bagelsjustbagel

Haha i checked ouy allstate and they sadi sence im still in highschool and wouldnt drive that much compared to my dad. he could put the car under his name id id just pay him however much that will be =]
hopefully under 1500 a year

Substance

I got my 00' C280 CPO with 3 year extended warranty a while ago and the warranty expired last year. I looked into the repairs done under the warranty only last year and only the parts that C280 shares with the C43. my car being the latest year and youngest among all w202 still about 3k of repairs in a year. The volume knob on the stock stereo dies quick the dealer replaced it all 550 for the unit plus labor. digital ac control units display was acting, replaced again 700 for the unit plus labor. front ball joints and required allignment about 1k. accesory belt & belt tentioner 450$. i can go on

and the maintanence again should be close to C43: service B costs 550$
brake flush 100$ radiator flush 100$ transmition service 250$ ac charge 250$
new tires 550+$ new spark plugs 550$ plug wires 300$ brake job 1000+$

if you do all these yourself still expensive....my oil changes cost me about 80$
8qt of good oil and good filter.

i like older mbs i actually love them but i am too afraid to buy them. the ones in real good conditions are expensive . they ask close to newer mbs and high mileage no history cars are risky. i am not saying dont buy it but i dont think 500 a month will do it. 3990 insurance is too high. my first insurance was about 2500 with 1000$ deductable and about 3000 with 300$ deductable. I told them I had an international license from an other country for over 3 years but it expired and i threw it away. they asked me if i can prove it i told them i called the rmv over there but it may takes weeks or months the person didnt want to lose a customer she said its ok we trust you we will give u 3 year discount. one of my turkish friend photoshoped his turkish license and made it 4 years old there is no way for them to check it and they do take international licenses. i know its fraud but a not too risky one and 4k insurance per year is more than what you would pay if you get caught anyway

try to get extended warranty from AAA or xtracare they pay for everything and you can pay monthly for them 3 years is about 3600 for C43 i believe. as everyone above said you will get that money back at your first repair

right after you get the car, replace the plugs, air filter with good ones increases gas mileage dramaticaly. and watch out for bad tires...tires are expensive(also brakes) and warranty will not pay for them.

bagelsjustbagel

how much are sparkplugs.

I was also going to maybe go look at the C36 Z06EATER's friend was gunan sell. any advice?

Substance

i got bosh iridiums 10 dollars a piece from autozone. C43 has 16 of them 2 plugs per cylnder. so about 160 plus tax. denso iridiums are about the same maybe a dollar more. you can go with cheaper ones as cheap as 4 dollars per plug. My car had 60 k miles and was 7 years old when i replaced them my mpg improved from 26 to sometimes over 30mpg(yes well over factory rating). I got k&n air filters also at the same time and I use k&n oil filter & mobil extended performance oil 5-30w synthetic. my car is 2.8L V6 but 4.3L V8 on C43 is the same platform so these maintanince items should have about the same effects on the C43. I suggest you get the special tool to remove the plugs . i got it from autozone for 12 or 15 dollars. you will have problems removing the final 2 or 4 plugs on the driver side (closer to the windshield) there is so little room for your hand to remove the plugs. I replaced mines 10 of them under 2 hours without the tool then i got the tool for the driver side and its 10-15 minunes added to the 2 hours for them. C43 requires 2 air filters and each about 50 bucks(k&n). you should also replace the plug wires soon too if they are misfiring its hard to notice sometimes and makes burn more gas less performance. o2 sensors are also about 90-180 dollars each. if you have trouble passing the inspection, get one of the fuel treatments for a full tank and empty that tank on highways at high speed then you have a better chance passing the inspection. ecu upgrades also improves mpg. renntech's website claims +3mpg on most models

bagelsjustbagel

with. thanks 4 the advice

myc43amg

bagelsjustbagel, IF you live with your parents $500.00 is plenty to own a c43/c36. Most people do make 15x, 20x more than you but they also SPEND 15x more than you as well. It's how you manage your money and how you drive the car that's going to help you. You're 18 so it will be hard to just cruise the car and drive it wisely. You will more than likely be flooring it to show off to your friends.... And even tho the car is "meant" to be driven, it is not wise to drive it that way if your funds cannot back up the possible repairs you may spring up due to that kind of driving.

So buy a well kept car, drive smart, save some "repair" money, read up DIY threads instead of wasting so much time posting here, find websites that have good low prices on parts, FORGET about mods for now, TRY to drive when you only need to drive (to save on gas money), don't "party" so much or better yet, do wholesome things that DON'T requiere you to spend money, and you get to have and keep a C43.

Otherwise, it would be best for you to buy a car that wont hit you so hard on insurance.

bagelsjustbagel

well i plan on taking care of my car like a baby. Samantha's the name. Just like 1 of the cars in Gone in 60Secs.

i dont want to floor it because i like my liscence and plan on keeping it. and i like to have $.

Just a little fyi, so you dont suspect im some dumb wreckless kid.

and also the c36 is out of the picture. 4spd tranny is a nope.

Z06EATER

the four speed was a drawback for me when i was buying it as well

SeeKlasse

nobody is calling u irresponsible, but everyone here (save for flynavy) bought these cars so they can drive em the way theyre meant to be driven. i mention fly because he was talking about getting like 24 mpg... thats some grandma driving right there.

SeeKlasse

try not to get too attached to your car. the next thing you know BOOM someone is rear ending the **** out of your sweet mercedes and the c43 is no more. it was devastating for me let me assure you

silence

i get over 17.5 or so no matter what- and that is with a car i absolutely only drive when i want to go for a spirited "romp" or to car shows. As i've posted before my car has gotten 24.8 modded as it is now.

I don't see how anyone commuting with the car- no matter how irresponsibly they try to drive can really get much worse than 24- i would expect 20-23 with mixed driving and a stock car.

buy the car if your parent's are going to bail you out when the time comes- if they are willing to do so the time will never come... that seems to be how things work

just out of curiosity what do your parent's drive?

bagelsjustbagel

camry v6 (its not TOO slow lol) . and a dodge dakota with v8. very fast. my uncle is the guy who got me into benz. SL55 amg

SeeKlasse

gl with everything. i recall having a pretty hard time getting everything ironed out when buying my c43's, but the hard work payed off really well as i really love my mercedes.