last night, my buddy and I are on the way to see Saw 2. At a stoplight, a young guy in a suit pulls up in his Nissan Sentra SE-R. Not a high priced BMW or anything, but a respectable street ride. He eyes up my monoblocks and tries to peer into my dark tinted windows. My buddy and I just laugh, then he starts rocking back and forth, but I am not sure he really wants to try it. Then green comes and sure enough he lurches off the line, even with my hesitation by the time we get to 60 he is 100 yards behind if not more.

Too bad his woman wasn't with him.

To me that is the beauty of this car, I am not a speed demon or a racing fiend, but it is so fun to see the unsuspecting faces when you blow by them and they hear the V8 screaming.

 

really nice car beautifull look, much better look than the new c class or any bimmer or audi. but its performance is outdated. a 20k new sport car can easly compete with it if not beat it. such as mustangs, nissan 350z, some subarus, even the new large engined SUVs( grand cherokee, the hemi ones, and some hemi trucks as well, and thats very disappointing.) 55k worth (when new) amg mercedes beaten by these...

I really considered buying a C43, I even found some nice 2000 models with tip tronics...but it could only make a daily driver. I believe I will go for a C32. at least 1 second quicker 0-60. and command and tip-tronic is also available. cheaper to mod.

It also depends on the budget..i was considering these 2000 C43s, asking prices were no less than 27 000.....thats equal to a 2002 C32s asking price.

 

No stock 350z is going to beat a C43.

 

I was faced with a similar concern before I buy my 1999 C43 just about a month ago.

I don't think it is fair to compare a 1998-2000 car with a brand new. Does a 1998-2000 $20k Nissan, Mustang etc compare with its equivalent brand new $20k Nissan Mustang etc? I don't think so.

A C43 doesn't cost $55k at the year 2005/2006. It costs ~$20k-$25k pretty close as the cars you mentioned. With the C43 you get a 4-door luxury sedan that is as fast and handles as good or better as many of the 2005 2-seater sport cars. As far as the SUV's you mentioned, the difference should be very clear when you take the first curve and at the gas pump. I put about 700miles on my newly bought C43 and the average consumption was ~20.5 mpg. The large engine SUV's you mentioned should be around 13mpg plus the handling and construction quality is terrible.

 

I've never seen a c32 in decent condition below $30k...

 

ok here are the options.

2000 C43 AMG with 64k miles. All options(Xenon with washers, rainsensing windshield wipers, phone) No warranty. Prime condition. Silver on silver.
Location is very close to me. 27000 dollars private party.

OR

2003-2004 C32 AMG with lower than 60K miles. All options( Navigation, Xenons). must be under 32000 dollars.

If I get the C43. I am planning to have some minor engine mods on it. (no s/c or engine swap). will keep the rims. Bi-xenon and xenon fogs lights. Will purchase an external navigation system.

If I get the C32. again some minor engine mods. 18 inches C55 Rims. Bi-xenon and xenon fog lights.

and planning to keep the car for 2-3 years. Which one do you think would keep the value better? a 2000 C43 or a 2003 C32?
can anybody give me an estimation if I get the C43 for 27 now, how much do you think I will be able to sell it 2 years from now. considering w204 will be out by then. the same for C32. if i pay 32-34 for a 2003, how much do you think I will get from that car 2-3 years later?

I know its a difficult guess but I rough estimation would do fine.

 

I would get the newest car for the money...I have shopped for a C32 recently and you can get for under $26 on the autotrader. No bi-xenon option for C43 BTW only low beam.

 

drive both.....this may not be much help, but I couldn't get the sweet V8 growl out of my head after I drove the '43......which explains why it is now sitting in my garage

 

I agree with ya! Only problem is that it's hard to argue with the 349 ponies of the C32

 

There's a couple on the autotrader and some with reasonable miles too, if you're willing to travel.

 

true....and the numbers speak for themselves in favor of the C32

 

I may be wrong but I think C32's are 6cyl.
I know my 8cyl. "Original" AMG has a better torque curve with lower revs.
Isn't longevity of 8 cyls. better?

 

wait a few more yrs and get the c55

 

Good idea, I am probably going to look into trading the C43 for a C55 in a few years myself. Would be nice to have the funds and the garage for both.

 

i feel ya on this post man... that 8 roars ,, i reced this acura rsx all done up and roasted his *** once then he was like u have alot of addons... and im like factory.. then blew him away even worse haha, later guys! MY STEREO IS GOING IN!!! AND MY TV!!! AND I GOT A 6 DISC MP# CD CHANGER! ahaha sry im excited... oh and my 2 12's!!

 

post some pics of your stereo. I am glad every day that I replaced the Bose crap factory system. I didn't go all out like yourself. I am thinking of gettign the new HK Ipod control and putting the screen where the factory cell phoen is now.

 

go alpine man... u want quality.. alpine... for a deck im sayin... they make a new one that has ipod **** on it... peep it on the web site... droppin the car at that stereo shop tomorrow!! wish me luck!!!!! WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

 

just beware of alpine software glitches

and for those with ai-net, keep the optics cables clean and straight and unscuffed.

 

not disagreeing with anything except this ... If I could have got that for my car I would have probably sold it instead of mod'ed it. Luckily the 18K I could have got for it was too little in my mind, and I turned my stock C43 into something quite unique, and making the platform much more solid in the process. (my belief is many of you might have broken motor mounts, or old shocks and suspension components making noises you mistakenly think is the interior shaking rattle, and not know it... )