AMG C43 Coupe - good choice of car for Thailand?

[soi3eddie]

12 hours ago, itsari said:

The most ridiculous car to buy in Thailand . 

Over priced and just bring unwanted attention to your self without going into the quality of the roads .

Buy a used pickup truck and be one of the locals .

Never buy anything used in Thailand. Likely never serviced or looked after (and that includes vehicles).

 

[LarrySR]

16 hours ago, pedro01 said:

There is no stigma.

 

Have a read of this - it'll help you out: https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/hate-rich-people-4-signs-010119544.html 

Stigma might be the wrong descriptor. Now that the thread hs progressed, I'm thinking douchbag is a better adjetive.

[wensiensheng]

I’ve had one for 18 months. Love the looks, sound, speed and interior. So just about everything ????.

 

I think it’s a lot of car for the price. It used to sell at over 5 mn baht, now only 4mn. Yes there is depreciation but not as much as you would think and way less than something like a Ford Mustang.

 

it’s a car that wants to be driven though. Pooling round in traffic at 30-40kph isn’t really it’s thing. 

[hotchilli]

On 9/27/2021 at 7:44 PM, CrossBones said:

Hi

I was wondering if anyone here has AMG C43 and what are your experiences of owning one in Thailand? Is this a good choice vs alternatives for same price and how about depreciation better buy second hand? thank you

A great car to own, until a muppet runs into the back of it, or signs their name on the paintwork in a car park.

[fallup88]

Excellent choice! If you are even worried about depreciation get a 2nd hand car under 30k km. There are loads for sell and majority are actually well looked after and from authorized dealers.

 

There is nothing comparable at this price point, a Z4 only sits 2.

[mjakob007]

On 9/28/2021 at 6:30 AM, LarrySR said:

If you got money to burn, I'd go for it. Beautiful car.

Depreciation begins the second you drive it off the lot of course. 20%-30% then around -30,000BT per month.

 

how would a C43 compare with a beemer 430i?

anyone that has used both?

[mjakob007]

On 9/27/2021 at 7:44 PM, CrossBones said:

Hi

I was wondering if anyone here has AMG C43 and what are your experiences of owning one in Thailand? Is this a good choice vs alternatives for same price and how about depreciation better buy second hand? thank you

remember someone saying, he had to take the car to bkk for periodic service as the benz outlets in most cities are not equipped for C43. 

 

you may want to check local dealership on this aspect

[Mr Meeseeks]

I just racechipped my 2021 A200 AMG Dynamic. Now pushing close to 200bhp on the dyno. Next mod Brabus exhaust with the carbon tips. 

 

I was looking at the AMG C43 too but opted for a new A-class instead after being won over by the interior and the fact it was 2m cheaper. 

 

I was looking at a CLS 300d too. 

[superal]

14 hours ago, wprime said:

That's a sedan, if he's looking at the C43 coupe he wants a performance coupe.

 

The locally made models are surprisingly good value these days too, same with BMW.

 

If you want a performance coupe the new low-end AMGs like the C43 are the cheapest on the market (though I think I read above BMW is entering this space, not sure on their pricing).

If you want a "four-door coupe", the CLS is by a long-shot the cheapest available in Thailand.

If you want a small roadster the SLC or the Z4 are again the cheapest on the market.

If you want a four-seater cabriolet Mercedes offers the C/E Cabriolet here and BMW the 4 series (6 & 8 series are imported last I checked) and they're the pretty much the cheapest cabriolets in Thailand. Even the low-end competitors like the VW turtle thing sell for similar prices and the MBs hold their value better so they end up cheaper in the long run.

 

People accuse MB owners of being attention seekers like the quote below, but for particular types of cars we're starved for choice here in Thailand so they end up being the cheapest.

 

That being said, I understand your position. Driving a nice car in BKK is stressful. Just today a motorbike hit the wing mirror of my S class while we were stopped in traffic and as someone who likes to keep hits cars perfect, it annoys the hell out of me. I find the best combination is to have your nice cars but also have a big car for errands/lending out/letting the girlfriend drive. Pickups are great for that - I wanted a Hilux but my girlfriend insisted we get a Fortuner instead (she felt shy to drive a pickup for some reason).

Not trying to boast but in the UK I had 3 Jags at various times and also a RR . I also had a small Fiat that cost me £300 ( lasted 12 years ) and was used for Shopping at Sainsburys etc because some people are careless when opening their car doors and hitting your car and walking off regardless .  Also if using my best car and having to use a stores large car park , I would park out of the way and furthest from the store . Can you believe the amount of times I returned to my car to find a rust heap parked next to me and in complete isolation from the rest of the parked cars .

[Rampant Rabbit]

21 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

These threads always bring out the jealous reverse snobs... 

 

Merc’s are excellent cars to choose in Thailand if one is in the market for a premium brand car.

There is an excellent dealer network and they hold their value better than other premium brands. 

Obviously styling comes into, as does the engine etc. 

 

I think the Volvo suggestion is a great one - the T8 engines are excellent.

 

But, the Ops question is about experience of AMG C43 ownership - I suspect there is just one member who can answer the question accurately (who has already done so).

 

As far as road quality goes, the vast majority of roads in Thailand are better than the UK (IMO) until we get into the back-streets / side streets. 

Additionally, some fun ‘can’ be had on the expressways. 

 

 

A car like this (Merc AMG) is all about enjoyment, someone suggesting a pick-up will never understand this. 

 

That said: I’ve never had a pick up in Thailand, but now my Son is approaching an age where we are lugging more stuff about (bikes etc) the idea of a pickup becomes more attractive. 

 

 

 

 

 

Dont  buy for reliability  though

 

Land Rover (including Range Rover)	38%	£1,260
Porsche	40%	£1,550
Jaguar	51%	£1,020
Chevrolet	53%	£900
Alfa Romeo	53%	£720
Audi	53%	£970
BMW	53%	£1,090
Mercedes	56%	£920
Mitsubishi	58%	£1,060
MINI	60%	£790
SEAT	62%	£660
VW	62%	£710
Citroen	62%	£580
Vauxhall	62%	£580
Volvo	62%	£790
Skoda	64%	£620
Peugeot	64%	£570
Nissan	64%	£740
Mazda	67%	£790
Renault	67%	£560
Ford	67%	£610
Kia	69%	£530
Suzuki	71%	£520
Fiat	71%	£510
Hyundai	71%	£570
Smart	73%	£460
Toyota	80%	£600
Lexus	87%	£1,100
Honda	87%	£530

[Rampant Rabbit]

Just now, Rampant Rabbit said:

As far as road quality goes, the vast majority of roads in Thailand are better than the UK

????????????????

[richard_smith237]

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

A great car to own, until a muppet runs into the back of it, or signs their name on the paintwork in a car park.

Whats the difference between that and running into any other car - the inconvenience is still there. 

 

 

Additionally - Thailand is not quite the same as the UK with its extreme reverse snobbery and jealousy, people don’t deliberately trash nice things here out of jealousy. People are also a lot more careful when opening their car doors.... I’ve have far fewer ‘supermarket’ dinks here than in the UK. 

[malathione]

I think it's a great car for Thailand. Discreet and fun and reasonably priced. I'm looking at getting a GLC 43 as a normal use car. My daily driver is a Z4 M40 like Pedro's but not really the most practical. Roads are just fine, I drive all over the country regularly.

 

Don't really understand the hate here.

[malathione]

9 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

Never buy anything used in Thailand. Likely never serviced or looked after (and that includes vehicles).

 

You can always check the service history.

[itsari]

21 hours ago, pedro01 said:

C43 - Sakorn Nakhon and Samui. 

 

In one piece - no worries at all.

 

BTW - Grandma is small - the car is not big.

When does the mother in law arrive ?

[RafPinto]

C43 and Z4, both lovely cars.

I recently went to test drive the new Merc E300E. Lovely car.

 

I see only a few cabriolets on the road but have never ever seen one open.

 

If you want to impress the ladies, buy a Benz.

They all know what Benz is, they never say Mercedes but Benz.

Most of them have no idea what BMW is.

[VocalNeal]

11 minutes ago, RafPinto said:

If you want to impress the ladies, buy a Benz.

In my experience, if you want to impress the ladies. You go to an upmarket club on somewhere like Thonglor. Order a drink, sit down, rummage around in your clothes looking for your phone. In the process you put a money clip with about 10,000 baht on the table, find your phone. Get up and go to the toilet whilst, absent mindedly, leaving the 10,000 baht on the table. 

When you come back all the ladies are most friendly and the 10,000 baht is still there.

 

A mate of mine did that for years. He always drives a leased late model Camry.

 

Edited September 29, 2021 by VocalNeal

[RafPinto]

3 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

In my experience, if you want to impress the ladies. You go to an upmarket club on somewhere like Thonglor. Order a drink, sit down, rummage around in your clothes looking for your phone. In the process you put a money clip with about 10,000 baht on the table, find your phone. Get up and go to the toilet whilst, absent mindedly, leaving the 10,000 baht on the table. 

When you come back all the ladies are most friendly and the 10,000 baht is still there.

 

A mate of mine did that for years. He always drives a leased late model Camry.

 

Nice one.

Does it work as well with a money clip "let's say", 200x20Baht?

It looks better.

[VocalNeal]

2 minutes ago, RafPinto said:

Nice one.

Does it work as well with a money clip "let's say", 200x20Baht?

It looks better.

I did say up market club! ????

[RafPinto]

9 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

I did say up market club! ????

I will try this one.

It's dark in the clubs and the girls will not notice.

 

 

[thaicookingchef]

54 minutes ago, RafPinto said:

C43 and Z4, both lovely cars.

I recently went to test drive the new Merc E300E. Lovely car.

 

I see only a few cabriolets on the road but have never ever seen one open.

 

If you want to impress the ladies, buy a Benz.

They all know what Benz is, they never say Mercedes but Benz.

Most of them have no idea what BMW is.

 

 

BMW they know of course, they are not as idiot as you think, but yes, most people think that my benz is more expensive than any porsche, especially porsche that do not lot look as a standard porsche, panamera or cayenne. I saved 4 millions ????

 

 

[Chongalulu]

23 hours ago, pedro01 said:

I think people misread "Motor Forum" at the top and think it's the "lose your <deleted> at the mention of a German car forum".

 

This is the wife's Z4 M40i - it's faster by far than the C43 - it slips and slides and twitches every gear change. 

 

The C43 is 4.3M THB. The Z4 M40i is 5MTHB - not a huge difference - and not everyone's cuppa - but performance is said to be on par with the M2. It's imported, so no test drive - unless you come to my house for a spin.

 

 

Black.. and a convertible.. in baking hot Thailand? Would you ever want the top down? 

[VocalNeal]

23 hours ago, pedro01 said:

and the only small fast car was the GLA 2.0 AMG.

A45?

[eliassfeir]

On 9/28/2021 at 2:34 PM, itsari said:

They do attract unwanted attention . I had a Mercedes saloon myself so i speak from experience. 

The roads are better than the neighboring countries of Thailand , yet a long way from the roads where these cars are designed and made .

Nothing special about owning a Mercedes Car in Thailand ? Pull the other one .

 

On 9/28/2021 at 1:46 PM, itsari said:

I had a Mercedes years ago and that car i enjoyed but caused many situations that I would of been happy to do without .

Pick ups are not desirable in the cities as they have a miserable steering radius .

So you expect we are going to believe you had a nice Mercedes saloon years ago which you enjoyed, but now you have replaced it with a cheapish wannabe car the sort of a Vios, Honda Jazz, etc... just because of what others thought of you...? 

 

Come on, we are not so naive as to believe that.... Either you are telling porkies and believe your own lie that you ever owned a Merc, or if it really did happen as you say, then Darwin must have been wrong. 'Natural selection' isn't a thing.... or at least it doesn't work as fast as it was believed.

[pedro01]

10 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

I’ve had one for 18 months. Love the looks, sound, speed and interior. So just about everything ????.

 

I think it’s a lot of car for the price. It used to sell at over 5 mn baht, now only 4mn. Yes there is depreciation but not as much as you would think and way less than something like a Ford Mustang.

 

it’s a car that wants to be driven though. Pooling round in traffic at 30-40kph isn’t really it’s thing. 

By chance - was it you that couldn't decide if he'd got the right color - I met a guy on my drive down to Samui that was driving his to Phuket. 

[G Rex]

3 hours ago, nchuckle said:

Black.. and a convertible.. in baking hot Thailand? Would you ever want the top down? 

That is why I bought my Cayman , and not the Boxster..

[pedro01]

2 hours ago, nchuckle said:

Black.. and a convertible.. in baking hot Thailand? Would you ever want the top down? 

Why would you ever want to blast around in the early evening on a motorbike? Why would you cycle?

 

Just got back from an early evening spin - daughter loves it!

[itsari]

1 hour ago, eliassfeir said:

 

So you expect we are going to believe you had a nice Mercedes saloon years ago which you enjoyed, but now you have replaced it with a cheapish wannabe car the sort of a Vios, Honda Jazz, etc... just because of what others thought of you...? 

 

Come on, we are not so naive as to believe that.... Either you are telling porkies and believe your own lie that you ever owned a Merc, or if it really did happen as you say, then Darwin must have been wrong. 'Natural selection' isn't a thing.... or at least it doesn't work as fast as it was believed.

I am not a liar sir .

If you have driven a Mercedes then you might understand what I am talking about . Even the fact that the car is German can cause problems in some countries .

I do not care what you think of me but please do not call me a liar .

 

[eliassfeir]

1 hour ago, itsari said:

I am not a liar sir .

If you have driven a Mercedes then you might understand what I am talking about . Even the fact that the car is German can cause problems in some countries .

I do not care what you think of me but please do not call me a liar .

 

Ok, you are not a liar. 

 

But then can you explain one by one and in great details what those problems are? 

 

Yes, I do daily drive a Mercedes (AMG) in Thailand, and on one occassion I had a (tiny) incident with a motorbike in Rama IV in Bangkok, guess what? the fault of the accident didn't fall on me "cuz I drive a Merc and I am farang..." 

 

Not a single issue at all, not any different than if I was driving a 1994 Pick Up Truck... 

 

Could you please go into more detail as to what the problems driving a Merc could cause then?

Edited September 29, 2021 by eliassfeir

[watboy]

For the OP.

 

One thing to note is the current C-class coupe was introduced in 2015. So its at the end of its model life. The new C-Class sedan came out this year, with the new coupe out next year. Thailand probably a year after that. If that doesn't bother you, its a great little car. But I would also consider trading some horsepower for size and look at the E200 coupe, they roughly the same price. Must be a sign of me getting older, as I'm appreciating comfort over performance.