madboosted

Hi , im new to this forum and to the world of mercedes. I was hoping you guys could tell me what you think about this C32 i found and what kind of things i should look for and ask the buyer.

Its a 2002 c32 with 106k miles on it.Should i be worried about the mileage? Looks like its in mint condition, completely stock and has all the papers for all the service maintenance.
He is asking 12,000 for it.

this is the link to it
http://www.vadriven.com/forums/showthread.php?t=408204

Also what are the common issues that these cars get?

Any info would be very helpful..

Thank YOU!

supernautk

I can only help with what I think: I'd buy the car. The mileage for the age is pretty decent. It looks beautiful and well kept.

Since you're new to buying a Mercedes I can offer you this: be prepared to pay more for maintenance vs a "normal" car regardless of the mileage. I have two of them (Mercedes' not C32) and it's not like maintaining a Honda. I'd invest in a manual like this one and take care of the small stuff on your own.

loudandheard

Looks to be in pristine condition, even the paint looks new. I didn't even know that our seats did that.

p911guy

+1 about the seats. If mine didn't have twin car seats in the back at all times, it looks like I could get a sheet of plywood back there.

The mileage doesn't scare me, but I'd check the Carfax to see how many owners it's had. Just someone telling me it's been cared for by a MB tech since owned doesn't reassure me. Check for receipts and full service history records if available.

A couple of notes to ask/think about are that the gear shift knob isn't standard and it's missing the v-belt cover in the pics. If it was someone who babied the car, I doubt the cover would be missing and the gear shift knob smells of tuner which could imply more wear.

madboosted

Supernautk: Yea i dont think the mileage is high for it being a 2002, but im just scared that after hitting 100k miles, theres going to be alot of maintenance issues and things that need to be replaced. But i dont know mercedes and have never ever owned one so i might just be being paranoid. And i would rather have a stickshift but i can deal with auto, i might need that type of change. Need to stay outa trouble.

p911guy:Talking to the guy, he told me he has the full service history on the car and he also sent me the carfax, car is clean, never been in an accident and has had a total of 4 owners. He told me the shift knob was the only thing he changed and it came from a c63 amg. And what is the V Belt cover ? is that the cover that hides the belt that goes to the supercharger??


And what do you guys think of the price?

AMG3.2

It looks pretty clean to me, but I recently just bought my C32 so I'm not one to say what goes wrong with these cars since I don't know yet. Besides I/C pump failure which I have already experienced...

loudandheard

You'll probably need new shocks, brakes, transmission flush, rear differential fluid change, check all the bushings, motor mounts, tranny mount, battery, and possibly new heated seats.

madboosted

When you say brakes im imagining you just mean pads and rotors, and getting some bushings changed and battery is not a big deal..... but heated seats ??? really ?

MBfinatic

If you buy the C32 let me buy your S14.

madboosted

I actually have someone coming to buy it in the next few days so I can afford to buy the c32 lol

madboosted

loudandheard

The heated seats are known to fail, but they will not affect anything else. As for the brakes, just q normal rotor and pad change.

I would check the engine for leaks, valve covers, power steering pump, rear main seal, tranny electrical connector, and differential leaks.

Listen to the supercharger pulley for any squeaking or grinding noise. Easy fix, but good bargaining chip. Check to make sure all doors lock too.

madboosted

Kool, thanks everybody for the help. Really appreciate it.

pww

Is C63 shifter plug and play?

madboosted

No clue but I would imagine that all Mercedes have the same standard thread for there shiftknobs

Slater126

Heated seat elements are a common failure in these cars, as he said. The elements break (particularly in the lower part). IMHO, don't waste your money fixing this as it's expensive (you need a whole seat cover) and the replacement won't last long either. It's a design flaw.

Looks like a beautiful car, saving the shift knob and lack of V-cover. It's as good a C32 as you're going to find unless you're willing to pay more for a low mileage car. But keep in mind it ain't gonna be cheap to maintain. I'd not only get the repair manual but a good independent mechanic. MB dealers will kick your a$$ and drain your bank account in short order with parts and repair costs, trust me.

Chips

I've got a an electronic DVD repair manual from Mercedes P/N:P-2700-203-07 the same one seen here. . It was about $70 from the dealership but I'd be willing to sell it to you for $50 shipped. I just sold my C32 last week and I miss it already. Maintenance was never any worse than anything else I ever owned as long as you find an indie shop to do the computer work and you get the parts yourself and not from the stealership. Make a startek account http://www.startekinfo.com/StarTek/ (it's free for private use) to look up parts and use outlets like pelicanparts to buy what you need. If you're looking to buy though make sure you check the IC pump and the cluster LCDs go bad in them. If it's an 02 particularly the earlier, check to see if the radiator has been replaced there was an issue with these leaking into the transmission and making a total mess of em.

MBfinatic

madboosted, sent you a pm.

madboosted

I didn't receive a pm??

arekux

need to replace radiator first thing check if its Valeo, 2002 have faulty radiators that can lead to serious tranny problems, then u would have to flush all the fluids, tranny, oil, differential etc. replace supercharger idler, if it makes noise. Most importantly drive the car make sure tranny is good just in case faulty radiator has not been replaced, tranny will cost u a pretty penny. Dont worry too much on miles i have 106k miles running strong, its not miles but maintenance more important, these motors are strong if u take care of them, can easily go 200k+ miles.

Chips

I just sold it

Slater126

True, there are stories about these going a long time but it's pretty cheap insurance to replace the Valeo when compared to the cost of the consequences. I had to replace my Valeo at 57k miles when it started leaking (externally thankfully).

Other common trouble spots on these cars include the aforesaid seat heaters, stepper motors, seat control modules, thrust arm bushings, and intercooler pumps. You may want to check if these items were replaced in the recent past.

madboosted

Thanks for all the info guys and thanks for letting me know its sold chips. Ill have to keep looking for one so if any of you see a nice one for a decent price. please post.

Thank YOU ALL!

and MBFINATIC i just PM'ed you

madboosted

http://www.vadriven.com/forums/showthread.php?t=411584

pointman

The link has no pictures now. What did the seats do???