Located an hour south of Atlanta, GA, this 2002 Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG was recently listed for sale for only $5,500. The car currently displays a respectable 106k miles on the dash and appears to be well kept. It's becoming increasingly difficult to find an unmolested example of these cars on today's market. They've become extremely affordable and can be tuned relatively easily making them great candidates for tinkering. This example appears to have been left alone aside from an aftermarket grill that we'd immediately swap back to stock. What really catches our eye for this particular example is the color. In typical Mercedes fashion, Brilliant Silver is the most common color for these W203 C32's followed by black or white. Occasionally, however, we see a fairly unique color like this Bordeaux Red Metallic over Charcoal leather. While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, it certainly strikes a chord for being a bit more rare and we can always appreciate that.
The C32 AMG originally retailed for near $55,000 when new. While the standard C320 engine was rated at 215 hp, the supercharged C32 produced 349hp and 332lb-ft of torque. This propelled the Baby Benz from 0 to 60mph in a mere 4.7 seconds. In 2002, that was very quick. AMG also touched on other upgrades including suspension, brakes, exhaust, and interior. For this particular car, a paint correction and headlight restoration would go a very long way in bringing life back aesthetically. Unfortunately, some potential clear coat issues can be seen on the hood and bits beginning to fail on the roof. The dash does show a Check Engine light currently on so we highly recommend taking a code reader or having a PPI done. Depending on the issue, this can be a great negotiating tool especially if the issue can be easily fixed. On a brighter side, the wheels appear to be mostly free from road rash which is always a key sign to look for. Of course there is the typical pixel failure on the instrument cluster which is a known and common issue but not deal-breaking. For the 2002 model year, there was a known issue in which fluids from the radiator had the potential to contaminate the transmission fluid which could cause some very expensive transmission services in the future. A very similar design flaw is true of the first model year, 2003, W211 E55 AMG. All things considered, this is a highly underrated machine and will certainly surprise you with it's quickness. Make sure to go drive this one in person and get a an idea of its history, but if all things seem to check out, for $5k this is a lot of bang for your buck.
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