[Mateo320]

because even though its almost 10yrs old, peers view the car as a MBZ and not an "old" SUV!

Sound off guys...thanks!

aa

 

[asianml]

Because it's safe and comfortable.

 

[WolfWinter]

Because Love is "priceless" and driving a ML is like buying your wife a new Rolex every six month...Haaa

 

[asianml]

Because Love is "priceless" and driving a ML is like buying your wife a new Rolex every six month...Haaa

Marry a Rolex. Much cheaper than a wife.

 

[ML430-OFFROAD]

Good ML Quote

I was looking around yesterday and found this quote about the ML
If you can outperform it on the road, it will outperform you off the road, and if you can outperform it off the road, it can outperform you on the road

I think that is a good way to put it! The ML is a great balance of on-road performance and off road prowess. Not to mention extremely safe, powerful and a blast to drive. It's fantastic in the snow, never seen anything better! The reliability (service) is an issue, but i think that its pros are far superior than its cons.

I love watching brand new SUV's come out that still don't compare (or are just starting) to compare with the ML.

Those are some of my thoughts

 

[notkhaos]

I love watching brand new SUV's come out that still don't compare (or are just starting) to compare with the ML.

Bingo, its taken till this year for me to say that there are others out there that compare, and they still don't compare. You can get the kind of stability control in a new car etc but they are the cross overs, or huge dumb suvs. I can park in a compact spot, the body came with 400hp available. You can put 22s on and drive any strip in any city and get looks. You can put a lift kit on it and 30s and drive on most mountains, and still get looks (the good, slightly awed kind).

It fits 5 real humans, and they could be tall too, im 6'5" tall and about 2 ft wide at the shoulders and I fit in this thing with room to spare.

I can load up 4 adult males and 4 golf bags, 6 rifles 2 shotguns, 4 cases of ammo and 2 cases of beer, for a day of trouble making (golf course and up a mountain side in the same day*).

* tight fit, just possible, fun as hell. If its to be used against me in a court of law, I'm lying to you.

do i love my ML? and :thumbsup:

 

[bocabenz]

Being 6'5", I understand what you're talking about.

I'd like to add that this a great car for the less mechanically inclined like myself to learn how to do stuff. Unlike some cars, I'm not afraid to remove interior trim panels, bumpers, headlights, or mess around under the hood.

Also, being an obsessive neat freak, I find this car very easy to clean.

 

[kernith]

Well I have been playing with my daughters 2000 ML320 for a month now. Wife has the 2007 ML 350 and I have the 2007 E. I did not really plan to buy 3 Benzes this year, it just worked out that way. My Saab 9-3 convertible lease was up. My wife had put a 100k on her Navigator. My daughter did not want to drive my old trusty 91 560SEL. She wanted the ML320. Ya know now I understand why she wanted it. I really love this ML320. I am having fun fixing it up a bit and I enjoy driving it as much as my new E Class. It has character, like my old 560. It is not as well made as the older Benzes, and it does not have the electronics of the new ones, but it acts like a Benz. You guys are on to something. The 163 has some electrical quirks, but it is a cool driving truck. It handles very well, like a Benz. And the price was excellent compared to the cost of simular year and mile Jap rides. Cheaper in fact. I tried to talk the wife into the RX. I just wanted a dick free car for her. But she has friends with both the ML's and the Rx's. She was firm in her desire for the Benz over the Lexus. It was the ride and comfort. I had to agree. So she got the 350ML for Christmas. In April I turned in my Saab and headed to the BMW place to check out the new 3 series hard top convertible. My head touched the roof. I have a long back. So that was out. I drove the 335 dual turbo, that was a rocket. But a liittle cramped. Wife tells me to get the 5 series. I looked at it and called the Benz place and ordered the E350 SE. These cars might not be as dependable as they once were. They might not be as "perfect" as a Lexus. But the ride and handling is superior to me. I grew up driving Jap cars. And once I get behind the wheel of one, I just know the feel. They bore me. So unless the Benzes have to be towed all the time, I am just going to keep buying them. Since my first tank... the 85 300 TD, I have had a thing for MB. I wish I still had that tank. I could not kill it. I just need a bigger car. I wish I still had that 560SEL too. Glad to see the Navigator and the Saab go. The Saab was always broken in some way. The Navigator was nice and tight, be we called it the Gator for a reason. I remember reading once that when a old man died, they burried him in his 300D. They said it is what he would have wanted. I sort of understand the feeling. I just hope MB gets back on top of their game. BTW, so far the new ones have been perfect. Not one thing wrong.

Ken

Ken

 

[DelJ]

Same here. I am 6'2" and just don't fit comfortably in the typical Japanese SUV. The seats, steering wheel/pedal positions and door entry/exit in my ML are just right for me. At the same time, the ML is small enough to park easily in my garage.

Bocabenz - Do you know the secret of getting another one and a quarter inches of headroom? Buy a Mercedes without the sunroof! I currently have a C280 that we special ordered from Germany without a sunroof and you just can't believe how much headroom there is in that little car.

DelJ

Being 6'5", I understand what you're talking about..

 

[ozcan]

First it is A Mercedes Benz. Non can match!
Safety is important. No matter what they say the Benz is number one and no compromise on safety.
I know Mercedes Benz has everything in one basket. Safety, luxury, power.
When driving Mercedes you don't want to stop, it is a great joy.

(I think I was born in a Mercedes Benz. Bu t I know I grew up in Mercedes Benz. I always drove Mercedes Benz and will be doing the same rest of my life, hopefully! )

 

[bocabenz]

DelJ- actually, I have noticed that when looking at the specs in the brochures. If I ever bought a one new, like you, I would special order it without the sunroof for that reason as well as the fact that I never use sunroofs and it's just another hole that could leak.

 

[cyeung65]

I was just thinking about this cause for the first time in 7 years of ownership, I have to do some knucklebusting repair on my 2000 ML320 and I have to face the reality of some $$$$ repairs out of pocket. It has seen only 43K miles but many of the common problems krept up on it. Fortunately most of them occurred while under warranty. To tell you the truth, if all those problems were out of my own pocket, I would have sold it already. Personally, the 2nd gen ML is not my cup of tea. It's too car like to be a truck, too truck like to be a car. I would rather be in a R (car-like) or GL (truck like).

I think that is what really makes me love this truck - it is a real truck. And like any Mercedes product - the styling never grows out of date.

 

[22681]

All Benz are alike, i had SEL 420 1989, Then E-Class 99, then SLK 2001, and now the 55. Its same stability, comfort and control ! Only power increases , I'ma Mercedesholic.

 

[MLsteve84]

I like that there is no such thing as a new Mercedes-Benz or an old Mercedes-Benz, it is just a Mercedes-Benz.

Although my ML just kind of fell into my lap when I was car hunting and I wasn't really even considering one, I must say that I have been very impressed. Despite the appauling interior quality and fit and finish, the driving dynamics (on and off-road), as well as the safety, technological features and room have pretty much squashed any buyer's remorse.

 

[Mateo320]

"Mercedesholic" Stand Up!

I like that there is no such thing as a new Mercedes-Benz or an old Mercedes-Benz, it is just a Mercedes-Benz.QUOTE]

Steve: Right on point...glad i'm not the only one that feels this way

BSarindar: -ima join the club..."Hi, my name is Mateo320 & i'm a Mercedesholic"


aa

 

[Porschescum]

At 6' and pushing allot of tonnage, I actually fit in the ML. That says allot.

About the reliability. I think there is enough evidence to show that reliability is in question with MB as a whole. And, there seems to be good ones and bad ones. I seemed to get a good one. Few recalls taken care of with the original owner, but nothing out of the warranty. It now has 103k miles on it and is, so far, totally trouble free.

Will it break? Sure, they all do. I'll fix it and keep on.

Why did I fall in love with the ML? I was looking for an SUV that could haul 5k lbs worth of trailer, go off road willingly, look good in town, be relatively reliable (I do my own work), comfortable, and not be American. I have been burnt one too many times by the crap that the big three make.

It came down to a used Porsche Cayenne S, or the ML. I got the ML because I found my 01 sport 430 for half the price of a used Cayenne. Still love the Cayenne (I am a PorscheScum) and will probably own one some day, but the ML fit the budget better.

Been 100% happy. I get 18.5mpg on average overall. Never turned a wrench on it other than normal services and it is a blast to drive.

 

[busoptr]

First it is A Mercedes Benz. Non can match!
Safety is important. No matter what they say the Benz is number one and no compromise on safety.
I know Mercedes Benz has everything in one basket. Safety, luxury, power.
When driving Mercedes you don't want to stop, it is a great joy.

(I think I was born in a Mercedes Benz. Bu t I know I grew up in Mercedes Benz. I always drove Mercedes Benz and will be doing the same rest of my life, hopefully! )

Sorry to bust your bubble but your saying that none can match a benz is kind of a overstatement. And about safety is important, you do remember princess Diana of Wales died in a mercedes. Luxury? I have seen other car makes with more luxury than benz. Honestly, when I drive around in my benz I look at other benz and their front rims are always darker than the rear. Let me think, is excessive brake dust one of the luxuries youre talking about? OH PLS.

 

[boldt]

...you do remember princess Diana of Wales died in a mercedes...

..Because she wasn't wearing a seat belt, among other reasons. MB conducted extensive tests after the accident and proved that had she been wearing one, she would have likely survived. I can't think of any other car you can ram into a concrete wall at 100+ MPH and say that about. The front seat passenger was the only person in the car wearing a seat belt, and he lived. I'll take a S class benz over any other 'luxury' sedan any day, including bentley, aston martin, and rolls royce.

 

[MLsteve84]

busoptr:

a) so what do you actually like about your benz?

b) if you are that unsatisfied with mercedes, why do you have one?

 

[asianml]

Sorry to bust your bubble but your saying that none can match a benz is kind of a overstatement. And about safety is important, you do remember princess Diana of Wales died in a mercedes. Luxury? I have seen other car makes with more luxury than benz. Honestly, when I drive around in my benz I look at other benz and their front rims are always darker than the rear. Let me think, is excessive brake dust one of the luxuries youre talking about? OH PLS.

I like brake dust look. Cheap way of getting gunmetal wheels. LOL

Have you seen the brake dust on BMWs and Audis? You haven't seen anything yet.