C43 - C55 worth spending the extra?
Discussion
Having owned my C43 estate for 3 years and with it about to go through the 100,000 mile mark I am toying with the idea of replacing it with something newer and lower mileage. The car has been absolutely fantastic, the best all round car I have ever owned so I would like another C class AMG.
I am a big fan of V8s so that rules out the C32 and so I am considering a C55. However I want another estate and these are thin on the ground and appear to sell for the best part of £20K with sensible mileage when you can find them. My 43 has been an everyday vehicle so whilst in good order it is not immaculate and would probably fetch around £5k? That would leave me needing to cough up somewhere around £15k for a C55.
So my question is has anyone done the same thing and was it worth it? I am sure the C55 is better than the C43 but is it £15K better? Whilst I wouldn’t be contemplating it if I couldn’t afford it this would still be a significant investment so should I hang on for a year or two and wait for prices to drop or bite the bullet and start seriously looking?
I am a big fan of V8s so that rules out the C32 and so I am considering a C55. However I want another estate and these are thin on the ground and appear to sell for the best part of £20K with sensible mileage when you can find them. My 43 has been an everyday vehicle so whilst in good order it is not immaculate and would probably fetch around £5k? That would leave me needing to cough up somewhere around £15k for a C55.
So my question is has anyone done the same thing and was it worth it? I am sure the C55 is better than the C43 but is it £15K better? Whilst I wouldn’t be contemplating it if I couldn’t afford it this would still be a significant investment so should I hang on for a year or two and wait for prices to drop or bite the bullet and start seriously looking?
Personally I would keep the w202 C43 AMG. The only respect in which the w203 C55 AMG is superior is outright performance and even then it is not in a different league. The reality is you would be down £15k on one side of the bargain but what would you have to show for it? Not the equivalent of £15k, I'm sure: an incremental performance increase and a less satisfyingly built car. The interior on the w203 is pretty poor compared to your 202 and the exterior is a fashion disaster.
I have the same dilemma with my SL. It has 190k miles so is worthless to anyone but me, despite its airliner-standard maintenance records (£40k over 7 years). I could spend £30k on a r230 SL500 but what would I have to show for it? A two seat Mercedes convertible with a 306bhp 5.0litre V8. Well I've got that already. And over the coming years the new car would go through all the same--if not more--expense as I've already spent on my r129 while depreciating by 25% or more each year. No thanks, I'd rather hang on to my £30k.
If I were you I would put the £15k you have to spend into another car: keep the C43 AMG estate and add a 911 Carrera 3.2, perhaps or, if you fancy a soft top, a SLK32 AMG. Or even a r129 SL500!!
I have the same dilemma with my SL. It has 190k miles so is worthless to anyone but me, despite its airliner-standard maintenance records (£40k over 7 years). I could spend £30k on a r230 SL500 but what would I have to show for it? A two seat Mercedes convertible with a 306bhp 5.0litre V8. Well I've got that already. And over the coming years the new car would go through all the same--if not more--expense as I've already spent on my r129 while depreciating by 25% or more each year. No thanks, I'd rather hang on to my £30k.
If I were you I would put the £15k you have to spend into another car: keep the C43 AMG estate and add a 911 Carrera 3.2, perhaps or, if you fancy a soft top, a SLK32 AMG. Or even a r129 SL500!!
Would I be kicked out of here for suggesting you try a C320cdi?
Near enough the same (376 lb ft at 1600 rpm) torque as the C55 and actually feels more muscular than the V8 in my garage. Add £400 for a remap and you have 450lb ft.
I previously had a C32 which was probably the best all-round car I've owned - only sold due to a spell outside the UK. I did dread moving to a cdi (to add the American wife to insurance policy) but they really are that good.
OK - sensible hat off. Get the C55 and enjoy!
Near enough the same (376 lb ft at 1600 rpm) torque as the C55 and actually feels more muscular than the V8 in my garage. Add £400 for a remap and you have 450lb ft.
I previously had a C32 which was probably the best all-round car I've owned - only sold due to a spell outside the UK. I did dread moving to a cdi (to add the American wife to insurance policy) but they really are that good.
OK - sensible hat off. Get the C55 and enjoy!
Edited by onedsla on Wednesday 17th February 14:16
the c55 is a great car had a saloon for nearly 3years absolutely brilliant car.
the c43 was also a very good car which we had for nearly 2years but their is a difference between the 2.
the c55 felt a lot better 2 drive the sound was fantastic the seating was good overall a better car.
also still a very rare car on the roads even today.
i think there is a c55 in the mercedes network so it might be worth while 2 have a test drive in 1 to see what you think for your self.
all the best.
the c43 was also a very good car which we had for nearly 2years but their is a difference between the 2.
the c55 felt a lot better 2 drive the sound was fantastic the seating was good overall a better car.
also still a very rare car on the roads even today.
i think there is a c55 in the mercedes network so it might be worth while 2 have a test drive in 1 to see what you think for your self.
all the best.
Thanks for all the advice! I think I will have to try one out and decide that way. Thinking about this today has made me realise again how good my C43 really is so the C55 really will have to be very good to convince me to part with the money. The diesel suggestion would be worth considering if I did a higher mileage but I would really miss the V8! I already have a second car (TVR) so I may just spend a bit on the C43 to smarten it up and keep it for a while longer. Then again a test drive may just prove too tempting.................!!
A very interesting post! I`ve had similar questions floating around for a while . I really want a C63 to replace / supplement my much loved C36 , but having driven a C55 , it ticks most of the boxes for me .
The market`s a fickle thing though . The proposed 4.6 litre turbo C-class , tipped to replace the current 6.2`s will push the big normally aspirated V8`s down the depreciation curve , with the 55`s suffering most . I`ll wait a while I think .
The market`s a fickle thing though . The proposed 4.6 litre turbo C-class , tipped to replace the current 6.2`s will push the big normally aspirated V8`s down the depreciation curve , with the 55`s suffering most . I`ll wait a while I think .
mickyveloce said:
A very interesting post! I`ve had similar questions floating around for a while . I really want a C63 to replace / supplement my much loved C36 , but having driven a C55 , it ticks most of the boxes for me .
The market`s a fickle thing though . The proposed 4.6 litre turbo C-class , tipped to replace the current 6.2`s will push the big normally aspirated V8`s down the depreciation curve , with the 55`s suffering most . I`ll wait a while I think .
have mercedes decided that it will be a 4.6 litre turbo to replace the 6.2 engines which i think is a step back in my opinion i had read that it was going to be a 5.5 twin turbo.The market`s a fickle thing though . The proposed 4.6 litre turbo C-class , tipped to replace the current 6.2`s will push the big normally aspirated V8`s down the depreciation curve , with the 55`s suffering most . I`ll wait a while I think .
the other thing that was said was that when they made the 63 range engine was that they had made it with the potential to add the twin turbos with ease. that was one of the reasons for fully developing the engine from scratch by amg.
lets hope they keep the 63 engine and add the turbos to it.
I had a c36 saloon last year as it was so cheap, I thought I would treat myself.
It was a fantastic car and I put 10,000 miles on in 6 months. I sold it as I thought I should reduce my cars down and drive the porsche more, but after 3 months I have just bought a C36 estate, which is again a fab car. The supercharger makes the punch so immediate.
Again this was a relatively cheap car, someone else has taken the £50k depreciation for me.
It may take some upkeep, but I think enjoy your C43, if you change to a C55 in a year or two you will save yourself £5 - 7k.
I do feel I have missed out on the V8 experience though....
It was a fantastic car and I put 10,000 miles on in 6 months. I sold it as I thought I should reduce my cars down and drive the porsche more, but after 3 months I have just bought a C36 estate, which is again a fab car. The supercharger makes the punch so immediate.
Again this was a relatively cheap car, someone else has taken the £50k depreciation for me.
It may take some upkeep, but I think enjoy your C43, if you change to a C55 in a year or two you will save yourself £5 - 7k.
I do feel I have missed out on the V8 experience though....
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