Junkyard Gem: 1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG

As I've learned from my years poking around in big American self-service wrecking yards, high-end European machinery loses its value in a hurry when it gets into the hands of owners who don't take care of all those pesky maintenance items. Yes, once an S8 or 745Li is allowed to deteriorate, the cold steel jaws of The Crusher await. You'd think that genuine, numbers-matching AMGs would be exempt from this remorseless process, but nope, here's an extremely rare W202 C43 in a Denver-self-service yard.



I checked the VIN, and this is the real thing, not just a badge-swapped clone. Sure, it's no AMG Mitsubishi Debonair, but just 546 of these cars were sold in the United States in 1999. Total C43 sales over here came to a mere 1,147 units.



The 4.3-liter V8 in the C43 made 302 horsepower, making it the most powerful W202 C-Class available. This engine sits so low because some canny junkyard shopper has removed the AMG-modified 5-speed automatic transmission.



I'm guessing this car wasn't too rough when it first arrived at this junkyard, but forklift drivers and successive waves of parts pullers have torn it up pretty well.



Still, the interior needed olfactory assistance towards the end of its life, and we can assume that an accumulation of unresolved electrical and mechanical problems lowered the car's resale value still more. I found a CLK 55 AMG at this very yard, a few years back, and I'm sure more fully depreciated AMGs will arrive in the future.