RLx02

My little brother is turning 16 soon and I want to help him get into an AMG for his first car. We've been looking at the w208 CLK55's and the w203 C43's but I doubt he will be able to afford insurance on the CLK55 since it is a coupe. How reliabile are the C43's? My c55 has been relatively issue for except for a power steering pump (which was quite odd), and a plastic linkage in my motorized steering column. The c32 is also a viable option but they seem to need a whole lot of replacing since it is supercharged.

Any known issues/faults with the c43 motor?

appatula

The motor is pretty much rock solid, however, the transmissions are known to fail very frequently. With that being said, its an expensive job so just be sure to grab one with a newer transmission or with low miles. Other than that I'd say they are pretty solid. For the C36 wiring harness problems are common, but the 4 speed trannys are bulletproof.

trinitony

Expensive items are oxygen sensors, and rotors. In 12k miles in 12 months, I have never been left stranded.

RLx02

well normal wear and tear is expected of like sensors, rotors, but yeah i was looking into big failures such as the transmissions. The c32 has the infamous "jerk" not associated with gycol contamination.

trinitony

^ from reading on here and other forums, it seems that the transmissions will fail, unless properly serviced.

appatula

Really its hit or miss. There are stories of C43 owners who have had all recommended services done regarding upkeep of transmission fluids and such at a MB dealership and the transmission would still crap out. Others at 100k+ even one at 200k had no problems at all. Lucky if you miss, expensive if you hit. Other than that its a pretty solid car aside from the normal wear and tear parts and a couple spots that tend to like leaking a small bit of oil.

Ausmbtech

I owned a W203 C32 for 18months before I switched to A W202 C43 (what I wanted before the C32 showed up for the same price).

The C32 had all the common failures that I was expecting plus about half a dozen other weird ones I hadn't seen ever before. It was a great car when it worked but it let me down too many times. When I bought the C43 I knew it was the car for me in the first week.

Apart from rebuilding the transmission myself as a preventative measure I haven't had any failures, only wear and tear items.

The only expensive items are front rotors, otherwise it's much cheaper to run and a more reliable car than a C32. It even gets much better fuel consumption!

I wouldn't get too worried about the transmission problems, ther is no way you can predict a failure. There any many transmission shops that can fit an exchange transmission for a very reasonable cost. The C32's with the gycol contamination can be just as expensive to rectify.

appatula

Problem with that here is a transmission rebuild costs 50% of what you would pay for the C43 in New England. But like you said you can't really predict when it will happen, same goes for the wiring harness on C36's. Some things just need replacing on these AMG's.

trinitony

Buy a MY2000, rumour has it that the transmission is different, or the gearing is not as agressive. Read that somewhere, and is what swayed me. Make sure it's black though - they've claim to have put the strongest engines in them.

We shall see if ^ that's true...

DRBC43AMG

Lucky you to have a 2000 version. Looks like they are like hens teeth to find (like the C55)

C280 Sport

Did you look into a W210 E55 yet? They can be had for a very reasonable price. What are you guys looking to spend?

jayrasheed

stick to the C43 man its a much nicer car than the W210 and it handles 100 times better. I think both have almost same auto.

C280 Sport

Nicer? E>C. The C feels cheap on the inside. The C handles much better and maybe performs better also but the E is much much more car.

jayrasheed

i was never a fan of the W210, and bigger or more is not always better. Its simply too big a car. I rather the smaller tighter handling one. And i have had the chance to drive almost all AMGs and the smaller C and clks are the ones to own.

ECTurboGSX

I would be really hesitant about buying a 16 year old an AMG unless someone else is footing the bill for the maintenance and repairs. Even simple things tend to be more expensive. An oil change can be close to $80 if you do it yourself and on something like a Honda it can cost $15. Four spark plugs on an accord, 16 on a C43. I'm not saying it is unreliable, but the regular ownership costs on any European luxury car are going to be more than your normal, everyday teenager car. If someone else is footing the bill, then I guess go for it.

C43AMG

Harmonic balancer was a factory recall/repair item.

John-in-Dallas

"I would be really hesitant about buying a 16 year old an AMG unless someone else is footing the bill for the maintenance and repairs."

...not to mention giving something to a 16-year old with the acceleration and speed of a C-43. It can get you into trouble quick. But, you already knew that...

He'd probably get in less trouble and be safer in something with 180HP, like the '03 Audi A4 1.8T Quattro that I have for my son who's about to turn 16. I've been driving it for about a year, while my C43 slumbers peacefully in the garage, keeping it's mileage below 45K still. The A4 is Imola yellow with sport package and 18" S6 wheels, so it looks pretty cool IMHO.

When I do get the C43 out for exercise, it feels crazy fast in comparison. I love that wildness of the C43, but I have to admit the steering feel isn't nearly as good as the A4, (recirculating ball vs rack and pinion). Both are nice, but the benz feels like it's a stouter, stiffer structure than the Audi, and better built overall. My son thinks the C43 is a geezer car - he just doesn't get it!

C280 Sport

Oh hell as long as the kid is responsable it wont matter what he is driving. Hell at 16 I drove my dads SL600 and that way faster then a C43 and I never got pulled over or any speeding tickits. You can get into as much trouble with 180bhp then you can with 300bhp. A tickit is a tickit and a crash is a crash.

silence

I've got something with about 180 whp that I've been driving a lot recently... not sure I'd want a lot of teenagers driving similar cars, I know how aggressively I like to drive it and I'm 27 and "all grown up"

That said- I don't think the C43 is a good car for a young person unless someone else is helping them learn to work on it...

BobHelsinki

What about a nice C280 with the Sports package? 190 ish bhp and still looks sporty and fresh

John-in-Dallas

Bob-in-Helsinki,

...especially dropped and with those wheels. Nice car! I'm a big fan of that look.

John-in-Dallas