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hi guys. Thank you for the add. Looking forward to soon owning a c43 AMG. I found one real close to me but need some advice/guidance.
1998 imperial red c43 AMG (salvaged)
180k miles
CarFax shows damage in the front left fender and rear right quarter panel and that it was salvaged by the insurance. Seller says it’s never been repainted, drives straight and strong. Would need to inspect the undercarriage to make sure the frame is not damaged)
Car comes with the original chrome MONO wheels plus some Lorinser LM5 rims (will probably sell them if I buy the car). No original stereo too.
My question is, is $3k fair? That’s the lowest he will take.
who has been chewing on steering wheel it looks very nasty.
car has a very nice color Imperialistic Red.
value of this car is only if you want to pay $3 grand for it?
there will be some work needed to get it back in good condition.
do you want to spend monie on fix her up or keep looking for a better car which is clean?
who has been chewing on steering wheel it looks very nasty.
car has a very nice color Imperialistic Red.
value of this car is only if you want to pay $3 grand for it?
there will be some work needed to get it back in good condition.
do you want to spend monie on fix her up or keep looking for a better car which is clean?
yea the steering wheel isn’t is a bit beat up.
He was asking 4800 but ended up telling me last night that if I pick it up this weekend, that he would take 3,000 for it.
how much money/what is it that you see that will be needed to fix her up? I wouldn’t mind fixing her up.
body on this car is it crooked like a politician or being straight?
bodywork ain't cheap to fix.
getting a replacement steering wheel isn't cheap.
there are probably other bits needing fixing, this will be DIY car for you.
maybe worth $2 grand?
you need cash to fix her up, I would offer seller way below $3 grand.
he says it’s straight. I’ll be seeing it tomorrow and driving it. What’s a steering wheel usually go for?
Theres some interior bits that newd replacing. I work at a euro shop as a tech, so getting little stuff would be at my cost and not retail so that should help a little.
Hw has the car posted for 45 but is letting it go for 3. Maybe once I’m there with cash I can talk him into 28 or so.
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)
Originally Posted by Sulaco
Not sure what happened to my original reply.
Yes I would love to pay 3k for that car. They are getting harder and harder to find and this is a very rare color.
Yeah, like you my response posted earlier today has disappeared.
Regarding the OP's question, I would say that it needs some work to get it spick and span. However before handing over any cash, I would take a very close look underneath for any rust. All those vehicles from the late 90's and early 00's were prone to metal cancer
98 C43, 15 Alfa 4C LE, 18 Tesla Model 3 DM Perf, 08 Duc S1000, 02 Duc 998, 98 Duc 748, 01 Miata
Luckily the doors and fenders (other than rolling the lip) are pretty standard fare. That trim piece on the right rear is likely going to be challenging to find as it is C43 specific. For $3k, as long as you don't find rust in the body and that C-pillar on the passenger side is just surface damage, I would do it. If that C-pillar damage is actually in the metal, I wouldn't bother unless you want to turn it into a track car.
Lol you' replies didn't disappear... There is another thread in a different forum. New member check in or something like that.
Agree, car is worth what you want to pay. Red c43 is tough to find so maybe worth it if the damage isn't too bad.
I think we can give you a better answer if you explain why you want this car and what its use will be.
If you are looking for a reliable dd, then 3 is probably ok if you give it a good inspection. Do yourself a favor and pay $100 for a ppi. It will be the best $100 you spend. Also if the ppi shows problems you can use that information to convince seller to sell at a lower price.
If you are looking for an example or weekend driver than 3k might be too much depending on damage. It already has a defect in title so not prime for example or collect.
A cheap Mercedes is the most expensive car you'll ever buy... Watch out and go for the ppi!!!
Lol you' replies didn't disappear... There is another thread in a different forum. New member check in or something like that.
Agree, car is worth what you want to pay. Red c43 is tough to find so maybe worth it if the damage isn't too bad.
I think we can give you a better answer if you explain why you want this car and what its use will be.
If you are looking for a reliable dd, then 3 is probably ok if you give it a good inspection. Do yourself a favor and pay $100 for a ppi. It will be the best $100 you spend. Also if the ppi shows problems you can use that information to convince seller to sell at a lower price.
If you are looking for an example or weekend driver than 3k might be too much depending on damage. It already has a defect in title so not prime for example or collect.
A cheap Mercedes is the most expensive car you'll ever buy... Watch out and go for the ppi!!!
The car would be used for DD purposes. Drive to work, drive down to LA or SF (3 hours) on weekends every other month or so. With 180k miles, my question would be how reliable will it be. I understand some maintance will be needed and that’s no time an issue as I would be doing the work and buying the parts at cost through my shop I work at.
Not looking for a show piece but i do love to keep my cars clean and presentable. What draws me away a little is the salvage title but if the body checks out clean, i dont mind to much. Once im ready to move on, probably when the car hits over 200k miles or i find another c43 id like to sell this close to those $3k but i feel like the title hurts that.
the fact that its a red c43 draws me more to it too, but maybe im jusy being impatient. How many miles can these cars go with good maintance?
Luckily the doors and fenders (other than rolling the lip) are pretty standard fare. That trim piece on the right rear is likely going to be challenging to find as it is C43 specific. For $3k, as long as you don't find rust in the body and that C-pillar on the passenger side is just surface damage, I would do it. If that C-pillar damage is actually in the metal, I wouldn't bother unless you want to turn it into a track car.
The white stuff on the C-pillar was from a liquid he forgot to wipe off, he said that’s cleaned up but I guess I won’t know what the body is like until I go see it hopefully tomorrow. If I do find rust, damage or repaint I’ll probably end up passing and waiting.
C43 is a very reliable car but requires regular maintenance. This is a very great car if you like to diy. Most repairs can be done yourself if you have the space and the tools, you don't have to be a professional mechanic.
Id recommend a different car if you plan on taking it to a mechanic for every little thing because it will add up.
You can expect this car to probably run forever if you do regular maintenance and preventative maintenance. You should also expect a few repairs here and there but you can head a lot of that off if you really go over everything. Going over everything can add up even if you do it yourself, money wise for parts and time wise to get it done.
Any Mercedes is very easy to run into the ground without proper care but with proper care it will run and run and run.
Engines for this car can be had relatively cheap, straight replacement for $500 or less. Upgrade to the 5.4 for just a little more. Have seen those engines go from $900 up to 1500-2000
That said, a lot of people will say you are going to end up spending money and time so you should get something worthwhile.
You can lease a new car for $300/month? 3k would get you 10 months... If you spend another 3k on repairs that would be 20 months. I mean if you're looking to buy and dump for something nicer later it's an option to think about
98 C43, 15 Alfa 4C LE, 18 Tesla Model 3 DM Perf, 08 Duc S1000, 02 Duc 998, 98 Duc 748, 01 Miata
Mine has been incredibly reliable. Mass airflow sensor, an idler pulley, and seals for the oil cooler. Otherwise, it has been standard maintenance. This particular car is probably not an investment car (who knows if any C43's really are) but it should make a hell of a daily driver/fun car for $3k. I'd take it any day over any domestic V8 that would be anywhere close to that price range.
C43 is a very reliable car but requires regular maintenance. This is a very great car if you like to diy. Most repairs can be done yourself if you have the space and the tools, you don't have to be a professional mechanic.
Id recommend a different car if you plan on taking it to a mechanic for every little thing because it will add up.
You can expect this car to probably run forever if you do regular maintenance and preventative maintenance. You should also expect a few repairs here and there but you can head a lot of that off if you really go over everything. Going over everything can add up even if you do it yourself, money wise for parts and time wise to get it done.
Any Mercedes is very easy to run into the ground without proper care but with proper care it will run and run and run.
Engines for this car can be had relatively cheap, straight replacement for $500 or less. Upgrade to the 5.4 for just a little more. Have seen those engines go from $900 up to 1500-2000
That said, a lot of people will say you are going to end up spending money and time so you should get something worthwhile.
You can lease a new car for $300/month? 3k would get you 10 months... If you spend another 3k on repairs that would be 20 months. I mean if you're looking to buy and dump for something nicer later it's an option to think about
these AMG engines could really be had for that cheap?
What should i keep an eye out for when I go look at it tomorrow?
If you can work on the car DIY by yourself, $3K is good deal. But if you need to take to a shop for everything then not worth it.
I bought a 2002 W210 with "good condition" 2 years ago $9K, the guy was asking $10K so talk down to $9K.
I spent $4K fixing that car then sold it for $9K in 1 year. Good luck !
98 C43, 15 Alfa 4C LE, 18 Tesla Model 3 DM Perf, 08 Duc S1000, 02 Duc 998, 98 Duc 748, 01 Miata
Originally Posted by S2k_9k
these AMG engines could really be had for that cheap?
What should i keep an eye out for when I go look at it tomorrow?
Oil leaks, especially around the valve covers and the front of the engine (not that you wouldn't buy it, just work that would have to be done). If you have a code scanner, check that the car hasn't been reset right before you showed up to look at it. Hopefully the guy has records, so look through those and look specifically for transmission services. I would check out the rubber in the suspension and drivetrain, but you can expect to have to do a suspension refresh if you own the vehicle for any real amount of time unless he happened to do one recently. If you can find a good independent shop to take a look over it nearby, that is always a good investment of $100-$200.
SO I didn’t buy the car. Made a 6 hour round trip for nothing. Owner never told me the car had bondo/sloppy repaint. I get there and first thing I notice is the horrible body work that had been done. So I turn around and get right back into my car. So my search continues.
22 X3, 21 330e, 97 M3, 97 C36 (sold), but on the hunt for a clean, low-mile C43!
Originally Posted by S2k_9k
SO I didn’t buy the car. Made a 6 hour round trip for nothing. Owner never told me the car had bondo/sloppy repaint. I get there and first thing I notice is the horrible body work that had been done. So I turn around and get right back into my car. So my search continues.
I hear ya...similar thing happened to me a few years ago with another car, although I didn't drive 6 hours, thank God. But the ad pics weren't great and the owner wasn't very forthcoming via email, so I decided to bite the bullet and make the 1 hour drive. It took me all of 3 seconds to decide I didn't want the car when I saw it. It had been sitting outside under some nasty sap tree for at least a year, and was oxidized beyond recognition. Again, I just don't get why/how people neglect these, or any cars that at one point were $55K+ cars. I mean somewhere along its ownership, someone had to have made the conscious decision to just let the car go to ****. I want to be able to go back to that point in time and just beat that idiot over the head with a 2x4 and say "WTF are you thinking??!". Ugh...
Anyway, hey PJMak, sounds like this badboy is now all you!!
someone trying to sell Suzuki samuria online. shows great pictures, claims clean title, makes an outrageous claim that he has owned 20 and this is the cleanest example he has ever owned but for $$$ reasons he is selling. I bite and start with emails. blah blah blah, after a couple I ask him for vin. he gets really fussy and has an excuse that he isn't comfortable giving me the vin because I am not a serious buyer and just some guy from the internet. I can come see the car with money in hand and if I decide to buy then he will give me the vin. uh huh sure
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