I will consider swopping my C36 for a sensible Diesel Car. I have changed jobs and I need now travel 170 miles a day for the next 2 years. So I either swop the C36 or keep her as an investement.
The C36 is worth close to £4000. The car is in superb condition and AMG only made 2000 cars so this Merc is becoming collectable.
Mercedes C36 AMG Auto (W202), 4 Doors, Automatic, Saloon, Dark Metallic Green, Petrol, 107,000 miles, Pioneer CD Player, ABS, Electric Adjustable seats, Adjustable steering column/wheel, Alloy wheels, Anti theft system, 2 x Keys, AMG Body kit, Climate Control, Colour coding - Body, Colour coding – Black Leather Interior, Driver airbag, Electric mirrors, Electric windows, Electric sunroof, Front armrest, Electrically adjustable seats, Head restraints, Heated screen, Leather seats, Leather upholstery, Lumbar support, Immobiliser, Metallic paintwork, Power assisted steering, Rear armrest, Remote locking, Rear headrests.
I am reluctantly selling my trusty AMG C36. I bought the car over 4 years ago and had the whole car resprayed. Since then it has only had light summer use so the condition is exceptional. All the wheels have been refurbished this month. The tyres are like new and the spare is excellent. The car is a delight to drive and I average 28 mpg which is the same as a 2 litre Sierra I used to own. Fully Comprehensive Insurance only costs me £330 a year. In 40,000 miles I have only had to replace one ignition coil and the fan belt at 97,000 miles. These engines have a duplex cam chain so there are no cambelts to worry about. I always use top quality Mobil 1 oil. This C36 is absolutely standard except for the later “Avantgarde” Grill which I thinks looks much better and I added small “AMG” badges on the front wings.
I selling with a spare front and rear tyre. I will do an Oil Change with Mobil 1 and replace the oil filter before the car is driven away.
History of AMG and the C36
AMG stands for - (built by) Aufrecht and Melcher of Grobaspach. Aufrecht and Melcher started building racing Mercedes in 1967 and became the most successful DTM winners with legendary drivers like Klaus Ludwig and Jonny Cecotto. In the early nineties AMG were acquired by Mercedes. The name AMG was patented and the first jointly produced car was the C36. Between 1993-1997 some 2,000 standard C280 elegance cars (wood trim, chrome exterior trim) were be taken off the production line and given the AMG treatment at their factory in Grobaspach. The engine was taken apart and fitted with a new crankshaft, longer conrods, larger pistons, the cylinderhead was modified and equipped with the world’s first ever variable valve timing on a production car. Capacity of the in-line 6 cylinder increased from 2,800 to 3606cc with 280bhp and a 0-60 of 5.9 seconds and 0-100 in 14.8 seconds (book figures). The C36 has a true hand built racing engine. This is mated to an E500 auto gearbox, SL600 front brakes, E500 rear brakes and a unique rear axle. The suspension was lowered and a body kit fitted. The end result is one very special car. The C36 was replaced in 1997 by the C43 which has a bog standard production V8 engine with an induction kit, modified exhaust and a tweaked ECU. The C43 is in effect a basic “Max Power” conversion and not a hand built racing engine. Since then most AMG’s have tended to follow the C43 route and are sold in much larger numbers making the original C36 a very special Mercedes by comparison. The original is always the best. I acquired the MB AMG parts list which details all the modified parts.
Beware of fake C36’s there are quite a few around AMG badges and body kits are easy to buy. It took me months to find this car. I test drove two fakes with C36 on the V5. Mercedes only made 2,000 cars so the C36 is very, very rare in right hand drive and therefore very collectable. The first fake I tried was possibly a real C36 but it sounded flat and had no power. I think the engine had been swopped for a standard C280. The second had all the fake “AMG” extras like body kit, twin pipe silencer, peddles, chrome wheel arch eyebrows, gearshift, clocks, badges, wheels etc and the ride height was too low. It looked like a Pimp’s car and ran like a C280. Real C36’s are much understated. They have standard pedals, standard gear lever even the side badges are standard “Sport”. All the MB service history will say C280 on the computer printouts. The Speedo has an AMG logo and the cabin trim has a special Carbon Fibre effect but this trim was later fitted to all lower spec C class sport models.
HOW DOES IT DRIVE?
There is a ferocious snarl when you activate the ignition and every time you blip the throttle. It should feel like a special handbuilt race engine. On the move, the story was much the same. At low revs this car runs like a free breathing 3,606 engine should when fitted in a family salon. You can whoosh past 3 cars coming out of a 30 limit without ever going beyond 3,000 revs. Up to 4,000 revs will see off hard accelerating GTi’s and Volvo T5’s. If you plant your right foot and wait till 4,000 revs the variable valve timing kicks in, then she lifts her petticoat and surges relentlessly to the red line. There may be only 280 bhp but the 3,606 capacity provides masses of torque. I have blown passed hard accelerating Imprezza’s and VR32 Golf’s because unless they have their Turbo at max boost they have no answer. I just love embarrassing Beemer owners who sit on my tail in traffic then disappear backwards when I accelerate. Kick down below 60 in the wet and you will spin up both the 245 rear tyres. Yet the power delivery from the six-cylinder motor is so even and so smooth that you can drive it on a daily basis like any other car. To satisfy the German environmentalists, the engines are restricted to 155mph. Slick shifts from the standard automatic gearbox mean that you are treated to an uninterrupted torrent of thrust. The brakes are fabulous, Autocar rated them better than Ferrari. The steering and handling are almost as impressive. The grip is huge. AMG set the suspension to reflect their belief that it isn't necessary to feel every bump and ripple of the road in order to keep in touch with the tarmac. As one roadtester puts it “AMG Cs were always at their best on twisty secondaries, where they dispense with persistent GTis much as you would swat an irritating fly”.
Every time I drive the Car it puts a smile on my face. I have just changed jobs and I now have a long (slow) drive to work with unsafe parking. So, very reluctantly, I have to sell the car. I think the C36 will probably increase in value over the years so this is a great buy for a MB enthusiast or any discerning owner who wants a special performance car.
Please no dreamers or tyre kickers. You won’t be allowed to drive it so don’t even try.
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