[RagingKileak]

Yo Peeps,

Just a quick question.... C32 AMG, any good as a day to day?

I guess I should be mostly worried about MPG and Comfort... Neither look too bad for a car like that, and it would appear it might just be a suitable compromise for less than £10k!

I have looked at some BMW alternatives and can't find bugger all.... Alpina B3S are somewhere like, but I honestly don't think they are as good a car just to stay in the BMW marque.

Accords, Mazda 6's etc can be had newer and for less money, but I am not convinced I NEED to reduce running costs... Merely that I wan't to get money out of the 135i.

Bear in mind I still have the Porsche in the garage so I don't want something too sporty either... an M3 for example is too harsh day to day and arguably as competitive as the Boxster on twisties.

I'd prefer the Merc which I see as a quiet, powerful auto which I can cruise happily around in with mucho comfort. I'll also scratch the exclusivity and pride itches which I do suffer from.

Other options welcome, I am far from dead set.

Regards
Matt

[creepy coupe]

Watch out for rust around front and rear wheel arches.

Superchager bearings can fail

Intercooler pumps

Drivers heated/electric seats can and do go south

Heavy on petrol.

[rogerxp]

...but apart from that nothing to worry about

[creepy coupe]

Rusty arches you can walk away from.

Supercharger bearing replacement isn't supposed to be a difficult job

Not sure about the others.

[RagingKileak]

Yeah doesn't sound too worrying.

Certainly not worrying enough to look at either of the 2001 ripoffs on the MB website for £12 and 13k respectively!

Cheers
Matt

[F31-340i]

I had one back in 2002. T-Modelle Estate.

Very quick, but low rent interior. COMAND sat nav from that era is a bit like an Atari 2600 vs todays PS3. Cruise control with speed limit is a good feature, pity missing from most cars today. UK cars had Bose Hifi standard.

I used to get 13mpg out of it - mind that was commuting to work at 130mph.

Our E46 M3 Cab was better in pretty much every respect - but the AMG always felt more special.

[TMP]

Excuse my merc ignorance here.....so is that just a 3.2l engine? Half the size of modern AMG?!

[F31-340i]

Originally Posted by TMP

Excuse my merc ignorance here.....so is that just a 3.2l engine? Half the size of modern AMG?!

Yes, but it was supercharged, so still churned out 354bhp - basically the same as the same period 5.5litre V8. The V6 sounds pretty good - but not as good as a V8 AMG - which to be honest is usually the whole point of an AMG (IMO).

There is a C55 AMG Estate up for around 15k on PH - a much better buy IMO if you are set on a C class AMG - plus the facelift interior was much better than the original. It got me thinking about it as a 3rd car for when the porker needs TLC or its just raining too hard......

here tis...
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1860530.htm

[RagingKileak]

Might as well keep the 135i then mate.

Budget is about half that... I started at 3k for a 2001 735i FFS!!!

lol!!

Matt

[pjs]

Volvos80v8? S type r? 335i?

[F31-340i]

Originally Posted by RagingKileak

Might as well keep the 135i then mate.

Budget is about half that... I started at 3k for a 2001 735i FFS!!!

lol!!

Matt

Oh yes, I remember now - 740i sport with cheeky Tomorrow Never Dies twin spokes and quaint 4" TV screen - it has to be!

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1403588.htm

or if you're feeling brave....

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1828281.htm

V12 yeah!

[RagingKileak]

Thanks for the spots mate... Neither quite seem to fit the bill for me... If its a hugely leggy 7 then it does need to be cheaper than that... Plus one is sold already lol!!

I am really struggling to define what I want, but here are some key points rated out of ten and some absolute limits...

10k absolute max and bonus points for cars that are cheaper for sure!
80k miles is about max, but will slide up to say 120k for something at a very good price.
Condition needs to be pretty close to mint.
Comfortable and especially quiet is a BIG bonus.
Preferrably, factory fitted nav and bluetooth.
Performance needs to be OK but doesn't need to be blistering. 200bhp in a remapped diesel or bog standard petrol would be fine, with moderate/good handling capabilities.
Needs to be fairly reliable.
Needs to be a brand which I can convince myself I'm ok with.... BMW, Merc, Audi, Honda, Mazda, Ford etc.... eg the 2.2HDI 407 Coupe isn't a bad car, but I am not convinced I could pay £7k for a Peugeot. 2-3k would be fine lol!!!

Here are some examples...

8-10k I would be looking at a Lexus IS250 as the benchmark. The Multimedia pack makes this an EXTREMELY well specced car and its a good looker with acceptable performance. Also rans include the Mercedes C32 AMG, the Alpina B3S, E60 5 Series and plenty more... I could live with almost any of these for the money.

5-8k is a difficult category. Basically nothing I would pay this much money for is in this bracket... 407 2.2 HDI, Honda Accords, Mazda 6's and Ford Mondeos are all here, but in my view none of them are worth the money - i'd rather chuck an extra grand in and drive a nicer car.... Some early E60 5's are here too, with starship mileage and generally arse engines and spec.

£3-5k is where I originally started (once I had passed the unrealistic 2k for a Lexus is200 stage) and there are lots of 2005 Mondeos (with no speC) Vectra's, extremely leggy Accords, 1 or 2 very rare Mazda 6's and a few other bits and pieces.... The 7's fall in here, but for an older shape one I would only really consider them closer to 3 rather than 5k.

I suspect, at this rate, due to how common they are and the choice of colours and so on I could get, Lexus at about 9k is the favourite.

Matt

[rogerxp]

There's something about the new shape 407 coupe that always catches my eye. I had one as a courtesy car when my wifes old 206cc went in for service and was pretty impressed by it (it was a contended instead of the E46 at one point). The GT cars are very well specced (leather, sat nav) and, I was under the impression, the engines are pretty reliable.

Pretty rare sight on our roads which I like also. Drove nicely. I took out the 3.0 diesel (auto) and the ride was amazingly smooth (I was driving the E90 at that point so a pogo-stick was smooth by comparison!!). I was impressed. Don't discount it just yet and I'm sure deals are to be made.

There's quite a few around; this one looks good (1 owner, reasonable mileage, GT spec, 6 months warranty...) - wonder if they'd accept £6k cash???
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...1501?logcode=p - manual
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...1501?logcode=p - auto


I suppose this leads you down the path I took - how about an E46 330i??? For your budget you've got a massive range (pre/post facelift, no/good spec). I'm averaging 29mpg and hoon it everywhere, it seems bullet-proof, and as a face-lift car still looks good - I got my 03 plate, 70k, basic spec, very good condition, for £8k 6 months ago. The pre-facelift cars only had a 5 speed box which ruled it out for my 'manual' requirements.

[RagingKileak]

If I wanted a 330, then this would work... http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1862766.htm

However I ALSO like the 407 Coupe and think it is cracking for what I am looking at... Will check some out

Matt

[RagingKileak]

6k cash!!! Fuck me, you must be a bastard to haggle with!!!

They are both pushing on Lexus money for me - and that is a better car IMHO...

For 5-6k I would look at either of the above!

Matt

[Steve A]

I had a C32 from 2005 to 2008 its the longest ive ever kept any car. It was seriously fast. Faster in a straight line than and e46 m3, amv8 etc i loved every minute of it it just got a bit leggy for me. I think it was faster than the C55 i had after however it didnt sound as good. i used to get 20mpg upto 26 on a cruise. If i had only 5k-7k to spend on a car as long as it passed a medical i would not hesitate in buying another.

[Em135eye]

Steve - when did you get your IS-F?!

I love older "stealth" AMG Mercs like the C32 and the E55. Uber cool IMO.

[RagingKileak]

Originally Posted by Steve A

I had a C32 from 2005 to 2008 its the longest ive ever kept any car. It was seriously fast. Faster in a straight line than and e46 m3, amv8 etc i loved every minute of it it just got a bit leggy for me. I think it was faster than the C55 i had after however it didnt sound as good. i used to get 20mpg upto 26 on a cruise. If i had only 5k-7k to spend on a car as long as it passed a medical i would not hesitate in buying another.

Yeah it seemed like a lot of car FOR THE MONEY which is what people forget I think...

I COULD buy an E46 M3... Fuck I could buy an E90 one... But I started out with a specific goal in mind and that is what I want to stick to... Technically the budget has more or less tripled lol....

Remap to 400bhp with some other bits too according to Evolve and so on...

The MPG is unfortunately a bit lower than I had thought it would be, although it is on par with the 135i which isn't losing me much money as I claim mileage... The C32 would mean I probably make money, as depreciation would be slower at that age/mileage than it is on the 135i.

Matt

[F31-340i]

Originally Posted by Steve A

Faster in a straight line than and e46 m3

I can verify this is true as I did test them back to back with a mate. There wasn't much in it to be honest though!

The 5 speed auto in an C32 was also tweaked by AMG to have "speedshift" - this made is shift noticably quicker than a normal Merc slushbox.

I remember the AMG bodykit on an C32 was a nearly £3000 option for normal C Class cars and really made them look miles better than normal elegance or avantgarde models, but later on started to be offered in series 'Sport' models. It was a real shame they didn't offer the black birds eye maple interior wood at a reasonable cost in the AMG though - you had to have AluQuadra trim that was a bit naff (or pay vast amounts to Mercedes designo).


Still think you should get one of these....



If you won't I might. Someone should. V12. Cool.

[Em135eye]

That colour combo shouldn't work but on that 760i, it does.

[MOB]

Would you consider a Volvo S60? D5 or T5

+ Very comfortable, safe, quick, great quality, fantastic hifi

- So-So handling as standard, image, terrible turning circle

My old S60R is still one of my all time fave cars

[peterg1965]

Originally Posted by ///ajd

Still think you should get one of these....



If you won't I might. Someone should. V12. Cool.

That car looks tasty! Link?

I had a CLK55 AMG - would I buy another? No? They rust, but mine was 8 years old!