i have a '97 C36amg. pretty rare car, only 236 of them were imported to US that year, of them, only about 120 black....

it was the coolest car around back in its hey day, but now, at 12 y old, and 180,000 miles, really starting to age, and cause problems (ye i know, most cars dont even make it that far )... i dont drive it a lot, and mostly store it, but still, its time to do several major services, and a whole lot of maintenance, and the total tally so far is ~ $6,000!!
need to do the dreaded head gasket (a well known problem with C36's), a new water pump, power steering reservoir, full new exhaust (cats + muffler), all tires, 2 new rims, all brakes, all struts/shocks, a bunch of power buttons dont work, new A/C compressor, new radio headunit, all belts, plugs, ignition coils, intake duct, ....... yes, a really old car, on which no maintenance was ever done - but one which still runs and drives!!!

the car is only worth about $6000 now.... how can i spend $6000 to "bring it up to date", so to speak....
so, what should i do? i asked around my buds, and everyone has a diff opinion (as will all of you prolly ).... so, take the poll, what do i do ?? perhaps most of you will lean towards just one view

 

Old German cars. That's a toughie. Sounds to me like you've already decided it isn't worth the hassle or you wouldn't be asking. IF you even bother to figure out what the car is "worth" then you are already doubting it. Either keep storing it until it doesn't matter to you how much its "worth" and fix it so you enjoy it or get rid of it now as it sits. 6000 is only the beginning, there's going to be something else wrong.

 

sure sounds like a benz, should have bought a toyota

 

Pretty rare car.

C43's are even rarer.


You might be able to sell it on MBworld.org for something.


Probably not worth fixing it since parts will only get harder to find and more expensive.

 

sounds like you already made up your mind. if its worth 6k and needs 6k to fix it... sell it and enjoy the memories.

 

...but what about 'restoration' ?? the car is rare enough to deserve it...
besides, its not like its a rust bucket, the paint is still great, and interior is perfect.... its just that, again, in its 12years (i've had it since 2005), and 180k miles, no one ever did any maintenance... which, in itself is a testament of how the ol Germans used to build em.... i mean it still runs strong!

 

mixed feelings here because ive worked on one. its a Mercedes. nothing will be cheap to fix as you indicated. 180k on the ticker and no maintenance?? i would hate to pull the plugs in fear of ripping out the threads in the head. then there becomes another problem, the head....especially if you let the head gasket go that long. plugs will rust and give you issues trying to remove them from the aluminum head. the plugs will rust/oxidize themselves to the head. once the head is removed, you may need a full head service done to that head-valves, springs, cams?? you see, that could be another 1k bucks.

restoration you say?? failure to maintain the car is NOT a testament how the germans used to build them. sound like it may have caused you more issues that you just put off until now.

so the question remains....restore it?? NO. the repairs outweigh the value even after "restoration" as stated earlier, enjoy the memories and let it go. take that money and put it into a better project that will gain you money. as soon as you put the estimated 6k into the car, the car will still only be worth 6k.

.02

 

if it has sentimental value, keep it and put the money into it.
i understand its rare and all, but 180k and 12 yrs old hardly makes a great basis for a collectors car. you got a long way to go before its at that status.

 

I say you find a mb benz mechanic on craigslist thats been one for some time and that does sidejobs and such. Then you'd be able to get it fixed or up to part for way less cost and then decide if you want to keep or sell it. PICS?

 

^ but i need major service... change struts, plus do the head gasket (which means machining the head itself) - cant do any of this on the street, need a major shop and machinery...

as far as pics, here r a few....
.

 

man i remember seeing one of the in FL and definitely got my behind handed to me once by a C43. I knew both are rare but didnt know this rare

 

Not worth the hassle.

There isn't a big market for old MB's.

Check this out...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2003-...1%7C240%3A1308

That model Benz sold for over 130K when it was brand new. You can buy those for around 20k now with fairly low milage.

 

http://usedcars.kbb.com/fyc_kbb/sear...=KBBATUCFYCSRP

interesting

 

i had a clean '00 C43... spent 10k to rebuild the tranny... sold it after i fixed it, i figured im going to keep fixing and spend more money, so i might as well buy another car. Benz built the car with serious horsepower but didnt bother upgrading the gears.

 

I heard those models were garbage too; the motor overpowered everything else causing it to break.