Cheap Racer- 1998 Mercedes C43 AMG
Who doesn’t love cheap fun? Racing cars and going fast costs real coin, but this is DT where exceptions to the rule are welcome and encouraged! This 1998 C43 has been stripped of the AMG body kit and has bumpers from a similar year C220 so it looks entirely forgettable. Speaking of stripped, this C43 also has no interior aside from a race seat so this is not going to work as a Uber/Lyft vehicle. Under the hood, the 4.3 AMG M113 V8 is good for just over 300 hp when new, but the really hot ticket is to swap in the larger 5.4 350hp version of the same engine. The car still has the factory AMG suspension set up and massive brakes fitted to these models so it would likely be a competitive if uncommon choice for a budget race car. Find this 1998 Mercedes C43 for sale in Morris, CT for $1,500 via craigslist.
From the seller:
1998 Mercedes AMG C43 Race Car track project
I bought this C43 2 years ago as a track project. It has over 200k miles, it runs and drives great
When I bought the AMG the body kit was missing and the doors had some rust in them.
I installed bumpers, doors, fenders, hood and trunk from a rust free C220, so its a track “sleeper”
Its gutted inside and has one race seat
Comes with 17″ wheels pictured, I don’t have the Monoblocks
I have a complete W202 black leather sport interior for extra $$ if anyone needed or wanted to bring this car back as a road car
Has the AMG brakes and suspension, 300hp and 2700lbs
A W210 E55 engine and trans is a bolt in and you could kick some serious tushy..
I have over 20 cars and can’t get to all of them…
Clean title
A friend of mine is selling this car so I happen to have a video clip of it running. It sounds like Satan’s own chariot.
See a better track car for the money? email tips@dailyturismo.com
Cory made the first attempt at getting the Porsche 968 to run, but was foiled by some sort of alarm immobilizer.
Somebody has a MB addiction. Seems to not discriminate when it comes to models and years. Very nice.
Those are some nice plaid shirts!
So would this be up for a noisy drive to california?
Lemons and Chumpcar were the first thoughts I had when I saw this. I don't know what you'd sell off to get to $500 for Lemons. Chumpcar looks like a point system, I think this would count as a swap, and would look like this:
Make: Mercedes
Model: C-Class 6cyl
Year: 1998
VPi: 450
Car Weight: 2984
Original HP: 194
New HP: 300
Points Added to VPi: 1624
—>NEW VPI: 2074
I think you're only allowed 500 VPi.
The C43 came with a 4.3 V8 stock so this is not a swap. The 5.4 engine is a easy upgrade over the 4.3.