I thought about the C43 and looked at a couple. Does the C36 have a different amg body kit on it? How does the power of the C43 compare to the 500E?

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/2355961294.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/2347262037.html

Couple of cheap Cali cars

well its a v8 and the car its really smooth. Speeds build quickly and the car very throwable.. There is no super charger to go bad nor all the mess with intercoolers and such.. I really didnt want to buy an old SC'd car personally. The v8 in c43 is pretty bullet proof.

I had my eye on the silver one. I am scared that if I buy an older 500E, in my budget, if I can find one, it will turn out to be a money pit for me.

any old mercedes could be a money pit.. c43 is the sweet spot IMO. Not that i'm biased or nothin

Although I am not sure about the wheels on the Silver one. They look a little big, bringing the total height of the C43 taller.

i doubt there is much if any difference in ride height or tire diameter between the two amg models. If there is its nothing some lowering springs wouldnt fix.

The ride height is not really affected by the larger rims as the rolling diameter of after market rims and tires needs to be extremely close to the rolling diameter of the stock rims and tires otherwise you speedometer is way off.

Put in an easier way to understand:

As the rim get bigger the tire gets thinner (plus sizing) but the rolling diameter stays close to the same to maintain speedometer/odometer calibration therefore your overall ride height stays pretty close to stock as well.

Guys this power diff between the 95 and later 97 seems to be just marketing BS, i have a 1995 36 and it came with the official AMG label stating 206KW and 385 Nm torque!!!

i do know that 93 -and early 94 ones came rated officially @ 200kw and 375 + nm. any lack of torque felt between 4 speed and 5 speed is usually felt due to the taller diff of the 4 speed 2.87 vs 3.06.

i did race a 95 36 once that had a custom fit 3.27 diff and thou he was on par up to 60mph with me i still pulled on him like 1 car by 125mph as he had to shift into 4th and i didnt since my third at red line 6800 is 125mph.

I think the combination of stock suspension and larger wheels, if the tires are sized correctly to keep the proper rolling diameter, typically leads to a PERCEPTION of increased ride height. It just generally looks weird, even if the car doesn't actually ride higher (unless the tire sizing is way off).

+1

Agreed, AMG seems to have made no changes to the engine between 95 and 97. Guess who did change their engine? BMW.

I believe mercedes changed the published power rating of the C36 to compete (on paper) with the increased power of the new 3.2L M3.
-Paul

To the OP, I'd spring for the 500, the qtr mile times are decent (14.5 at about 96 MPH) and the car is indeed a rarity as well. They do run very strong up top. Problem is, price -wise, you can't get much for what you have to spend. Only thing is, that 5.0 litre will suck the premium gas at an amazing rate. They're all over $12,000 and there's one for $6,900 but its very high mileage.

Its a Porsche in Mercedes clothing.................Recaro seats and all......

Plus, you can't beat its 322 BHP and 354 ft/lb of torque!! A true monster for its time.

Or you can go big and find you an E 60!!!!

I totally agree. I got the oportunity to test drive a C43 and a 500E and they are night and day. The 500E has that heavy feel but if you get on it, it will move. Total sleeper.

funny i got my c43 over buying an e55,cl55, or c32 because i felt it was much more of a sleeper.. lol.

I have mad love for the 500e though.. I kept flirting with it but the fuel economy, age, and cost of entry steered me away. I ended up wanting a $15-20k specimen.

but if you get anything under 12k you will be putting about another 10k into it.

Best is to get a prime example in the 20k range.

I own both these cars Mario, they are very different machines and love both of them. With that budget def go w/ the 36, any 500e @ 6k would scare me off, trust me! My 500 just rolled over 60k, my EZL just went which is fairly common on the M119 and just replaced my engine mounts, caps, rotors, and coils... The EZL alone retails for $3,600 new on the W124. If you get yourself into a 500 or C36 for that matter just make-sure you have a sizable piggyback for the toys, not just $6k but at least $9-10k for the 36. Also get a 95 or 96 w/ the 4spd trans, good luck.

don't scare the guy ... you can get a used EZL for like 500 bucks.

what is an EZL btw?

ignition module for late 80's early 90's benzes.

Ditto ! EZL's can be had for even cheaper than 500 used in good condition.

Both cars are very simple to work on w/ lots of room in the engine bay.

I'd venture to say that most repair costs are exaggerated for the 500e, or owners are just getting hosed a lot at the shops they go to.

In this market, the sorted 500e's that were once fetching 14-18K are coming down in price. My good friend just got an amazing well maintained hi mileage 92 for a lot less than the original 18K that it was on the market for.

Its a 1% market car. And with the rising gas prices....owners are going to have to realize that if they want to sell their pride and joy its going to have to be for a lot less money.

Motor mounts and electricals like the cap,plugs and rotors are all very simple DIY jobs on the M119 motor.

Just hold out for one thats had all this stuff done already....they're out there

Or take it to the grave with them.

Agreed, sorry do not mean to scare, gotta love eBay! Just recommend having some extra $$$ to cover maintenance.

Agreed. It's purley choice, however, I also will second the statement to stay away from the 97's. In my case the 36 is (and still is) a daily driver, I put almost 25K on it this past year and it has never left me anywhere in NY, NJ, RI, etc. The 43's and 97 C36's do have a much higher tranny failure rate, something that will leave you stranded and cost you tons of money. I replaced my whole wiring harness on a weekend for about $50 and a some profanity .

Moral of the story? Remember, the 1995-1996 C36 4 speed trannys are 500E trannys, aka bulletproof. If it were not a daily I'd say go for a 97' 36 or a 43.

I miss my W124, I came real close to nabbing a 500 and decided to go for something a bit newer with lower mileage whlist something that was financially feasible mantinance wise, so I ended up with the 36.

WHOA APPATULA??!!?!!? Long time no post...

We C36 owners who used to be W124 owners come out of the woodwork when we hear C36 and 500E in the same sentence!

Lol

I imagine Ben has been busy with plenty of projects...I know I have...mainly of the aircooled variety