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Well, I went and "upgraded"! But my w202 will never leave!
New job, new pay check, and new car needs. My w202 is fine for commuting and makes an excellent daily, but not so handy on road trips. My wife's Jeep Compass is only a little bit better. Plus with over 300k miles on the w202 it was time to do some heavy work on it and park it.
So, after digging around and doing a lot of soul-searching I figured out what I wanted. One thing my w202 has taught me is that I always want my cars to be unique and special just like my C43/55. It's odd, rare, very practical, very reliable, and a complete blast to drive. I love that car more than any other car on the road. After so many years and miles, I never love it any less. It's just an all around fantastic car that has affected my opinion of all the other cars I ever have to drive.
So, whatever I replaced it with had to be special, too:
It's a 2005 E55 AMG Estate! 136k miles. Long tube headers, no cats, supercharger pulley upgrade, and an ECU tune. It has 522hp and 590 ft lbs of torque at the crank. Around town it's a complete kitten to drive, but when I punch it she will absolutely scream! From 0 until about 80mph the thing is just unparalleled acceleration from anything else I've driven. It's just a big smile on my face every time. I'm a little bit scared of it... But the strange part is that 80mph and beyond my C43/55 isn't that far behind. They feel very similar in performance at those speeds. The very tall gearing in the w202 really serves it well at higher speeds! It puts the power down!
So, now my w202 will be torn apart. She'll get paint, headliner, a bunch of small fixes, completely refreshed suspension and steering, refinished wheels and better performance tires, and a MANUAL TRANSMISSION!
2006 E55 AMG/1996 C36 AMG/1999 C43/55 AMG/2021 Toyota Tundra Crew Max TRD Sport Premium
Congrats Sulaco! That is indeed a very special estate that looks to be in pristine condition. Great to see it go to someone who’ll care for it and preserve it. I feel the very same about my C43/55 and I’ll never part with it. My son feels the same about his C36. It will be torn down this Spring and be painted Selinite gray metallic.
From: Land of mountains, cheese, chocolate and watches
12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG + Ultima Can-Am sold)
Great looking vehicle and nice size if you have a family. My wish to go with the "old" c43 would be for the smaller C class w204 with the NA V8. That's a beast!
Very nice man. Gotta put stock rims on and make it the ultimate sleeper
I agree! I love sleepers and don't care much for aftermarket rims. I'm getting the 4th wheel fixed soon so I can return to stock.
Originally Posted by DRBC43AMG
Great looking vehicle and nice size if you have a family. My wish to go with the "old" c43 would be for the smaller C class w204 with the NA V8. That's a beast!
Yeah, but even the first run of C63 with the m156 was above my price range. Plus the early ones can have really awful cam and headbolt issues requiring a used $10k engine replacement. Plus they DRINK GAS like you wouldn't believe. The 5.4 komp motors do pretty decent MPG if you drive normally. I averaged 20mpg in a 500hp 4700lbs car over a 4 hour road trip. Not bad.
Last edited by Sulaco; Jan 8, 2018 at 02:03 PM.
Reason: Ttpo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
