Anyway, I've had 2 'incursions' recently, meaning,
my cars body was incurred by other vehicles and leaving their imprint upon her. I'm collecting a check for 2200 for the damage to one 'incursion' and
found I can get a new hatch to resolve the issue for 500.
The trick is finding on the same color so it doesn't need paint.

Then a guy hit my drivers side quarter panel, and i have estimates running the gamet, but guessing that will result in a 1000-1500 payment.
Meanwhile, my car is about to turn 180K miles.
It runs great, though I had a rough start today, and some rumblings from the starter. Uh oh.

And I have a leaking head gasket, classic #4 cylinder issue.
Thats a 2-3 grand repair.

So, I'm thinking, I really have to say...I loooooove the coupey.
It's the most under appreciated little car.
Funny, everyone now finally gets it.
Build a nice small car.
MB got reamed by dumass car reviewers wondering who would pay 25K for
a subcompact luxury car. They declared it the best of the best of the small cars, and then said 'if you can afford it'.
Well now FIAT is selling those POS little turd mobiles, and yes, I'm a former long time FIAT owner, but like 25K for one with a half *** convertible roof?

Anyway, I'm thinking about not fixing my car, buying another one,
transferring all my goodies from one car to the other, and
selling it as is. Though I can fix the hatch for about 800 if I can find an intact one the same color, and that's kinda the biggie

So I want to find a coupe, with less than 100K miles,
Orion Blue and grey leather just i have now.

The big question is should I get another Automatic?
Mine has served me well.
I have to say I think it's the best auto out there.
I never had an auto before the benz and I really enjoy it.
I can choose to shift or not shift, and it really puts the power to the pavement.
They still use it on all the AMG models.
Hmmmm. I wonder why? Maybe 'cause it can handle like 800 ft lbs. of torque.
I just wish I had the 'speedshift' where it doesn't upshift when you are using it manually.

OR should I find a manny 6 speed?
And extra 30 HP at the wheels or so.

Anyone know where I can find that car for around 6K ?
$3000+ from the insurance company and at least 3K for my car back to stock and i shed
80K-100K miles for just the sale tax and a lot of sweat equity swapping everything.
It's gotta have leather and pano. With any luck I'll get 4 for my car. Amazing what you can pick these up for (Max?)
C7 would be great and it HAS TO BE 2002.
M111 rules.

 

That will be a hard find. I am in fear of the day someone causes damage to mine and I have to face the same issue. I didn't really like the car that much when we first got it (it was my wife's). Not that I didn't like it, I just didn't spend enough time with it to really appreciate it.

Finding the parts in the right color will decidedly be a challenge for you. However, do you really want one that you haven't known it's whole life? If you just drove it, that would be a simple call, but since you work on yours, you know every little oddity about it. Although I have to admit that I have often thought that an '05...especially a 320 would be the perfect Coupe. Of course with leather, and I am partial to the Blue - which I don't think they did in the '05.

Don't base it on the C7 being a must. It isn't that many parts and you retrofit the entire C7 package very easily (I'm lacking the steering wheel - and searching for one).

I am hoping for another 100K+ plus before I have to face the same issue. Unfortunately, I suspect my next will have 4 doors. We just need one car with the extra two doors because we frequently have parents or others with us now.

Hard choices!

 

It sounds like you've pretty much made the decision to "transition" to another car. It sounds like it could be a good time to be thinking of it.

I think the choice between the auto and manual depends on how motivated you are to shift your own gears. From my short experience (about a year), you have to be pretty motivated. The manual tranny in my C230 is ok, but it's not great. The reason I got my car is because it had a manual tranny. My wife has an auto and, as you've found out, they are very good. It occurred to me that if I bought another Benz, that I might get an automatic. The manual is not as smooth or quick as I would like or expect. I am also REALLY disappointed in the pedal layout - I can't drive it well with dress shoes or moccasins. I can adapt, but it's a PITA. If you are happy with your auto, I would advise you to get another one. I sort of think that you have to really want a manual and not want an auto to have an MB manual tranny.

 

haha i drive barefoot all the time just think if i had a manual

 

If you tried to heel-toe, you had better have a very WIDE foot!!!

 

I say go for it. This is an opportunity you might not get again, and shedding 100k mi on your car for a grand or less and some effort is worth it. Also completely agree that you should stick to an M111. These engines are absolutely bullet-proof as you know.

Now that youve had the car for a while and know what to look for, Im sure a thorough test-drive and examination under the body will tell you the exact condition of the components. Being so familiar with a car youre buying is a huuge advantage! Wish I knew as much as I do now about my car when I purchased it.

Also, the ex had a manual coupey which Ive driven around quite a bit. So I have first hand experience comparing my auto to a manual. Her car was also an '02 with similar mileage. IMHO the coupe is not a car designed to be driven with a stick shifter. The throws are not necessarily short, and not very smooth....and with the auto being so reliable and smooth, I would definitely go with the auto.

 

Yeah, the Auto is really good.
Never had one before this car.
And with the occasional flush it should be good for over 200K miles.
Mine still feels tight, just flushed 2nd time recently.
There aren't many 2002'a out there right now.
I guess people like them!

I'm also perhaps leaning towards red.
I kinda like that Ferrari red....
I got the blue because of a GF I had at the time, but I do have to say, it really
shows off the more subtle lines of the car well, maybe the blue is even the best color when it's a shined up nice.

 

Oh, the humanity!!

By definition, any manny is better than a slushbox. Even a Mercedes manny.

Despite having just driven from n NJ to the Outer Banks and back, with plenty of stops in the middle without issue, I'd still be hesitant to buy another ccoupe if I were to do it all over again. Don't you want to try something else? Life's all about variety, and it would be odd imho to pidgeonhole yourself to getting the exact same car just so you can transfer over the parts that you have now. Just my two cents.

 

You're only saying this cause the 500 Abarth has been announced for the US!

 

Guilty as charged!!

I was just looking at it on another site. Do you have ESP?

 

No blue 2002 Coupes to be had anywhere west of the Mississippi.
There's a silver one with 72K miles closeby, they want close to 9 grand for it. Ha, I'll call and offer 6.

I also wouldn't have to learn a new car from scratch.
I'm always folding the seats down, and what other hatch is worth buying?
The new FIAT is such a ripoff.
25 grand. Ha! People whined about the mercedes coupe being 25 grand.

 

This. All of it. A manual is better than an automatic from a driver's perspective, and I'd only have one of any type car.. life's too short for duplicates.

 

25 grand is basically loaded on the c (or the ultra-ridiculous Gucci edition); you couldn't even do 25 "large" on the hardtop.

 

I think your quest will be a unhappy one. Your looking for a very specific car that I think really may no exist, C coupes of old where not stellar selling cars and finding that specific year for the engine and trans combo will be quite hard as well. Any reason you need to have the same interior and exterior combo or same engine? As far as stick or auto, I love stick and owning a C that only came in Auto I am glad I have a saab turbo I can row gears in. Id prioritise what actually matters VS what you can actually get and see what you come up with. Otherwise I dont think you will find what your looking for.

 

The biggest problem with finding a used '02 Coupe is that their value was low when they were first re-sold. The people that purchased them, mostly, didn't treat them as a Mercedes, but instead as the inexpensive car that they bought. This means Jiffy-Lube Dino oil every...oh when they thought about it...never really cleaning or treating the leather (assuming it had it). Generally the same care level given a Civic -- with about the same results after 10 years.

Of course, there are exceptions, but this is my observations based on looking around in parking lots. Occasionally there is an '02 (Coupe or otherwise) in good shape, but both are most trashed.

 

For 6k, you may as well just lease and be done with it.

 

True. But completely depends on what you want the car to be. Realistically speaking, do you want to be rowing gears in stop and go traffic on a highway after a stressful day at work.

On the other hand if you were out on a country road driving at a clip...give me a manual any day. The 203.6 tranny is I think one of the smoothest auto trannys out there.

 

+1.

I understand your want for the M111, but why blue in specific? All or most of your mods are transferable to other color cars as well.

White coupes look great IMHO. Some people think it looks even more like a chik car, but who cares what other people think if you like it.

 

It's not just the coupes. I rarely see a pre-facelift W203 around here that isn't rough looking.

 

Yes, but they won't look nearly as good. Trying to find the same color is the thing that makes the most sense to me.

 

Aha...Tommy..youre just trying to get C230 to buy your cars twin arent you?

 

It's time to circle the wagons on Orion coupes; they're an endangered species. It really is a shame, as it's such a nice color. Maybe the new B series will be fun enough and come in Orion, and it'll sway me from going down the Abarth (or Mini Roadster - new pics of the production version have come out recently, too - nice) route. I think I saw that the new B AMG will be a manny. Hmm....

 

yes they are!

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-mini-roadster/

 

Mini USA's website has been updated too - look at the McLovin seats that will hopefully be an option:

http://www.miniusa.com/#/learn/futureConcepts-m

 

Anything smaller than a c coupe, fuggetaboutit.
I'm too big for that.
It's not like my car is dead...
I have all the time in the world to find the perfect bargain
coupey. In blue. Ha.
Yeah, white is for chicks.
Unless someone comes out with something even close, but there's nothing to fill the gap.
Well VW GTI but it's a box. A box with wheels.
I like the coupe the way it's half sports car and half
sport ute.
Gave her a bath on sat, and then
I drove her through the hills last night like I stole it. Put down the sunroof.
Still runs and drives like a race car. When you add the mods it makes such a difference.

The unmuffled ASP'd supercharger screaming like an F16, the engine roaring out the headered, Magnaflow cat'd,
Remus'd exhaust. The tires digging into the corners with my mismatched yet so appropriate sway and coilovers.
I pulled over to look at the stars and get some fresh air.
I could smell the heat coming off the engine after pushing it hard uphill.
.
Popped the hood, and warmed myself over the lightly glowing
Superspint header.
Ah....sweet coupey. She never lets me down.