Thursday 27th October 2016

Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG: Spotted

With a plethora of new '43' models in the Mercedes-AMG range, what better time to revisit an old one?

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Earlier this week, as you may have noticed, Mr Trent was off blasting around the countryside in a Mercedes-AMG C63 S Edition 1. Nice car, but you'd bloomin' well hope so for the price. At nearly £70,000, it's a world away from the £27,875 a boggo, entry-level C will set you back, and a chunk more than the £56,665 an admittedly non-S previous-generation C63 would have cost you when it first came out. Ouch.

Most will have no idea, in the best AMG way

Happily, there is a cheaper way to get your V8-powered C-Class kicks, and even more happily, it's decidedly more subtle than a matt-grey-and-yellow C63. What's more, it might just have the added bonus of going up in value, rather than dropping like a stone.

The original W202 C43 AMG was not the first attempt at a tweaked C-Class to emerge from Affalterbach - that honour went to the 280hp, straight-six-powered C36 AMG - but it was something of a landmark as the first C-Class to have a V8 lodged beneath the bonnet.

Let's not forget just how ridiculous this must have seemed at the time. Audi hadn't even produced an RS4 yet, while BMW's M3 was plenty potent enough for most with its 3.2-litre straight-six. Lobbing a V8 under the bonnet of a car of this size was unheard of.

And yet, today, we'd barely raise an eyebrow. Both of those rivals have since had eight-pot motors thrust under their bonnets before downsizing kicked in, a trend arguably kicked off by the C43. It goes without saying that the big little Merc's progeny stuck with the V8 too. Ironically, the first AMG C-Class of many since which doesn't is the one that shares its name - the latest Mercedes-AMG C43, which is on test this week. This was, in other words, an important car.

We wanted a wagon too. Good luck finding one.

It isn't, however, as well-remembered as you'd think. That's mainly down to the fact it felt less overtly sporting than the M3 of the time; less direct and more laid-back, the C43's thumping V8 delivered its power low down and through a five-speed automatic gearbox that, despite the best tuning efforts of AMG, could never match the precision or involvement of a manual.

Nor was its steering as sharp or its suspension as controlled as the M3's. The C43 was, instead, a sports saloon with the air of a grand tourer; a car which spoke quietly, but carried a big stick.

C43 prices have risen sharply in recent years, meaning they aren't now the bargain they once were. A little over two years ago you could pick up a high-miler for £2,450; today, the example we've found here - the cheapest in our classifieds - will cost you a shade less than £10,000.

The usual problems haven't gone away in that time; indeed, advancing mileages mean even the good ones now have the sword of Damocles hanging over them in the form of an automatic gearbox that's liable to throw its toys out of the pram well before the 100,000-mile mark.

Sit back, relax and waft

It's worth budgeting a couple of grand for this, and a little more besides for rust repairs, as like all Mercs of this age, C43s have a tendency to go a bit frilly. Check carefully, too, for accident damage - this is, after all, a fairly powerful rear-wheel-drive car - and beware also wiper motors that fail and are costly to replace.

You should, of course, never judge by the pictures, but nevertheless the one we've found looks clean and straight, with all the badges in the right place. The full service history is a must-have and the statement about it being maintained regardless of cost sounds promising, though you should always check the paperwork to make sure that is indeed true.

One wonders, too, whether that no-expense-spared maintenance runs to a reconditioned gearbox; probably not, but if it does, you're quids in.

Either way, this looks like the best-value C43 on PH at the moment, and while its mileage is a touch higher than the only other right-hand-drive example, the price is comprehensively lower. Not as low as it once was - but then again, isn't that the way with everything these days?

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MERCEDES C43 AMG
Engine: 4,266cc, V8
Transmission: 5-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 306@5,850rpm
Torque (lb ft): 303@3,250rpm
MPG: 24
CO2: N/A
First registered: 1998
Recorded mileage: 99,000
Price then: £49,070
Price now: £9,995

See the original advert here

[Aaron_W]

I know this dealer, they sell some really nice cars there, including some 335d's with M performance pack upgraded exhausts and brakes. Dodgy assholey dealers though.