C36 AMG, C43 AMG (W202) 1995 - 2000

Thoughts on Asking Price/Value of this C36 AMG?

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Old May 21, 2020 | 10:30 AM
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Thoughts on Asking Price/Value of this C36 AMG?

Hello All,

I am considering purchasing this C36 AMG in Denver. It looks to be in good condition overall (will get an inspection done), but this asking price seems high to me based on what these go for on BaT. Can anyone provide any context on whether this seems like a reasonably fair price or should this be closer to $10K? I may wait on another one to come up on BaT, but thought I would ask here.

https://www.rnbcar.com/details/used-...class/64320598
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Old May 21, 2020 | 12:49 PM
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1996 Mercedes C36 AMG
Looks like a solid example but yeah I think this should be more like $10-12K. Do you know if there are service records/accident history? Headliner has been redone in an alcantara like material, which is a good thing if done to a high standard as the original headliners are unfortunately doomed to eventually fail. I'm not sure from the photo, hard to tell, but looks like maybe it has the regular C280 air intake crossover pipe instead of the 3.6 AMG part? That would be unfortunate if the case. Is the upper wiring harness original? They tend to eventually fail. How about the head gasket? They are a somewhat weak point too. If you get an inspection those would be areas to have them pay attention to.
Not sure if its just the camera but wow they really went all in on the glossy "armor all" type dressing on the interior/engine bay. Having said that interior looks in nice shape from a quick scan of the photos.
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Old May 21, 2020 | 01:23 PM
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@Goldecho thank you very much for the feedback. I haven’t reached out to confirm all your questions but I will ask. Sometimes these dealerships are sticklers on the price and I don’t see much point going through the effort of paying for an inspection if I know they won’t come down to a reasonable price regardless.

Good point on the suede/alcantara headliner, I thought that was interesting and wasn’t sure if it was original.

I’ll move forward and let you all know what I find out.

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Old May 21, 2020 | 02:39 PM
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Red 1995 C36
Honestly, i think $14,999 a fair price, $10k is a deal. These are becoming very hard to find complete and in good condition, especially with less than 100k miles. This one appears to be both (pending answer about the cross over pipe). If the A/C blows cold and everything works, id be all over it. Got underside photos?

Additionally, as someone who sold a C36 on BaT over the last 12 months, my car had 135k miles and was starting to rust. That sold for $5000 and needed a $2-3k paint job, shocks, and was leaking oil (a $1200 fix at an indy dealer). So do the math. Id rather buy a nice car and spend up front than pour money into a 25 year old mercedes. W202 parts are getting rare at dealerships. Disclaimer: I bought a fixer upper C36 last year in Imperial Red and have more than $10k in it already not including the purchase price. Im crazy and have the extra $, dont be like me. lol
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Old May 21, 2020 | 03:06 PM
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C36 amg
I have one that I might sell... If interesed PM me.
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Old May 21, 2020 | 03:41 PM
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I looked at the photos a bit more closely.

It's definitely not the correct crossover pipe, it's from another trim or model. Too bad, as the proper one is a very rare part and you'd be down a bit on power. The AMG piece is a different diameter/volume and will affect intake airflow. Not sure how much, could be negligible.

The black trim on the drivers door bottom edge is loose - not a big deal but might need new trim piece/clips.

If you decide to go ahead with an inspection best to go with a mercedes specialist. If you want my list of C36 "weak spots" to check specifically, send me a PM. They are overall very solid cars but they do have some weaknesses, like any car.
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Old May 21, 2020 | 03:56 PM
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22 X3, 21 330e, 97 M3, 97 C36 (sold), but on the hunt for a clean, low-mile C43!
Granted these vehicles are getting rarer to find, but I think that is still way overpriced. Forget using BaT as a reference for value as that site is generally patroned by people who have far more money than brains and will thus pay far more than a car is worth. I've always believed that the most accurate value of cars is based on actual in-person (not auction-type) transaction pricing. Having said that, I purchased a '97 C36 with 125K miles in slightly rougher shape than this particular 96 you're looking at, for only $5500. Then I also had the opportunity to purchase another '97 that was in far more pristine shape (even more so than the one you're looking at) with 63K miles for only $7K. But the timing was bad for me so I didn't buy it (yes, I'm still kicking myself for it). So those are probably the best references for value of these cars, but obviously it's your call and the value/price will ultimately be whatever you're willing to pay for it (Lord knows I wouldn't pay anywhere close to that kind of money!).
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Old May 21, 2020 | 04:26 PM
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Depending on how bad you want this particular car, just completely ignoring it for a while might be all you need to do for the dealer to drop the price. If they aren't getting any bites, they'll probably cut the price. That is, if this is a new listing.
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Old May 21, 2020 | 09:50 PM
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It’s a 2 owner car that’s a good sign ,run the vin check the history i think Goldecho is right on the the money , $10-$12 is a fair deal not to many clean ones with low miles out there anymore .The value is there you just have to see if its really what you want and f you get a good vibe about it make a offer and go for it
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Old May 22, 2020 | 01:44 PM
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@Goldecho Good catch on the crossover pipe. I didn't notice that at first but you are 100% right. Are those known to break? Seems odd that everything else seems in place but that one piece and I do assume that would be a PITA to hunt down.

I may just need to wait and or search longer. I am not desperate or anything so no need to jump on something that I don't thing is a fair deal, much less overpriced. I'll get some more details from the dealer and see if I can negotiate down the price.

Thank you for all the feedback/advice.
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Old May 22, 2020 | 03:43 PM
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1996 Mercedes C36 AMG
Originally Posted by joscreven
@Goldecho Good catch on the crossover pipe. I didn't notice that at first but you are 100% right. Are those known to break? Seems odd that everything else seems in place but that one piece and I do assume that would be a PITA to hunt down.

I may just need to wait and or search longer. I am not desperate or anything so no need to jump on something that I don't thing is a fair deal, much less overpriced. I'll get some more details from the dealer and see if I can negotiate down the price.

Thank you for all the feedback/advice.
I think the plastic the crossover pipe is made out of just gets brittle over time. Then if some owner/ mechanic is doing a job on the engine that requires removing/replacing the cross pipe, and they're not careful, it will break, typically at spots where it connects to other stuff.

​​​​​They are indeed a PITA to find. I believe there is only one on eBay right now and it is beat up. I have no doubt that if some guy had a new old stock one he was willing to sell he could get $500 for it.
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Old May 22, 2020 | 05:28 PM
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Nice condtion one on eBay for $2.5K....ouch.

So seller advised they haven't done anything but change the oil and have no service records but the CarFax. Also noted it was an donated to auction.
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Old May 22, 2020 | 06:40 PM
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Since we are somewhat on the topic of crossover pipes....done some under hood cleanup the last little while:



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Old May 25, 2020 | 11:01 AM
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Red 1995 C36
Originally Posted by Goldecho
Since we are somewhat on the topic of crossover pipes....done some under hood cleanup the last little while:


Your valve cover gasket to cross over pipe is intact?!?! Or is that a little crack? Every one i see is broken off lol.
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Old May 25, 2020 | 11:06 AM
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Originally Posted by The_mabman_20
Your valve cover gasket to cross over pipe is intact?!?! Or is that a little crack? Every one i see is broken off lol.
You're talking about that one tab that connects the crossover pipe to the valve cover? Ya one corner is a bit broken off but it still attaches securely
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Old May 25, 2020 | 05:07 PM
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10K, buy it, let them fix it or fix problem later. These are harder to find & going up in price, like the e30 BMW's. From the pictures, it looks clean and mileage is low. You can now get a deal or wait a couple weeks till they really gotta sell, due to pandemic. You probably get a good financing deal, maybe a real low down payment, 1-3mo no car payment, etc...Now, it's a Buyers market. I was just looking around offer up & the prices on some of the cars i was looking at were $2000 cheaper, than last February.
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Old Jun 29, 2022 | 01:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Mmradix
I have one that I might sell... If interesed PM me.
still interested in seling?
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