Should i buy this before John Gormley succeeds in outlawing fun completely? C43 AMG

samsemtex

Im lookin at a 2000 reg Mercedes C43 AMG. Very rare car, only 300 were made with the Speedshift/tiptronic transmission and they were all 2000 models. Its got more class than the M3 since every jackass is buying one now and in my opinion is better than the M3 in all areas except handling which is still far better than 95% of cars. So much more exclusive as well. Cheaper too. Id have it in for under €12,000 so i dont think it will depreciate much more considering its such a rare car or is that naiive of me? I have every intention of keeping it for a long time regardless.

There are 2 of them on Auto trader. ONe with 107,000 miles which appears to have been been owned by an enthusiast so i presume it would have been well maintained. The other has 76,000 miles but has had a couple of owners. Is 100K+ too much for a high performance engine?

Just wondering though are parts for AMGs ridiculously expensive? Has anyone here had one or the C36 that came before it? Any advice on AMG cars in general.

Insurance will be €3300, before july tax will be €1500 and after that both VRT and Tax will obviously go to the top rates. since its so rare should I get it now before Gormley ****s over everybody who has ever wanted more than a Perodua Nippa?

Cyrus

tax wont change pre or post july, vrt rate will

maybe theres a reason every jackass has the m3 (e36 i presume) it is a better car, same reason you see very few of the newer c32 amgs aswell as the e46 m3 is a better car, may change with the c63

no doubt it will cost a fortune to run and will depreciate pretty heavily as they arent that popular, but still a cool wagon imo

richie_rvf

Funny quote from Tom Stewart of top gear when he reviewed the C43;

Where the C43 falls short of being a 'real sports car' is in the transmission. Many would argue, and I'm one of them, that the words 'auto' and 'sports car' go together like Pernod and Worcester Sauce.

He does think it is a great car though - http://www.topgear.com/drives/C7/K1/roadtests/11/01.html

forgot to say, you know they have 16 spark plugs?

MercMad

I'd say go for it !

I wouldn't worry about the mileages, unlike the BMW's these are very understressed units with no apparant issues, save for usaul C-Class W202 areas. Check for rust especially around door and boot rubber seals.

They arent a sporty car like the BMW's, more a compact muscle car with traditional Benz build quality.

I dont think it will depreciate a whole lot, though the market would be small there are enthusiasts out there who will want one !

Examine the service history and look for signs of crash damage, both are paramount to finding a truely good car.

Good look !

astraboy

Yes, buy it if you can! I love AMG's, was never a merc fan until I got to drive an E55 AMG in the US, the power was amazing. Do it, before Small John gets his grubby mits on more carbon footprint bull****!:D I think he plans on outlawing all motoring related fun in August next year.:eek::(