Hey guys, so I'm currently on the search for my first car. However, as someone who has always been an extremely avid car freak, I'm trying to stray away from the "typical" first cars (Civic, Altima, etc.) and all that. I currently work part time at Best Buy and make close to $14 an hour. Im still in high school.

My search for a true driving experience has led me to an '03 C32 AMG with 137K miles on it for $6,000. Im going to take a hands on look at it here in the next few days and hopefully take it for a test drive. My current concerns lay in the reliability of such an old European car. I worry about the condition of the supercharger and how long it will last, as well as many of the other issues that ive read up on.

I tried to do some more research before coming to these forums, but the only stuff I read was all posted in like 2007 and I wanted to hear from a more modern perspective.

I would also be interested in modding it and working on it myself if at all possible. I have no need to actually get MB parts or take it to a Benz dealer.

I'm 110% willing to pay an elevated maintenance cost if it means I can get an awesome experience out of it.

If you need any more info or anything feel free to leave it down below and ill answer it to the best of my abilities.

UPDATE ================================================

So, I went out and took the C32 for a test drive. We pulled up to the lot and the guy was in the middle of detailing it. We waited around for him to finish and then proceeded to begin our own inspection. We immediately noticed that there was a quite a fair share of touch up paintwork that would need to be done. The car was also missing two grilles in front of the lowest two lights. The drivers side mirror was broken and shattered. And there was your average wear and tear for a 130K+ mile car. The tires were completely bald, and it obviously needed to be rotated and corrected as the camber was all off. The seats were amazingly taken care of. They looked like new. A lot of the interior electronics were slightly faulty, the windows rolled down and the ac blew. But the heated seats didnt seem to work and the radio was a little wonky.

The guy immediately went to jump starting it without actually trying it first. It was pretty apparent that it wasn't any kind of official battery. It was just a plain energizer or something. The engine in general looked kind of dirty but didn't seem like anything was out of place. After the car turned on we went out on a test drive. The most immediate thing was the insane pull and wobble that I think was a result of the tires condition. It still roared pretty loud and the engine seemed to go pretty well. It took a while for us to start giving it some gas but we went 0-60 pretty suddenly and I couldn't help but smile. However, the whole time there were two major issues glaring back at me from the dash. Two alternating warnings saying "Brake Pads Worn, Take to workshop" and an ESP Issue that I dont remember the exact wording. I googled them and I think it may have a link to the poor battery. However, since it seemed like a new battery its a little disconcerting that it may be draining them that fast.

After we pulled back into the lot we immediately started discussing price. He had the paper on the window for $10,000. We had saw it online for $6,000 and called him on it. We also pointed out some of the major flaws and he immediately dropped to $4,900 as is. He also offered to "fix everything" for another grand. It also hasn't passed VA inspection yet which he said he would do today and call me back about.

Even from the brief test drive, It's very apparent that the thing is a monster and I love it. I'm still on the look out for other C32s in the area. I just need some advice on what to do, and if you could shed any insight about some of the big things I pointed out I would be very grateful.

I will update with some pictures later tonight, I need to head off to work.

If you need any more info or anything feel free to leave it down below and ill answer it to the best of my abilities.

 

Sounds like you've done your research a bit. Given the current values and the fact that it's an older car, it sounds like a good choice to me.

 

There is a saying that goes "there is nothing quite as expensive as a cheep "Mercedes Benz".

I sold my c32 because it was costing me on average $300 a month to maintain. That doesn't count new tires every year at $1000 a set.

If you are set on a MB I would get a NA model. The best car I have ever purchased was my 01 clk430.

jmho

 

I think the big question is that as long as you can survive without a car for a week or two, once or maybe twice a year then you will thoroughly enjoy it.

I have had mine for about a year and a half. It has had problems, as expected, but it is also one of the few things that puts a giant smile on my face every time I start it up.

I live in Calgary and have driven my car to Vancouver (11 hour one way trip) as well as a giant road trip from Calgary straight south to Arizona and then West to LA, then back up the PCH to Portland and back east along the Columbia River Gorge and back up to Calgary. That giant trip was done in a week, so basically was in the car the whole time, and I would get in the car tomorrow and do the whole thing over again.

Now for the downsides, things will go wrong. When your brakes go, you have to change the rotors with the brakes. Your supercharger pulley bearing will need to be changed at some point if you own the car, mine does right now - look it up on the board, if you can hold a wrench you can save a ton of money on this fix. I am also currently getting a bit frustrated with a ticking noise that a lot of people have had previously but all found different fixes - here's to hoping I find mine soon.

So far from my experiences you will have lots of little things go wrong, but the engine is hand built and as long as you change the oil, you should have no major problems. The transmission was last used in the C32 from many models and years before and used in much higher HP cars than the C32. Again, change the fluid and it should be bullet proof. You will need to be prepared to spend a few days sourcing cheaper parts, and doing the work yourself when something does go wrong. I haven't find mine to be terribly expensive. To be honest, not much more than other cars. I bought a 35 dollar hand pump and changed the oil myself after the Calgary dealership told me it was 350 for an oil change.

So to sum up, expect to fix things but do it yourself to keep money in your bank account and you will LOVE driving the car.

 

For those miles, it seems a bit expensive. I bought mine with 77k miles for 7k. Mine is a 3 owner car. 1st 2 owners serviced it at mercedes. The 3rd owner did not. Clean car but has some surface rust on the bottom of the door tha needs to be addressed. Just so you can use as reference.

 

On the salary your on this car will stress you, mechanical strong but the electrical items will play you.

 

I remember when I was still in school. Don't get me wrong, no two people are the same, but I had no interest in cars. It was simply a mode of transport.
You could get something else like I did and later after you study or fine your true bearings in life, you can buy a car on finance. That being said you could buy a C63 W204 model or something better.


You say you wont buy the parts from the agents, lucky you, you have plenty of sources in your country to get the parts pirate. I said the same however I was left with no option but to get the parts from the agents as not everything is easy to come by in a salvage yard or after market in my country.


The problem is with them being old as it is, there is no doubt things are going to give in. It may not happen within the first couple months but when it does you may end up throwing all your money into it just to repair it and end up fed up with the car or worse.


Good luck with your decision and maybe don't be hasty when deciding on something as important as a first car.

 

Do you have a second means of transportation if the car breaks and needs repairs? It's no good having to call off work because this car I had to have breaks. I'd be upset if my kid came home with one of these because I know issues may arise and my car would be used.

I bought mine for a toy and that's all it really is.

 

I daily my c55 as I did my c32 and the 55 is hands down more reliable. I know that it depends on the car you buy and how it was treated but the NA cars are almost always a better bet when it comes to reliability.

 

Also feeding this car is excessive. It's natural habitat is in front of a 93 octane gas pump. I get about 165 miles per tank. I agree it's all driving habits but I bought it to put my foot down. From what you mentioned about your job it will take about 3 hours of work after taxes to fill it up, and prices are low. Just saying...

 

I have had my 02 C32 for a few months now and have not had any issues as of yet. I daily drive mine and it is an awesome car. I did have the trans checked for glycol and serviced. No glycol and it was due for a fluid/ filter change. The previous owner added a pulley, bigger heat exchanger, and better flowing pump. I added k&n's to it and that is it. Car runs like a raped ape. I also get between 18-22 mpg depending on how I drive it. 16 mpg in town all day long. Good luck OP! I also have 127k+ miles on the clock.

 

I've had my 02 for about 6 years now and I still love driving it with 130k on it. Check the major common things on it such as glycol contamination in the trans . It's a solid car but all German cars have electrical issues . I would advise on buying it and setting aside some money when things break or when you want to add more power lol .

 

I am interested to know the age of the people commenting on this. I am 35 and my c32 was the 4th MB I owned as a daily drive.

The pulley and the pump are common items to go out.

 

I've had my C32 for almost 10 years as second owner and love the car (especially after modding it) and mine has been pretty reliable aside from the usual items and maintenance you have to keep up with.

but as others have shared the joys of driving a performance car come with having to be prepared to pay big for just about any repair parts and service even if you have a good MB independent shop as these cars are expensive.

My C32 is a 2003 with about 110k miles and and runs like a beast still. But below is a short list of the stuff I've had to get fixed/replaced that maybe you ask your seller about.

- Air injection pump / charge air pump (warranty replace, then had rebuilt a 2nd time on my dime)
- intercooler pump (2nd Bosch pump still working strong!)
- crank position sensor (car wont start when this goes out, cheap to fix)
- supercharger pulley bearing and idler pulley bearing (replaced 3 times in 10 years)
- water pump
- rear main seal (expensive so if oil leak is minor, then just live with it in my opinion)
- accelerator pedal (cheap to fix, do it yourself)
- heater stepper motor (expensive!)
- driver door lock / actuator
- throttle body (get a rebuilt one for about 200 bucks, a new one is 1200
- transmission connector seal & engine motor mounts / trans mount
- plus other stuff like sway bar bushings / thrust arm bushings / control arm bushings / new struts / tie rod assembly. Also rust spots starting on rear wheel wells and bottom of all four doors

 

I'm 29 and bought mine when I was 23. This is my first Benz but hopefully not my last haha

 

I second this hahahowever I top up using 95 as I believe this is a sports engine so...


I am 24 years of age. Own my CLK55 for 6 months now. I bought the car as a luxury car and because nothing else was as good in terms of what I wanted if you compare services, I said if I am gona get me a Merc, it might as well be something I want and love which was an AMG. Luckily me I never found a 4 door 55 but I wanted one sadly and dearly. But none the less happy to own a coupe 55.


In the end, it all comes down to you OP. Your money and choice. This forum will teach you tons. You can take the advice and decide from there. You wont be earning $14??? forever. Maybe after school you can get a job as a clerk or something more professional and with your studies later on you can sell the 32 and get something newer.


Once again all the best on your decision

 

I recall seeing one before I bought a 55. Thank the Lord they didn't respond to my mails and form which I had filled in for the finance. The one I saw was in a good fair condition I would say. Rear tires were 60 maybe 70% thread. Started fine, Revved fine, engine sounded good. No leaks. Something seemed dodge with the bonnet. The license was expired by a few months. It had 177270km on the clock for a 2002 model. They wanted R124 900. Roughly $8000 US. None the less my brother and I were happy with it and were ardent on getting it. Next week I came to test drive it and when they had started it, last week the engine was dirty and now it was clean after a wash, it had a funny noise emitting from the tensioner. Due to this fact, I had become reluctant to now buying the car.


If he claims he will repair everything for 1000, make sure the brakes are done and the tires if possible. They 17's so you wont be killed on price for replacement. make sure those error codes are gone and that you test drive the car again hard to see if it comes on again. If you could, get the print out on the codes so you can see why exactly were they on. You don't want a faulty part on the car that's gona land you a lot. The cracked mirror they should atleast get you another painted or not. Try to twist their arm for the parts to be repaired, if they don't. Then don't be hard up for the car. It might be more troubles then what you actually see. Regardless of the price or year model, a car on sale should never look like that for that price. Lets see if he fixes everything for you, and if the VA test passes the car then you good to go. But like I mentioned test drive it hard again after the codes are cleared and check that faulty battery. If you want well I would say DO IT, take the VIN and run it through the agents and see what comes up just for your interest and if you still ardent then do an inspection at the agents.

 

I am 45 years old.

 

The ESP warning will come on every time the cars battery has been disconnected. All that means is that the car needs to reset a few settings. It should go away after the first start . I would be more concerned about why he had to jump start it . Parasitic battery draws can be a pain to track down. I had a issue with my seat modules killing my battery and blowing a fuse in the front SAM unit causing the S/C to cut off. Don't know the requirements for the vehicle to pass inspection in your state but I wouldn't buy it without it being done . I would say if you know of a indy car shop take it there also before buyingi f you're seriousa bout the car . And as you've probably heard before there is nothing cheap about a cheap Mercedes .

 

I punted my 32 because of this.

 

Aftermarket dealers usually do this to save themselves cost. They will run around chopping and changing batteries from car to car and have a few lying out that are recharging. Either that or in this case as you mentioned, this car has a overnight drain from the battery somewhere.

 

I daily drove my 32, hard in the heat and brutal winters up here (Canada)
Kept up the maintenance and got 230,000 Kms out of it... Only thing that ever broke was a water pump idler pulley other than that very reliable and fun car 👍
Key thing look for one well maintained I would run from the one you describe too many things not right with it

 

I don't want to be Grampa No Fun but this car is not for a high school aged kid unless your parents are willing to throw wads of cash at you to keep you happy. There's a reason kids your age are driving Japanese cars; they're cheap, reliable, and won't get you into too much trouble.

A beater C32 is the last car you want to buy at 16-17 years old. With the things that you see wrong with it, that you listed, you're already another $2500 into the car over the price of admission.

My 16 year old son saw a C32 locally for $6k, wanted it so we could have similar cars, and, while I enjoy the sentiment, I know it's a horrible choice.

 

Maintenance...expect it. That being said all Mercedes are very safe cars as far as able to take an impact is concerned. However a 350hp supercharged car can quickly become an expensive investment that you can get buried under. The tires are staggered so no, you cant rotate them. The rotors are expensive, pads are standard. The wobble may not be the tires and it could be the flex joints and/or idler bearing on your driveline. If you have the utmost confidence in diy jobs then that will slightly save you with costs. I was in high school and I know if I had a rwd power house I would be going through a set of tires every summer. You can say youll drive conservatively all you want but high schoolers get fast cars to go fast. Your school parking lot will ruin that car with door dings, scratches, and being a Mercedes im sure itll be keyed plenty. Jvakos had a descent list of what you should expect in maintenance. You should always do a full transmission service ATLEAST with these cars when you get them, the transmission are finicky but when taken care of they'll last and perform well. If you want something nice that has power and still has the AMG badge on it think about a c36 with the wiring harness swapped or a c43 if you can find one in your price range. Less maintenance but still solid power and extremely respectable.

 

Out of curiosity, did you sell the C32 or did it die on you? If it did, what was the final nail in the coffin??

Just wondering as I just rolled over 200,000 Kms and also in Canada, Calgary to be exact.