GDawgC220

i'm looking at replacing my 94 c220 (giving it to my brother probably depending if i get this job )

i'm deciding between a 95 c36 and a 00 c230 sport....what do you all think? pros and cons?

here are the two:

http://www.hatchandsons.com/pages/sales/late_model/2244

http://www.hatchandsons.com/pages/sales/late_model/DH01

thanks for your input!

vas2vas

the amg of course..............!?

pointman

as a former c36 owner... i have to tell you, that c230 will NEVER ever be able to fill the shoes of an AMG...trust me you will not regret buying the 36.

davis449

I'll share with you something my dad's always told me: "son, get all the horsepower you can get, otherwise you'll always regret it." That being said, I would definitely go for the AMG.

GDawgC220

lol...that's what i'm leaning towards

but, the price of it is $19,900...they just dropped it 2,000 a few months ago. It's been sitting on the lot for a while now.

what do you think is a good price to pay for it, excellent condition. essentially, i'm a first time buyer so i don't know how the game goes on buying cars.

blackmercedes

Seriously,

It depends on your budget and what you want to do with the car. The C36 is a superb car that can still run with all but the biggest of the big dog performance cars. Thanks to it basically being a C280 that AMG modified, most of the parts on the car are simple run-of-the-mill C-Class parts.

Some are not. Anything that AMG touched carries a big price tag. Brake prices are VERY high. As the car ages and needs some bits, suspension parts will be costly. If the engine needs parts, they'll be pricey. However, the C36 is VERY durable and I can't think of a more reliable high performance car. Our's had over 100K miles as was VERY strong, tight, and had years of service left.

Also, check to see if the C36 has a new wiring harness. If not, be prepared to replace it. It's not a bad DIY job. ALL 1993-1993 Mercedes suffer from this problem.

Keep in mind that the C36 also rips through Z-rated tires like no tomorrow. If you are going to whine about buying lots of tires, stay away from any AMG cars. People constantly try to figure out how to save money on tires with their performance cars. Forget it. Just bite the bullet and pony up for tires.

The C230 will use less gas. Again, if you're going to whine about fuel consumption, don't bother with the AMG. The 3.6L is NOT miserly at all, and if you plan on using those 268 ponies, they are hungry mustangs.

BTW, the Recaro sport seats in the C36 are the most comfortable seats EVER installed in any car.

eddieo45

I priced that C230K---It's exactly what I'm looking for, just too much money (I recall that it is also $19.9K). I'll always choose newer over horsepower, but both cars have really low miles for their age, and much less than the 100+K you have. You can't go wrong!

GDawgC220

yeah, being a student and not making much (I will be on a 6 month co-op job from june - january, so i will have 1/2 years income)...I don't know if I can keep up with an AMG's maintenance and parts :p

I did think before to upgrade to something newer than my 94 and the C36 is only a year newer, but an AMG none-the-less

I do commute 50 miles / day and now I get around 350 miles / tank...so I'm guessing the rocket C36 will get less than that, lol.

I will test drive both though just to get the feel and particularly because I've never driven an AMG before. I have driven a c230k, as my grandfather has a '99 non sport, so the sport aspect will give me a feel as well.

at this point, I'm torn between the two. One being it's an AMG, can't go wrong on the other hand, it's expensive to maintain. The C230K is a very good balance of performance and practicality for daily commutes to and from school.

I will probably ask for more details and ask for test drives when I bring our ML in for service, which will be soon, within the month.

I will update when I do that and the prices, options, etc.

But, can someone give me an opinion on what I should pay for the C36 or C230K because I know they do price their cars a little higher. I know it's 19,900 for the C36 and if Eddieo is right, then it's the same price.

Thanks!

pointman

10- 12k MAXIMUM. its old... remember that, 19k is absolutely ridiculous.

mileage...150 to a tank.

GDawgC220

that's what i figured. as well as the gas mileage

what about the c230? it's got much lower miles (29k vs 62k) and newer...

fast mayte

well we both come fron 2.Slow's. but, it just depends on what u want, a daily driver? 230. weekend driver? 36. reason i say 36 would be a weekend driver is cuz first, it's really expencive to maintain, plus u dont' wanna run up the millage quick. your c220's had it's share woth of problems and u know how costly everything gets. local mechnics can't really work on 36's. well i woulnd't let em work on mine if i had one. second, it's gonna be a gas guzzler, your insurance is gonna be higher, evthing adds up.

if i had a choice, i'd definatly go with a 230k cuz u can always change pully's and stuff and run close to the big dawgs. plus easy manual tranny conversion

GDawgC220

lol. well this is a non-authorized MB dealership. it was started by a MB enthusiast who rebuilt MB's since he was young and he decided to get into the business. They deal with all kinds of MB's, vintage to new, so I would trust them with the C36. It was the owner of the dealer who had it before then got something new so he put it on the lot for sale.

but yeah, I know how expensive it can get to maintain. I've been lucky to have my p-rents help me out in the repairs section as i'm still in college but I wanted to get something on my own or atleast pay for most of it.

it's going to be a daily driver to work/school and weekends. I mean, I've driven my grandpa's '99 c230k and it was plenty power for a daily enough for highway passing and local roads. So more likely it's going to be the 230k, but i still want to test drive the AMG, hehe. Gotta drive it at least once I think a '00 c230k would be a nice upgrade from the '94 c220, hehe.

fast mayte

shii i would never pass up test driving a M or an AMG. give it a good run. hahahahahaha


u should check ebay though for something in your area. thats how i got my car. saw a few. and found a great deal

GDawgC220

how was your experience on ebay? i've heard some bad stories on ebay like how the car wasn't in the condition it was shown or described to be, etc.

I know that there aren't many for sale generally in the boston area on ebay...but i do check once in a while

pointman

the only reason you shouldnt buy the AMG is if youre worried about cost of repairs... honestly they are pretty danm high. BUT once again nothing is like an A-M-G.

thats the only down side of the 36... but who cares when you stomp that pedal and see everyone disappear.

fast mayte

overall, ok i guess. yea my car wasn't in the condition it stated. obviously dealers are only there to sell. but being a dealer myself, i understand that it's hard to mention every little thing on a used car. but i still try, anyways


well when i saw it, it had a lil body work on the back, repainted & cracked bumper, all different bad tires including a bent rim, really bad alignment. we fix things like these at my dealership or mention it.

but i really reccomend you buy something u can visually inspect or if you're buying something out-of-state, get one of those inspections. it's like $25. really worth it cuz they test drive it and visually inspect every little ding to reapint to tags on each body panel. we've had a few done at our dealership. thay came up as we stated it and our buyers bought the cars.

you gotta play it smart with alotta these dealers/indivduals. they are only out there for the green. carfax is only good for millage check. dont' rely on that for wrecks cuz totaled cars can be clear titles. it's all an insurance game.

beware with expencive cars. expecailly mercedes. alotta them in the auctions i go to are clear titles and are literally crushed.

GDawgC220

yeah, i like the idea of being able to acutally look at the car myself to get a feel for it.

just looked on ebay in the boston area...nothing worth looking at.

i also just did a starmark pre-owned search from mbusa.com and found a few '99 & '00 C230k's. they had a '99 non-sport with 50k miles on it for $18k. The one at my independent dealer has that '00 c230 sport for $19,900 (which I have to find out to make sure). Is 19,900 too much for a '00 with 29k on it?

fast mayte

kbb trade-in is 14,425
and retail is 20,845. (over priced, nada works in favor of the buyers, kbb in favor of the dealers)

i would pay no more than 16k for it. he prolly buys it for around 13-14k. maybe even less. so i'd start negotiations at 15k.

GDawgC220

mmm...15k I wouldn't mind I'm still waiting for call backs on my job interview and got another one coming up wed...hopefully one of them will take me, hehe. If so, car shoppin' time

I did find some at my old dealer that i use to go to, but 99 with 50k non sport starmarked for $18k. I think the '00 has touch-shift in it?

pointman

GDAWG...youre scaring me...sounds more and more like you are leaning away from the 36... dont do it!

thirty six, thirty six, thirty six, thirty six....etc.

GDawgC220

hahahaha. i haven't cut it out of my thought completely

once i get more details and stuff then i can make my decision

but hell yeah, it would be sweeeet to be ridin' in a 36

MB AMG

Get the C36 AMG!!!!! It's got great performance!

SLCPUNK

Why not just keep the 220 for a while longer while you are still in college? It's probably built better than the 230, and won't have the high running cost that the AMG will. You can get another 100k out of that c220 no problem.

GDawgC220

that's what i'm thinking as well. We've put a bunch on money into it over the years (headgasket, EGR valve, fuel controller, lower control arms, bushings, etc, etc). There's only a few more minor things to fix with the car and it's pretty much brand new (ball joints and motor mounts are worn out).

that thing can go on and on and on I love my 220. Tough decisions, but I won't know for another month or so anyhow, so I got plenty of time to think about it

ricerokets4life

i think a honda civic would be the best bet if youre gonna switch cars, considering your car is going to be a daily commuter and gas is getting relatively expensive. otherwise, stick with the 220.