If you owned both,I need your feedback..
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From: north jersey
99 c43,90 mustang gt supercharged convertible,07 acura tl type s, Hummer H3t pickup
If you owned both,I need your feedback..
Well im seriously considering adding a c36 to the 43 and the stang.I've never driven a 36 and was wondering how it compares to the 43 in all aspects..some say the 36 is more raw in power delivery and feel,the 43 smooth and sneaky.Also was thinking adding a w203 c55 instead but im in love with the classic boxy w202.My cousin owns a 36 he is 300 miles away wish he was closer to compare.Being a w202 enthusiast we know what to look for and I think it would be awesome to have IMHO the purest amg's built to date.Im excited to get this possibly done in the fall so any honest and subjective opnions would be great! Thanks ahead guys.
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From: netherlands
Carlsson CM60 EX:C36AMG'96
Test drive a c36 in great condition and you will fall in love trust me! I can tell you how it is like to drive, but you really have to drive it yourself to know how it is like. before I bought mine I test drove a few c36's and they all felt a little different, some feel a bit more sporty on the trottle. I only drove a c43 once really nice car to drive but I prefer the feeling the straight six gave me. Still I would like to add me a c43 AMG. It is a very subjective thing you have to find out by yourself.
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From: America
1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
If it's anything like my old 1994 C280 (drove it exclusively for 13 years) then it will be noticeably more fun to drive than my C43. My C43 feels like a computerized delivery of precision, while my old C280 was much more of a "car" car. No traction control, 100% mechanical drivetrain and transmission. It was so much more of a classic drive and incredibly predictable. My C43, while much nicer on the interior and MUCH more powerful, is not as fun to drive by comparison. I would IMAGINE a C36 is more along the lines of a rough-and-tumble brawler compared to the nerdy-weightlifter of the C43. Stock to stock, the cars perform almost identical. You can squeeze a great deal more power out of the C43 though, with the few options you have (5.4 swap, Kleemann SC). The C36 is pretty much un-modifiable. But, I'd KILL to have a mint C36 for a daily driver while my C43 is my project car.
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From: MN, USA
C43 5.4, ML320CDI, Fords
I have not owned a c36, but have driven many different ones. What these guys saying is pretty correct. c36 you feel a little more connected with the engine, you get feedback. The stock c43 makes decent torque but not till higher rpms, it's kind of gutless down low, I think that contributes to the disconnected feeling one might have with a 43. The c36 feels torquier around town and who doesn't like winding out an m104 at full tilt?
97 would be a nice year for the 36 because it has the newer transmission, and supposedly a power bump too, that is a rare year however. I like the c36, but the 43 is a much nicer everyday driver because you get all the benefits of the facelift w202, it's just a better car all around imo, and it's definitely more reliable and will be cheaper to own and maintain. Also, a 55 swap to you 43 will make you feel very connected to the car again.
97 would be a nice year for the 36 because it has the newer transmission, and supposedly a power bump too, that is a rare year however. I like the c36, but the 43 is a much nicer everyday driver because you get all the benefits of the facelift w202, it's just a better car all around imo, and it's definitely more reliable and will be cheaper to own and maintain. Also, a 55 swap to you 43 will make you feel very connected to the car again.
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Joined: Nov 2008
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From: north jersey
99 c43,90 mustang gt supercharged convertible,07 acura tl type s, Hummer H3t pickup
I have not owned a c36, but have driven many different ones. What these guys saying is pretty correct. c36 you feel a little more connected with the engine, you get feedback. The stock c43 makes decent torque but not till higher rpms, it's kind of gutless down low, I think that contributes to the disconnected feeling one might have with a 43. The c36 feels torquier around town and who doesn't like winding out an m104 at full tilt?
97 would be a nice year for the 36 because it has the newer transmission, and supposedly a power bump too, that is a rare year however. I like the c36, but the 43 is a much nicer everyday driver because you get all the benefits of the facelift w202, it's just a better car all around imo, and it's definitely more reliable and will be cheaper to own and maintain. Also, a 55 swap to you 43 will make you feel very connected to the car again.
97 would be a nice year for the 36 because it has the newer transmission, and supposedly a power bump too, that is a rare year however. I like the c36, but the 43 is a much nicer everyday driver because you get all the benefits of the facelift w202, it's just a better car all around imo, and it's definitely more reliable and will be cheaper to own and maintain. Also, a 55 swap to you 43 will make you feel very connected to the car again.
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From: netherlands
Carlsson CM60 EX:C36AMG'96
I have got the facelift c36 from 96 it has the 4box but it does have the same clima unit like the C43. It also has a different interior trim compared to the 94/95 but I believe the carbon fiber in my c36 is euro only. So I got the same interior as the 97 just without the 5spd gearbox. Love it!
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From: Chapel Hill, NC/Montreal, QC
1995 C36 AMG, 1998 C43 AMG
I like this thread! 
Pretty much what the others were saying. I had a pretty short time with both cars up and running, but like they say, the 36 is spunkier. Performance wise there is barely any difference between the two. The 43 is very refined and calm, like a normal 500 Mercedes V8. The 36 let's know it's working to deliver you what you ask for it. It gets loud in the higher RPMs, and has diesel-like torque down low to accompany the diesel-like lifter noise
I prefer the 43 as a daily due to it's better interior, newer/more creature comforts, newer look, and smooth, refined engine with gobs of torque on demand, but it does leave something to be desired in the top end, and I'd say that everyday, it's more fun in general, but when pushed above 70% the 36 is more fun.
I have never driven a 203 or a 55 engine, but I can imagine it'd be more of the same: a smooth daily with a big V8, that's very similar to ours. I'd totally get one again, and would recommend it to you, and later on put the 5.4l in the C43. Though imho, if I were to get another 36, I'd want to bite the bullet and make that one the performance car. Put the engine in a 201 chassis, get that the nicest suspension stuff, and try mess with "C37RSing" the engine or mess with FI, and 201 or 202 get a manual in there asap. That'd be to die for
Pretty much what the others were saying. I had a pretty short time with both cars up and running, but like they say, the 36 is spunkier. Performance wise there is barely any difference between the two. The 43 is very refined and calm, like a normal 500 Mercedes V8. The 36 let's know it's working to deliver you what you ask for it. It gets loud in the higher RPMs, and has diesel-like torque down low to accompany the diesel-like lifter noise
I prefer the 43 as a daily due to it's better interior, newer/more creature comforts, newer look, and smooth, refined engine with gobs of torque on demand, but it does leave something to be desired in the top end, and I'd say that everyday, it's more fun in general, but when pushed above 70% the 36 is more fun.
I have never driven a 203 or a 55 engine, but I can imagine it'd be more of the same: a smooth daily with a big V8, that's very similar to ours. I'd totally get one again, and would recommend it to you, and later on put the 5.4l in the C43. Though imho, if I were to get another 36, I'd want to bite the bullet and make that one the performance car. Put the engine in a 201 chassis, get that the nicest suspension stuff, and try mess with "C37RSing" the engine or mess with FI, and 201 or 202 get a manual in there asap. That'd be to die for
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From: America
1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
Though imho, if I were to get another 36, I'd want to bite the bullet and make that one the performance car. Put the engine in a 201 chassis, get that the nicest suspension stuff, and try mess with "C37RSing" the engine or mess with FI, and 201 or 202 get a manual in there asap. That'd be to die for
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From: Chapel Hill, NC/Montreal, QC
1995 C36 AMG, 1998 C43 AMG
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,418
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From: America
1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
Gonna be perfectly honest. If I had that kind of throw-around cash, I would have bought (at least) the engine out of your C36 a while ago and dropped in in my wife's 1994 E320.
