C32 amg buyers guide

[C32ACK]

Hi guys, I’m new to the forum and on the verge of buying a c32 . I’ve read some of the threads on here which have been great. Just a few questions to ask please, other than bespoke things like engine/transmission/supercharger are there any other parts on the c32 that are now hard to source or very expensive? Is the command system problematic? Are most parts Mercedes main dealer only ? The car I’m buying has 113k but has been very well maintained but is the c32 easily capable of many more miles? Any other niggles I should be aware of?From what I’ve read basically they are a reliable car provided they have been well maintained. I’ll only do around 3000 miles a year so it won’t be overly used. Hopefully I’ll be a fully pledged member soon, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jjcodex]

Hi

I had one which was a lot of fun but I had a fair few electrical gremlins with it but nothing serious.

I did have an issue with it using coolant which took MB months to work out - turned out to be an issue inside the inlet manifold and charge cooler which allowed water to escape into the engine. Did no harm and when fixed solved it with no adverse impact on the engine itself.

Remember this was if you have a coolant low message!

Sat nav on mine was the cd based version which if I recall is no longer supported for discs. On the bright side I seem to recall it did have an aux socket (ie headphone) which makes connecting a phone easy enough for music.

Check all the wiring works before you buy!

 

[DavidL]

One of the main issues must be rust. Early 203 rust like a good un, later ones are a bit better but our c55 has had the rear arches done. I've seen cars virtually scrapped for the bodywork.

 

[RSTurbo50]

I always remember members of this forum saying the C32 is one to avoid due to the many issues they have and the expense of keeping them on the road..

 

[Neiltodd]

Only issue I had with mine was rust on wheel arches but otherwise v reliable over 7 years ownership, was 13 years old when i sold it, smooth reliable and quick car

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Peaches or lemons. Cars which have been well maintained seem to be reliable, but those which have seen corners cut on maintenance seem to have one problem after another. They became very cheap very quickly, which meant that people bought them and flipped them, doing the bare minimum maintenance. I had mine for around 10 years and it was a great car. Should have kept it...

 

[Deleted member 37751]

It’ll be cheaper in the long run to buy the absolute best example you can find for the money (@Bobby Dazzler was a beauty for example) - I bought a “doer-upper” 5 year ago and I stopped counting once I got past £5k on repairs etc...

 

[skattrd]

I've only recently got a C32, so have limited experience but I got and read some good advice.
The main issue on these is coolant leaking in to the gearbox through the radiator. This can cause gearbox issues resulting in expensive gearbox work. So check the rad has been replaced, iirc Valeo rads were the ones that leaked. If you don't know if the rad has been changed then I'd plan to do it and also change the gearbox oil/filter as well.
Brakes and plugs/leads aren't cheap, so check they've been done recently. Pump for the supercharger can go, but apparently they're the same as a Ford one, so not obscenely expensive to replace.
Other than that, check the the usual w203 stuff, ticking in the dash is stepper motors (small part, but potentially expensive fix) rust and normal s/hand car purchasing.
As said, try to buy a good one and go from there as costs can spiral quickly.

I could be wrong here, but my VIN says Avantgarde w203, so I think they started with one of those and modified that, so lots of parts are standard w203.

 

[C32ACK]

Thanks for the advice all, much appreciated. I’m going to see and potentially buy on Saturday. The guy sounds pretty honest and he’s owned it for several years which I always think is big positive. I’ll be going with a mechanic friend although he’s not too familiar with this model. I’ll keep you posted.

 

[JaffaManK]

Peaches or lemons. Cars which have been well maintained seem to be reliable, but those which have seen corners cut on maintenance seem to have one problem after another. They became very cheap very quickly, which meant that people bought them and flipped them, doing the bare minimum maintenance. I had mine for around 10 years and it was a great car. Should have kept it...

I am happy you sold it as I am sure I now own the one you once had...