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O.T. ML 320 yea or neah ?

3K views 31 replies 16 participants last post by  Dmart007 
#1 ·
Hi guys ! As most of you know, I have more Mercedes than sense. We just bought SWMBO a SLK which she loves ! The flip side to that coin is that we hate driving SL's in inclement weather. The other slight negative is the two passenger thing. 90 % of the time it's fine because we detest carting anyone else around and sometimes each other ! So to make a longer story longer, we need a all weather vehicle. We don't need any more cars, so a SUV seems to be a logical choice. I took all Dgosh's anguish into account and eliminated Rovers :D. Mission criteria includes: Comfort, All weather capability (mostly rain) style and reliability. I though seriously about a Ford Escape. About the right size and good mileage, plus a million were built so parts are plentiful. As I looked around I found early 2000's in the $4-6k range.
Then I looked at 1999-2003 or so Mercedes ML320's. Similar price range. Now we all know that none of us need 4 Mercedes Benz products in the garage, but hey, I don't live under a bridge either. (yet!)
We test drove a really nice 1999 at a local dealer. 115 k miles for $ 5,500. I was impressed with the mass of the vehicle as well as the appointments. This particular unit had a sunroof issue on the panoramic sunroof and suspension creaks as well as an inoperative low range. So I think this one is off the list, but perhaps I don't know all I need to know.
Of all the forums, the breadth of knowledge on the 107 site seems to be most vast.
Other than giving me a swift kick in the nuts so I get back on the 107 project, who has experience with the ML (W163) class SUV?
 
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#3 ·
Stay away! Run and do not look back. Transmission problems,engine problems all kinds of problems. I owned a couple in the past and a few of my friends and all of us hate them! If you want a nice inexpensive suv that is just about done depreciating and your best bang for your buck...buy a bmw x5. Incredible vehicle!
 
#6 ·
Well, the other replies notwithstanding, my experience was a little different. Bought a 2000 ML new and kept until '08 when I bought the GL. Never had any significant issues with the ML for those eight years. Go figure? Compared to the later models it was sorta plain-Jane.

Cheers,
 
#7 ·
A friend of mine had one of the early ML 320, and he will never buy another Mercedes. I think his was a 1998 and I remember driving it and getting it to just keep up with traffic required the pedal on the floor. The interior felt like cheap plastic too, definitely not what I thought if when I think of MB quality.



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#9 ·
My personal preference for an SUV is a 1998 - 2002 Isuzu Trooper.
Very rugged and extremely reliable.
Has a real Frame underneath -- not Unibody.
Folks who do off roading love them.
I have 4 Isuzu Troopers - 3 running, 1 parts car.

There is a forum like this dedicated to these vehicles.
The main issue is that many will burn oil at ~ 1K to 1.5K per qt.
So you will need to be conscience about oil checks.
The Luxury and Limited versions have all the gizmos which are reliable.
The base models with manual transmissions are in big demand.

Carl
 
#12 ·
Quote: " I took all Dgosh's anguish into account and eliminated Rovers ."


Since you have been kind enough to encourage me regarding the SLC I thought I would chime in regarding your vehicle search. I know Land Rovers are not for everyone, but I would like to give you my perspective. It is true that they are not a Toyota and, like Mercedes, they do require more attention. The trade off is that they are a real blast to drive and they actually have a soul, again, like our 107's. Initially, my wife felt it was too cramped as she compared it to our '99 Suburban. Now it is her daily driver of choice. In fact, last Thursday she mentioned that if she had to choose between the Land Rover and our very clean W124 (260E), she would keep the Discovery.
Some things to consider:

Early 2000's Discovery II's can be had for $3,000- $5,000 in nice shape.
Full time 4 wheel drive. Great on wet roads.
Will climb a tree, if you can point it up.
Very responsive steering and can be parked anywhere. Very nimble steering.
Aluminum body. Won't RUST !!!!!!!!!! Just in case you know anyone dealing with rust issues. :)
Large and well informed fan base always willing to help.
Good availability of parts, although a bit pricey. Large national parts dealer in your area.

Down sides include:
If it doesn't leak oil, it isn't a Land Rover.
Gas mileage is similar to a 107. Terrible in town.
Head gaskets can be a problem if proper care of cooling system is not taken.

I am not suggesting you buy a Land Rover. I just think it is worth looking at one. It cost you nothing to take a test drive.
 
#15 ·
Hey Danno! I was just yanking your chain ! I actually like the rover look, but SWMBO isnt into the safari look. And with her it's a unique blend of comfort and gas mileage. Any oil leak freaks her out. This thing will never see any off road. It only needs to be non-problematic in a bit of snow and rain soaked asphalt!
I do need to check out the BMW. Ive gravitated towards the MB because I have a level of familiarity with the brand.
Bottom line here is mission suitability and keeping a happy kingdom by keeping the Queen happy !
 
#17 ·
Drove one for a week as a loaner from the dealership, and it did handle very nicely. That would have been a 2001 0r 2002 model. The MB dealership was touting it as the "fastest SUV" manufactured at the time, which is about all they could say for it I think. ML production has been entirely in the US (Alabama) for many years, and I think it was a casualty of Chrysler manufacturing techniques at the time. I don't think the earlier styling helped either, at least I was not attracted to its bloated appearance, but the price for one was definitely entry level, several thousand less than what I paid for my SLK. I guess that's why they can be had for so little now. Just my 2 cents. If it's a grocery getter you need, why not one of these:
 

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#22 ·
The more research I do on the early 2000's ML's, the less appealing they become. That from a guy with a 107 in a million pieces and a 600 bought with fatal issues and brought back to life. I gotta say that some of the owners hate the frickin things. One poor bastard has so many issues I doubt his will ever run again. In all fairness, much of the reasons guys show up on these forums is due to a problem. That doesn't represent all those who never have an issue, or perhaps a minor issue. With all the varied MB experience I have, I'm not sure another MB in my fleet is a smart move. They have sophisticated electronic systems that are not real backyard mechanic friendly.
What we need is a full time 4wd SUV large enough to be safe and haul the occasional gaggle of grandkids, under $6 grand and common enough to have a huge aftermarket parts network. I think I'm going to pansie out and prusue the mid 2000's Ford Escape. Millions made, parts super available, high owner satisfaction and the owners in the Ford Escape forums love them some with 350k miles. Some common issues, but fairly economical fixes.
SWMBO supports this chice because she doesn't want another carthat she can't bear to drive in the winter weather. So, that's the plan at this point. Thanks for the feedback. It think it makes good sense to have a plain vanilla cookie cutter SUV as opposed to another MB beauty I worry about every rock chip !:D
 
#23 ·
I hesitated to mention Ford due to the love of German cars here. IMO Ford is producing some of the best cars on the road today and I am an old GM man. My daughter owns a 2008 Escape hybrid FWD and loves it. I can't remember how many miles are on it currently but she has never had a problem. My 2008 Ford Edge AWD only had one issue. A leaking RF axle seal that was fixed under warranty. Both of these are way out of the price range you have set but earlier years might fall in there.
 
#25 ·
Like everything else in the world, I'd like a brand new unit, but the realities of my economics are that blowing another 30 grand on a redundant vehicle isn't in the picture. The Escape just fits the mission specifics. Although I am looking to find a fairly loved version, which I think I have with all the goodies, I'm not in love with it as I am with the SL's. Therefore I have no issues with piling on miles during SWMBO's 120 miles per day drive, or road debris damage from sanded roads. Isn't it funny how much owning SL's can cost? Add another $ 6 grand to the cost of SWMBO's SLK :crybaby2:
 
#26 ·
I meant the 2008 with low mileage might be outside your budget. Finding an earlier year pampered one would be worth the the search. The Edge AWD fuel mileage is not all that great. 24 MPG highway. Not sure about the Escape. How deep does the snow get there? FWD should be good in most any situation.
 
#27 ·
The Benzworld 163 forum is pretty active. You may want to lurk in there a bit and see what they say. I've heard the early M class cars are problematic but those guys know better.

The classic Jeep Cherokee (the boxy one) is almost indestructible. I've had a couple and they run forever if they don't get stolen. Or I should say stolen and not recovered.

Both of mine were stolen from subsequent owners, recovered and lived on until one was recently stolen again. Probably parted out this time.
 
#30 ·
SWMBO would love the square Cherokee....now that Gerkebi's wagon is gone. My neighbor had his Cherokee stolen and was in tears until he scoured the police yards and found it. Still going strong
 
#31 ·
The last wench took my 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee as a lovely parting gift ! As mentioned the heater box flappers go tits up and that's tons of fun! Fortunately that's not my problem. I liked that car, but any in my price range are getting long in the tooth. Mine didn't get that great of mileage and things like electric door locks go out sequentially at about 80 bucks each. I had one of the old jeep Cherokees also. With the gutless 2.8. It had the BEST leather seats ever though. Way better than any Mercedes I ever owned. I seriously thought about junking it and keeping the seats for office chairs ! I seriously detest buying a crapbox SUV, but owning another Benz old enough to meet my self imposed budget of 6ish is probably experienced enough to be problematic. And you know how crazy electronic Mercedes can get. As we always say here at BW, the cheapest Mercedes you can find will be the most expensive Mercedes you'll ever own.:crybaby2:
 
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