Best Of

@kyfdx said:

I don't think the engine power, etc really matters. It's a cool non-US model. Nobody is going to worry about 0-60. The low miles and slushbox might make it a good XMAS present for a new driver.

Agree. Though I’m pretty sure no airbag on that. Would be a dealbreaker for me, probably not everyone. You could hit $10k for sure with the right buyer who wants a well kept driver that’s also completely novel on our shores.

I bought my son a car with no airbag, ABS or stability control. Then, sold it, and bought him a car that came with all those items, but they'd all been removed. But, it did come with some extra HP modifications. I might be a bad Dad.

(he's still alive, and turning 29 next month)

Now it can be told- a CPO 2020 Mercedes-AMG with 21k miles::





Why, you may ask, did I buy a C43 after driving one and finding it less than enticing? Well, a couple of friends told me that I needed to drive one and make sure everything was set to Sport+- I hadn't done that. Then I watched the Throttle House review of the A4, M340i, and C43; what struck me were their comments concerning the M340i- they thought that it was a nice car, but aside from the added hp it felt just like a 330i. That's not a knock on the 330i- it's a great car, but the consensus was that it wasn't sufficiently differentiated from the 330i. I'd had a 330i loaner for about a week when the X1 and Clubman were serviced and it was a nice car, but it never made me want to drive it. And I felt the same way in retrospect after driving the G42 M240i. Nice, fast, but not very involving- I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as the 2er and 3er are built on the same CLAR platform. And the TH guys really liked the C43, as did my lovely bride.

And so I decided to audition the C43 a second time. The first C43 I wanted to check out was the car that was nabbed by the nerds the Saturday after Thanksgiving- a blessing in disguise as this car turned up at the same dealer a couple of weeks later. I couldn't go look at it last week due to work and other commitments, but on Saturday the price dropped by $2,500. Monday morning I called my salesperson and put a deposit on it. After an extended test drive the deal was done. They gave me $2,500 over the CarMax offer for the 2er and installed a new of Continental MOE(Mercedes-speak for runflats. Sorta.) tires. I hope to pay it off in a year or so.

One thing I soon found out is that virtually no two C43 sedans are ever optioned alike. That said, this car was as close to perfect as I could want- my only change would be to swap the sunroof for the HUD, but you can't win 'em all.
What does it have?
AMG Performance Exhaust- A true hoot. It's switchable- much like the Mustang GT active valve exhaust. It is loud on start-up and when put in "Powerful" mode. It pops, crackles and burbles. I absolutely love it.
LED Intelligent Light System- The best headlights I have experienced. To my 65 year-old eyes just as good as the BMW Laserlights.
Digital Instrument Cluster- Easy to read and configure- with real engine and transmission oil temperature readings available. I'm still less than impressed with BMW's digital IP cluster with it's "wrong-way tachometer and limited configurability.
AMG Track Pace- You have to ask?
Top speed derestricted from 130 mph to 155 mph- Ditto.

On the road this car feels more stiffly sprung than the other C43 I drove; in comfort mode it feels stiffer than my M235i felt in Sport mode- which is just fine with me. It's just a tick faster than my M235i, but I won't complain about a 12.6 second 1/4 mile. The AWD front/rear torque split is 31/69 so the the C43 feels more rear biased than than the M240i xDrive. I could take or leave or leave the Driver Assistance and Parking Assistance Packages, but they are fun to play with. The seats are very comfortable; a bit better than my old 2er and clearly better than the G$@ M240i. The Burmester Surround Sound needs a bit of dialing-in, but I think it sounds a little better than the H-K in the M340i. And did I mention the C43 is only 13 pounds heavier than the M240i xDrive?
Not many nits to pick; I haven't managed to get the audio system to stream music from my iPhone via BT, and you have to disable stop/start after every startup- but that's about it. I hope to take it to the strip and a road course next year just to see what it will do. I'm almost guaranteed to be the only M-B at either venue...

Welcome to the old man gray club.

Now it can be told- a CPO 2020 Mercedes-AMG with 21k miles::





Why, you may ask, did I buy a C43 after driving one and finding it less than enticing? Well, a couple of friends told me that I needed to drive one and make sure everything was set to Sport+- I hadn't done that. Then I watched the Throttle House review of the A4, M340i, and C43; what struck me were their comments concerning the M340i- they thought that it was a nice car, but aside from the added hp it felt just like a 330i. That's not a knock on the 330i- it's a great car, but the consensus was that it wasn't sufficiently differentiated from the 330i. I'd had a 330i loaner for about a week when the X1 and Clubman were serviced and it was a nice car, but it never made me want to drive it. And I felt the same way in retrospect after driving the G42 M240i. Nice, fast, but not very involving- I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as the 2er and 3er are built on the same CLAR platform. And the TH guys really liked the C43, as did my lovely bride.

And so I decided to audition the C43 a second time. The first C43 I wanted to check out was the car that was nabbed by the nerds the Saturday after Thanksgiving- a blessing in disguise as this car turned up at the same dealer a couple of weeks later. I couldn't go look at it last week due to work and other commitments, but on Saturday the price dropped by $2,500. Monday morning I called my salesperson and put a deposit on it. After an extended test drive the deal was done. They gave me $2,500 over the CarMax offer for the 2er and installed a new of Continental MOE(Mercedes-speak for runflats. Sorta.) tires. I hope to pay it off in a year or so.

One thing I soon found out is that virtually no two C43 sedans are ever optioned alike. That said, this car was as close to perfect as I could want- my only change would be to swap the sunroof for the HUD, but you can't win 'em all.
What does it have?
AMG Performance Exhaust- A true hoot. It's switchable- much like the Mustang GT active valve exhaust. It is loud on start-up and when put in "Powerful" mode. It pops, crackles and burbles. I absolutely love it.
LED Intelligent Light System- The best headlights I have experienced. To my 65 year-old eyes just as good as the BMW Laserlights.
Digital Instrument Cluster- Easy to read and configure- with real engine and transmission oil temperature readings available. I'm still less than impressed with BMW's digital IP cluster with it's "wrong-way tachometer and limited configurability.
AMG Track Pace- You have to ask?
Top speed derestricted from 130 mph to 155 mph- Ditto.

On the road this car feels more stiffly sprung than the other C43 I drove; in comfort mode it feels stiffer than my M235i felt in Sport mode- which is just fine with me. It's just a tick faster than my M235i, but I won't complain about a 12.6 second 1/4 mile. The AWD front/rear torque split is 31/69 so the the C43 feels more rear biased than than the M240i xDrive. I could take or leave or leave the Driver Assistance and Parking Assistance Packages, but they are fun to play with. The seats are very comfortable; a bit better than my old 2er and clearly better than the G$@ M240i. The Burmester Surround Sound needs a bit of dialing-in, but I think it sounds a little better than the H-K in the M340i. And did I mention the C43 is only 13 pounds heavier than the M240i xDrive?
Not many nits to pick; I haven't managed to get the audio system to stream music from my iPhone via BT, and you have to disable stop/start after every startup- but that's about it. I hope to take it to the strip and a road course next year just to see what it will do. I'm almost guaranteed to be the only M-B at either venue...