C43 - Mad or Realistic?
Discussion
Hi there,
Finally getting round to sorting out a car over the next few months, and as a 25 year old ideas have slowly started slipping from the sensible to the less sensible... stuff is actually insurable above a 1.25 fiesta.
Always had a softspot for these since a bloke down the end of the road had one. At 108k part of me says just run in... are there a lot of extra bits over a normal C to go wrong?
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1202691.htm
Ta
Finally getting round to sorting out a car over the next few months, and as a 25 year old ideas have slowly started slipping from the sensible to the less sensible... stuff is actually insurable above a 1.25 fiesta.
Always had a softspot for these since a bloke down the end of the road had one. At 108k part of me says just run in... are there a lot of extra bits over a normal C to go wrong?
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1202691.htm
Ta
Yes they can rust but not all are bad and some have had corrosion correctly repaired including a few that owners have managed to get Mercedes to do under the anti-corrosion warranty. Do check carefully for any signs of rust or evidence of recent paintwork.
Auto gearboxes can give problems at higher mileages. Check the car's history for evidence of a recent gearbox oil change. The manufacturer say they dont need doing for life but a change after 80 - 90K is a good idea. The gearchange should be very smooth, almost un-noticeable. Any jerkiness changing gear could indicate expensive problems.
The cars are quite heavy on brakes & tyres so check these are in good order and also check everything electrical works. There are a lot of goodies in these cars and whilst they dont often go wrong new parts can be expensive.
I would definatly recomend one of these cars provided you either check it carefully yourself or get a profesional inspection done. I have had mine for nearly 3 years and had very little trouble. They are impressively powerful, comfortable, rare and stealthy cars and a good one will give you years of fairly trouble free enjoyment. Do get some insurance quotes first though cause they wont be cheap.
Auto gearboxes can give problems at higher mileages. Check the car's history for evidence of a recent gearbox oil change. The manufacturer say they dont need doing for life but a change after 80 - 90K is a good idea. The gearchange should be very smooth, almost un-noticeable. Any jerkiness changing gear could indicate expensive problems.
The cars are quite heavy on brakes & tyres so check these are in good order and also check everything electrical works. There are a lot of goodies in these cars and whilst they dont often go wrong new parts can be expensive.
I would definatly recomend one of these cars provided you either check it carefully yourself or get a profesional inspection done. I have had mine for nearly 3 years and had very little trouble. They are impressively powerful, comfortable, rare and stealthy cars and a good one will give you years of fairly trouble free enjoyment. Do get some insurance quotes first though cause they wont be cheap.
I've had mine for 2.5 years and other than taking care of some rust nothing has gone wrong.
AMG specific parts like discs cost quite a bit, but otherwise not too bad for the kind of performance you get. As above, the only realy expensive bit that can go is the gearbox, had the fluid changed on mine as soon as I got it.
Make sure the car you get has been well looked after and isn't about to land you a big service bill and you wont regret it!
AMG specific parts like discs cost quite a bit, but otherwise not too bad for the kind of performance you get. As above, the only realy expensive bit that can go is the gearbox, had the fluid changed on mine as soon as I got it.
Make sure the car you get has been well looked after and isn't about to land you a big service bill and you wont regret it!
I'm fairly happy with mine, no trouble so far, but I know it'll need the wings repairing soon, there's some surface rust on the inner trailing edges of both front wings. Presumably where it gets stoneblasted. Just had the plugs changed too, 2 per cylinder and long life plugs mean well over £100 for parts alone.
Mechanically, the engine feels unburstable and the gearbox too, although it can be a bit lumpier on changes when cold, but only for about 500 yards until the oil warms through a touch. The interior of mine is exceptionally good, 80,000 miles on it and no wear to speak of.
I'm not sure how long I'll keep it though, I've previously had more sprightly cars and the C43 is no more than competent in corners. I find it's best to go slowly round corners before unleashing the fury when the road opens up, then using the excellent brakes for the next corner.
Mechanically, the engine feels unburstable and the gearbox too, although it can be a bit lumpier on changes when cold, but only for about 500 yards until the oil warms through a touch. The interior of mine is exceptionally good, 80,000 miles on it and no wear to speak of.
I'm not sure how long I'll keep it though, I've previously had more sprightly cars and the C43 is no more than competent in corners. I find it's best to go slowly round corners before unleashing the fury when the road opens up, then using the excellent brakes for the next corner.
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