I am contemplating buying my second MBZ, I have a C230 that I love, it does not have the power I want for my weekend outings but love the gas mileage I get from it on my daily commute to work (33 miles one way). SO I have been looking at the C55 AMG and the C32 AMG. Comparing them in everyway.. HP/TQ specs, weight etc... They look pretty matched.

I am right now looking at the following and have driven both:

05 C55 AMG 7k miles - Great price at $33k and I like the car and the ride even though it seems a little disproportioned due the engine... handles well for the heaviness up front. No is the Hp on this one 369??

04 C32 AMG 9k miles - Better price at $27k, I liked the all around about the car but the C55 seems to pick up faster and keep going. What did they do to the engine to get 349hp from it....

I just would like to know what you all would choose and see what y'all's input on the differences are..?

 

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Right out of the box, the C55 is going to hold resale better, and it has some improvements in suspension and interior config. If you are likely to modify suspension yourself, then that difference is moot. An '04 C32 will not have the Valeo radiator risk, but some would say that the supercharger is "another thing to break" that the V8 does not have. I could say that the V8 has two more cylinders, 8 more valves, two more spark plugs (or is it 4?) and those can break too.

V8 sounds a lot nicer than the s/c V6.

Lastly, if you are so inclined, the price difference can be plowed into modest power upgrades that would make the C32 400HP or more.

 

Get the C55 unless you're planning on modding the car immediately. Get an extended warranty with either.

 

I agree...if you didn't know that the C32 has a SC, then you are not ready for that commitment.

 

Yes both will have the MBZ warranty till 100k or the extended warranty..

I want to mod the hell out of it and I do all my own work. I am currently tigging up a header for the C230 (instead of paying $2k for some metal, what is it titanium?)

ANyways I like the idea of a N/A V8 and then S/Cing it or twins. Has that been done or is there a S/C kit from say Kleemans or something?

Thanks for the input I like the way the C55 looks

 

I asked what they did to it to make it get 349 out of the 3.2 V6... HMMM Kompressor means S/C correct.. WOW imagine that.

The acura TL type S has a 3.2l with 300hp with DOHC Vtec (Feel like a ricer saying that)... But that is how they get the 300hp and add a Comptech and get about 345whp.. not too shabby..

My question since you want me o be more specific (I thought we were car guys here). What did mercedes or AMG to the C32 3.2l engine to give that spark, VVT (Variable Valve Timing to he n00bs) or somekind of butterfly DBW (Drive by Wire) throttlebody like the BMW's...

I want to know what I am up against here before I purchase so I know what to expect when modding it... what I really would like to do is fab my own turbo setup for either that I buy.

 

Just out of idle curiousity, what's the point of extended warranty if you plan on modding the hell out of it?

 

talked to my tech at MBZ of Boerne. Him and I go back to when I got my ASE and he was in the same class as I was and he said he would help out and cover all that he could so it is worth it since it is in the price... NO EXTRA CHARGE, thats my short answer sorry.

P.S sorry if my posts are coming off rude today, I lost my patience on the drive to work today...

 

$33k for a C55 with 7k miles??? Sounds too good to be true..

No is the HP on this one 369? Too low for ya?

 

There are a lot of noobs that post questions similar to yours, so you might want to clarify things or else people will assume you have zero knowledge of our car.

The C32 would be about 249 crank HP without the SC. The SC adds the extra 100 hp, which in my mind could have been higher from the factory. The 2007 Acura TL has a 3.5L V6 with 286HP, so I'm not sure which year you are referring to. The supercharger gives the car the spark, IMO.

 

u r correct sir!

 

What commitment? Everyone makes like the supercharger is a ticking time bomb. From what I've seen, most of the supercharger problems have been over-diagnosed by dealers, resulting in unnecessary replacements. There are tens of thousands of MBs out there with superchargers, and I'll bet 60% of the owners don't even know that they have one!

 

Ehhm. It looks a lot like a C32, no?


The power is in the S/C, which is what makes modification relatively easy and cost effective.

Don't be fooled by HP numbers. Look at HP and torque, and more importantly the area under the torque curve; it's that area that translates into usable acceleration. The C32 (and C55) have torque numbers that equal their HP numbers, and the torque starts early and stays high. I have extraordinary respect for Honda's ability to make HP out of small engines, but peaky HP without torque means a lot of revving and w a i t i n g.

 

I agree with you. I wasn't incinuating that the SC has or will have problems, I was simply stating that if he didn't know that the C32 has a SC (which he does), then it's not the car for him. The C32 arguably needs more service time and has more flaws than the C55. All of them you are 100% familiar with.

 

the two cars are very similar, if had the choice i would go for the C55. u get a more unique looking car, where the rest of the C dont look like the C55. but if u like to mod ur car, like the ppl on the form have said the C32 would be easer in that manner. Just because its been around longer and lot of ppl have had the chance to play around with them. dont get me wrong i love the C32 i have one and there is nothing bad i can say about that car. the only think i think a C55 has over me is the new look up grade inside-out. rest are pretty close. the race between to cars come down to the driver. so it becomes a drivers race.

and a side note TL-type S is not 300hp its about 280 Hp. i have one of those in the family too there is no way that car will keep up to any of the C32 or C55 not even close and for that matter the Type-S is a Front wheel drive where all the C32/C55 are rear wheel drive way more control.

non the less : If money was not an option C55. but if u are looking to save some money and have almost the same playing power the C32 is the better option
hope that helps.

 

Ok this is going to seem like a cluster @#$# of a post answering questions or replies..

To me and this could be an optical illusion but the C55 seems to have a longer front. Is it me or does it because it sure looks like it.

C55 for $33k from MB here in Central Texas. pretty good the only issue (hence the discount) is that it has some kind of steel wheels on it.. The previous owner did not have the stocks, The dealership said they can put he stocks back on for $5k... I says naw if I buy it I like it just the way it is for I would like to do HRE's or something unique.

I was referring to the 03 Type S with the 3.2 and sorry it was 260hp and 300whp with comptech... my bad...

the 369 is good with N/A but not enough (it was a typo - meant " now is the HP on this one 369"). I grew up with muscle cars and my step dads twins 5.0 rustang, pushing a good 800+ rwhp...

I would like to do something like that with the C55.

C32 is pretty damn impressive to have that amount of HP S/C and what I love about MBZ besides the prestige, is the torque... I started building Honda's in 1992 with my first motor swap of a B16 into a 1991 Civic Si... Damn rice burners, I quit them after I finished 6 years of college in 1999, got my first BMW 330, then second in 2002 and hated them all together after the second one and got my 2004 C230. Wife has a 2007 Lexus ES350 (her Parents are lexus fanatics owning 12 of them since like 1991) I like the lexus but they do not have anything I like. Besides My project that will come about in the next two years when My wifes dad gets his porshe and sells me his SC400 and I do Twins on that.

BTW it is great board and I love to see all the people with what they do to their cars esp, that guy from Aussie that is tearing apart the 6.3l or 5.5l engine cannot remember.

 

You seem to have your head on right, so if your budget permits, go with the C55. If you are limited on funds, then the C32 can be easily modded to 400HP for around $5k.

If you have about 2 years of your life to spare, take a look at this disaster and be sure not to follow in his foot steps.

https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c55-amg-w203/130280-need-advice-adding-more-power-hps-sc.html

 

Thanks for he input Harry, it is great.. Yeah I personally like th smaller cars, I have set aside a good chuck of money from selling our house in Newport Beach/Huntington Beach. and we have a rental in Laguna Beach and Austin so those two places pay for themselves and our house in TX plus about $1000 extra... so money is not totally an issue but I want to pay cash for th car and be able to have fun with it and do some of my own fab work. I have built about 40+ turbo manifolds ranging from the BMW 330, to Honduh's and even one 5.0 Rustang. SO I am excited to do my own work.

Also anyone have a good source for engine details on these two engines maybe even my c230 too.. I need to get compression, valve lift, rod length, piston bore etc...

 

You need to get with Erick (1FastC32), as he is trying to create a set of custom headers for our car. He would love your help.

 

It's not an illusion, MB extended the front of the C55 to fit the bigger 5.5L V8 engine...

If you are looking for cheap mods (5k to 8k), then the C32 is the better choice because you'll get lots of power easily (around 420 hp to crank). But it sounds like you want MUCH MORE POWER, and in this case you'll need to go with the C55 and supercharge it. Kleemann and RennTech offer supercharger kits, but they are not cheap, I think around 20k to 25k and gives you 500 to 550 hp crank.

Both cars are great. I've driven both and love both. I actually think they are more similar than different. Whichever one you pick, trust me, you won't be disapointed....

 

you really need to get with Chris @ Engine Logics here in houston...he has been dying to get a hold of a 2.3L Mercedes motor...he has built them before and made good power with them...might be a good option for you before you decide to sell your car...

i am going to have him port the heads on my car...

 

so far a really good read (only on page 5)... thanks for this..

 

I have a C230 Kompressor sorry, it has the 1.8l S/C'd... I would like to find somethings to squeeze from that hamster too, bu it seems kleeman and others are not making stuff for it anymore..

 

You are ASE?

If so, you know the advantages of a V8 over a V6.

 

well, you might want to call him anyway...he has a lot of experience with 4cyl. motors and making good power with them...just fyi