whatthecrunchyo

Hey guys, I am pretty new to the MB world. I am trying to find out what everyone prefers (price aside)...the C32 or C55? They look to be pretty similar cars apart from the obvious; engine size. This will be my DD and I was hoping to have a quick, fun car. If I mod anything it will be minimum, so which is best out of the box? Thanks for any help.

whatthecrunchyo

I dug this up from online but still want to know what you guys think.

http://www.marcusfitzhugh.com/CLK/W2033255.html

Viper98912

C55 has a better factory suspension, more powerful stock engine, slightly better reliability, slightly better front end design, nicer/ more modern interior, and bigger wheels.

C32 is cheaper to purchase (and you can subsequently use the extra money for mods if you wanted to), and can make more power for less money.

Boils down to what you plan on modding (and spending) vs. what you want to keep stock

F1Bobby

Well having lived with a C55 for the last (2) years I can say that it is a great car. No its not the fastest thing on the planet but it will surely put a smile on your face when you drive it. I have never driven or been in a C32 so I can't compare them.
The one thing about the C55 is it was made for only (2) years (I think the C32 is in there also) and a nice one with low mileage that hasn't been raced or over the top on mods are getting fewer and fewer. Will they be a collector car down the road? Who's to say. The one thing you should ask yourself is this.... How many C55s do I see when I'm traveling down the road? If you're looking for a reasonable car that will pretty much make you smile when your right foot gets heavy then look for a C55.

loudandheard

A C32 can definitely be had for a lot cheaper than a C55, performance wise they are very similar, C32 has a lot more performance mods, looks of interior and exterior are subjective, suspension is better in a C55, and the C55 is more reliable.

The C32 has a bad intercooler design and will suffer from heat soak and with the age of most car there well be a few repairs that will be necessary, but nothing some one with a good tool set can handle. Invest in a good tool set if you do decide to purchase the C32, because it will save you a lot of money. Every thing has been very reliable, but there are a a few things that need to be replaced or corrected, but like I said before usually it is simple stuff.

91RS

If you plan on keeping it stock and keeping it for a long time, get a C55 for sure. The C55 is a little more powerful in stock form, more reliable than the C32, and I think the C55 has a better interior. However, the C32 has much more available for adding more power.

ProjectC55

I say get the C32 and turn it into a monster if you have the mod bug!

C55 if you just want the nice V8 pwr and tq and you are'nt interested in making the wild power that the C32 has the potential to make.

91RS

The C55 has "wild" potential too, but the only option is adding a supercharger.

Viper98912

Except with the cost of adding an E55 setup or Kleemann setup, you could've bought a C32 in addition to your C55

PS - Got my nav in man, loving it

91RS

But neither would have 500hp!

I like my nav too, looks much better than the regular radio.

wawy

I traded my C32 in for a C55 and can pretty much echo what everyone is saying here. I prefer my C55 over my C32. The upgraded interior, quad exhaust pipes, suspension and V8 are hard to say no to. Both are fantastic cars and I would have no problems buying a C32 again if the C55 was not available.

whatthecrunchyo

Thanks for all the help guys. I listed my truck on craigslist yesterday and a guy is already coming to look at it today. Hopefully it works out and I can get one of these things soon. I think I'm leaning more towards the C55 for two reasons: the suspension and the ***-end! Gotta love the quad exhaust.

I looked at the classifieds but does anyone know of any other C55s within 250 miles of southern Alabama?

moosejaw

You would prob have luck in Texas

loudandheard

Check out what I found in Alabama for you: http://dothan.craigslist.org/ctd/1896617318.html The thing is that it has almost no options. There is no navigation, no bi-xenons, no performance package, just kind of plane jane. I would broaden your search area to get a well equipped car. You can always add that stuff later, but it will cost you and there is some work involved in changing it.

If you can get the car down to $17k it maybe a good deal. Good luck!

91RS

C55 had a performance package?? I'd say that one has a good asking price though.

loudandheard

Maybe not exactly a performance package, but you could get the amg big brake kit front and back and that's what I was considering the performance package. I'm not sure if that's what mercedes calls it. The big brake kit on the C55 is fairly rare to come by and looks amazing if you ever see it. There's a local C55 that has it and it looks amazing.

It might be an 030 performance package from my research, but I'm not sure.

loudandheard

This is what the brakes look like

whatthecrunchyo

Thanks for that...I looked at the Dothan craigslist and I never saw it come up...weird. I'm going to go check it out tomorrow. Is $17k a steal or just fair price?

91RS

I thought only the SLK/CLK had those brakes, I didn't know you could get a C from the factory with those brakes. I plan on upgrading my brakes eventually.

Viper98912

AFAIK there was no performance package or 6/4 pot brakes available for the C55 in north america.

RLx02

^ agreed. Everyone I've seen with the 6/4 piston brakes put them on from another vehicle. IMO the stock 4 piston up front works great at the track and for daily driving. The only thing is that it feels a tad mushy compared to bimmer's brakes (even though the 335i is 2 piston up front!) and it doesn't look as good as the 6/4 set up.


If you can a c55 for ~20k go for it. I paid high 20's for mine with 26k miles on the clock and don't regret it at all. However, for the amount I spent on a stock c55 you could have bought a c32 for around 15k or so and built it into a BEAST. I had to pay 2k + labor for the kleemann headers and tune to make 48rwhp. Its much cheaper to make the c32 faster.

loudandheard

Are you sure, I guess the one I saw was modded. Kind of makes sense, since the guy works at a brake shop, lol.

whatthecrunchyo

What do people do first for HP/Torque on the C32? I'm guessing pulley/ECU flash? I tried to look for some pricing and Renntech was $3K+. What is the going rate?

moosejaw

The one you saw is a kid from Vancouver who upgraded his brakes
The same guy had a 05 C230 as well as a 05 C55

RLx02

why? lol