Hi There
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Joined: Jun 2014
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W202 w/ a 5.4L V8
Hi There
I figured I would introduce myself here since I am looking for a C43. I've been scouring CL and Autotrader for the last few months trying to find the right one. I've talked to a few owners of clean title and salvage title cars but have yet to pull the trigger. It appears myself and a few other guys are looking at the same cars, lol. (Corona, Pasadena, Brea, Mira Mesa, SF bay area, Sacramento). I'm looking as far away as Las Vegas, Phoenix and Seattle in hopes of finding the right one (preferably Silver or White w/o the tuxedo interior). I'll share my journey with you guys as I'm sure it will be interesting.
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 636
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From: MN, USA
C43 5.4, ML320CDI, Fords
good luck on the search. my advice is don't settle. wait for the right one. there are a ton out there with high miles and salvage title.
there are some nice ones that pop up also, but you have to be ready to jump on them.
it took me a over a year to find the right one for me. including having one totalled on the transport truck en route to me.. it was white like i originally wanted.
ended up with obsidian black with 60k miles from a local mercedes collector, mint condition with all kinds of documentation, mb car cover, spare set of new c43 mats, mint mint mint never even seen rain. i couldn't imagine having a white one after this car.. but for more of a daily driver a silver or white one will hide dirt and imperfections better.
good luck on the search, be patient.
there are some nice ones that pop up also, but you have to be ready to jump on them.
it took me a over a year to find the right one for me. including having one totalled on the transport truck en route to me.. it was white like i originally wanted.
ended up with obsidian black with 60k miles from a local mercedes collector, mint condition with all kinds of documentation, mb car cover, spare set of new c43 mats, mint mint mint never even seen rain. i couldn't imagine having a white one after this car.. but for more of a daily driver a silver or white one will hide dirt and imperfections better.
good luck on the search, be patient.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 199
Likes: 10
W202 w/ a 5.4L V8
good luck on the search. my advice is don't settle. wait for the right one. there are a ton out there with high miles and salvage title.
there are some nice ones that pop up also, but you have to be ready to jump on them.
it took me a over a year to find the right one for me. including having one totalled on the transport truck en route to me.. it was white like i originally wanted.
ended up with obsidian black with 60k miles from a local mercedes collector, mint condition with all kinds of documentation, mb car cover, spare set of new c43 mats, mint mint mint never even seen rain. i couldn't imagine having a white one after this car.. but for more of a daily driver a silver or white one will hide dirt and imperfections better.
good luck on the search, be patient.
there are some nice ones that pop up also, but you have to be ready to jump on them.
it took me a over a year to find the right one for me. including having one totalled on the transport truck en route to me.. it was white like i originally wanted.
ended up with obsidian black with 60k miles from a local mercedes collector, mint condition with all kinds of documentation, mb car cover, spare set of new c43 mats, mint mint mint never even seen rain. i couldn't imagine having a white one after this car.. but for more of a daily driver a silver or white one will hide dirt and imperfections better.
good luck on the search, be patient.
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Joined: Mar 2005
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From: America
1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 384
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From: SF bay area
2012 C63 P31 LSD-Current: My past 1999 C43, 2004 Clk55, 1999 C280 sport, 1995 C280
Great advice here, you may have already thought of this, but I would put up a WTB wherever you can. You never know who may be looking to get rid of there C43 but doesn't have the time to do a full listing, or may want to sell but its not really urgent for them. I feel I got pretty lucky with mine, just to give you my example since we are both in the bay area. I got mine with 99k, all service records and mechanically sound, owner was a older professional from Marin and I paid $7,250. You really have to do whatever you can if you want to score a good one. There are plenty on craigslist, and they are not bad, but the question is how much money will you have to spend to get it where you want it? If your patient one will pop up. I also think at this point with these cars, having a color preference is tough unless your willing to really wait it out. I honestly didn't have a color preference but do like the black with designo interior. Id much rather have a well cared for one though, than one with a sketchy history and neglect just cause I like the color more. I agree higher mileage means little if its cared for, I actually looked at that obsidian one with a s55, the owners a great guy, but that car would need some serious work and money to get it tip top. Hold out and you'll get the right one. Good luck!
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 384
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From: SF bay area
2012 C63 P31 LSD-Current: My past 1999 C43, 2004 Clk55, 1999 C280 sport, 1995 C280
Also, Just my opinion, but these are not mid engine sports cars used on the weekends, I believe most have been daily driven. I rarely see any under 100k, and if they are they will be closer to $10k.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2005
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From: America
1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
Yep, if you find one with so few miles on it, it will fetch a mighty price. Saw TWO C36's with less than 60k miles on them fetching $15,000+.
A good 6-8k should fetch you a very clean and well maintained specimen with 100-170k miles. And that is nowhere near "high" for these cars. If you're new to them, you need to throw your previous notions of "high miles" out the window. "High" is more like 225k+. "Very high" is over 300k. But even then, it's not a definite indicator of any impending doom. It all depends on the car and its history. Factory original transmission fluid and filter? ...RUN. Relatively normal service history and no major collisions or flood damage? Very likely a great buy.
A good 6-8k should fetch you a very clean and well maintained specimen with 100-170k miles. And that is nowhere near "high" for these cars. If you're new to them, you need to throw your previous notions of "high miles" out the window. "High" is more like 225k+. "Very high" is over 300k. But even then, it's not a definite indicator of any impending doom. It all depends on the car and its history. Factory original transmission fluid and filter? ...RUN. Relatively normal service history and no major collisions or flood damage? Very likely a great buy.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2005
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From: America
1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
And on the white one with busted AC you mentioned, I'd definitely give it a good look. Stupid mods can be undone. But things like body/frame rust or a gutted interior will sink you.
Broken AC is the same situation as any car with ONE major exception: if its the evaporator then be ready to shell out 1800-2500 bucks to have it swapped. It's buried in the dash and takes many hours to replace. Two experienced techs could have it replaced in a whole day $$$$$. But you can simply take it to a shop for a pre purchase inspection and ask if they can diagnose the AC. The condenser died on both my C43's. $110 part, replaced it myself. Test drove a 2012 Audi S4 for a friend and my AC is still better!
Broken AC is the same situation as any car with ONE major exception: if its the evaporator then be ready to shell out 1800-2500 bucks to have it swapped. It's buried in the dash and takes many hours to replace. Two experienced techs could have it replaced in a whole day $$$$$. But you can simply take it to a shop for a pre purchase inspection and ask if they can diagnose the AC. The condenser died on both my C43's. $110 part, replaced it myself. Test drove a 2012 Audi S4 for a friend and my AC is still better!
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jun 2014
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W202 w/ a 5.4L V8
Yep, if you find one with so few miles on it, it will fetch a mighty price. Saw TWO C36's with less than 60k miles on them fetching $15,000+.
A good 6-8k should fetch you a very clean and well maintained specimen with 100-170k miles. And that is nowhere near "high" for these cars.
A good 6-8k should fetch you a very clean and well maintained specimen with 100-170k miles. And that is nowhere near "high" for these cars.
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,418
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From: America
1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
This was my expectation. I actually looked at the C36s you're talking about, they're in Costa Mesa, Ca, right? I drove the Red $8888 one but it was missing a number if interior buttons, the radio didn't work, it needed a headliner. Overall it was okay for the mileage but waay over priced IMO. The other two were in the showroom so I did a little window shopping and peeked inside them but I didn't drive them.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 424
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From: Grand Rapids, MI
99 C43 AMG, 2001 CLK55 AMG
my biggest advise to you is dont limit yourself to only searching within a few hours of where you live. California has lots of nice cars but when you are looking for something so specific then you need to broaden your horizons. i searched for mine 2 years ago, got EXACTLY what i wanted but i live in michigan and the car was in texas (i used autotrader). i did a lot of email and phone conversations with the owner and then when i was 99% sure i took a flight to texas and the car checked out and i drive it home 18 hours. the only think the owner was unaware of was a bad passenger seat adjust motor, we got an estimate on the spot and took that amount out of the purchase price.
it was a 99 black with 1 owner, only 60k miles and all documented scheduled maintenance. had i only looked in my region i would have had to settle for something less than what i wanted. There was another guy that was really interested and made her an offer on the car but i was quicker to actually go down there with the check in hand. I was also willing to wait, i was thinking abut a C32 but passed on a couple nice ones because they were a bit expensive or not in the shape i wanted.
yes the plane ticked technically added about $300 to the price of the car, but if you cant stomach that then the C43 is probably not the car for you. they are available at great prices now but think like seat motors, rotors, paint, etc will all cost a few hundred if you need to fix them, and C43 is not a car that you want to let fall apart in your hands, keep them alive and well!
good luck!
it was a 99 black with 1 owner, only 60k miles and all documented scheduled maintenance. had i only looked in my region i would have had to settle for something less than what i wanted. There was another guy that was really interested and made her an offer on the car but i was quicker to actually go down there with the check in hand. I was also willing to wait, i was thinking abut a C32 but passed on a couple nice ones because they were a bit expensive or not in the shape i wanted.
yes the plane ticked technically added about $300 to the price of the car, but if you cant stomach that then the C43 is probably not the car for you. they are available at great prices now but think like seat motors, rotors, paint, etc will all cost a few hundred if you need to fix them, and C43 is not a car that you want to let fall apart in your hands, keep them alive and well!
good luck!
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 636
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From: MN, USA
C43 5.4, ML320CDI, Fords
by the way, be prepared for a lot of failing headliners. at this point I'd bet that every single factory headliner has failed in every single w202 ever built. if it matters to you, look at it. if it's sagging or already falling, then it's factory original. if it looks tip top, make sure it was repaired correctly. personally, I don't care if they used non-MB material that doesn't quite match the color/fabric. I'm not fixing the headliners in both my C43's until I can afford to have them fixed the right way (and not some cheap shop gluing up a shower curtain)
It's heat that makes them sag, if you limit your parking outside in direct sun it won't ever happen. and if you do, cracking your sunroof, having a sunshade in your windshield (MB makes a custom fit 202 one) and have tinted windows, even on the hottest days the interior is barely hotter than outside temp. Compared to if you have windows up, and no sunshade in windshield, that could be a difference of 50 degrees inside your car.
Another reason to take the internet with a grain of salt, lots of regions have their own specific issues. See it all the time when I go to training with people all across the country, every place has unique issues that happens to just their region.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 384
Likes: 8
From: SF bay area
2012 C63 P31 LSD-Current: My past 1999 C43, 2004 Clk55, 1999 C280 sport, 1995 C280
Actually that is not true at all. In fact I don't know if I've ever once seen a sagging w202 headliner. I'm in Minnesota so maybe that is the difference. But I've had a couple 202's, so has my brother, buddy has one, and I work on these cars all day. So that may be a regional thing. My buddies c280 did have his sunroof sunshade fabric sag, but headliner is ok. But that car was also from Florida, so that may be why because I've never seen that either.
It's heat that makes them sag, if you limit your parking outside in direct sun it won't ever happen. and if you do, cracking your sunroof, having a sunshade in your windshield (MB makes a custom fit 202 one) and have tinted windows, even on the hottest days the interior is barely hotter than outside temp. Compared to if you have windows up, and no sunshade in windshield, that could be a difference of 50 degrees inside your car.
Another reason to take the internet with a grain of salt, lots of regions have their own specific issues. See it all the time when I go to training with people all across the country, every place has unique issues that happens to just their region.
It's heat that makes them sag, if you limit your parking outside in direct sun it won't ever happen. and if you do, cracking your sunroof, having a sunshade in your windshield (MB makes a custom fit 202 one) and have tinted windows, even on the hottest days the interior is barely hotter than outside temp. Compared to if you have windows up, and no sunshade in windshield, that could be a difference of 50 degrees inside your car.
Another reason to take the internet with a grain of salt, lots of regions have their own specific issues. See it all the time when I go to training with people all across the country, every place has unique issues that happens to just their region.
Thats good advice, the heat is the culprit with most interior issues. The one I just picked up has a perfect headliner and moonroof shade, so I think it depends how the car was cared for.
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,418
Likes: 194
From: America
1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
I've owned 4 w202s and they all had failed headliners. 2 of them coincidentally came from Florida. My original, 1994 c280 had 14k miles on it and was essentially brand new. I treated the interior like a virgin bathhouse and the headliner still died around 2004-2005. My parts car was a 95 from Florida owned since new by an old man, head gasket failed while he was passing through and he just gave it to the shop (I snagged that whole far for $450). My 98 C43 spent majority of its life in Michigan, headliner already taped up when I bought it. 99 c43 was severely sagging but had spent whole life in Florida, has since come down completely in the back.
Maybe I just have the worst luck?
Maybe I just have the worst luck?
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 199
Likes: 10
W202 w/ a 5.4L V8
my biggest advise to you is dont limit yourself to only searching within a few hours of where you live. California has lots of nice cars but when you are looking for something so specific then you need to broaden your horizons. i searched for mine 2 years ago, got EXACTLY what i wanted but i live in michigan and the car was in texas (i used autotrader). i did a lot of email and phone conversations with the owner and then when i was 99% sure i took a flight to texas and the car checked out and i drive it home 18 hours. the only think the owner was unaware of was a bad passenger seat adjust motor, we got an estimate on the spot and took that amount out of the purchase price.
it was a 99 black with 1 owner, only 60k miles and all documented scheduled maintenance. had i only looked in my region i would have had to settle for something less than what i wanted. There was another guy that was really interested and made her an offer on the car but i was quicker to actually go down there with the check in hand. I was also willing to wait, i was thinking abut a C32 but passed on a couple nice ones because they were a bit expensive or not in the shape i wanted.
yes the plane ticked technically added about $300 to the price of the car, but if you cant stomach that then the C43 is probably not the car for you. they are available at great prices now but think like seat motors, rotors, paint, etc will all cost a few hundred if you need to fix them, and C43 is not a car that you want to let fall apart in your hands, keep them alive and well!
good luck!
it was a 99 black with 1 owner, only 60k miles and all documented scheduled maintenance. had i only looked in my region i would have had to settle for something less than what i wanted. There was another guy that was really interested and made her an offer on the car but i was quicker to actually go down there with the check in hand. I was also willing to wait, i was thinking abut a C32 but passed on a couple nice ones because they were a bit expensive or not in the shape i wanted.
yes the plane ticked technically added about $300 to the price of the car, but if you cant stomach that then the C43 is probably not the car for you. they are available at great prices now but think like seat motors, rotors, paint, etc will all cost a few hundred if you need to fix them, and C43 is not a car that you want to let fall apart in your hands, keep them alive and well!
good luck!
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 940
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From: Chapel Hill, NC/Montreal, QC
1995 C36 AMG, 1998 C43 AMG
Thanks Dziner82. I've looked as far north as Canada and as far east as NJ. The only reason I haven't really considered a car that far east is that shipping will add about $1000 to the price of the car. That changes a good looking car to an overpriced one (in my eyes). On the flip side of that coin, Seattle, Portland, Dallas are all places that seem reasonable distances. I have one going in for an inspection later this week and if all checks out, I might make it mine. We shall see what develops.
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Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 199
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W202 w/ a 5.4L V8
Just my .02, but while shipping seems easier, I would recommend getting the car in person every time. Because of how few of these cars there are, there is no way to really know the condition of everything 100% unless you see it yourself. Unless you go to a dealer, there are plenty of mechanics (and even a few dealers) that don't know much about these cars. Plus there's no better way to get to know a new car than to drive it home for a few hours.
