Discussion
Quite tempted and man maths all done but....... Opinions please
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES-C32-AMG-SUPERC...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES-C32-AMG-SUPERC...
203s rust especially around the wheelarches. Check carefully. It looks ok but its easy to bodge for photos.
I'm not familiar with the dash as its older than my c55 but a tape deck! Heated and cooled seats mind which is nice as long as they work. The seat bases usually don't heat and its not that easy a fix. ETA - not cooled just 2 stage heating
I gather S/C need some attention - belts/pulleys I?C pump etc.
The ad is a bit thin on maintenance detail, presumably you've checked the MOT history? Suspension parts are consumables.
But it does look the part, low miles and cheap.
Worth a look I'd say.
I'm not familiar with the dash as its older than my c55 but a tape deck! Heated and cooled seats mind which is nice as long as they work. The seat bases usually don't heat and its not that easy a fix. ETA - not cooled just 2 stage heating
I gather S/C need some attention - belts/pulleys I?C pump etc.
The ad is a bit thin on maintenance detail, presumably you've checked the MOT history? Suspension parts are consumables.
But it does look the part, low miles and cheap.
Worth a look I'd say.
Owned a C32 estate when they were new. Lots of performance in a straight line and a proper Q car. No fun around a track though. Make sure it has proper servicing, and decent matching rubber to keep all that performance on the island. Check everything works properly (including brake discs/pads are good) as MB are notoriously savage on pricing OEM spares. The car was built in the MB bulls
t accountant run era, so expect build quality to be questionable. It is now old, so will have rust risk and need increasing TLC.
t accountant run era, so expect build quality to be questionable. It is now old, so will have rust risk and need increasing TLC.
I have a 2003 C32 estate. It’s a lot of fun to drive, quiet and smooth when you want it to be, goes like a rocket when you’d rather have that. I look at the performance of modern cars and it’s still rare to find anything that will get to 60 in 4.5 seconds and is so practical.
Mine throws a £1k bill at me roughly every second year, but I tend to get things fixed properly eg springs in pairs, I had all the climate control components replaced to keep it fully operational, most people don’t. Standard service is £200 for an A, about £3-400 for a B. I don’t mind the bills as it’s still way less than the depreciation on any equivalent newer car.
As has been mentioned, the heated seat bases won’t work by now. The CD multichanger will likely be very flakey. The climate control, unless it’s had £1k spent pulling the dash out, is unlikely to work properly (the plastic connectors from the motor to the air diversion flaps behind the dash tend to break, leading to a clicking noise on startup as the motors cycle trying to get the flaps to work). Some of them rust, some don’t - mine doesn’t have any at all, tho I think this maybe because some later ones were galvanised.
But don’t let that put you off - mechanically mine has been almost bulletproof and vthey are quite cheap to fix. The supercharger bearing can go, for which Merc will want £1.5k but you can buy the part from the US for about £50 and it’s 30mins labour for an Indy to fix it. Supercharger cooling pumps go, but there’s a £100 Johnson equiv that everyone uses (and it’s better). There used to be problems with the radiators breaking down internally and mixing water into the transmission fluid (it’s a dual purpose rad) but by this age it’s very likely the rad has been replaced, I think almost everyone either had the problem (sometimes writing off the gear box) or replaced the radiator as a preventative. Mine was done early on once th problem was known about.
Good luck.
Mine throws a £1k bill at me roughly every second year, but I tend to get things fixed properly eg springs in pairs, I had all the climate control components replaced to keep it fully operational, most people don’t. Standard service is £200 for an A, about £3-400 for a B. I don’t mind the bills as it’s still way less than the depreciation on any equivalent newer car.
As has been mentioned, the heated seat bases won’t work by now. The CD multichanger will likely be very flakey. The climate control, unless it’s had £1k spent pulling the dash out, is unlikely to work properly (the plastic connectors from the motor to the air diversion flaps behind the dash tend to break, leading to a clicking noise on startup as the motors cycle trying to get the flaps to work). Some of them rust, some don’t - mine doesn’t have any at all, tho I think this maybe because some later ones were galvanised.
But don’t let that put you off - mechanically mine has been almost bulletproof and vthey are quite cheap to fix. The supercharger bearing can go, for which Merc will want £1.5k but you can buy the part from the US for about £50 and it’s 30mins labour for an Indy to fix it. Supercharger cooling pumps go, but there’s a £100 Johnson equiv that everyone uses (and it’s better). There used to be problems with the radiators breaking down internally and mixing water into the transmission fluid (it’s a dual purpose rad) but by this age it’s very likely the rad has been replaced, I think almost everyone either had the problem (sometimes writing off the gear box) or replaced the radiator as a preventative. Mine was done early on once th problem was known about.
Good luck.
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