hooleyboy

It got me thinking as some members have sold there C32's and as spotting a nice C32 today in AZ while having lunch with the girl. The C32 has to be the best bang for the buck you can get for a car these days. I got a C55 and its the best car ive owned. I also had a 2002 S500. I think the C55 is way better than the S500. So if the C32 is anything like my C55 and I'm very sure it is in most respects. How can people who know cars and love cars pass up a second hand C32. stock 350ith horse power Hand made engine 4 door practicality for under $20,000 thats just a steel. Dump like 2k into it and have yourself a mosnter of a car. And after all the horsepower new cars are throwing at you these day and the C32 from 2002+ is still a player. That says something about that car. I really hope with falling C32 prices we start seeing more 32's on the road kinda like how you see older m3's. Some young kid is going to take that car for a spin at a local dealer and become an AMG fan for life. I do think its a shame though that cars as rare as this prices are so low. If I was in the market for a car under 20K C32 would be at the top of my short list. IMO its the best car you can get stock for the money.

60n5pt1

Absolutely!! i luv my C32

wawy

If I didn't have so many problems with mine I would have kept it and modded the hell out of it. However, after replacing so many items under warranty I got scared.

c32used

hooleyboy

what your review on the C55 compared to the C32? seeing as you have owned both and thats very rare.

wawy

Well, going by my own personal experience with both vehicles and not trying to stir up any controversy I would say:

Power
Stock for stock my C55 is a bit faster. I do like the V8 better than the 6 no doubt about that.

Handling
The C55 handles better than my C32 did

Appearance
Subjective - some people liked the shorter front on my C32 and some like the CLK end of the C55. Same goes with the interior. Personally, I like my C55 interior better.

Reliability
C55

Modability
We all know the answer to this one (C32). As you you are aware, it's not that the C55 can't be modded it's just that it costs twice as much to get the same results.

To summarize, I liked my C32 a lot and I like my C55 a bit more. It's like anything though -- a newer model is supposed to feel that way. Heck, I'd probably like a C63 better than my C55 if I drove one. Here's both:

TruTaing

Yea, no kidding... I completely agree w/ the hooleyboy here. Great value for such practicality / style just as much potential to be a real super powerful.

wawy, what w203 HAVENT you owned?

wawy

It's a bad habit that I promised myself would stop with the C55

_tomek_

wawy, can you tell us about the problems you had with your C32. What was the most annoying and the most expensive one?

EDIT:
Oh sorry, I haven't noticed it's my first post, hi everyone. It's very nice to be here and read about the things which are quite new for me

wawy

Keep in mind I had one of the first 2002 models. The problems I had that I can remember were:

Busted intercooler core which resulted in coolant leaking into the intake runners.
Intercooler pump
secondary air/smog pump
control arm bushings
seat motors
steering wheel ignition unit replaced
Tranny jerk
Electronic quirks

Everything was replaced under warranty thank god. The most frustrating was the disappearing coolant and their inability to find the cause (I had to show them pictures and threads from mbworld before they checked the intercooler core and replaced the radiator and a few other things). In the end, it was the fact that my warranty was running out and I was scared I might have glycol contamination in my tranny. I'm told that the 2003/04 C32s had some of these problems addressed.

bud4ya

I had a guy call me about mine I have for sale now. He said what is wrong with your car? I was like what are you talking about. He said for under 20K I can buy your AMG that is in exc cond and 37,000 miles. I said you sure can and there is nothing wrong with it. He did not seem to know a lot about AMG buy he did say that is a very good deal for a hand built car/engine. We will see if he comes through and buys it.

kindafast

I agree, our cars are The bang for the buck. But depending on what you're looking for. I know I want more power and willing to sacrifice looks and style for it. So I think B5 S4 (if you can find one then RS4) are the ultimate sedan bang for the buck cars. Dirt cheap, nice luxury interior, except the exterior styling is a bit old, but if you keep the paint in good condition it will fit in.

I was looking at a B5 S4 for 11k with a bunch of mods already done to it, when I was in the market for my next car. I asked my dad if he would give me the rest of the budget we'd save by buying the S4 over the C32 and he said no, I asked if I could get half, he said no lol. So **** it! I went with the AMG.

Both nice cars!

TemjinX2

i agree the c32 is probably one of the best cars you can buy used for under $20k. The modding potential and 4drs is the reason i picked the c32 over a e46 m3.

I doubt you will see a lot more c32's given that they didn't really import many in the first place. Even in southern california i only see 3 or 4 listed on autotrader, compared to the four or five pages of m3's listed.

Just wait another 2yrs-3yrs and you will see that the bmw 335i will take the crown for the best luxury german car with good mod potential. It almost seems like bmw got the idea on the 335i based on the c32.

I think once LET finishes there Twin turbo conversion kit for the c32. I think it'll breathe new life into the c32.

MyFirstAMG

Also keep in mind that the S4 has the quattro which makes it a killer all year long. I have a $500 apr chip in my A6 2.7T(same engine as S4), and it made a world of difference. I can push the car fast all year long. Since that is the only mod I have, it's not as fast as my stock C32.

turbo16lbs

I'm surprised that noones mentioned the E55 yet... Those things used to be 100,000 dollar cars....

TemjinX2

mainly because we're talking about cars in the $20k range. E55 are still around $40k last I checked.

SteveoAMG

i can not agree more than this sorry for bringin up the dead lmaooo this is why i just picked up mine instead of blowing 30k on an evo x or 335i

TemjinX2

best car in the 10-15k range in terms of luxury sports sedans. I think best car in terms of performance in the 10-15k range is a evo 8 though.

chris.bachman

About 15 minutes ago I was walking from the parking garage to my office and had this very thought on my mind. The word "undervalued" kept popping in my head when I thought about my car. I got my 2004 with less that 50k miles for under 20,000 from a dealership. I think anyone in any part of the country would be hard pressed to find this kind of performance AND luxury for anything less than 25k. I haven't even jumped into performance mods and already love the feeling of driving my car. I take the bus to work Mon-Thurs and drive every other Friday when I work. It's like getting a present every two weeks when I take it to work, not to mention the weekend driving that excites me every time I get in it.

I had been looking at an E46 M3 for about 2 years before I decided the car was just too expensive for how dated it was in terms of features and interior. Sure, I'd still like to have one but stock for stock I wouldn't even trade my C32 for an '06 with a competition package now.

jturkel

agreed completely. i would actually consider an evo as my next car...i keep flip-flopping....one day its an E couple (man i love how those look) and then other times i really want an Evo X lol.

but on topic, c32 definitely a GREAT bang for its buck as far as a performance luxury sedan

TemjinX2

eh just keep both, the evos are cheap enough to the point where you can buy one with zero down. Daily drive the c32 and track the evo. When you see how cheap evo parts are, you'll get mad at how much you spent on the c32.

My buddy just bought his evo 8 for 15k from the dealer. It came with around 3k worth of mods on it and is putting down around 350whp on a gay sfac tune.

He should be putting down 385-400whp with his cams and a real tune on a stock turbo. He bought his cams for $300..lol.

Newzchspy

** My questions is, what took Mike so long to figure out that the C32 was/is a great car and yes Mike, for the $$ it still is a steal!! ***

Newzchspy

Actually, there are some E 55s in the high 20s range and a ton in the low 30s, so the E 55s are out there and a bargain as well. Seems like the cars I've searched are cheaper by about $5 K on the east coast versus CA

TemjinX2

lol its that cheap after 2yrs of depreciation. Look at the date of my post, its from 2yrs ago.

So mike realized what a great buy the c32 is 2yrs ago.