I'm thinking about getting a C32. My other option is an M3 with SMG. How do you like your car so far? Can you tell me the pros and cons of it?

Also, if there is anyone who was deciding between the same two cars, why did you pick the C32?

Thanks.

 

First off I have neither of these wonderful, but different cars. It really depends on how you are going to use them. If you are a business man that has frequent contact with cliets and/or company reps the C32 is the way to go. It is more of a luxurious car, with a big motor that is plenty fast for almost anyone. This is also good if you have a family or carry people in your car.

The M3 is a drivers car to say the least. If you are a young single guy like myself, you might benifit/prefer the M3. It would be the easiest to get to go faster and more of a racer car. I had a chance to drive a SMG equipped M3 last week and all I can say is wow. It is so fast but you have to drive it hard to get all the power that is has. In the twisties it unbelievable. It sticks to the road no matter how deep into the corner you go. Either would be a good choice.

Good luck

 

To simplify a tough choice...examine both cars to see which driver profile you fit under.

For me, I love my C32 because it appeals to both sides of the coin (comfort/luxury and sporting). For example, I was cruising home today in traffic in the greatest comfort. It was overcast and had rained earlier in the day (there was that "it's about to rain" feel, but everything had dried up). The heated seats were on, and I used the voice activation feature several times to change the CD in the changer, etc. Frankly, I was enjoying cruising at 45 mph, just minding my own business. I get a call from my friend (540i 6-speed owner), because he had not yet seen my new car. All I had to do was press a button on the steering wheel and converse hands free. I picked him up and at that point, the entire personality of the car changed. I turned off into a canyon road I commonly drove on with my previous car and engaged the speedshift. I drove the car hard and with a purpose. I inputed what I wanted to do with my feet and my arms, and the car responded. I cannot speak for the car's track behavior, but 95% of the time, the car will be adequate on the road. The transmission is the best automatic you've ever driven, period. After I dropped him back off, the car returned to its Q-car status, crusing around in comfort. The M3 does not hold this same quality, and don't try to say that it can be as civilized as the C32. It cannot. The C32 is a car where you can sip your mocha latte and then burn a teenager in their ricer. Smooth ride when you want it, but no roll in the corners. My 540i friend felt it was just as sporty as his car, and that the car is much faster than his.

However, the M3 serves and entirely different purpose. While the C32 can fit both the comfort and sporting role, in a pure sporting sense, the M3 wins. Acceleration is a draw I would say, but under optimal conditions the M3 might have a tenth if that. You cannot launch a M3 SMG like you can a 6-speed. Of course, to beat a C32, you must be perfect. The acceleration is so close that I would not buy either car on the premise of getting the "faster" one. Handling wise, the M3 is flatter and stickier. However, this comes as a compromise because the ride quality is not up to the C32. The M3 handling advantage is only apparent when you are pushing it. The M3 must be driven, and driven hard to enjoy. I will not talk about the 6-speed anymore for this reason: if you are debating between a 6-speed M3 vs. C32, then you don't have a clue what you want in a car. The SMG however will not make the M3 any less sporty. If you get SMG, I guarantee you will never use the automatic mode. Both you and the car will want to continue flipping the paddles up and down. The M3 is a driving machine, through and through. It is much louder and won't pamper you nearly as much. Conversely, you'll get a wonderful driving experience, no doubt. You cannot go wrong with either car unless you personally are at one end of the spectrum (either sporting or comfort).

Long story short... I chose the C32 because I enjoy the Q-car status, and don't want to be sporting 100% of the time. When I want to be sporting, the car gives back to you. You can let your hair down in the M3, but when you do, you can't "escape" like you can in the C32. The M3 is much more narrow in its focus, but that is what people who own those wonderful cars want. It's what the car was built for. The C32 compromises some of its sporting ability to make the car more practical. When keeping price in mind: If I were picking a track car, I'd get a Corvette Z06. If I was picking a sports car, it would be a Porsche 911 (more soul, more elegance, more style). If I was picking a street racer/track car, it would be a M3. The best luxury car (short of $100k) is the S-class. I wanted everything, so I got a C32. How's that?

PROS: Comfort, acceleration, does what you want it to (sport or cruising), luxury features, integrated phone/voice activation (optional), more room for occupants, four doors. Subtle but meaningful styling package.

CONS: No manual if that is what you want, less grip than M3, Subtle styling when compared to M3.

I apologize for the long post, but I hope this helped you.

 

well...i have the C32 AMG...if you ask me why i choose the car over the SMG II M3 its because C32 is really more of a daily driver. it has four door and a lot of power both hp and torque are stonger than the M3. although C32 is not as fast to 60mph (about 0.1 slower) the ride is not as harsh as the M3. actually you can say C32 is even softer than my pervious 2000 328CI but C32 is just more pratical than the M3. but i don't know why C32 almost don't have any bodyroll.

if you want to show off get the M3.
if you want a more pratical car get the C32.

again M3 is a sports coupe and C32 is a sports sedan, so you can't really compare the two. if M3 has four doors than i'll have to think about it but since M3 only has two doors clearly C32 is a better choice for me. another thing is when i compare the two, M3 came out to be more expensive (smg, power seat, moon roof,etc) if i want them to have the same equpiment and thats without the markup. but of course now they don't have markup for the M3 anymore.

BTW i'm only 19 1/2, i guess i'm young and single.

 

I like certain things about the C32 and certain things about the M3. The 2 door and 4 door thing isn't really an issue for me. I do carry lots of people at times, but I don't mind getting out, for them to get into the back seat.
I currently have a 99 M3 and one of the main things I like is the low end torque. When I don't feel like high reving the car, I can just take it to 3-4K RPMs and it has plenty of power in that range. However, I'm not sure how the new M3 would be in the same situation due to it's somewhat low torque. Like you all have said, the C32 has a lot more torque and I'm sure it's more powerful in the low end. That is why I am having this tough decision. I do like the practicality of the C32, but I also like the aggressive look and nature of the M3.
It's a really tough choice because they are both performance oritented and both around a similar price range.

Thanks again and if anyone has any other replies, that would be great.

 

i have an idea!!

get drunk and try to walk straight and see which side you will fall on...but remember to pick which side is the M3 and which side is the C32 first...

ok ok...i'm just kidding

you'll have to follow your heart on this one.

like i did.

i really, really, really, really loved the M3
but i guess i just loved C32 even more.

Follow your heart! Follow your heart!

(if follow your heart don't work you might really want to try the drunk and straight thing )

just remember i'm behind you 100% because i love both cars so so much.

 

Just incase you didn't know....90% of C32's torque (400 Nm) is available from 2500 rpms so if you like low end torque then C32 have a slight advantage over M3.

Btw...have you test driven both cars yet??...you might wanna test drive them cos you might make up your mind a lot easier then.
When we bought the C32 we didn't even consider M3 cos it doesn't have 4 doors!! .

 

I have test driven an M3 SMG, but not a C32 yet. I guess that's my next step. I know a dealer who will let me do it, but they are kinda far from me. I guess I'll just have to get my butt down there. Maybe that will help my decision.

Thanks.

 

where in LA are you ///MB?

if you want you can go down to House of Import in Buena Park(91fwy and 5fwy) and look for Sam Huang or Andrew Lian. i bought my car from Andrew. last week when i pick up my car there is a silver C32 just came in but i don't know if the owner pick up the car yet or cancel the order. i didn't ask.

number for House of Import is 1800mercedes i think.

BTW just in case you want to test the M3 again right after you test the C32. there is a BMW dealer right next door called "Shelly BMW" and that is where i bought my previous 2000 328CI. look for Charle Paz(i'm not sure how his last name was spelled) he was the sales for my 328CI. they are selling the M3 at MSRP as well as the M5. just tell Charle a guy who totaled his topaz blue 328CI recommand you there. he is a very nice guy.

number for shelly bmw is 714 994 8180 for their service dept. i don't remember the sales dept number sorry

hope that help...i'm always glad to help someone interest in MB or BMW...

 

If you:
like to shift for yourself
prefer a race-very firm ride,
like mountain carving,
arrest-me styling,
don't care as much about the rear occupants,
don't do a lot of miles/day
do less highway driving,
Then get the BMW

If you:
are in sales, or are a "professional"
have a kid that will be sitting in the back,
do a lot of highway miles per day
have a hellish commute
like a smooth but sporty ride
like to drink a mocha (not latte) while you race
Then give the Benz a hard look.

I got the C32 and I love it, I also have an older M3 so I know the differences.
Don't worry, your position is enviable to most folks.

 

Have you find out what the insurance premium would be for both cars? When I was buying my cars that was always an important issue. BMW insurance has consistently being higher comparing to the MB. I did seriously considered BMW M5 last year but chose E55 for its practicality, similar situation as yours except for different cars.

John

 

I have about 6K on my car and it just gets better and better every day. I did not compare the M3 because I did not see it as the same class of vehicle. I compared the 540i sport and the Audi A6 4.2 before I made my decision. I am in awe with it at this stage. It handles beautifully and has enough power to out gun almost anything you will come up to. Never have I felt so good after making a car purchase. Enjoy whichever you decide to get.

 

I agree with the other posters - if you want a "sportscar", get the M3. If you want the luxury, get the C32.

I traded in a '97 993 for my C32 - I don't get nearly the "looks" anymore, but I can haul my family around now (as long as they hold on tight!). Driving a long commute in rush hour traffic in a stick shift was just getting to be no fun. And Porsches just don't have the gadgets like my C32 has! The C32 has more off-the-line torque than any car I've ever had, and that's the power you really notice on America's streets.

Sometimes I miss the old car - the C32 certainly doesn't have the handling of the 993 - and nobody notices my "generic" silver four-door (!!) - but 98% of the time I am much happier with the choice I made.

 

Some of you may have seen my posts in the Clk forum. My 430 was recently destroyed in a car accident by my girlfriend and as a result im in a similar predicament. I am looking to get a new ride and have narrowed down my choices to 3 cars. 1) M3 SMG 2) C32 3) New Clk500.

I test drove the C32 and was amazed how fast and responsive the car was, however having owned a clk430 for over a year i felt the car was too light. That might not be a bad thing if you are looking for speed but overall the car just felt cheaper compared to the Clk. Everything from the doors to the engine and the feel of the car felt weaker. But having said that the car flat out burns a clk430 on the road so im sure i could get use to that. It just does not look as sexy as the Clk class.

The M3 was a serious consideration and were it not for the crazy demand out there and people driving to sell them over msrp i would definitely get the BMW. But thats just me since i had the liberty of driving a Mercedes previously i wanted to try a BMW this time around. However, because of the serious demand out there weighing out the supply for this car i cant get my hand on one for another 6-8 months. And i am just not willing to wait that long.

Finally i have a deposit for a Clk 500 thats suppose to be released in Late August or early Sept. I am willing to wait for this long if the Clk 500 looks anything like the new Clk 55 i saw in the Geneva Auto Show pictures. Even tho it will be a slower right i think infinitely the car looks better in everyway than the C32. My only issue is that i have yet to see a clk500 and have no idea if the options will allow me to choose an amg body package or sport package resembling the 55.

I am tempted to purchase the C32 (Tectite Grey Metallic). It is a very nice car and im sure in terms of practicality it is the overall winner.

I think we can all agree at least that the C32 is the least attractive car out of the 3. Obviously because it is a 4 door. Performance wise there are no complaints but wouldnt you rather have a Clk500 that runs slower but looks that much better and have the option of adding Kleeman superchargers if you are into speed in the future?

Any suggestions?

 

Clifflee: sorry to hear that about what happened

it really depends on what kind of image are you looking for.

although the CLK and the New CLK are based on the previous and current C platform. the car is a lot heavier because the CLK takes the market inplace of the original E coupe. that is why CLK has the E-class kind of look. CLK is more of the luxury coupe rather than sports coupe. C32 is more sports oriented. but i would say if you have ordered the new CLK500 why not give it a try. what are the chance of being young again. when you are tired from the two door you can always trade it in for the little less expensive C32.

FYI i think that the door on the current CLK is heavier because the car is not as solid as the current C-class but the next CLK is not going to be the case. my sister has a CLK320 IMO her car does not feel as solid or as fun to drive than my other friend's 99 C230k sport. 50% of that feeling might be cause by the freaking small tires.

BTW i think that the interior quality of the C32 and current CLK are both kinda crapy. unless you have a CLK55 that has the leather wraped front dash, door trim, etc. but the seats in the C32 is definitely first grade, there is no comparison in that.

BTW i'm in LA area and i know dealer that don't have markup for the M3. where do you live?

 

First off, I want to thank everyone again for their opinions.

FrankW - Thanks for the suggestion about HOI and Shelly. Actually my parents have bought 2 cars from HOI. The most current one is a 2001 S600, so I know I can definately test drive the C32 if I go down there. But, it's about an hour away from me, so I'll have to find some time.

Clifflee - If you like the M3 more than the C32 you can definately get it for MSRP. Also, the wait on the M3s are not so bad now. When I was asking around, it's pretty much a 2-3 month wait and you can still customize the car the way you want it.

I still have not had a chance to test drive the C32, so I haven't made any decisions yet. However, I'm not in any hurry and since it's so late into the 2002 model year anyway. I figure whatever I decide to get, I'll just order a 2003.