That is in good health -
The one o bought has done 157,000 16 services last one at 156,000 at a MB specialist had some brake pipes replaced. Some welding and an mot.
I wouldn't say it's fair to call it bad as such, it's just not unheard of for them to fail during "spirited" driving. I have seen a couple over the years that have looked like a grenade has gone off inside, but on every occasion it's happened whilst having the throttle buried, and also with "questionable" service history. Sometimes sun gears like you say, and I've seen twisted splines and failed input shafts as well; but to be honest it's usually been the 722.602.
That's a lovely looking thing.Great cars, provided you stay on top of any corrosion issues and treat the gearbox kindly. I've recently bought one after wanting one for 20 years! I started off as Mercedes-Benz apprentice technician in '99 when they were brand new, so I've seen most things that can go wrong with most Mercedes models. The W202 as a whole is a pretty solid car (frilly bodywork aside), and the M113 engine is nigh on bulletproof too. Parts availability is still pretty good in general and they're a doddle to work on as well.
Not the most dynamically adept car to ever wear the AMG badge, but I've always loved them. Taking the V8 from a large saloon and dropping it in the "compact" model was the original 60s muscle car recipe, and that's exactly the kind of vibe you get from a C43.
Thank you, I love it
Before I bought my car many years ago I got several issues of Merceds Enthusiasts magazine buyers guide for C36 and C43.
The articles mentioned that C36 from MY97 fitted with the very first 5 speed electronic transmission was prone to have major problems and so did the C43 from MY98 to mid 99 before tiptronic was released for MY00 which was the improved stronger transmission.
Most problems with these trannies happened from a slipping transmission losing gears.
Once I lost drive coming into a sharp left turn at a stop light, I passed on yellow when I had to stop but I was too lazy to stop so I floored it!
On the main road just after the sharp turn after the red light I had to straighten the wheel and all of a sudden I lost drive, transmission didn't want to engage for several seconds.
I don't know what happened just at that moment why my car didn't want to drive forward?
After a few seconds it all went back to normal again and transmission working OK.
Last year I had an oil service with filter and pilot bush replaced.
I told the specialist to drain the pan and complete TQ then he flushed the system oil lines through the oil cooler until new oil was coming out.
This is the proper way of changing oil.
Dealership only drains the pan and lets the TQ keep the old dirty oil to mix with the new oil from the pan.
New oil gets dirty very quick.
No good!
Agreed! I had my secondary cats and resonator removed after 2 daysIf you like grunty V8 sound, remove mid silencer and replace it with a straight pipe.
Then you can play with the throttle when you drive, every kickdown is heard like a grunt when the V8 roars!
No need to turn on the audio system in your car.
Agreed! I had my secondary cats and resonator removed after 2 days
I agree for everything else, but I always thought they should've been slightly more "vocal" from the factory. To redress the balance I removed the awful aero wiper to put an OE blade in place and just installed an original "AMG recommends Mobil 1" decal under the bonnet too. I even plan to keep the dreadful non-Bose Audio 10 and tinny speakers
. I've just ordered all the clips and gaskets/seals from the dealer so I can remove and refit the sill covers to tidy things up too 
It's not really raspy at all to be honest, it sounds great under acceleration but is still silent when cruising. As far as the MOT goes, the primary cats are more than effective enough to get through emissions. As for the visuals, there aren't many testers that even know what a C43 is, never mind how many cats were installed from the factory
I know of Olly's decat, but I've never heard one in person to be honest.
Hard to say for sure without seeing it to be honest. Obviously water is a byproduct of combustion, so you'd expect a bit of vapour and condensation around the tailpipes, especially from cold. But I wouldn't expect that to be white or chalky.
