Hello all, I'll get to the point.
I am looking at a few different cars including a C43, C32 & a W210/W211 E500.
I see the numbers are pretty close in acceleration etc. but will the c43 be the more fun car to drive despite its earlier manufacture?
If so, Will this be because of its AMG underpinnings & extras?
Will the E500 be better because of it's newer build & evolutionary improvements?

I want to beat up on the guy in the 4 series that keeps passing me on the local onramp...

Yes I know they are different classes but frankly they are almost the same size to me. (raised on 70's cadillacs)

Thank you all for your opinion.
Harry

 

4 series is a newer platform depending on what model owner have?


maybe the c32 is a better choice if you want warp speed.
the c43 is a better built car which will outlast the c32 and the e500 as has beens.

please don't take this the wrong way!
it seems like you wanna have a taller dikk ego-fooking an unknown driver in a 4-series car on the local onramp with the risk causing a collision or risking other peoples lives?
that's no good dude!

driving fast is fun when it's on safe roads only, risking other peoples lives is not!
enjoy your ride coming home safe.

 

Why not W210 or W211 E55? They're pretty much the same price as the 500s.

 

Thank you for your response. I understand what you are saying... I would never endanger other drivers for the sake of proving myself. That being said the amount of asshat drivers here in LA driving BMW products is literally an cancer on the roads... talk about unsafe driving bimmer drivers are undoubtedly the worst offenders.
As much as I want to blow this 4 series' doors off I also am seeking this car as a sort of mid life crisis car... something fun and handy as well as go fast. Restoring the glory days of my 383 challenger & my 68 Torino GT fastback 427 medium riser.

I can honestly say that going fast is just as important as stopping fast. the way people drive here sometimes requires a good stomp on the go pedal. and in a world with 300 horsepower camrys sometimes my 245 hp volvo just doesn't cut the mustard.

Of course all this is moot if the C class is not big enough for me & my needs. (I'm rotund)

W211 E55 would be great, i'm checking craigslist every day.
I guess my biggest issue is that I am trying to keep a cap of $4500 on this foray.

The other products in this search are a clk, a GS400, a late saab 9-3 v6 turbo & a WRX.
Any suggestions?

Harry

 

you could probably get a c43 for less than 4500 if you are patient, but c43 might not be fast enough for you and theres not much you can do to change that aside from swap in a bigger engine or frankenstein the car with a m113k. both of those options might be outside your budget though

 

wonder what Beemer drivers think about MB drivers?
is it the same hatred against us?

 

i hate everyone equally

 

you hate their guts!

 

 

 

I own both (my E500 is a 4Matic wagon). My E500 has more torque on paper, but of course more weight and drivetrain loss. Nonetheless, I notice the bump in torque in the E500.

For speed/acceleration, they're about the same. The E500 is easier to drive, but the C43 is more fun/agile despite having heavier steering. The C43 is easier to work on, but the E500 has more convenience features like built-in nav, ventilated seats, etc.

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions!

 

211 e500 is a much better car. They never made a 210 500 at least in USA.

 

I'm biased but i think the C43 is much cooler, more interesting, and fun car. It also will be far cheaper to maintain due to not having air suspension. However the w211 is way bigger, nicer, more comfortable, and modern

 

I can't believe you can get a C43 for only $4500 now! That was one of my favorite cars I've ever owned RIP. If you can find one for around that price and in decent condition, they are wonderful cars. Might not be the fastest car off the line but mine was really quick from 50mph and above. I use to have a few videos of it doing 155mph with no issues. I'd get the C43 over the E500 all day (major suspension issues$$$$) but if you can find an W210 E55 for around the same money, get it. The E55 AMG has always had more of an aftermarket following and is just a better motor. It's also quicker in every way. The transmission in them was built much better than the C43 also, I never had any issues with my C43 tranny but I use to see folks that did. Not pretty. Good luck and post up pictures when you find something!

 

this was shaping up to be an interesting thread, but i stopped reading after i saw your budget of $4500 in the 3rd or 4th thread....
all of these cars will end up costing you double of that within 18 months if you buy one at that price.

for that price buy a 4th gen F-body with the LS1, at least that one wont cost you $500 for basic parts when they need replaced. or for $4500 you might actually find one that everything still works on.

maybe im crazy, but thats my 2 cents worth.

 

This guy works for a dealer and has a mid 12 second C32 AMG for sale for $5500. It's pretty much what you're looking for and near your price range. Pm him. Here's the link https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c...-2002-c32.html

 

to be fair, a 4th gen F body that came with the LS1 in that price range is going to be a far worse money pit. also, that early-year infamous piston slap that plagued LS motors for years, and replacing the engine in an F-body is considerably more involved an expensive than even doing a 55 swap in a C43 (you have to lift the car off the engine while its still attached to the entire front suspension)

but working LS1-powered f-bodies in decent shape go for $7500+

either way, I doubt OP is looking to dump money into a rocket. he wants a practical and reliable daily driver that has a fighting chance at merging on the highway. a $4500 C43 would fit that role perfectly

 

F-body may not be everyones cup of tea, but Fbody's are plentiful and cheap in Michigan, nice ones can be had for 4500, much nicer than a 4500 C43 your gonna find. and there is literally 10x more places that have parts availability and lower pricing then Merc AMG parts. dont forget if you hit a damn raccoon with the c43 its a $900 front bumper + paint. oh and dont forget the $400 front brake rotors. its not all about the initial purchase price with these cars.

the internet loves to talk about how cheap C43s can be had for, but let me know when you find that $4500 C43 that doesn't need at least $2000 worth of electronics repaired. but a functioning one i suppose is possible - if you dont mind 5-7 things not working on it.

 

ARE YOU KIDDING? the c43 is sooo reliable! it will reliably cost you a lot of money to repair and maintain!

i really didnt buy it because it is a reliable car, i bought it because i liked the way it drove, the interior fit and finish, and essentially the fact that it is a rare car

also i will say that these cars are only as good as their last owners, there are ALWAYS going to be a lot of things to replace when you buy a vehicle approaching 20 years of age (that is until you replace everything which will cost you more than what you bought the vehicle for)

you want a car that will probably not need any work for 10 years then buy a 5 year old lexus

 

buying cheap doesn't cope with hiccup free owning a C43.
cheap cars with problems will cost ya an arm and a leg to get the C43 in good condition.


save money and buy a newer car with warranties from delaership if yo want hiccup free ownership.

 

well, f-bodies were built in Detroit afterall. maybe there are just way more of them up there? down here they build the nissan leaf and altima and they make up half the cars on the road. I would lease a Leaf if it would get me to work and back every day, but my commute is 100 miles a day and that's just too close to the range limit.

but i do i love LS motors. a neighbor has a 1987 FC Mazda RX7 for sale for $500, it's just begging for a 5.3 LS and a T56... If I'm about to spend this kinda money on a fun v8 powered project car, I'd have it in my garage right now in pieces.

but here's my local CL search for pontiac trans am. anything 1998 or later is LS1 powered: https://nashville.craigslist.org/sea...%20am&sort=rel

the cheapest one is 4800 bucks and it is in very rough shape. clean ones are as high as 16k and not even upgraded/modified horsepower factories. my father in law had a WS6 that he purchased brand new, but it broke and sat in his garage for 10 years, and he sold it last year for $7500 with damage from hitting a deer that ruined the front bumper, headlight, and fender. that bumper was going to cost him $600 used, before paint work! but maybe it's because the ws6 bumper is different from normal TA bumpers?

but anyway, I don't mind the $400 brake rotors. any part that lasts 70k+ miles doesn't bother me unless it's something really fragile, but brake rotors are solid metal and should last another 70k+ miles. still WAY cheaper than a car payment! my wife's new car costs us $350 per month or 4200/year. my 99 C43 was 4k and my 98 C43 was 2k. aside from my wife crashing into someone in my 99, it's been basically bulletproof. the only thing that has never worked is the horn, and I've never looked into fixing it because I don't use my horn. my 98 C43 needed a water pump, oil cooler gasket, and driveshaft support bearing. so for about $500 I had it fixed. my wife daily drove that car for 3 years and never had an issue, everything worked. i still daily drive my 99 C43 and it has over 307k miles on the chassis! upgrading it to a C55 did cost me around 3500 in total, but it didn't need that, I just wanted MORE POWER and a hand-made 5.4l motor from AMG was only around 1k. the cheapest LS1 I can find on ebay right now is 2500 bucks, 330hp, and it's from a 1998 T/A with 193k miles.

and now i can't stop thinking about buying my neighbor's RX7... ugh, being broke sucks.

 

Never heard of anyone spending 2000 on c43 electrical issues.

Even a early c36 with harness issues will cost less than that to fix.



If your c43 has electrical issues, someones been messing with it. Thats one area where these cars are really reliable.

 

I can confirm that the 43 is reliable as a vehicle getting on to 20 years of age can be. Regular maintenance is a must and changing parts when they die is an on going affair. Normal as nothing is eternal. Little electronics that can go wrong and it probably is one of the last models you can DIY without a degree in electronic engineering.
I wonder how many cars of today will still be on the road 20 years from now with all the fancy gadgets inside, not forgetting the availability of parts...

 

i meant "electronic", not electrical;
1. does the sunroof control work correctly?
2. are any of the speakers blown?
3. does the pneumatic seat/lock system work properly (no leaks?)
4. Does the air conditioning work?
5. is the BAS/ABS light constantly on?
6. If you have a rear sunshade - does that switch actually work?
7. do the seat postion controls work?

those things can easily be $500 to fix as DIY, or well over $2000 at a shop. actually if you had to fix all of those at a shop it would probably be over $4000.

I love my C43, but i budget $2000 a year to keep it in 100% working order. which is nice because i dont have a car payment. but i think a few of us are just echoing the thought that these are not cars that everything always just works on.
the issues i mentioned above are pretty common on older cars. i didnt even mention all the other small things i personally had to get fixed on this car because that may only be my unlucky car

it sounds like 1-2 of you guys seem to be lucky and dont have hardly any repairs, but i would say that is not the norm.

also, you can save tons of money buy doing the research or if you just have experience on fixing cars. i dont have much experience and more importantly i dont have time or desire to spend 5 hours on a weekend trying to diagnose and fix something... unless its something that would cost $1000 at a shop.
also, most parts you will need you cannot just pick up at a parts store, almost always have to order them in.

the C43 is an amazing car with timeless design, but i just didnt think it fit what the OP said he was looking for with a $4500 budget.

one last note - at any given time you can probably only find about 10 C43's for sale in the whole country, so you can only choose from whats available. there is only 3 on autotrader right now, and one is priced at $40,000...
the other is $9000

but you were right about the V8LS1 f-bodies; cheapest ones are $6500 on up - but there is about 200 of those on autotrader alone.