Three Pedal AMG- 1995 Mercedes C36

The Mercedes C36 was the first car produced by AMG after Mercedes purchased them.  The C36 was the successor to 190E 16V as Mercedes compact performance car.  It was a very expensive car when new and competed directly with the BMW E36 M3.  The engine, square edged styling, brakes, and build quality were without fault.  The real achilles heal of the C36 was the dimwitted automatic which was the only transmission option.  C36 resale prices pale in comparison to the M3 largely due to the the lack of third pedal.  Today's seller took matters in their own hands and swapped in a proper manual transmission.  Find this 1995 Mercedes C36 AMG for sale in Santa Barbara, CA for $8,500 via craigslist.  Tip from Sean.

DT Project Car: 1995 Mercedes C36 AMG

In the fall of last year, the decision was made to sell my long time project car after realizing it did not made sense to have a wagon as a weekend driver.  I had been following a listing for a 1995 Mercedes C36 AMG the better part of six months out on on the very east end of Long Island.  The asking price had dropped low enough to the point where I had to find a way to go see the car.  Armed with my wife and I's ATM cards, I made the hour and a half ride further east after doing some legitimate work out on the island.  The car was for sale at a gas station garage where the owner had clearly given up on the car.  A deal was made for made for $1000 clams and it was towed back to it's new home a week later.  Initially, the thought was to create a 3.6 swapped W124 coupe, but things took a different direction after digging into this car further.

AMG Power- 1995 Mercedes E320 wagon

When presented the choice of repairing a failed head gasket on the stock 3.2 engine or swapping in a C36 AMG engine, I chose the later.  Neo in the Matrix chose the red pill and we have been down similar rabbit holes ever since. The 2.8, 3.2, and 3.6 Mercedes M104 straight six engines all have the same exterior dimensions so it was a straight bolt in swap.  The 3.6 engine is good for approximately sixty horsepower more than the stock 3.2.  For 1995, a small number of factory E36 cars were sold in the United Kingdom.  Find my 1995 Mercedes E320 wagon for sale here on eBay in Norwalk, CT for $10,000.

1995 Mercedes-Benz C36 AMG

In the mid 1990s most people were still driving slow cars and anything that hit 60mph in less than 8 seconds (or so) was considered pretty quick.  Naturally, a Mercedes-Benz sedan that could hit 60mph in 5.8 seconds and a top speed limited to 155 mph was a bit of a surprise, but in 1995 Mercedes-Benz introduced their first C-Class performance model and the first AMG badged street car in one 4-door package-- the C36 AMG.  Find this 1995 Mercedes-Benz C36 AMG offered for $5,300 in San Diego, CA via craigslist. This post is part of DT's 2016 Birthday Celebration of 100 cars; enjoy the ride!