Hi all. My name is TJ and I am thinking really hard about purchasing a C32/C55.

I currently drive a Honda S2000, which I love dearly. However, I just graduated law school and started at a local firm and realize I need something with 4 doors that is a bit more civilized (in case I have to drive a partner or a client to lunch, etc...).

I have been racing cars since I was 16 and currently have a 125cc shifter kart that I road race once a month or so. Needless, to say, I wasnt a healthy dose of sport along with whatever "civilized" 4-dr I buy.

What should I look for in an AMG C car??? Options I should look for??? Options I should avoid??? Maintenance issues/common problems to look for???

Ive never owned an M-B, is there anything I should know about maintenance? Costs? Insurance?

I like the price/gas mileage of the C32, but the C55 looks a ton meaner with the longer front end/spoiler/quad exhaust and the interior seems alot nicer. Which direction should I lean?

Thanks for the input!

If the extra $$$ isn't an issue, I'd say go with the C55 - more modern, fewer issues, longer factory warranty coverage if you get one w/ low miles, etc...

Also, I think the EPA est. fuel consumption of the two cars is nearly identical - C32 may be better by a couple mpg, but not much.

If you enjoy modding a car, the C32 has more options there, and while mods for both cars are expensive relative to other makes, you'll find more bang for your buck w/ the C32 vs. C55.

Maintenance costs and ins. are fairly high for both - probably not a clear winner either way.

As for options, I'd strongly recommend patience in finding the exact car you want - I'd recommend getting one that has factory bi-xenons & COMAND (MB's term for nav). And, it's probably obvious, but paint/interior as well.

That said, when I was searching for a 2004 C32 earlier this year, I did a nationwide search on autotrader and came back with a whopping "12 available" - from there, looking for bi-x's & COMAND, I was down to about 3-4, two were black/black (which was what I was looking for), both were about the same dough, so I went with the one with lower miles ... which I bought from an independent dealer, roughly 650 miles from where I live. C55s may be more plentiful, I am not sure - but when I was searching, a 2004 C32 and 2005 C55 with similiar mileage and options was roughly a $10k difference - which I feel is a pretty big swing, but they're relatively different cars (even though both are w203).

In conclusion, I'd say drive both if you can, and go with whatever speaks to you (and your budget can afford). From there, be patient until the right car comes along - but if it does, be prepared to jump on it, because it might be awhile til you'd see one like it again. Good luck!

i just bought a new old stock 2006 c55 (one of two left) at my local dealer. they are hungry to move them, i can assure you. i always go by what my service advisor tells me about the various cars i've looked at. and he sees a lot of the amgs, given where the dealer is. he told me stay away from the c32s. he said the c55s have been relatively trouble free. the car is fantastic and i get a big grin everytime i drive it. i thought my c43 was fun, but this thing is ridiculous, and i prefer the subtly different metalwork up front compared to the rest of the C class cars. like you said, meaner. and i much prefer the sound of the v8, although i'd have to say the c43 was even meaner sounding. the paddle shifting (dunno if it is the same implementation on the c32) is lightning fast and extremely addictive.

my service advisor was adamant that i should get one a) under warranty now and b) if i were to keep it after 4y/50k mi i should get a real mercedes warranty a la ELW or CPO, not a third party. i didn't find, but also didn't look hard for any CPO C55s, but that might be a great buy, and then buy up the mercedes CPO warranty for additional time. it really, really, really paid off on my c43.

good luck! either would be plenty fun.

If you like modding, go with the C32. There are a lot of good things to come for the C32 market

What the others have said here (and on countless other very similar threads you should search for, including several with very specific TSBs you should have checked out on the cars) covers most of it.

One thought I haven't yet seen is a reminder that the W204 C63 will come out next year. If you're like most people, you will eventually want to upgrade to that, especially as the W203 body style "feels" older each year.

So, one strategy is, if the cost differential between the C32 and C55 is meaningful, get the C32 and invest the difference so that in 3-4 years you can more easily upgrade to a used (or even new if your practice is going well!) C63.

Those too are likely to drop like a rock in price when sold used and will be amazing cars.

hey landru64, i have a c43...question is, what is ELW and CPO? i'm new to the country so i don't know what are those. i wanted to have a warranty on my car plus i only have 3rd party..can you please explain, it would really help me alot.thanks in advance

ELW is Extended Limited Warranty, offered by Mercedes Benz, not a third party. it is available to original owners of new mb's. you have until it is off warranty to buy the warranty, with some penalties for waiting past 12k miles. details are at
http://www.mbusa.com/care/warranty.do AND
http://www.mbusa.com/care/warranty/extended-limited.do

the CPO (Certified Pre Owned) warranty is the replacement for Starmark warranty. Applies only to preowned cars that qualify. You typically buy a CPO-warranted car from a MB dealer (or third hand... the warranty is transferable). The base amount is coverage for 1 year and/or up to 100k miles after the factory warranty runs out. you can 'buy up' more years as well.

my service advisor says these are virtually identical warranties, although i need to check the fine print. they are not quite as good as the factory warranty. but, he says, they are as good as you get for something that is not factory warranty. you can also have a preowned car CPO'd -- certified (they have to do the inspection and the car has to meet certain criteria, so you take a risk buying a preowned car, even under factory warranty still, with the intention of having it CPO'd.)