Hey guys, I am picking up a 1999 C43 AMG on Thursday. Flying out to Vegas and driving it home to Mass from there. Looking to complete the trip by Sunday, hopefully sooner. What should I look out for? What are the issues that pop up with this car that may cause concern?

A little about the car:
95k miles
HPS gen 1 S/C (397 RWHP)
E55 brakes
H&R Sport Cup Kit (Shocks & springs)
A lot of other custom work but the car loos great from pics.

I am looking forward to a good 2k+ mile shake down drive with this car.

Also, if you have any ideas on things to see and hit on the drive, let me know !

 

Welcome.
Car looks great!
Please post interior pics and pics of the engine bay.

This is a very nice looking paint.
Has it been custom repainted?
What was the original paint code for this car?
You can see the plate with rivets above the electrical fans when you pop the hood.

Problems are few or many?
Bootlock not working
Hinges/brackets on boot snaps
Oxygen sensors fail
MAF fails
RUST!!!!!!!!
ACC head unit fails with pixel errors.
Cluster with tiptronic function fails with pixel errors, the old style 98-99 cluster seems to hold up better.
Oil leaks from engine.
Tranny problems if not taken care of ATF changes?
Expensive front AMG rotors

And probably many other things..........................?

 

Congra. bro.,

love this gray shade, looks soooo Awesome..,

like the lowering as well..,,

why E55 brakes..?!?, C43 already has it..

-;ZAYED;-

 

As of right now, I do not know of any problems. We'll find out Thursday though. The owner says everything is kosher as of now, just a few minor cosmetic things that need to be addressed. The owner told me they were E55 brakes, are they the same as the 43 brakes?







Here are some interior pics.

 

Really nice bride,,

yeah sure, "W202 C43 & W208 CLK55 & W210 E55",,

all these sharing the same brakes..

-;ZAYED;-

 

Car used to be stock grey before?
Front support bar is black, any previous front collision?

 

It was originally black. Had an accident in '03, but the repaint was much later after that.

 

The inner fender on drivers side next to the washer fluid looks grey?
Did the car get another replacement fender with different color?

As long as you're happy with it that's all that matters.

 

It got a full repaint. Everything was done, engine bay, door jambs, etc.

 

you got the whip?

 

Good luck with it. I prefer to buy things stock and original and modify it myself if I want, exactly how I want. I don't trust most others work, many times you're buying their problems. Maybe it'll work out for you though, have a good ride back hopefully you miss the snow.

 

Picked it up Thursday and got home from driving it last night. I will be changing the suspension and the wheels/tires, but other than that the car is really nice. Power is impressive with the supercharger. The previous owner, and the original owner both took great care of this car and it really shows. There was nothing that went wrong. Some of you guys are too funny.

 

Are you bringing it back to stock or gonna have a different set of wheels and still low?

I remember this car from way back. The owner has been a member here for a while

 

I am not looking to go to stock, but probably will bump it up a little bit higher. I am really interested in getting some classic monoblocks, and probably a little more sidewall on the tire.

 

Congratz, on the car, it looks great.

Im not always for color change but if done right Its acceptable

My car was just as low at one point. I miss that height and I might go back

 

What size wheels and tires in that pic?

Also, what suspension are you running?

 

Bilstein Sport shocks and HR sport springs. No pads up front and lowest pads in the rear.

Whats on your car at the moment and why are you changing it??

 

The car currently has H&R Sport Cup Kit shocks and springs. I want a little more clearance and and to put more tire on the car, the rubber bands are not ideal in most areas that I drive in.

 

Let me know if you want to sell the cup kit. What condition is it in?

 

sweet

 

Cosmetically I think both those rims and suspension look ridiculously stupid - but taste is subjective and that's just one man's opinion. But what would be hard to argue is how brutal the ride would be where I live. Unfortunately the roads (and weather) in Chicago is not compatible with big rims and lowered cars. Even bone-stock modern cars are a problem. The cars stacked up at the dealers around me with blown rims or tires is shocking. I have a friend w/ a 2018 CTS that is on his 6th rim/tire repair in the short time he's owned the car. Why automakers think everybody needs massive rims and very little rubber is beyond me. Not to mention larger rims = more weight which is a hit to performance.

Kudos to you for going back to monoblocks. There is nothing better then the stock rims on these cars. I wish MB would bring the design back as on optional wheel on new cars! I need ALL of the suspension height/travel so the OEM USA suspension is best suited to for me. If making a change I'd probably go with the ROW OEM suspension. Part #s are posted here somewhere - if my memory is correct the USA 208 CLKs have the same springs/shocks as the ROW C43s. Should be cheap and easy to source.

 

Won't know their condition until I remove them, but they feel like they are in fine shape.

 

I think it looks better than the tilty wheel garbage that most kids are going with these days.

The ride is a little rough up here in New England, it's not as bad as you would think, but it is still too brutal for my liking. Monoblocks and a slight drop from stock is all I need. If I could find some light weight monoblocks I would be very happy.

 

I'm lucky to have both a set of 17" and 18" Monos. The 18" are great for the looks, but the 17" give a more comfortable ride specially if the roads are rough and you are lowered. Also the 17" give better acceleration and have slightly lower unsprung weight.
Just my personal impressions and living since 10 years with a C43

 

Definitely let me know, I might be interested