08racer

I am looking to buy a good car to drive daily. Im kind of sick of getting 15MPG in my truck.

My brother has a 02 C32 that got me turned onto these cars and I'd like to one up him to be honest. That's why I started looking at the C55s.

My question is, for a good day to day car (that will prob see some mods) which one would you go with?

pointman

Why stop at one up'ing him. Go Ford Mustang V6. Check... mate.

cdd

Neither model is going to be all that great on MPG.

That said, c55 should be more reliable, but less mod friendly. C32 is generally less reliable, but more mod friendly.

Capn

The C55 has decent mileage for a V8 (18 city/23 highway).

C32 is a great car too but once you own a C55 with the gorgeous frontend, it's gameover

08racer

They have to get better then 15MPG average right? Im pretty sure his does.

C_DirtyTwo

yeah, I get 16mpg

08racer

Does a tune help out on the mpg? If you drive it normal most of the time?

cdd

I'll tell you this...

I bet I get close to promised MPG in my Pilot. I also would bet that I never got close to promised MPG in my C55.

WOT from a stop, hard braking, etc. I guess my point is that if someone is looking for a DD, and their first comment is about their truck having crappy mileage, I don't know if either of these cars is a good choice.

Saaboteur

AMGs are probably the wrong cars to buy if fuel economy is a major concern. However, I also wager that as soon as you step onto the throttle, fuel economy will cease to be a major concern, because of the fun factor....

ryad32

I own a C32 and a C55 and id go for the C55 any day of the week all day long. Its a completely different car from the suspension, to the ride quality, to the sound, interior quality and as someone mentioned previously the gorgeous front end...the C55 all around is a better car. That said, I still enjoy my 32 very much! As for mileage, you can definitely achieve good gas mileage if you drive it like a prius but then again the fun factor makes it hard to maintain good gas mileage.

If you're sold on getting either the 32 or the 55, id say go for the 55. Price wise however, you'll be able to snag a 32 for several grand less than a 55 and with that price difference you can mod the 32 to be faster than a stock 55.

You'll be happy with either one but beware - if you test drive a 55 it'll be hard for you to settle on the 32 once you drive the 32.

Good luck!

wawy

Here is a thread from the past that you might find informative:
https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c...-than-c32.html
As well, there are a few others. I went from a C32 to a C55. They're both good cars.........

08racer

Thanks for all the help so far. It's a tough decision.
At this point I think it may come down to which one i find in better shape. I do like the c55 a little bit better though.

Quicktwinturbo

It all depends on what you want.. I think a lot of us will agree the fact that C32 is less reliable than C55 (No disrespects to 32 owners). However, C32 has more potential if you want to make it go fast.

Personally, I liked C55 more for various reasons. But then it all depends on your budget and intends with the car. GL

tw2

I really liked my C32. There were only some minor things I did not like- the ****ty rev counter, I prefer a proper full sized round gauge and the quad exhaust looks better but it wasn't worth the money to me personally to change to one. The crappy side shift to change gear never appealed either. I have never driven a C55 but all of those concerns are adressed to some degree. I am not a fan of the tri-spoke steering wheel however. I would definitely give a C55 a go next time... or C63 since it will be a long way down the track.

pointman

No disrespect taken, since we didn't make the 32. I am curious though, what fails on the 32 that makes it less reliable? Mine has been amazingly reliable.. hence its been the only car I've kept this long.

tw2

I think it is just the fact that anything with forced induction will inherently be less reliable than NA, failing intercooler cores, boost leaks, pulley problems etc. Combustion pressure is always going to be much higher, there is more stress on eveything internally.

Quicktwinturbo

I just heard, saw, and read a lot of horror stories about 32.. I never owned a 32 but people around me definitely didn't enjoy their ownership. You have to consider the fact that the car a bit older and depends on previous owners, you could get a well maintained 32 or money-pit. I'm not saying C55 is a problem free by any mean. C55 also have various common problems too (Don't get me started ).

I'm glad your c32 is rock solid and I hope it stays like that.

F1Bobby

I don't think you can go wrong with a C55.

biturbowagon

i get average of 18-19 in my c55 and thats with a lead foot. When im on highway, it averages around 22-23.

I love the C55. Best car for the money right now if you like luxury and speed.

Where are you located newb?

ghiaguy

14-15 mpg with a traffic light laden stretch of commute. I have gotten 24 mpg on highway trips regularly.

Newzchspy

X2. the C32 is getting a lil long in the teeth and the C55 is "newer" technology (the real newer is the C63 BUT that's a whole other price range).

Capn

Maybe the OP should consider a C230K and maybe a 6 speed for some fun?

Newzchspy

Dog compared to the C32 and C55!!! Other than the R Class, prolly the worst resale value of all Benzes!!

arekux

Coming from c32, I can tell you c55 first thing you will love is the interior, you will have to look ur interior everyday, sure exterior is also improved, quad tips, clk front end, but interior what is what sold me, also exhaust note is much better(especially when you remove resonator). To me interior and sound of the exhaust sold me, mpg is about the same as c32 i get 22-24 on highway and 18mpg mixed, but 12-14mpg sprinted driving. Sure some people say c32 is less reliable, I personally had no problems with c32, make sure you do preventive maintenance, change Radiator first, because they leak into tranny and that can kill your torque converter, intercooler pumps go bad, and intercooler core below supercharger can leak radiator fluid into the engine, buts thats 100k+ miles, plenty of people 150k+ miles still running strong. Personally i like N/a less things to worry about and power is more consistent, c32 does suffer heat soak.

Newzchspy

Both cars heat soak!!

The interior of C55 is nicer, C32 much easier to MOD and is easier on gas than the modded C55 (Kleemann). Pulley and tune for C32 and you're easily into the 12s in qtr mile. NOT so with the 5.4 engine in the C55 and it take much more $$$ to make it fast!! Tune does NOT work for C55 despite tunes I've seen to contrary. Only way to properly tune a C55 is to replace the ECM (from an E55) on it. Newer C32s (03/04) do NOT leak into radiator as this was fixed early on.