Advice on C32 Estate?
Discussion
Hi all,
First time on MB forum.
Been scouring the classifieds for potential estate cars to buy in the summer (have posted a fair few threads already) and am keen on the Octavia VRS, the Mondeo 2.5T and possibly the E46 330i.
BUT, a random search for a C-Class estate (as it seems to have marginally better boot space than the BMW) threw up a 2003/04 C32....
Now, am I crazy to even consider one? Will it bankrupt me? Or are the running costs not as bad as I fear?
Compared to the others, it would certainly be a “you only live once” purchase and would be a step up in bills.
You can exclude fuel costs from the concern equation as my commute is fairly short. Presumably insurance will sting though, and I imagine they eat rear tyres for breakfast.
Having had a look on the MB owners site, it seems some parts you might think would be expensive (brakes, suspension) can be sourced fairly cheaply if you know the right places to look.
From what I have read they suffer from some electrical gremlins (heated seats etc) but I imagine many of these will have been sorted given they are now nearly 10 years old.
But I love the understated looks and of course the 389 bhp supercharged V6 under the bonnet.
If anyone has any tips or can give me an idea of costs / things to look out for, it would be much appreciated.
First time on MB forum.
Been scouring the classifieds for potential estate cars to buy in the summer (have posted a fair few threads already) and am keen on the Octavia VRS, the Mondeo 2.5T and possibly the E46 330i.
BUT, a random search for a C-Class estate (as it seems to have marginally better boot space than the BMW) threw up a 2003/04 C32....
Now, am I crazy to even consider one? Will it bankrupt me? Or are the running costs not as bad as I fear?
Compared to the others, it would certainly be a “you only live once” purchase and would be a step up in bills.
You can exclude fuel costs from the concern equation as my commute is fairly short. Presumably insurance will sting though, and I imagine they eat rear tyres for breakfast.
Having had a look on the MB owners site, it seems some parts you might think would be expensive (brakes, suspension) can be sourced fairly cheaply if you know the right places to look.
From what I have read they suffer from some electrical gremlins (heated seats etc) but I imagine many of these will have been sorted given they are now nearly 10 years old.
But I love the understated looks and of course the 389 bhp supercharged V6 under the bonnet.
If anyone has any tips or can give me an idea of costs / things to look out for, it would be much appreciated.
Legend83 said:
But I love the understated looks and of course the 389 bhp supercharged V6 under the bonnet.
349 bhp if I'm not mistaken. The subsequent C55 AMG had 362 bhp so not sure where you're getting that number from...?Can't really add anything apart from that fairly useless observation (important in the greater scheme of things) but I've been doing my research on the C55 and that's where my money would be, but I want a V8. I think the supercharger pump going on the C32 is a fairly common occurrence, rust and some electrical issues (seat control modules) seem to be in key word searches.
I'll keep an eye on this thread because they really are going for a song.
Hi,
Just read your post regarding C32 estates. I am currently the proud owner of a C32 estate and have been for almost three years. To be honest I wanted a C55 but simply couldn't afford one.
I've had a fair few problems with it, some I've sorted, others are outstanding, awaiting time and funds.
There are various problems that C32s are known for and I've suffered a lot of them. The gearbox needed work not long after I bought it and I had fun when the drivers seat managed to drain the battery in the middle of last winter. Mercedes charged me an absolute fortune to fix that and I haven't been back since. Both heated seats now only heat your back and the driver's door mirror doesn't fold - these two problems are awaiting work as is the passenger seat which I've unplugged as it too has started draining the battery.
Despite these problems I absolutely adore my car. I always feel good about myself when I'm in it and the performance never ceases to make me giggle. About a year ago I had two of the cats removed along with the front box because I wanted to give it a voice and it now sounds fantastic.
Running costs aren't too bad. Olly, at PCS in Horndean looks after it and his costs are more than reasonable. Fuel is an issue but I've just covered almost 1100 miles in a week on a holiday up north and it averaged 26mpg. Not too shabby but it drops well below that round town. Tyres cost around £750 for all 4 corners (Michelin PS3s).
If you do decide to buy one, make sure it's a good one (i rather rushed into it) and you'll have no regrets.
Good luck.
Just read your post regarding C32 estates. I am currently the proud owner of a C32 estate and have been for almost three years. To be honest I wanted a C55 but simply couldn't afford one.
I've had a fair few problems with it, some I've sorted, others are outstanding, awaiting time and funds.
There are various problems that C32s are known for and I've suffered a lot of them. The gearbox needed work not long after I bought it and I had fun when the drivers seat managed to drain the battery in the middle of last winter. Mercedes charged me an absolute fortune to fix that and I haven't been back since. Both heated seats now only heat your back and the driver's door mirror doesn't fold - these two problems are awaiting work as is the passenger seat which I've unplugged as it too has started draining the battery.
Despite these problems I absolutely adore my car. I always feel good about myself when I'm in it and the performance never ceases to make me giggle. About a year ago I had two of the cats removed along with the front box because I wanted to give it a voice and it now sounds fantastic.
Running costs aren't too bad. Olly, at PCS in Horndean looks after it and his costs are more than reasonable. Fuel is an issue but I've just covered almost 1100 miles in a week on a holiday up north and it averaged 26mpg. Not too shabby but it drops well below that round town. Tyres cost around £750 for all 4 corners (Michelin PS3s).
If you do decide to buy one, make sure it's a good one (i rather rushed into it) and you'll have no regrets.
Good luck.
I used to own a C32 saloon
I loved mine and kept it for 4 years, but it was an expensive addiction and often frustrating.
You've touched on some of the problems and They're all pretty common
The One that worries the most is probably the gearbox failing (search glycol contamination, and 1500rpm transmission jerk)
Others are as mentioned heated seats failing, battery drain caused by heated seats, intercooler pump failure, crank position sensor breaking up and stalling car when hot. Supercharger issues and also the stepper motors controlling the air vents can break causing an annoying ticking noise which to fix usually involves removing the dashboard and lots of hours in labour charges
Apart from the the gearbox failing (although mine did have the ansmission jerk which seemed to afflict most owners ) I had all the above problems and a few more besides which cost me dearly, but despite this I still found it hard to part ways and covered nearly 60,000 miles in mine
Insurance isn't too bad, with Admiral I used to pay approx £550.00 a year for me (early 40's full no claims).
TBH Given the choice today I think I'd be looking at the C55, similar performance and economy but less issues.
hth
I loved mine and kept it for 4 years, but it was an expensive addiction and often frustrating.
You've touched on some of the problems and They're all pretty common
The One that worries the most is probably the gearbox failing (search glycol contamination, and 1500rpm transmission jerk)
Others are as mentioned heated seats failing, battery drain caused by heated seats, intercooler pump failure, crank position sensor breaking up and stalling car when hot. Supercharger issues and also the stepper motors controlling the air vents can break causing an annoying ticking noise which to fix usually involves removing the dashboard and lots of hours in labour charges
Apart from the the gearbox failing (although mine did have the ansmission jerk which seemed to afflict most owners ) I had all the above problems and a few more besides which cost me dearly, but despite this I still found it hard to part ways and covered nearly 60,000 miles in mine
Insurance isn't too bad, with Admiral I used to pay approx £550.00 a year for me (early 40's full no claims).
TBH Given the choice today I think I'd be looking at the C55, similar performance and economy but less issues.
hth
I had a C32 and indeed an SLK32 and overall they were rock solid. Neither had the kompressor intercooler pump issue (which is fairly straight forward to fix) and they didn't exhibit any issues with the gearbox or anything mechanical.
The heated seat bases are a weakness and are fixed fairly cheaply (do a search on here and benzworld for a fix I did on both). The C32 has seat modules that take the movement instructions and these forget to go to sleep. Now Mercedes franchise dealer will just want to change the unit which costs stupid money as the part is expensive. There are several ways to fix it though. Doing experiments with my C32 I found that interrupting the power to the module causes them to sleep once reconnected. So all you need to do is pull the small connector block and reattach, you can also take the ignition controlled feed and cut the permanent 12v and put the two together so the seat module works off the switched supply. The only downside is the comfort setting which moves the seat when you pull the key out will not work.
Look for rust on the arches which is covered by an 8 year warranty if the car has a full MB service history. Again neither of mine had this issue.
As for performance the C32 was a great combination of comfort and performance. Driven normally it would give you 32mpg on a run and yet if pushed would put a lot of other cars to shame. The nice thing is that it is not overly styled so does not attract the attention that some cars do.
The heated seat bases are a weakness and are fixed fairly cheaply (do a search on here and benzworld for a fix I did on both). The C32 has seat modules that take the movement instructions and these forget to go to sleep. Now Mercedes franchise dealer will just want to change the unit which costs stupid money as the part is expensive. There are several ways to fix it though. Doing experiments with my C32 I found that interrupting the power to the module causes them to sleep once reconnected. So all you need to do is pull the small connector block and reattach, you can also take the ignition controlled feed and cut the permanent 12v and put the two together so the seat module works off the switched supply. The only downside is the comfort setting which moves the seat when you pull the key out will not work.
Look for rust on the arches which is covered by an 8 year warranty if the car has a full MB service history. Again neither of mine had this issue.
As for performance the C32 was a great combination of comfort and performance. Driven normally it would give you 32mpg on a run and yet if pushed would put a lot of other cars to shame. The nice thing is that it is not overly styled so does not attract the attention that some cars do.
I have an SLK 32 for just under 4 years now- maintenance wise parts are slightly more expensive than regular Mercs but a set of rears ( P ZERO ) lasted 16k with some fairly spirited driving
only things that have gone wrong- supercharger pump went at 60k- replaced with a higher flow rate Johnson CM30 pump- £200 fitted and on Sunday crankshaft sensor leading car to cut out when hot went- fitted by Mobilo Service -£100.20
the only other thing I did outside of regular servicing was have the gearbox oil changed last year ( cost £160)
engine wise they are pretty much bullet proof- I have done 23k in mine now and love it
only things that have gone wrong- supercharger pump went at 60k- replaced with a higher flow rate Johnson CM30 pump- £200 fitted and on Sunday crankshaft sensor leading car to cut out when hot went- fitted by Mobilo Service -£100.20
the only other thing I did outside of regular servicing was have the gearbox oil changed last year ( cost £160)
engine wise they are pretty much bullet proof- I have done 23k in mine now and love it
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