issue, as was the boot.
HOWEVER... as it had a full Merc service history they took care of this free of charge. I had all 4 arches treated (twice), an entire new boot, two new door skins and a front wing out of them on their non corrosion warranty. And they lentme a new c-class whilst doing the work. Car was becoming something of a "Trigger's broom".
As other's have said astonishingly quick, but only really in a straight line. Overly assisted steering detraced from an otherwise phenomenal car.
Spark plugs, when they need doing come to c. £500 so factor that in if they've not been done.
And look out for simple fixes to battery drain issues. Some of the electric seat switches go haywire but there are cheap and simple alternatives out there to the £800 Mercedes wanted for a new unit.
Also wiring looms for the headlights can be an issue but a good Merc Indy will know the upgrades. Nice if you find one thats had them done, c.£200 to get it sorted if you need to.
Never tired of the way it would pull fomr 50 to .... well clearly just 50-70. (cough cough)
Buy one. I still regret selling mine.
Ran one for a couple of years that had pages and pages of history and fastidious amounts of receipts had been featured in a Mercedes buyers guide.
Rust on the rear arches was an issue, as was the boot.
HOWEVER... as it had a full Merc service history they took care of this free of charge. I had all 4 arches treated (twice), an entire new boot, two new door skins and a front wing out of them on their non corrosion warranty. And they lentme a new c-class whilst doing the work. Car was becoming something of a "Trigger's broom".
As other's have said astonishingly quick, but only really in a straight line. Overly assisted steering detraced from an otherwise phenomenal car.
Spark plugs, when they need doing come to c. £500 so factor that in if they've not been done.
And look out for simple fixes to battery drain issues. Some of the electric seat switches go haywire but there are cheap and simple alternatives out there to the £800 Mercedes wanted for a new unit.
Also wiring looms for the headlights can be an issue but a good Merc Indy will know the upgrades. Nice if you find one thats had them done, c.£200 to get it sorted if you need to.
Never tired of the way it would pull fomr 50 to .... well clearly just 50-70. (cough cough)
Buy one. I still regret selling mine.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff