"It's a practical choice," will likely be the first words past your lips when you try to convince your partner that this is a sensible option.
Fortunately, a modicum of truth to that statement might help you coerce them into hearing you out. This is a refined-looking Mercedes-Benz estate, after all, one with seating for five and a capacious boot.
"Consider it serving two purposes," will be uttered next, as you try to dodge the fact that this Mercedes-Benz C-Class does in fact have a 4.3-litre V8 under the bonnet. One that produces 306bhp and 302lb ft, granting the plush Merc a 0-60mph time of under seven seconds.
Manage to make that idea fly and you'll be able to enjoy the duality that makes high-performance estates like the C43 AMG so desirable. Here's a car you can chuck the kids and their associated paraphernalia in, and drive as comfortably and as easily as any other luxury estate.
Yet, when the opportunity arises, you can bury the accelerator in the carpet and listen to one of the finer things in life - that is, a naturally aspirated V8 racing towards the redline. You'll also be able to relish the sharper responses and additional cachet that is served up by AMG-fettled models, resulting in a car that's just outright more enjoyable to own and drive.
Admittedly there's no manual option, which might blunt the C43's appeal a little, but the automatic transmission does match the Mercedes' muscular V8 well. You won't have to break the bank to get a good C43 AMG either, with prices drifting around the £4000 mark.
Most mid-1990s Mercedes have fallen into disrepair, however. The company's accountants were holding the reins at the time, rather than the engineers, so the quality of many of its products from that era is often questionable. That's not to say that they weren't good cars, just that they became prone to failures that you wouldn't otherwise expect of the brand's formerly robust offerings.
For example, this W202 generation of C-Class featured wiring covered with a poorly specified biodegradable insulation which would prematurely disintegrate in normal use, causing myriad shorts and countless headaches for owners as they tried to trace intermittent electrical faults. Corrosion was a problem, too, with rusty panels being a common sight.
Depreciation also took its unkind toll, as with any other luxury car. Because they became so cheap, owners began taking less care of them. Consequently finding one that's got some semblance of service history, and one that hasn't simply been run into the ground, is no mean feat.
Join the debate
Add your comment
Check out the Euro NCAP test results
I was going to buy one too....
well, I was going to post a link but it has triggered the spam filter!
But instead I bought a Subaru Legacy Spec B 3.0 sports tourer. This was my best ever car and I am kicking myself for selling it last year, especially as it turned out I need not have - I did not have to take the company car as was first told.
TBH the AMG didn't feel that fast or special, whereas the Legacy did especially after having the bushes replaced with poly ones and a remap. I tried a few AMG's from a dodgy dealer one to this example shown in the link.
However I would say go for it, cars like this are getting rarer. On your death bed surrounded by your grandchildren what would you rather tell them? Stories of a thunderous V8 or a four pot diesel? I suspect youtube would still be around in some sort or another and they can listen to it then too...or you can show them clips of that washing machine you loved..
Sort of pointless
I think you're over-estimating the costs there.
A typical medium estate car driver might spend £200-250 a month for a three year lease. Ignoring any initial deposit that works out at £7000-8750 for three years of motoring.
What would this cost to run per year? Does something like £500 extra on fuel, £150 extra on tax and £100 more on insurance sound reasonable? That still leaves £1250 for any repairs needed and that's going for the lower end of the lease estimate and ignoring the deposit.
And this is buying a car rather than a lease that would leave you empty handed after three years, so there's potential to lower costs if it keeps on going or you sell it off.
Obviously it's not a car for those on a tight budget but even if "most people" couldn't afford to run it that must be a pretty slim majority. I bet at least 20-30% spend enough on their car to have a good go at running this instead.
EndlessWaves.....shhhhhhh.