C36 round Germany !
Discussion
I`ve just run my 1996 C36 round the continent on a bit of an outing - five days through Holland , Germany and Austria before returning home via the Stuttgart (Mercedes Museum and a factory visit at Sindelfingen) and the `ring .
I`ve long held the desire to try the C36 on a high speed run and set off with my father in law ( a serial Mercedes buyer and Gullwing customer) from Hull with a view to meeting various checkpoints around Germany to see friends etc and test my faith in the C Class I`ve owned for three years .
Hopefully the pictures will upload and show the car at Arnhem (where my father saw action during WW2 ) and at various points along the way .
Sensible precautions ensued and the car was fully serviced and fitted with a set of new Continental Sport Contact3`s and is running extremely well . Day 2 travelling across the northern Autobahn network allowed a high speed run as the dual carriageway openend up to three pale grey lanes . Deciding that the circumstances wouldn`t be any better , I held my foot hard down and the straight 6 bellowed it`s way to an indicated 160mph before far distant traffic meant a judicious slacking off .
The joy of 120mph cruising is sorely missed since our return home .
The biggest surprise of the trip (other than the amazing scenery at the Eagle`s Nest and outstanding Mercedes Museum ) was the fuel economy . 30.8 mpg from a 280 bhp C Class over 1750miles . I`m very pleased!
Edited by mickyveloce on Sunday 4th October 22:26
Oh go on then ; seeing as you asked nicely .
I`ve just washed and polished the car for winter storage , so I`ll miss it until next spring arrives . I just couldn`t bear the ravages of salt and snow on its red paint . On the plus side , I`ve a nice E220 coupe to enjoy in the meantime .
Back to the trip though , and I`d recommend it as essential entertainment for anyone who enjoys this website . The people we met on our travels ( particularly the car enthusiasts ) contributed to the trip . One guy driving a ratty Dutch registered 190E fought his way through three lanes of traffic at some roadworks just to chat about the car - and an orange Gallardo in the tunnels at Stuttgart (egged on by local boy racers!) was great fun too .
I`ve just washed and polished the car for winter storage , so I`ll miss it until next spring arrives . I just couldn`t bear the ravages of salt and snow on its red paint . On the plus side , I`ve a nice E220 coupe to enjoy in the meantime .
Back to the trip though , and I`d recommend it as essential entertainment for anyone who enjoys this website . The people we met on our travels ( particularly the car enthusiasts ) contributed to the trip . One guy driving a ratty Dutch registered 190E fought his way through three lanes of traffic at some roadworks just to chat about the car - and an orange Gallardo in the tunnels at Stuttgart (egged on by local boy racers!) was great fun too .
Edited by mickyveloce on Monday 5th October 14:52
[img]Edited by mickyveloce on Monday 5th October 14:55
Edited by mickyveloce on Monday 5th October 15:00
Good to hear about your trip. I've always liked the W202 shape and own a C200 that drives and drives without any fuss, I do all my own servicing and keep it in top condition. I have been watching the C36 and C43 prices with interest and I'm sure it wont be long before I'm swayed into buying one myself, with motorway driving there's probably not much difference in the MPG? 
ZR1 Cliff , on the evidence of a friend with a C200 W202 automatic , motorway mpg will be about the same . I`ve got a 1995 C124 E220 coupe with the 2.2 petrol 4 cylinder with autobox and this does well over 30mpg all the time , so it`s hard to tell .
The C36/43 are specialist machinery of course (think handbuilt specialist car which just happens to have a saloon car bodywork ) so home servicing may not be desirable . More and more of the early AMG cars have fallen into the hands of people who love the performance and skimp on maintenance , so good ones are surprisingly scarce . Having said that , they are very rewarding to own , exciting to use ( especially as mine has no traction control ) and pretty much depreciation proof now .
I was toying with selling mine (and the E220 and Midget) to fund a C55 , but I just can`t bear to part with it .
The C36/43 are specialist machinery of course (think handbuilt specialist car which just happens to have a saloon car bodywork ) so home servicing may not be desirable . More and more of the early AMG cars have fallen into the hands of people who love the performance and skimp on maintenance , so good ones are surprisingly scarce . Having said that , they are very rewarding to own , exciting to use ( especially as mine has no traction control ) and pretty much depreciation proof now .
I was toying with selling mine (and the E220 and Midget) to fund a C55 , but I just can`t bear to part with it .
Edited by mickyveloce on Tuesday 6th October 13:22
I`m certain given your background , it wouldnt be an issue for you to maintain one of these !
Essentially the C36 is a bored out , handbuilt version of the 280 straight 6 of the era ,but very much a low volume engine with a very much "modified" feel . It`s a little peaky for a Mercedes engine ( but very srong across the rev range) and by no means the smoothest , quietest engine Merc have made . It is a little raw , but has a lovely sound (through standard stainless steel manifolds ) .
The C43 has a modified version of the V8 used in ML`s , E and S class cars tweaked to just over 300 bhp . It`s a tad heavier on the nose , of course , and has some issues with the 5 speed auto box well documented in previous posts . It does sound creamier than the C36 and is a little less overtly sporty with more complient suspension etc .
Having said that the 36 raided the company parts bin for brakes (600SL front and E320 rear ) whereas the 43 consumables are unique to the car , making them much dearer .
I bought mine accidentally when selling my Porsche 924 GT three years ago . I was looking for something more accommodating to my toddler and , at the time , unborn second son , when I found it at a local Porsche specialist ( GMUND cars ) and have never looked back . I will probably buy the C63 in a couple of years , but will keep ( hide from my wife!) my red C36 in any event !
Good luck with your search
Essentially the C36 is a bored out , handbuilt version of the 280 straight 6 of the era ,but very much a low volume engine with a very much "modified" feel . It`s a little peaky for a Mercedes engine ( but very srong across the rev range) and by no means the smoothest , quietest engine Merc have made . It is a little raw , but has a lovely sound (through standard stainless steel manifolds ) .
The C43 has a modified version of the V8 used in ML`s , E and S class cars tweaked to just over 300 bhp . It`s a tad heavier on the nose , of course , and has some issues with the 5 speed auto box well documented in previous posts . It does sound creamier than the C36 and is a little less overtly sporty with more complient suspension etc .
Having said that the 36 raided the company parts bin for brakes (600SL front and E320 rear ) whereas the 43 consumables are unique to the car , making them much dearer .
I bought mine accidentally when selling my Porsche 924 GT three years ago . I was looking for something more accommodating to my toddler and , at the time , unborn second son , when I found it at a local Porsche specialist ( GMUND cars ) and have never looked back . I will probably buy the C63 in a couple of years , but will keep ( hide from my wife!) my red C36 in any event !
Good luck with your search
Cliff , I realised that I waffled on without answering your question . Yes the engines appear durable in all forms . C36`s and 43`s can run to huge mileages without incident . I`ve occasionally looked at Mobile.de website in Germany and seen some pretty high mileage stuff in the past . Things like stainless steel exhausts as standard always help , and the bits and bobs like catalysts and ECU`s which in the past have been hugely expensive can now be sourced quite reasonably .
I don`t do the mechanical stuff myself , as I have an ex Mercedes mechanic who is now an independent specialist as a friend and neighbour . On the rare occasion I`ve been known to pull a sump plug out , things turn out a bit Exxon Valdise I`m afraid .
M
I don`t do the mechanical stuff myself , as I have an ex Mercedes mechanic who is now an independent specialist as a friend and neighbour . On the rare occasion I`ve been known to pull a sump plug out , things turn out a bit Exxon Valdise I`m afraid .
M
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