Hey all. I've come to a tough decision that I need your help with: I can't decide if I want to sell my Subaru WRX and buy an older AMG model mercedes. It's mainly to become less in-debt. The Subaru has the following:
2005 WRX Sedan
STI part: vf39 Turbo, 555c injectors, TMIC
Invidia Q300 Exhuast
OEM downpipe, Perrin Uppipe
2.1 Stroker. (2.0 heads, bored out long stroke, sounds like a little disel)
JE forged internals (blueprinted and mapped)
Lowered .5 on H&R sport springs

So in all, close to 10k if not a little over invested. 290AWHP 300ft-lbs.

I'd ask maybe 13k for it. I want to replace it with an older-model AMG. I'm realllly leaning towards a C43 AMG. I grew up driving a 190E for my first car. Now that belongs to my younger brother! And my other younger brother bought his own 190E. My dad (who started this whole family merc obsession) drives a new C300 4matic.

I know I'd be trading down in performance, but something about an older fast merc with that W202 styling really speaks to me. Not to mention owning a legend

What do you think? Is it worth the tradeoff?

PS. Never before driven a C43 or any AMG mercedes before. I live in Boise, ID area.

You actually wouldn't be trading down in performance if you went with a c43. The c43 is 306HP/302ft.lbs from the factory. Granted, I'm sure the c43 weighs a little more than your WRX. But then again, there are plenty of things you can do to get even more power in there. Now one trade off you might have is a loss in handling, but that can be rectified on a W202 with a little investment in suspension upgrades, which obviously, you're not afraid of doing.

Now, you didn't mention, but I assume, that your WRX is manual. The C43 will not be. They were all automatic. As were the c36's. And as far as I know, there aren't any manual swaps out there for the C43 (I may be wrong there) but the c36 can be swapped with a 5 speed out of a w201/w124, or even a 6 speed out of a 2001-2005 w203 c230 Compressor.

I think, and of course I am biased (as we all will be here), that if you are looking for a fun to drive, powerful, sporty sedan that's rare to boot, AND you want to get out of monthly payments, then the w202 is a good way to go!

Oh, and also... the sound of a C43.... well, there are no words.... it's just down right amazing.

That's also what I would be looking forward to is that big angry V8 growl. And you are correct assuming it a manual tranny.. 5 speed. How do you think my asking price is for the Subaru? Fair?

Follow up question, how is the automatic trans in the C43? I've heard good and bad, but from your experience?
Thank you for the reply!

Well, I really can't speak for the c43 trans, I have a c36, and mine is the older 4 speed 722.3 trans. the 97 C36's and all C43's had a 5 speed auto.

As for your price, there a 2004 WRX for sale near me with far fewer upgrades than yours, and they are asking $13.5, so I'd say that you're price is fair. But it's also hard to say with out knowing more about the car/seeing it.

Right! Pictures!

I was in a very similar situationa 1.5 years ago. I was looking at 02 bug eye subarus and I ran into a 99 c43 in the back of a dealership. I dont regret getting the c43 it pulls strong and is immediate. the v8 amg tuned engine sounds aggressive (especially when u do reso deletes and or muffler deletes) a downfall is that the modifcations just arent there as they would be in a subaru. that being said I have vogtland springs and bilstein shocks and Im sure I can hang in the corners with any of the new boys. pros and cons in both cars. the c43 is ultimately a heck of a lot more rare than the common wrx. just follow your heart I guess ahah.

Some slight modifications to what is said above. The C43 makes 302 hp at the crank, but generally around 240 hp at the rear wheels. Drivetrain loss between the automatic Mercedes and AWD Subaru should be pretty similar, so you're going to be losing around 50-60 hp relative to your WRX.

Also, the 5 speed from the W201 can bolt up the C36 engine, but I hadn't heard that the W203 tranny would bolt up, so that would be news to me. The 6 speed bolted to the M112 V6 in the C320, Crossfire, SLK320, etc should bolt up to the M113 V8 in the C43, but I haven't heard from someone who has successfully done the swap and managed the electronic side of things. I would love to try at some point.

The C43 is a 4 door GT car. It cruises easily at triple digit speeds, it is comfortable, and it is solid. I think the biggest difference (if you buy a good one) is just going to be in the overall fit and finish and materials. It is another league relative to a Subaru. However, it is not going to be as Sporty as the Subaru. You're a little more isolated from the road, so it doesn't provide a lot of feedback through the controls. My C43 has been incredibly reliable, so you got that going for it. They're definitely different animals, even if they share four doors and a taste for speed. I'd go try to drive one and see what you think. Take a WRX, mature it about 15 years, give it a nice tailored suit, but still just a hint of hooliganism and you've got an idea of the C43.

The m111 used in the w203 c230 kompressor up to 2005 shares the same bell housing as the m102/103/104. It will swap into a c36, its been done before. It will require modification of the shifter and the floor of the car, but it will work. The 5 speed out of a 201 or 124 would be a direct bolt on.

+1 visited with a guy who has swapped both into his 36. First the 5 then swapped in the 6. Very nice and knowledgable guy. Has a shop in Northern California.

Gotcha. Good info, thanks

I like the suit analogy! The C43 is obviously no slouch, but how about for daily driving? It would be my soul mode of transportation. The car will be located in Boise for the next year, and then to Seattle, WA.
The reason I say this is because I'm wondering how the car does in snow or rain? I'd rather not slide it into a railing the first winter I have it.

Mine is on summer performance tires, so it sucks in the winter. However, with appropriate tires, it shouldn't be too bad. Heated seats are key. The engine heats up quickly; it gets up to temp a lot quicker than my Accord, which is nice when it is cold and you want heat. There is also a Winter mode on the transmission that gets you started in second gear to help avoid wheel spin and I believe it may also engage a longer reverse gear for the same reason.

However, at the end of the day it is RWD and the WRX is AWD. Perhaps someone with some experience on snow tires can provide better info.

others here have commented the car is better than expected in snowy weather.

I know both my C43's do a better job in wet weather than my old 94 C280 or 94 E320. My wife has no idea what she's doing and she has zero problems in rough weather in the C43. It's surprisingly confident on slick roads. It never snows here, so I can only speak to wet roads.

As for regular daily driver? I absolutely love it. It's the perfect blend of tame and angry. If I feather it, it behaves like a classic Mercedes with a little stiffer shocks. If I hoon it, it's rewarding and fun. It's more muscle car than sports car.

Good to know it can hold its own in the ice. I hope it's true! Ill have to buy some studded ice tires to be safe. As much as I love snow and winter and snowboarding, I'm fairly excited for this years to be over. I decided I'd sell my Subaru after I get one more winter out of it!

I have another question.. In my brothers 2005 e320 4matic, his seats have the inflating bolsters and lumbar support. The bolsters kick in when you corner, they inflate the left or right side respective to the direction you're turning. Does the C43 have this same system? How does it work?

As far as I know, C43 has same system. I never use it, so can't comment on the "inflates the opposite direction you're turning" thing.

The C43 has something like pneumatic seats where you can basically adjust everything (bolder, lumbar support, etc etc). But you can only do it when stopped and it does not inflate or deflate while driving like some newer german cars do these days. You cannot change the pneumatic / orthopedic seat positioning while driving even if the seating position can be adjusted whenever you want. Hope this helps !

something must be wrong with your controller or something, I can adjust mine while driving (inflate/deflate)

Mine work while driving as well.

You are talking about dynamic seats.. NO the c43 does not have this. The c43 has multi contour seats which allows you to adjust the lumbar, bolsters, and the front cushion length. No massage feature either.. That is my favorite.

The c43 will not be as quick as your wrx. It will go down the road better (if its up to par) and you will notice better quality through out the whole car. The wrx is just another cheap Japanese car. The c43 is pretty bulletproof. Just do your proper maintenance.
When you want more power, a 55 engine swap is a bolt in affair and literally transforms the car.

That picture made my heart skip a beat. God, so gorgeous.

I like the wrx. My wife wants one of the newer ones and i think it would sit nicely next to a c43 but if you get a decent example of a c43 you wont regret it one second

It can be muscle, sports, or luxury vehicle while a subaru cant

You look at those huge rotors and you know whats up

Dear Lord that C43 is stunning. What wheels are those? I'd like the same sort of look. Lowered a small bit, new wheels, dark tint. Clean, classy, un-molested perfection.