Tag: W202

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1998 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG

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Please note: We have corrected this post to note that it is fitted with a 4.3L from the factory, not the 5.4L. Our apologies for the mistake. -dc

“Buy one now while you still can.”

How many times have you heard this over the years? We’ve seen it with all the cars that used to be not-so expensive and now are basically so crazy that it is cheaper just to build and buy replicas. Case in point, the E30 M3. I remember back in the early 2000s, staring into a monitor that was so heavy it would bow my desk, only dreaming of how I could get together $9,500 to buy one of those. Now? A 1988 with that’s been painted twice, has a non-original motor, and 240,000 miles sells for $30,000 all-in. Same goes for the 190e-16v. One used to be able to snag a decent one for under $10,000 without issue. Now, anything in that $10,000 range is going to be a serious project. Carter just featured a non-original Quattro that’s very much the same case. These cars come in waves as the years go on, only that wave never crashes and just stays high the entire time. Today’s car, a 1998 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG, is starting to jump on a wave.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1998 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG on eBay

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1995 Mercedes-Benz C36 AMG

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Last week I checked out an interesting Mercedes-Benz C36 AMG that needed some help up for sale in Canada. It seems like no one wanted to give a helping hand for this car as it ended with no bids even at it’s reasonable $2,500 US starting price. Today, I ran across another C36 AMG up for sale in Canada although this one has a much different story. This 1995 is actually a Japanese-spec car that has a few little touches that set it apart from the North American-spec cars. Unlike last week’s example, this one isn’t a basket case that needs thousands of dollars to make it presentable again. In fact, it is actually pretty clean.  The price? Not all that bad in my eyes.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 Mercedes-Benz C36 AMG on eBay

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Roll the dice: 1997 Mercedes-Benz C36 AMG

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The W202 Mercedes-Benz C36 AMG has gone from being a neat little footnote in Mercedes-Benz and AMG history as being the first post-acquisition AMG car to a car that collectors are now seeking out to add them to their stable. They aren’t at the level of the 190E 2.3-16v, nor do I think they will ever be, but the demand has definitely picked up over the past year or two. Because of these cars being unloved and overlooked for as many years as they were, lots of them fell into the hands of people who used and abused them then moved on to the next cheap car. At the end of the day, this is still a W202, so its tenancy to rust is always a major issue as well as some other things that plague the chassis such as the tendency for head gasket in the M104 engine to leak oil from the back of the head. Sadly, this 1997 C36 up for sale in Canada, seems to suffer from both of these mentioned things. Although if you do the math on the purchase price plus potential repair costs, maybe you could come out ahead and have yourself a really cool car that the value is slowly rising on.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1997 Mercedes-Benz C36 AMG on eBay

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1998 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG Estate

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The majority of the wagons were feature around here are of the Audi variety. For good reason, of course. They look good, they are all-wheel-drive, come in manual transmission and usually they have the potential to be pretty quick. But every once in awhile I pull out a Mercedes-Benz wagon that can run with the four rings. Usually it’s an E55 or E63 AMG Estate that not only looks great, but hauls ass and literally everything else. Although this time around, I have something much more rare and it’s actually on North American soil ready to be snagged up by our Canadian friends.

The W202 C43 AMG Estate is a rare bird. Only 717 of these were built between 1998-2000 and thanks to the rust monster that the W202 usually succumbs to, that number is decreasing faster than you think. Nearly a year ago, I actually checked one of these out in right-hand drive spec that was pretty tidy and what I thought was a reasonable price. But this German-import has it’s flaws and the starting price (with reserve) is pretty reasonable. So is this the one to get?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1998 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG Estate on eBay

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Right Hooker Week: 1998 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG

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In my first Mercedes-Benz from across the pond this week, I figured I’d start with a bang and a color to make you jump too. This a 1998 C43 AMG in fiery Imperial Red with the black and white two-tone interior. Just a quick refresher, this baby Benz comes with the 4.3 liter M113 V8 from AMG with your standard bits of accessories from Affalterbach with monoblocks, some different bumpers and the interior sprinkled with some special touches. This all is the same as we usually see in North America, but these euro W202 AMGs did have one different feature that makes a big difference in my eyes.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1998 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG on eBay.co.uk

Year: 1998
Model: C43 AMG
Engine: 4.3 liter V8
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Mileage: 158,000 mi
Price: GBP 5,995 ($7,782 Buy It Now)

 

Presented In Imperial Red With Full 2 Tone Black & White Amg Leather Interior, Full Usual AMG Extras,, Climate Control, Cruise Control, Seats Heated (Driver), Alarm, Alloy Wheels (17in), Electric Windows (Front/Rear), In Car Entertainment (Radio/Cassette), Seats Electric (Driver). 4 seats, Red, Last Owner Since 2010, Mot July 2017, 17″ Genuine Amg Alloy Wheels, Stunning Condition Bargain at, £5,995 p/x welcome

If you are wondering why this car looks so good and a little different from the C43s you usually see, it’s because the euro cars are lowered slightly with different springs from AMG. The North American cars, in my eyes, sit way too high and the wheel gap is unusually high. With the euro-spec cars, the wheel gap is barely there and look absolutely perfect.

As for this car for sale in Buckinghamshire, it looks like a really prime example. I don’t see any evidence of rust at all despite being in the rainy and snowy UK and the paint shines really well. It does have some miles on it at a little over 158,000, but it doesn’t show at all. The price of $7,800 USD is right on par for an example like this and probably even a little cheap for the UK market seeing how rare it is. I think they only brought a dozen or two at most Imperial Red C43s into North America, so I can’t imagine that there are many right hand drive cars in this color. At any rate, this one is a solid buy, as long as you can keep it away from the wet stuff. No easy task over there.

– Andrew

1995 Mercedes-Benz C280

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With the exception of the high-performance C36/C43 AMG, the W202 C-class tends to get short shrift around here. That’s probably because for many, the W202 marks the point at which Mercedes began to lose its way. Not only did the taut, angular design language of yesteryear give way to the rounder, less attractive lines of the “jelly bean” era, Mercedes products from the mid 1990s onwards just never seemed as reliable or as well-built as those that came before. I think there’s something to this, but the upshot is that a garden variety C280 can be had for not much money. And while it isn’t quite as tank-like as the venerable W201 it replaced, it can still make for a satisfying commuter. If you squint hard enough, you can even see the design parallels between the two.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 Mercedes-Benz C280 on eBay

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1997 Mercedes-Benz C36 AMG

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I’m going to be really honest with everyone, I didn’t want to feature this car. Why? Because I want it very badly for myself. I want to drive down to Virginia, hand this seller an envelope full of money, then drive this car home and slide it next to my other cars to make it one big happy Mercedes sedan family. But I can’t do that. Well, I could, but it would be a really bad idea seeing as I am out of garage/driveway space as it is and I already own a silver AMG sedan from the same time period thus making this car repetitive. Still, I’ll sleep on it.

So what is this car I want so badly? It’s a 1997 C36 AMG, the last year of the first official production car from the Mercedes-Benz and AMG merger that North America got. It’s not really that fast with only 276 horsepower and the W202 chassis it’s built on isn’t really that great either. Yes, it’s rare with only a few hundred built but they’ve never been all that desirable. They’ve always been available if you really looked hard enough, but now that they are getting close to drinking age, finding a really nice C36 is getting tough. Fortunately, thanks to people who still look at these cars like I do, this C36 for sale in Virginia looks like a winner.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1997 Mercedes-Benz C36 AMG on eBay

Year: 1997
Model: C36 AMG
Engine: 3.6 liter inline-6
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Mileage: 171,000 mi
Price: Reserve Auction

For sale is my 1997 C36 AMG. I bought the car last year from the previous owner of 9 years. He serviced the car at his shop (Blueridge Mercedes) the duration of his ownership. I collect Mercedes and this car is my current daily but I just sold my SUV and I need to replace this with something bigger.

The overall condition is very good, previous owner had the wheels professionally refinished and ceramic cleared, interior leather was periodically conditioned, headliner has been redone in sued and is sewn in as it should be, I have taken the time to detail the paint and correct any minor imperfections.

This car has some cosmetic flaws, being a southern car the Georgia sun got the better of it and it has faded the roof and one small spot on the passenger side hood, very hard to notice honestly. There are some minor rock chips on the front of the car as well.

The car has 171k currently, new brakes, new tires will be purchased prior to sale, water pump was recently changed along with thermostat, heater core, ac compressor, bushings and some other things I can’t recall off the top of my head. They only made a total of 1018 between 95-97. There was only 326 ever made in 1997. So this is a very rare car. Over all the car is in very good condition and the photos speak for themselves.

This car wasn’t a garage queen or treated like some kind of investment as it covered over 170,000 miles. But for it being a W202 and all, this car looks great. It’s not perfect by any means, but the mountain of expensive maintenance this car had makes up for any minor cosmetic issues this C36 has. On the 1997, you got some minor interior updates with a different steering wheel and an improved climate control system that the 1995 and 1996 cars didn’t have. The refinished AMG Monoblock wheels make a world of difference in this cars appearance and in my eyes it was worth every penny that was spent on them.

So what is this car worth? Well, if this C36 had half the miles it has, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it maybe touch $10,000 given the way values on clean, older Mercedes are heading. But it does have the 171,000 miles and I think the bidding will reflect that. If I had to guess, I’d bet this one will land around the $7,000 range give or take a few hundred. These cars have reached the bottom of their deprecation and will probably never been cheaper than where they are at right now. I’d be confident in saying that if you pulled the trigger on this C36 you probably won’t lose any money on it as long as you kept it in the condition it is currently in. It’s probably not going to shoot up in value like the 2.3-16v has, but you aren’t going to be stuck with a $3,000 C36 either.

– Andrew

1998 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG Estate

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Long before the time of W211 E55 and E63 AMG wagons pinning your groceries to the back window as you leave the supermarket parking lot, there was the original AMG wagon you might not of known about. The C43 was the first official AMG offered from Mercedes-Benz in wagon form. Only around 800 of them were produced worldwide. Unfortunately, ‘worldwide’ in this case doesn’t include North America – none were imported here, but we can still dream. This 1998 for sale outside of London, England gives you a chance to be extremely practical at less than half the price of the later AMG wagons.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1998 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG Estate on Hemmings

Year: 1998
Model: C43 AMG Estate
Engine: 4.3 liter V8
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Mileage: 106,780 mi
Price: Auction

Seller’s Description: The potent Mercedes-Benz C36 AMG was introduced in July 1994 as a flagship of the successful C-Class range. Unlike its C-Class stablemates, it was only offered in one pricey but complete package, including standard automatic gearbox, classy AMG alloy wheels, skirts and spoilers body kit plus a complete specification. Numbers were limited. A five-speed automatic gearbox and standard cruise control were added in August 1996 and the car was eventually run out with the C-class facelift in the summer of 1997. Mercedes super saloon fans then had to wait until the following year for the introduction of its replacement, the 4.3-litre V8-powered C43, which included all the refinements of the updated C-Class range. This car was also offered in estate form, a version which continued for six months when the saloon range was phased out in autumn 2000. This rare righthand drive Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG Estate was supplied new by Bradshaw Webb (Chelsea) Ltd with a large number of optional extras including green-black metallic paint, black leather interior, Parktronic system, auto tinting rear mirror, rain sensor wipers, auto pilot system, electric glass sunroof, folding mirrors, vanity mirrors, door lights, xenon headlights, Alpine CD autochanger and headlight wash / wipe. Recently repainted, this excellent AMG estate has a full-service history with a comprehensive file containing invoices and MoT test certificates. This Mercedes-Benz C43 is supplied with a V5C registration document, a new MoT test certificate, three sets of keys and is fitted with a Tracker system which could be reactivated. AMG are renowned for producing some of the best sports saloons and estates in the world and this model is certainly one of them. Definitely one of the rarest and fast appreciating Mercedes-Benz C 43 AMG’s you can find in today’s market. Price Guide £6,000 – £10,000 ?

Auction

This C43 Estate sports the awesome 189 Green Black Metallic paint which is exactly how it sounds. In some lights it looks green, in others black, and in these photos it looks more like a navy blue. Either way, a great color if you are into darker tones. Having just over 66,000 miles, this AMG doesn’t look like it’s been overcome by the rust monster that W202s are infamous for which is a great thing. One thing to keep in mind when buying any C43 is to be wary of transmission issues – they are are notorious for needing rebuilds as they couldn’t handle of the torque from the M113 4.3 liter. Otherwise, these are pretty stout cars that don’t need a ton of attention if you stay on top of maintenance. One thing to note, it looks like this car has the parking sensors which is an extremely rare option on the W202.

As for price, it’s anyone’s guess since this is an auction in England. Usually these range from $7,500 to $12,500 depending on condition if converted to US dollars. The collectability of the W202 AMG cars are starting to rise, but I wouldn’t call these a blue chip or must have for any collector just yet. But if you were looking for a rare wagon that is plenty fast, this one is tough to argue.

– Andrew

Roll the Dice? 1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG 5.5

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Put down your pitchforks and extinguish your torches, that’s not needed today for this Frankenstein creation. What is needed is a little bit of perspective and thought beyond what you initially see – a bagged car with a wild color wrap and bolt on fender flairs. Normally these things would be off-putting to most enthusiasts, but are the bones of this build sound? Let’s take a look at this W202 AMG for sale in California.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 5.5 on Benz World

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1998 Mercedes-Benz C230 with 49k miles

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Andrew’s Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG post had me considering my last car, a W203 2007 C230 Sport. Truth be told, I didn’t like that car all that much. The 7-speed automatic was overkill for the V6, leading the gearbox to hunt around too much and the lack of standard features such as auxiliary input for the stereo and fold down rear seats were bewildering on a car costing over $35,000 new. And while the interior fittings were upgraded in 2005, the overall package left a bit to be desired, especially if you were used to Mercedes-Benzes of yore. I’m a much bigger fan of the C-class that preceded the W203, the W202. While my 1998 C230 only had a 2.3 liter inline-4 mated to a 5-speed automatic, it was a much more well-rounded package with a big helping of that old school Mercedes feel. I dearly miss that car and this 1998 C230 for sale in Florida has me missing it even more.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1998 Mercedes-Benz C230 on eBay

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