55 cabdriver

Hi: I am the pround owner of an '02 CLK 55 cab and am waitlisted for an E55. But I need a sedan sooner than fall and my dealer suggested the C32. These cars sound fantastic. I have an appointment to test drive this afternoon, and was wondering if these cars are discounted. I was able to get about $5k off the cab, buying in the middle of a blizzard in January of '02. To me, I don't know if I see another $25-30k to move from the C to the E. Sure, the E55 is pushing 469 hp, but also adds around 600 pounds of weight, and I really don't need the additional passenger or cargo space. How rare are these C32 sedans? Thanks in advance for your comments. The one I am driving today is $59k.

jswedberg

I suppose anything is possible - I'd say try to get a discount. I personally doubt you will get one.

For 2002 they produced a little over 1000 cars for the U.S. - so they are pretty rare.

At my dealer it is MSRP and no discussion. Also you must order it - the wait list was 7 months when I ordered mine - maybe it is better now.

$59K means the car must have most every option.

The E55 will add about 400 lbs of weight - a C32 weighs 3540 lbs and an E55 weighs about 3900. With half again as much power, the acceleration will be quite a bit more pronounced.

SiLvaC32

i got mine for 1K off MSRP... but that haggling took us a while though. and... mine was on the lot at the time. so you can definitly try it!

Jerry

GRILL BOY

I bought a 2003 c32amg 12 days ago. It was stickered at $56,800, after grinding i got them down to $54,500. There is defenitly room for negotiation.

Prasith32

It must have something to do with the area.

I am in the northeast and I got mine for 2k off sticker even for one that I could order.

I chose to go with the one from on the lot but from shopping around 1k off is quite normal in the Boston/NE area.

G65

Hi there, I just bought my new C32 last week. I bought it thru the New Car Sales Mngr., but he said he could not take any $$ off do to it being AMG and the demmand being so great. He did give me some goodies. I got the car cover, AMG license plates, flat hood emblem w/instalation and a couple of keychains. I guess the demmand is higher than the supply here in the bay area. I ordered my C32 in Sep. and just got it couple days ago. Hopefully where you live you'll have better luck.

55 cabdriver

Here is what my salesman just emailed me: "These days, there's not much left in terms of healthy discounts. Follow me through this: in '99, when the old C32 was out there, it listed right in the $55k neighborhood. Most dealers didn't discount them, and there was about %14 margin; making for about a $7700 profit. To be any where near that today, you'd have to pay about $3600 over window sticker! What I'm getting at is that Mercedes Benz has considerably dropped their margins over the last few years. With the '03 model year, they're down to 7%. That figures to a profit of $4100, less detailing and prep on the new C32 that you drove."
"From the list price of $58855, I'll take it down to $58,000. In all fairness, that calculates out to a profit of about $3200, so no one's getting rich here. From a lease standpoint, MBFS is way up there on money factors, so I've figured a lease with Chase Manhattan. They have a money factor of .00315 and a residual value of 59%. A 39mo/15k lease at those numbers comes in at $935/month with $2725 due at delivery (1st and security, tax, title, and license.)"

So I'm asking myself, is this car worth a grand a month for three years?

scmguru

SouthTrust bank will do a 3 year least for .00215 and 62%.
I personally wouldn't pay anywhere near $900 a month for a c32.

CRB

The C32 wasn't out in 1999, but he was probably referring to the C43.

More to the point: The total profit for the dealer is about the same as 1999. What has happened is a larger chunk of the money has been moved to the holdback side of the equation. The manufacturer(M-B) and the dealer are putting the squeeze on the front end of the deal (and the salesperson.) Increasing holdback also gives the dealer an incentive to sell cars quickly. I read this info on Autospies a while back but I couldn't tell you the date of the newsletter.

Is a C32 worth $1000/month on a lease ?

That is a question that only you can answer. But it sounds a little high to me.

Frank_NJ

I bought my car for $2,500 off MSRP and live in New Jersey. The car was ordered and they still discounted it. They had another in stock but was missing the command system.

2003 C32 Silver/Charcoal Xenon, Command, Ski, 6-disc changer, rain sensor, phone

55 cabdriver

After a couple of days of negotiations in person and via email, I have a new offer on the table: $875 month, 39 months, 15k miles per year. Chase now quoting .00285 money factor, still with 59% residual. Dealer knocking $1,350 off MSRP, plus throwing in a set of Dunlop Winter Sports, which I guess run around $500. So I am closing in on the $2k discount some of you in the northeast are getting. Probably not much left to pursue, maybe some AMG boutique items as a final throw in. I guess I am about to become a dual AMG owner; a black four door sedan for business, and a silver cabrio for sunny weekends. Really kind of amazing that the 5.5L V8 has the same hp as this 3.2L V6, thanks to the supercharger. I've got the C32 home tonight on a 24 hour test drive, and it definitely feels stronger due to its weight advantage over the heavy cab. But then again, I don't want to over do it during the break in. So how does $875 compare with what other leases are being delivered at?

Frank_NJ

I leased through Chase with $3k down, 36 months, 15K miles a year and the payment is $650.00 even.

55 cabdriver

...I accepted today a deal of $750 a month, 36 months, 15k miles with $3k down, plus my $2k in local sales tax and other DMV charges. It was a marathon to even get the dealer to discount MSRP by the $2k I received. Bottom line was $56,900. But I like the car, and it has every option. Picking it up tomorrow AM. Now a two AMG family, plus a GTI for snow days. Thanks to everyone for the posts.