C43 - Trophy Car?

My wife thought I was nuts -- a 6 year old car???? OK OK. This is not just a car, and if you find one that hasn't been abused, and can afford it, BUY it. This is a stealth sleeper. It's a baby Benz packed w/ more punches than a prize fighter. V-8, 5-speed computer-variable automatic, ESP computerized steering/brake assist and the list goes on. But you can read a spec sheet for that stuff. What is really impressive is that after 6 years, everything works like it's brand new, and there isn't so much as a squeak or rattle. I can tell the prior (and only prior) owner took good car of this car, and made sure nobody smoked inside it -- the ash trays are pristine, there isn't a hint of lingering tobacco tar or other residues, and I'm going to keep it that way. What's more, this AMG was a VERY limited edition (1,500 worldwide per year from '98-'00) and could become a rare/collector item. Finally, based on everything I have learned about the car in 8 months of ownership is that at 55 years old, I could kick myself for not getting into a Benz sooner.

So let me add some particulars, because this is a car that teaches you how to drive as much as you learn to drive it:

Overall performance: performance for the "good driver" is enhanced if you (a) turn off all the accessories (sound system, climate control...) and (b) engage the "ESP. This both maximizes available power and engages the computerized turning/traction assist system. Why? With the beefed up suspension and nearly drag-slick standard issue tires, you'd need a test track to match the performance specs, and your typical urban pock-marked roadway surface simply plays havoc with performance.

Acceleration: The info I found on line says w/ a manual it does 0-60 in the low 5.xx secs and with the automatic in the high 5.xx's. To be totally blunt I have yet to find a straightaway that I have been able to take it from a total stop as such. All I do know is that pulling away from a dead stop I'm at 40+ in about 2.5 secs -- the rest of the way to 60'ish is what remains to happen. But in moving traffic the passing power is instantaneous and flooring it kicks it down a gear from wherever you are and the rpms transfer very smoothly. Beware: the car requires snow tires for that weather, and don't try any tricks on slick (wet especially) new asphalt, or you'll be spinning in place with a tap of the pedal.

Braking: I don't have a stopwatch. And I don't have a lead foot. Easing up on the gas causes the car to downshift remarkably well so you can glide to a stop in moving traffic. I have had to make one emergency stop, however, on a wet road after nightfall, when an idiot in front of me stopped right in the center lane to make an illegal left (into a McDonald's). I didn't even have to slam on the brakes; the car gripped the road and stopped well before impact. Not so lucky for me though; the driver behind me didn't and I wound up w/ a new bumper cover out of it. And the stop was straight -- no veer, which I've found under just about every condition. The tire size and summer tread in particular put a lot more rubber on the road for stopping. The only negative is that you are stopping about 1.5 tons and w/ 4-wheel discs, I can tell I'll be replacing the fronts routinely.

Steering: immediate response, and w/ ESP on I take even the sharpest curve like a pro. The ESP light, in the center of the dash, is BRIGHT amber like a caution sign with an exclamation mark in its middle -- I almost wish it was the other way around like some 'overdrive' systems: on all the time except when you disengage it when the light would then come on more as a warning. But the Germans remain spartan and basic -- it's off for the serious driver unless you need it on. When I bought the car I didn't know that the front and rear rims were different sizes, and the dealer had rotated them (moron), and the steering pulled a lot especially at intersections where the pavement (asphalt especially) was worn and grooved. When I bought my snow tires a month after buying the car at the beginning of winter where I live(I also am VERY impressed by the Vikings I bought -- they are Norwegian snow tires and they have a LOT of snow and in winter you can use the same size tire front and rear because the maximum recommended speed on them is 118 compared w/ 155+ on the "summer" tires/slicks) the tire dealer laughed but reversed the rims and steering is 100% improved: make sure you have the rims where they belong.

Handling: The car seems to handle better as speed increases!?!? Not so much as a shimmy at (oops, can't say, it may be well over the legal limit but I guess I could say I had a last clear chance passing situation, right?) mph. Even w/o ESP, it takes hard entry/exit ramps with hardly a lean, but beware rough surfaces as the rear end will bounce out if you're really flying. The ESP therefore helps 'correct' any under/oversteer issues.


Safety: The front seat passengers are particularly well-protected for the year of this car, with front and side air bags standard issue. I also feel safer as the car is just over 1.5 tons.

Pleasant/unexpected surprises: HUGE trunk w/ fold-down rear seating; Bose sound system; rain-sensing wiper; infra-red key can open/close all windows/moonroof simultaneously; every window as auto down AND up; platinum window tinting; smart climate control - auto feature doesn't blast you w/ hot air before the a/c kicks in and vice versa in winter; and the a/c is ice cold as you'd like it; orthopedic seat adjustments (very very nice); that "German leather" smell that's as fresh as the day it rolled off the line.

Drawbacks (worth overlooking): tight rear seating if you put the front seats all the way back; harsher than normal C-class ride on the summer tires; cost for Mercedes parts (that replacement bumper cover w/ paint, etc. ran nearly $1,500 in part because of the trim level of the C43, but other C class parts do work); cruise control poorly located next to turn signal; the integrated phone it came w/ is an analog phone so it won't work; higher than average road noise (in part due to the tires); and as a German car for its vintage it lacks a few of the "luxury" cherry-on-top items that more current models have such as dual front climate control and mirror/seating combos you can program for different drivers.

In the end, the car will probably cost more in some ways to maintain (in others not -- 110k plugs, 10k oil change intervals, and insurance was surprisingly modest because of the safety features and history of the car), but if you can afford to keep it the way it should be kept, I'd say this: if I could find another one I'd buy it too, and probably garage it.