Reason being that i'm still in the market for the C32 if i can find the one i want. But i just want to see if the C55 is really worth all that extra cash. My plans with the C32 were to go with the Evosport Stage 3 kit when it comes out and if i were to get the C55 just slap on the Kleeman supercharger when its released. Can anyone give me some good insight on which way i should go?

 

if you have the cash to "slap" a supercharger on the c55, go for that. oh, do i think its worth it over a stgIII evosport C32? no way.

You would have a 450hp+ car with about $50k put into it if you go for a used C32 (40K).

 

yes, if you don't have the C32 already

no, if you have the C32 already

 

get the c55 and kleeman it or just get the e55.

 

Not sure why you would want to throw 10-20k down the drain on a no name brand tuner when you could be a factory AMG car that will hold its value.

If you drop 55k on a C55 and the 15k for a blower (installed -- could be more I dint know exact numbers) you have enough cash to go buy a factory built (and warranted) W211 E55.

Cars from Brabus and RENNtech hold their value better than a no name tuner but they still can not hold a candle to what MB/AMG can offer as far as re-sale value. I personally like having cars I drive to the shop and say "fit it." My E55 is getting new cams and lifter for it sounds like a 1991 300D at idle and something tells me a Kleemann blower or EvoSport Stage III would throw up a few red flags when you ask for repairs.

But the W203 is a much different car. I would take the C32 and then get a RENNtech ECU and Pulley (for it has a harmonic balancer and a well set fuel map... very much like stock only more power...no funny colored parts which are clearly not factory spec) or I would take the C55 and put a RENNtech Low Boost Blower on it for I know RENNtech's power claims are honest while others are more smoke and mirrors. This all assumes I am willing to throw away my factory warranty. Yes MB might still back the warranty and RENNtech most likely would help you out in the event of honest failure but if you can't accept the fact that you could have no warranty stay away from the mod process.

You will have a seriously fast car regardless of which one you pick but in 3 years the stock W211 will yield the best re-sale value of the bunch (on a % basis that is). Quality mods from a reputable tuner will yield a return of about 10 cents on the dollar so any money you spend on a non factory blower is gone for good. Less well known tuner parts are worthless on the used market and could easily lower the cars value.

 

Please "Keep" us posted on what you decide to do. I would get the C55, but I am going to keep my C32

 

Wow...so many opinions....good opinions nonetheless. As far as my plan for the C55 with the kleemann s/c. That would obvioulsy be at a later part of my ownership, not something that i would do right after i break it in or anything like that.

CynCarvin32: I see your point with the modifications, but i've been surfing these boards for the past couple of point and i see a lot of praises from customers that get their C32's tuned by Evosport, not saying that Renntech or Brabus wouldn't be the same. But as far as customer support is concerned, i feel that they would be just as good as the bigger name brands after more time is given for them to really establish themselves. But you are definately right about dealer issues, so that is something that i should take consideration to as well.

Alright guys keep those comments coming...

 

c55

 

It's hard to answer this question because the V8 bigger engine vs smaller s/ced engine is a debate all unto itself.

Either way you go though, you can't lose. I'd put both down for order if you can and see which one you like more after you go through extensive test drives on both once C55's start populating dealer floors.

 

So wait whats the production # for the C55's this year? Maybe i should wait a bit to let all the eager beavers pay the mark up first. :p

 

uh there is no mark up and if you do pay one, your not too smart with the bargaining.

 

If you order a car there should NEVER be a markup.

 

MBusa has a policy which the dealership can't charge "mark-up" if you place deposit and order the car. if you buy it off the dealership, be prepared to laugh at the "mark-up" or the "market suggested value"

don't know what's the production volumn for the 05 C55 btw. can't be more than the C32 that came in during it's first year which was around 2500 units.

 

Yo Frank, how is your sis doing??? The one that looks better with make-up??? Anyway, I just want to say, I like your wheels. I guess that you have given up the Tennis Shoe bug

 

The way I see it, if you have a certain budget (e.g. $55K) and want to build the best C you can build with that money, I'd say get a C32 and spend all the savings tweaking it. I did just that for my wife and ended up with a virtually brand new 2003 C32 with suspension, wheels, and 410 hpa and 400 lb/ft torque, courtesy of Evosport. The car is very fast and handles great. I couldn't be happier.

On the other hand, if you want to build the fastest C, get a 55, put a Kleeman SC on it and have Evosport further tweak it. That's exactly what I'm going to do. I was planning on getting a new E55 or M5 as my next daily driver however, after driving my wife's C32, I remembered how much more fun a smaller car can be. Sure, you'll give up some luxury, but, for around the same price you will be able to build an MB that is faster and handles alot better. I think it will make for a perfect daily driver.

Everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion, however I would have no reservations about sending your car to Evosport. Their are plenty of MB and BMW owners who have spent significant money having their rides tuned by Evosport and have nothing but smiles form ear to ear. Despite the fact that they are a smaller, growing, business, they do plenty of R&D and their products are nothing but quality. They also have 2 extremely skilled engineers in Vadim and Gary. Renntech, Brabus, etc. are obviously great tuners, however, Evosport's tuning programs (including Kleemann applications) net results that rival any of their competitors while maintaining perfect driveability and reliability. I have had a full MKB tuning done by a shop other than Evosport. I have no complaints about the results, but I know that if I have an MB or BMW to tune, my first call will always be to the guys at Evosport.