Opinions on the C36 and C43

[mbsickness]

Hello everyone, I have been cosidering a C36 or a C43. I would like to get your opinions on which one is preferred and what are weak areas of these cars. It will be a daily driver and will have many miles (100 miles a day) logged onto what ever the car already has. Most I have seen typically have between 75 and 95K miles....I am assuming that these cars carry on the MB tradition of being good for at least 200k miles. The only thing that I have heard is that the C43 isn't really faster than the C36 as the C43 gained some weight with the additional two cylinders. Any and all insights would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[mark cummins]

Originally posted by mbsickness
Hello everyone, I have been cosidering a C36 or a C43. I would like to get your opinions on which one is preferred and what are weak areas of these cars. It will be a daily driver and will have many miles (100 miles a day) logged onto what ever the car already has. Most I have seen typically have between 75 and 95K miles....I am assuming that these cars carry on the MB tradition of being good for at least 200k miles. The only thing that I have heard is that the C43 isn't really faster than the C36 as the C43 gained some weight with the additional two cylinders. Any and all insights would be appreciated.

Thanks.

This should help http://www.mbusa.com/brand/container.jsp?/starmark/overview/overview_engine.jsp&subNav=overview&yearModelCode=97_C36&class=97_C&rnav=012345678&menu=3_0&spec=3&category=3

And
http://www.mbusa.com/brand/container.jsp?/starmark/overview/overview_engine.jsp&subNav=overview&yearModelCode=98_C43&class=98_C&rnav=012345678&menu=4_2&spec=2&category

The C43 is Faster.... 0.3 to 60 quicker than the C36
The C36 is a Good car less $ to Maintain!The 104 oil leaks
But The C43 is a BLAST to drive!!
My WIFES C Coupe Kills the C36..and its a 2.3 Four!
Yes Its Been Modded

[blackmercedes]

The M104 in the C36 is not a "factory" engine, but is hand built by AMG. We had a 1995 C36 that we sold with a little over 100K-miles on it. The buyer took the car to the dealer for a highly detailed inspection. The engine ran new spec compression on all six pots with no variation. It was tight and strong and had never leaked one drop of oil.

The transmission had been subjected to the drag strip and you'd never know it. It shifted perfectly and felt like it would last forever with care.

A 1997 C36 with the 722.6 and steeper final drive (than the 95/96 cars) will run right with a C43. Forget MB's published numbers. There was no way they'd publish C43 numbers that weren't an improvement over the C36.

BTW, most AMG cars get quicker with age. It takes forever for the engine to be broken in completely, and they just get stronger. Our 95 was taken to the strip with about 155K-km's (95K-miles) and it could break into the 5's in the 0-60 and get into the really low 14's.

A bone stock CL230 or C230K car will not come close to any year C36. One with a manny-tranny might beat the AMG across an intersection, but forget it if the cars are moving. On a demanding road, the C36 will also say goodbye. It's brakes are fade proof and can lay out the anchor from over 100mph a dozen times with no pedal feel change. The AMG suspension is sublime and the little W202 is one of the best handling cars with four doors I've ever driven. It will also outgun the Coupe with a straight long road as the AMG slams into the 250km/h limiter. Uncork it and it will run out to 270.

Of course, when new the C36 cost considerably more.

I would not hesitate to buy a well-cared for C36 of any year. BTW, the C36 has a completely different suspension set-up than the C43. The V-8 car is much stiffer with lower body-roll, but is also harsher. The C36 is softer, but has no less grip. It just doesn't "feel" as fast thanks to the additional body movement. For high speed touring the C36/C43 cars are tough to beat used values. Only a handful of cars with four doors are faster, aren't any more comfortable, and the AMG cars are deadly reliable, have a carved-from-an-ingot feel, and since most of the parts are off-the-shelf W202, easy to maintain.

Can you tell I miss ours?

[manny]

blackmercedes

There is a nice C 43 at my local dealer for you.
1999, red, 52 k km on it, showroom condition, he's asking ( I'm sure that's negotiable ) $ 41 k CDN.
Boy, I have to stop looking at it.

[zeronero]

Originally posted by mark cummins

My WIFES C Coupe Kills the C36..and its a 2.3 Four!
Yes Its Been Modded

What mods you have?

I drove a C36 and I can say it was fast. You must have several mods to beat a C36 with a C coupe.

Of all the AMG cars I think the C36 sounds the best, well maybe the SL55 beats it
:p

[mbsickness]

Thanks for all the good information. I drove both the C36 and C43 and the C36 seems a bit more spirited. The C43 had more low end grunt which seem to fade in comparision to the C36. I also like the idea that the C36 is more AMG to the core due to the special motorwork to enlarge displacement. Now the fun begins....where to find a decent example. C36 and C43's seem to be selling at rock bottom prices on eBay...are these prices a true representation of what they are worth? Or are these like most cars on eBay....tired, beat, multiple owner cars?

[Ali Al-Chalabi]

I have noticed that a lot of cars do not fetch what they are worth on Ebay. It is also more difficult to get an exact representation for what the car is worth when shopping on ebay.

My C36 has around 107K miles. Still runs great and very fun to drive. My wife doesn't like cars in general (she prefers trucks) but loves this one. The only comparison I can make is to my 500E. Both very fast off the line but where the 500E acceleration is brutal, the C36 feels light and quick.

[mbsickness]

Thanks everyone for your input. I have just finished washing my "new" to me...C36. All I can say is....What a Blast! Just as a data point, it is a 96 with 67K.