C32 AMG, what's it worth?

[luckyfives]

Hi all

My first post on the forum and hopefully the first of many to come. To start with can I just say this is a fantastic source of information for prospective MB owners like myself and has already been a tremendous help so far.

I currently live overseas and return to the UK in a few months, when i'll need a new car. After doing tons of research, I went from a CLK55 to a C32 as my current car of choice, it just seems to be tremendous 'bang for buck' at the moment. Now, there are some excellent posts on here regarding what to look for and general buying advice (yes i've used the search button to good effect!) but question relates more to price.

Looking at Pistonheads and autotrader, prices seems to vary quite a lot for this rare model. The cheapest I could find was 10,995 for high mileage (100k+) models, up to 15k and beyond.

My question is, how much should you realistically expect to pay for a decent example of this car?

I'd really like to have Parktronic and Comand as minimum options, and the upgraded aircon would be a bonus. Seems like there are plenty of examples. Is it worth paying an extra 3-4k for a 50,000 mile example or not worth it?

Any advice much appreciated, and thanks in advance!

 

[Londonscottish]

Concensus on earlier discussions seems to be that the later (facelift) models had a number of detail improvements.

Can't recall the specifis sorry.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Yep, later the better. In fact I would prefer a later car with a few more miles, than an earlier can with a few less.

Budget an extra £1k for an MB warranty for the first year you own it, so you can take a view on whether you bagged a peach or lemon.

I reckon you need to be spending upwards of £15k unless you're going bargain hunting - £18k should give you choice of well looked after cars.

 

[luckyfives]

Thanks guys, the facelift models are the 03 to 54 models right? Is there any way of buying an MB warranty, even if you buy the car from a private seller or independent dealer?

 

[Londonscottish]

There's a thread on here somewhere about identifying the facelift models. There was a period of overlap and it can be tricky.

It didn't seem to be straightforward - I remember one comment made to me along the lined of working out where the seat adjuster switches were - this can tell you apparently

Sorry I'm being vague but I can't remember the detail.

Anyway, as I said the experts on here were pushing me towards the facelift or revised ones as they had a lot of engineering improvements.

 

[luckyfives]

Just checked over an old thread and the concensus seems to be that it's MY03 cars, which could have been registered in Q4 2002, up until 54 plate. There are a couple on autotrader for around the 13-14k mark.

Bobby your comment on mileage really changed my way of thinking. I was looking for a sub 60k car but these fetch a real premium, think I'll aim for an MY03 model first and if it has low mileage then thats a bonus. I guess if it has a fair few miles on it, chances are it's had the spark plugs, radiator, water pump and a change of brakes at some stage. All of which could still come in a sub 60k car?

Would be very interested to know exactly what engineering changes happened in the MY03 model, were these changes part of a wider C-class revision?

 

[machasm]

I paid just under £17K in March (I think) for mine.
It is on a 53 plate and had bang on 20K miles on it.
Parktronic,COMAND,aircon etc.
It has been great.
I did have a couple of issues that Oly from PCS sorted for me and to which the garage I bought from coughed up for.
Things that go on these models are
Intercooler pump (mine went and shows itself as lack of power big time).
The heated seat (again mine went but haven't replaced this item).
I also had an ATF leak (again common around the round electrical connector on the sump).
I have also replaced the front disks and pads as they were worn. (Disks cost around £100 each and pads around £70 for a pair).
These issues aside I really love this car and intend to hold on for a while although fuel economy is atrocious (18-19mpg around here) is even worse than my old clk55!.
Mac.
Hope this helps.

 

[C240Sport97]

which engine do you prefer, the V8 or the V6k?

I paid just under £17K in March (I think) for mine.
It is on a 53 plate and had bang on 20K miles on it.
Parktronic,COMAND,aircon etc.
It has been great.
I did have a couple of issues that Oly from PCS sorted for me and to which the garage I bought from coughed up for.
Things that go on these models are
Intercooler pump (mine went and shows itself as lack of power big time).
The heated seat (again mine went but haven't replaced this item).
I also had an ATF leak (again common around the round electrical connector on the sump).
I have also replaced the front disks and pads as they were worn. (Disks cost around £100 each and pads around £70 for a pair).
These issues aside I really love this car and intend to hold on for a while although fuel economy is atrocious (18-19mpg around here) is even worse than my old clk55!.
Mac.
Hope this helps.

 

[machasm]

If it was purely down to engines then the V8.
It seemed to have more torque all the way through the range and had a great sound too.
The C32 is a better car to drive though as it is a little more responsive than the CLK was.
All in all it is a pretty close call TBH.
Mac.

 

[gazz]

Easiest way to spot the change between early and late is the steering column control - on the door on early models, moved to a column stalk on the later.

Machasm's problems list is pretty spot on... Only thing to add is the aux air pump relay often sticks. In extreme cases the pump can overheat, and replacement is dear. In very extreme cases, a small portion of the wiring loom burns out - easy to fix, hard to find.....(luckily I know where to look now!!)

Surprised at the economy. Mine has 24.6 on the long term average, used daily on a 15 mile commute. My wife drives it mostly - before you all chime in, she only manages 8000 miles on the rear tyres (unbeaten in the traffic light grand prix!!)

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I guess if it has a fair few miles on it, chances are it's had the spark plugs, radiator, water pump and a change of brakes at some stage. All of which could still come in a sub 60k car?

Unless you have good evidence that these jobs have been done, I'd bidget for them regardless of age and mileage!! Also allow for the auto transmission fluid change.

Would be very interested to know exactly what engineering changes happened in the MY03 model, were these changes part of a wider C-class revision?

The C32 never had the facelift that the rest of the W203 range had - the C55 replaced it on the facelift model. However the 2003MY C32 did have a sort of makeover, with the following tell-tale signs in addition to the controls moving from the door as Gazz mentioned.

The clear lens bi-xenon headlamps rather than older frosted xenons - these could easily be retrofitted though, so don't count on this alone.

First aid kit moved from the rear parcel shelf (beneath the faux speaker grille) to the side bin in the boot (saloon).

Rear seat release beneath the parcel shelf when viewed through the boot aperture (can't remember where they were before!!).

Gloss black trim between the windows replaced the faux carbon fibre on earlier models.

Signed placque on the supercharger - earlier models were plain.

There are a few other bits, but the above are the most obvious.

 

[c240yaz]

check ebay prices

 

[stewarthp]

Hi good luck in your search, there's a good variety of cars out there. I've been looking at C32 and C55 estates as we need a bit of space for bikes and other things that kids seem to need these days.

I've been looking at pistonheads and autotrader mainly but the mercedes uk site also gets a few cars from time to time.

At the moment I'm undecided as to what to go for. The c32 is cheaper than the c55 but the c55 has the steering wheel gear change and the v8 sounds lovely.

The prices generally seem to be on the way down but some traders are still asking top whack but the more expensive c32's don't seem to be selling. I suppose the fuel prices may be putting some people off.

If you keep looking at the websites regularly you'll see the same cars coming and going quite regularly. I think in the current climate there will be some bargains to be had if your willing to bargain hard enough.
The cheaper cars generally don't have all the extra's such as parking sensors and linguatronic it's up to you what you want from the car and what you can do without.
The one thing that puts me off the c32 is the black interiors. I've just sold an M3 with a black interior and I never really liked it. I've seen a few c55's with a light grey interior and they look lovely. I now they would need extra cleaning but they do look so much nicer.

My search is continuing as I'm not in any hurry and the right car will come along eventually. In the mean time I'm reading the posts here and keeping on looking.
Good luck with your quest.

 

[Londonscottish]

The one thing that puts me off the c32 is the black interiors. I've just sold an M3 with a black interior and I never really liked it. I've seen a few c55's with a light grey interior and they look lovely. I now they would need extra cleaning but they do look so much nicer.
.

The light grey looks nice but does mark up very easily. Tricky with kids/dogs etc

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

The light grey looks nice but does mark up very easily. Tricky with kids/dogs etc

Dogs in an AMG!!??

 

[luckyfives]

What a fantastic lot of responses thanks!

Stewartp - there is an estate on ebay right now about 13k. They do look great but seem to go for more than the saloons? Thanks for the words of encouragement mate.

Bobby D - if the MY03 revisions are mainly cosmetic, do you reckon it really makes a big difference if you buy an early one or a late one? I mean is it really worth paying the 2-3k premium if nothing in the car has really changed apart from the lights and trim. Not sure. Maybe best to choose the right example on a case by case basis rather than just focusing on MY03 models?

Machasm - interesting you've owned both a CLK55 and a C32 because those are two cars I was really trying to choose between. I've only ever owned V8s and love them dearly, however I just feel the C32 looks ever so slightly more modern especially the rear light cluster, and I'm not a big fan of the side skirts on the CLK55. A C55 would be perfect for me but I can't justify the extra 8-9k these cars cost at the moment, maybe one day!

Ideally I'd rather buy off a forum member as I know it will have been properly looked after but not sure how often they pop up on here. Maybe I'll just wait until Bobby gets his VXR8 and make him an offer!

Sorry another question, were there any recalls on these cars and if so how can you tell if they've been done?

 

[machasm]

Hope the answers have been useful to you and good luck with your search.
Mac.

 

[Londonscottish]

there is an estate on ebay right now about 13k. They do look great but seem to go for more than the saloons?

When I bought my C43 estate it carried a £1k premium over the saloon. Or so the seller told me.

Seriously, though, the other day I had a quick look at how much W211 E500's are going for at the mo and the same £1k-ish premium aseems to apply for the estate.

Personally I prefer the look of the estates (W203, W203, W211) and they're useful when you've got a lot of kit to transport.

Note; if you're into your music you might need to add a subwoofer in an estate - no rear shelf to hold large speakers. I stuck a small sub in my boot and it tranforms the sounds (maybe C32's came with these but C43's didn't)

 

[luckyfives]

No worries mate I'm looking for a sedan anyway. But does raise an interesting question as to what the sound system is like in a C32? I think I read somewhere it is a Bose 7 speaker setup.

 

[Londonscottish]

Dogs in an AMG!!??

Not in mine! Previous owner did though. You can still see imprint from his dog on the rear window