with the 163 has been, on the whole, quite good. I think they're an excellent value from about $13k (well kept and updated 98's with miles) to roughly high $20's (really nice 02's and v8 01's). No, they are not perfect, and these other guys have done a good juob of describing the routine foibles. That being said, since we now know about what to look for, it's a little easier to take the worry out of it. My choice would be at least a 99 V8, or anything from 2000 up, with 02's taking another substantial leap in quality and reliability. Just FYI, I own an independent company that sells about 80% used MB, and I have found customers to be consistently satified with the ML, as long as we make sure the problem areas have been dealt with, or they are new enough. I always keep 2 or 3 around for sale, so let me know if I can help. Hope this helps you...