Thoughts on this c32

[ice643]

Buy the best you possibly can: low owners, low mileage and enthusiast owned are exactly none of the things I did when I bought my C32 and it cost me roughly £5k in less than six months. Having said that, I loved it, they do get under your skin.

Fantastic Q-Car, deceptively quick and brilliant £ per bhp.

Thanks Lee
If I do buy a high mileage one,what should I look out for also what is likely to go wrong?.Are the engine reliable ?
Thanks

 

[french]

Why buy a high mileage one ?
All your doing is paying for someone else's miles ...miles affect all the car not just the engine...IMO go for the lowest miler with the best Dealer/Idie( probably better) history with all the worksheets not just a faded stamp. Good Luck & take your time !

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Thanks Lee
If I do buy a high mileage one,what should I look out for also what is likely to go wrong?.Are the engine reliable ?
Thanks

Seriously, and I say this as a man that's just had a 260k mile E270 CDI, get the lowest and best possible example you can.

Excellent advice from Auto-Mobile below:

Floor it, lots (see if it goes into limp mode)
Check for judder through car under acceleration (possible gearbox/torque converter issues)
Heated seats pack up, check base and back on both seats.
Battery drain, unfortunately you can't really check for this but is common.
Suspension knocks under heavy breaking/uneven road.
Leave the xenon lights on and make sure they don't flicker.
Clicking from behind the dash for 30 seconds after starting the car (dash out to fix)
Usual brakes/tyres and a good service history, I'd walk away if there was little or part history.

Only thing I'd add to the list is if you're going for an estate, look in the boot on the right hand side where the Bose amp will be for signs of moisture; the washer pipe has a join somewhere near there and it's prone to leaking into killing the amp (which was circa £600 2 year ago). If the amp dies, so does the head unit as in you'll get no sound, the cables go from there to the amp and then to the speakers. I had to replace the head unit and have all new speaker cables fitted and the job was obviously not cheap....





I did have a photo of the complete interior (door cards and all) stripped to the bone but I've lost it!

 

[Neiltodd]

my c32 has been v reliable and no issues and I have had it 5 years now but still only 80000 on it

 

[stjohnsmythe]

I must be extraordinarily lucky is all I can say, mine has been perfect mechanically over the past the 20 mths I have owned it.
When I bought it I heard all the 'horror' stories but no such thing...I replaced the s/Charger pulley for a smaller 65mm one a remap, the I/cooler pump had been upgraded before I bought it. The car in the ad is well over priced considering the miles it has on it, mine has 97000 & in good condition , I would value mine @ approx £5300...the one in the ad should take £1200 off IMO.

Not sure how many of you who have commented have owned one but if you all have & have had severe problems then I must be very very lucky... clk55 amg ...not in the same performance wise.
Average Mpg 24 27 M/way 16/17 pressing on, loads of fun & not much slower than my E55K...they are good value IMO .

Friend of mine has a C32 and I have 2000 CLK55. There isn't much in it performance wise.

In fact they are very evenly matched. Not surprising considering they make very similar BHP. Plus the C32 is heavier and has less torque than the CLK55.

 

[Theador]

Unless you have deep pockets I wouldn't recommend a c32.

Really? I'm possibly after a c55 or c32 estate too. C55's seem hard to come by in estate form. The later shape is out of my price range and anyway, I prefer the older classic shape

 

[Grovsie31]

Theres a C55 estate on autotrader.

 

[Theador]

Theres a C55 estate on autotrader.

Ah I'm in the UK. MrFixit has a nice one up:
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/classifieds-cars-sale/204577-c55-estate-sale-black-black-leather.html

Trouble is a really nice 335i touring tuned to 366bhp (originally what I was after before casting the net wider) has also come up for sale. Decisions decisions. I wasn't even really looking to buy quite so early in the year but both of these cars are on the money for me.

 

[Grovsie31]

335i is nice, but its not a V8 AMG. Also nicer the fact its much rarer.

IMO that black estate is quite a bit overpriced, but that's my opinion.

 

[Auto-mobile]

Really?

Yes.

 

[Theador]

What about the C55?

Yes.

 

[BenzedUP]

Friend of mine has a C32 and I have 2000 CLK55. There isn't much in it performance wise. In fact they are very evenly matched. Not surprising considering they make very similar BHP. Plus the C32 is heavier and has less torque than the CLK55.

C32 100% faster than your CLK55 mate, I had a c32 and raced a remapped 209 CLK55 & E55 (210) while my c32 was standard and beat both, nothing in it low/mid range but easily pulls away at high speed!

A pullied 32 is a beast!!

Shame they are not that reliable but I still loved mine!