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I have been searching for a nice 04 C32 the last few days and they are hard to find for sure. If anyone has interest in selling one send me a PM. I will take a nice 03 or 04. That was a beautiful C55 that sold at auction. I have a feeling the Europeans are buying them up all and between the low production and the percentage that have been in accidents and totaled they are becoming extinct!
Mine is a 2004 with 83k. I haven't put any money into other than general maintenance. However, I have just purchased ~1600 in stereo equipment. Still trying to get it installed.
Soposedly, I have one of the last C32s ever made. It's excpetionally rare being Capri blue. The original owner ordered it that color from the factory, but estimates actually value it less being that color?
I think the C32 is arguably, the beginning of the AMG line. It was the first model they had success selling, and the demand for all AMG cars increased after the C32. I was debating getting mine repainted as well. Everything else on mine looks good. My seats are still in good shape, no fading, rips or tears. However, my shift knob has worn down so you can't see the C32 emblem on it anymore, and hood has many chips and knicks from stuff hitting it. I recently switched jobs and my commute to the office is only 2.5 miles. Since the car is almost paid off I was thinking of keeping it and maybe getting the hood repainted.
I think my ultimate plan is to pay it off, save some money, and then get a pre-owned C63. Probably looking at around 2012 for that.
My shift knob started peeling, priced $500.00 from dealer. Working on alternative solution! Will post when done.
I have been searching for a nice 04 C32 the last few days and they are hard to find for sure. If anyone has interest in selling one send me a PM. I will take a nice 03 or 04. That was a beautiful C55 that sold at auction. I have a feeling the Europeans are buying them up all and between the low production and the percentage that have been in accidents and totaled they are becoming extinct!
Man, I have been looking for a good '06 C55 for about 3 years, on daily basis...
Good luck!
Hi Guys, If anything I would think your blue C32 would be worth more...maybe the same as the common silver color but not worth less for sure! If you decide you would like to sell it feel free to PM me anytime The 06 c55 seems to be as rare as an 04 c32...I have only seen one in my lifetime. Good luck in your search
Wow, I crazy reading my own post from 2010... I ended up selling my 2014 Capri Blue C32 a few years ago Only because I ended up getting a 2014 C63. By the time I sold, it had 130k miles.
I had several issues:
1. Pulley seized. Had to replace all of them. I also had to do the water pump as well because when the pulley went, it sheared off some aluminum from the water pump and the new pulley wouldn't mount correctly.
2. Rear main seal leak. I never fixed it. Just a moisture spot that didn't drip, but eventually it was going to go.
3. Head gasket leak.
4. Crank case breather hose split. An easy fix.
5. The motors/control arms for the A/C vents were all broken except the far passenger one. I heard the dreaded thumping when the car started a few times over the years. When the thumping stops, that means it's broken.
The main problem was the A/C vents as they would blow cold if I had the car in the garage. If the ambient temp was reasonable, it would blow cold. Drive it to the store and park in the sun for 10 min... no cold air after that until I garaged it again. Sometimes parking the in shade was enough to get reasonably cold air. The parts to fix were cheap, but the entire dash had to come out for something around $2000. Combined with the rear main seal I sold. It took a few months to sell, but everyone commented on the color and interior condition. One guy said he was an MB tech from Arizona and wanted to fly out to by because he could only find silver models. I ended up selling to someone else before we made a deal. The car needed a proper paint correct and the rear bumper was peeling clear coat in the some spots. It was great car overall though.
Concerning the C55... I actually had one for a few months around 2008. It was an 05 model. I had both cars at the same time with the intention of selling the C32 and keeping the C55. After driving both cars for a few months, the C55 just wasn't different enough. In a drag race, it was always too close to call. The C55 has more torque off the line which you have to be careful not the spin the tires. It's nothing like the C63, but still an issue. The best part about the C32 was that could really just slam on the gas and it would just go! C55 always had a higher trap time by about .5 - 1 Mph.
I love my C63... but there are some days where I wish I still had the old C32. It was much more of a sleeper than the 63.
Wow, I crazy reading my own post from 2010... I ended up selling my 2014 Capri Blue C32 a few years ago Only because I ended up getting a 2014 C63. By the time I sold, it had 130k miles.
I had several issues:
1. Pulley seized. Had to replace all of them. I also had to do the water pump as well because when the pulley went, it sheared off some aluminum from the water pump and the new pulley wouldn't mount correctly.
2. Rear main seal leak. I never fixed it. Just a moisture spot that didn't drip, but eventually it was going to go.
3. Head gasket leak.
4. Crank case breather hose split. An easy fix.
5. The motors/control arms for the A/C vents were all broken except the far passenger one. I heard the dreaded thumping when the car started a few times over the years. When the thumping stops, that means it's broken.
The main problem was the A/C vents as they would blow cold if I had the car in the garage. If the ambient temp was reasonable, it would blow cold. Drive it to the store and park in the sun for 10 min... no cold air after that until I garaged it again. Sometimes parking the in shade was enough to get reasonably cold air. The parts to fix were cheap, but the entire dash had to come out for something around $2000. Combined with the rear main seal I sold. It took a few months to sell, but everyone commented on the color and interior condition. One guy said he was an MB tech from Arizona and wanted to fly out to by because he could only find silver models. I ended up selling to someone else before we made a deal. The car needed a proper paint correct and the rear bumper was peeling clear coat in the some spots. It was great car overall though.
Concerning the C55... I actually had one for a few months around 2008. It was an 05 model. I had both cars at the same time with the intention of selling the C32 and keeping the C55. After driving both cars for a few months, the C55 just wasn't different enough. In a drag race, it was always too close to call. The C55 has more torque off the line which you have to be careful not the spin the tires. It's nothing like the C63, but still an issue. The best part about the C32 was that could really just slam on the gas and it would just go! C55 always had a higher trap time by about .5 - 1 Mph.
I love my C63... but there are some days where I wish I still had the old C32. It was much more of a sleeper than the 63.
Makes me feel good about my recent purchase of a 04' C32 in such great condition. Contemplating selling it because I got it for a good price! But at the same time, I love the car and envisioned future subtle modifications. And since we do recognize the rarity of these vehicles, do you think it is wise to alter its factory appearance, with updated components such as headlights, wheels, etc?
Makes me feel good about my recent purchase of a 04' C32 in such great condition. Contemplating selling it because I got it for a good price! But at the same time, I love the car and envisioned future subtle modifications. And since we do recognize the rarity of these vehicles, do you think it is wise to alter its factory appearance, with updated components such as headlights, wheels, etc?
Nice! They look good in black, for sure. I'm curious, did the car come from anywhere near Atlanta, GA?
The cars are pretty commonly modified, partly because they take so well to it (they look so good lowered a bit and with the larger C55 wheels, tons of extra power is only a few pulleys and a software upgrade away), and to me that makes it even more special to see one that has been left alone. These older supercharged AMGs just have a certain something that could make them desirable someday. Those big twin screw chargers look cool, sound pretty badass (especially when overdriven with a different pulley setup), and if you want that in an AMG C class, the C32 is your only option. I guess I'm rambling... what I'm trying to say is that the C32 has a pretty special combination of factors, even among a lot of other AMG models, that I personally really appreciate and I can imagine others appreciating as the model ages.
Anything you do to preserve the car's originality might be greatly appreciated by whoever owns the car 20 years from now, and I like the idea of being caretaker for a while and doing what I can to help the car survive and hopefully, even if it's 4 or 5 owners from now, reach that point of being a really well regarded classic. Personally, I'm not considering any modifications that aren't easily reversible to start with. I am in love with the factory wheels so I won't be changing those. I am not in love with the factory stance so, even though it will probably have worse handling characteristics, I'll install a different suspension when mine wears out, to get the nose down a bit. The only exterior modification I have considered is a small roof-mounted spoiler (but only if it's an adhesive mount), I'm even planning on buying the OE standing star to replace the flat emblem the PO installed... to me this really depends on the color of the car though. If you can find a flat emblem that fits and will actually hold up to the elements (good luck with that part), I think they look good on certain colors... but mine is beige and I've come to the conclusion that I really prefer the standing star on a beige W203. ECU/TCU tunes I have no problem with and would like to do them on mine. I would also consider an undersized supercharger pulley IF I also had the budget to update the cooling system. I personally would not take any risk at all of introducing more heat to the stock cooling system, given the catastrophic issues some folks have had with failing fuel injectors and failing camshafts (especially on the very early examples like mine, that are apparently more prone to the camshaft issue). I installed the blue top shift pressure solenoids in my transmission and really like the harder shifts. On paper, I'm on board with installing a mechanical limited slip diff... but in practice the car is already so good at laying down "11s" with the electronic limited slip enabled that I'm not sure it's worth it to me (especially since mine is the earlier type of diff, with different axles, that requires some custom machining work for the installation). I have a box where I keep all the C32 stuff - information and maintenance records, as well a sealed baggie containing the original brown top solenoids. If I replace the supercharger pulley with a smaller one, the original one will go in the box. The original springs will go in the box when I do the suspension. If I decide to do the limited slip diff, I'll also squirrel away the original axles and differential, and retrofit the newer style axles and diff housing along with the limited slip diff itself... I'll need a bigger box for that, lol. When I'm looking at buying a car, I think it's really cool if a seller has held onto original parts that they've replaced with "upgrades", I really appreciate that because one person's idea of an upgrade is often not going to align with what the next person thinks. The flat emblem is a good example of that, I really wish the PO of my car had kept the original standing star and passed it along to me.
Just rereading this since i originally replied back in 2010. I still have my C32 with 111k miles. It has not aged well and looks pretty rough, so i really don't care much about it cosmetically anymore. Will mine be a collectable? no way. Good candidate for a m113k swap though! I think maybe some rare colored low mileage C32/C55 cars could bring decent money in maybe another 5-10 years. 20k maybe. I will say over the past 10 years i've only seen 1 c55 and 5 c32's in person. Maybe the c32's getting so cheap everybody will ruin them and in the years to come could appreciate.
Just rereading this since i originally replied back in 2010. I still have my C32 with 111k miles. It has not aged well and looks pretty rough, so i really don't care much about it cosmetically anymore. Will mine be a collectable? no way. Good candidate for a m113k swap though! I think maybe some rare colored low mileage C32/C55 cars could bring decent money in maybe another 5-10 years. 20k maybe. I will say over the past 10 years i've only seen 1 c55 and 5 c32's in person. Maybe the c32's getting so cheap everybody will ruin them and in the years to come could appreciate.
I have been fixing up my C32 and still have four things left then it will be perfect. If all the work was done at the Dealer it would exceed $30,000. Not including the $10,000 I paid for it. I've managed to put 70,000 miles on it in 4 years of driving it. Owned it for 11 years. Had slot of fun though. Had it to 160 once three time 145. Not sure if going to keep it, want to down grade.
Waking up an old thread to see if opinions have changed on the collectability potential of the C32. I think in 2004 less than 400 were sold in the US. The C32 will catch up with the C43, hagerty shows a #1 classification for the C43 around 20 K and a #4 around 6500. Nothing published for the C32. I own both, a 1999 C43 and a 2004 C32, both in pristine condition with 80 K miles. The C32 runs and drives much tighter than the C43. Power and acceleration; The 32 is better off the line, but the interior fit and finish favor the C43. Also the headlights, what a variance. The C43 is a mini W140. The C32 competes with a Kia Amati for face looks..
I have a 2002 C32 and am currently in the market for a replacement car. What I'm finding is that the C32 didn't hold it's value very well, and definately doesn't qualify as a "collectible" car. Mine has been a daily driver since purchased used from the Benz dealership in Dallas in 2003, with somewhere around 22k miles. It now has 152k miles and is in good shape (not working: rear window blind is stuck up, drivers seat heater back works but not bottom, radio antenna changed because antenna amplifier is busted, windshield washer reservoir is split, headliner is coming loose in the back but held in place with those screw in retainers) but has new motor mounts, AC compressor, sway bar links and front brakes. It has the Comand radio and Benz CD changer. The motor and supercharger are fine and the car looks good. Runs reliably but repairs are starting to get expensive. However it's appearing I won't get much more than a couple grand for it. Deal trade-in offers have been $1k.
Last edited by scooter6109; Oct 31, 2019 at 11:31 AM.
I have a 2002 C32 and am currently in the market for a replacement car. What I'm finding is that the C32 didn't hold it's value very well, and definately doesn't qualify as a "collectible" car. Mine has been a daily driver since purchased used from the Benz dealership in Dallas in 2003, with somewhere around 22k miles. It now has 152k miles and is in good shape (not working: rear window blind is stuck up, drivers seat heater back works but not bottom, radio antenna changed because antenna amplifier is busted, windshield washer reservoir is split, headliner is coming loose in the back but held in place with those screw in retainers) but has new motor mounts, AC compressor, sway bar links and front brakes. It has the Comand radio and Benz CD changer. The motor and supercharger are fine and the car looks good. Runs reliably but repairs are starting to get expensive. However it's appearing I won't get much more than a couple grand for it. Deal trade-in offers have been $1k.
The only way people will pay good money for one is if it is fully loaded, showroom condition, no rust, 100% mechanical, low miles and has the books, records, and keys. Other than that dealers will just offer you low $ for trade-ins.
I have poured a lot of money into my 2002 C32 in the 4 months that I have owned it. Still under warranty the dealer had to change two idler pulleys, re-seal a gasket, replace motor for driver side-view-mirror, and heating element for the two front seats. Separately, I replaced the IC pump with Johnson and the radiator with Behr brands (cost of over $1,000). Two transmission liners were also changed. I am hoping this is the end of mechanical issues. I still have to fix cuts in bumper and give it a paint job. In all the C32 (now with 100K) has cost me close to 15K in total. I am wondering if it is worth doing the paint job. I am definitely enjoying the car. Every time i start it, it puts a smile on my face. Every time I press the gas pedal and briefly exceed 70 MPH on a 40 MPH road I appreciate the tremendous raw power of this car. I am not sure however if I should spend good money on a paint job. Will it ever become a collectible? I can enjoy a mechanically sound C32 for at least the next 4 years or so and then move on to another supercar. Any thoughts?
Andrew
I think the W204 C63 will be more of a classic at this point. I just don't see AMG ever building a 6.2 NA engine ever again. Everything is forced induction and electric... LONG LIVE FOSSIL FUELS!
Hi Guys, If anything I would think your blue C32 would be worth more...maybe the same as the common silver color but not worth less for sure! If you decide you would like to sell it feel free to PM me anytime The 06 c55 seems to be as rare as an 04 c32...I have only seen one in my lifetime. Good luck in your search
I have a very nice 2003 c32 amg in the dark tanzanite blue color all original paint with the needswings custom intake and resonator delete , ice cold air conditioning and no oil leaks or blow by from the engine it runs STRONG.. the interior is flawless no rips or tears in the leather just needs the headliner replaced and the rear bumper repainted due to fading I live in Florida if your interested in making a offer
Interesting to see how the view has changed in the 10yrs this thread has been active. The C32 is a rare car. People well always want the big V8’s, especially here in Australia the land of the V8 Interceptors, but these C32 are now starting to creep up in value indeed
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Only because I ended up getting a 2014 C63. By the time I sold, it had 130k miles.
