LOL@ ML being for severe off road use....I own several ranches here in California and no one here uses the ML. You are living in a bubble

http://www.4x4abc.com/ML320/offroad.html

No Unibody vehicle can be called a severe offroader I have GX470 guess what it has a rigid rear axle and is body on frame.

You really made me laugh :P Thank you!!!

The early ones were pretty bad, I had a "NEW" 99 and got to meet the entire service dpartment. A year later I traded it for a 01 E wagon, they almost lost the deal over the "lo ball" and nit picking it apart.
I heard the newer ones are better!

Take a look at a W210 Wagon...
Rides great..lots of room..Some problems as with any vehicle

I Had a early 163ML..It was The WORST vehicle I have owned..and I have owned several cars/trucks..Lemon law the 163 Bought a 2000 W210 Wagon
Still have it

Since you had a W210 the wagon might work for you

OK I must have really jinxed myself making those statements, because THE VERY NEXT DAY the old Mel broke down 100 miles from home. Had to pay someone to replace the idler pulley, which split and thus shredded the serpentine belt. All told, with towing, a ride to the ski hill, and paying the mechanic to run to the dealer in Traverse City to fetch a new PLASTIC idler pulley and replace it, it cost me $375 to replace a $35 part. Anyway all's well that ends well, the job got done today and we got home with no further issues. [/rant] Still less than a car payment when you think about it.

The W163 is body on frame.

You are right the new one is unibody, but the w163, does have the multilink rear suspension and the same 4ets system used in the sedans/wagons.

So basically fellas, are the early MLs pieces of crap or what????

I found one, a 1998 ML320, with high mileage (190,000 miles) that has been dealer maintained since day one and is in MINT condition......That said, the seller has dumped over 7K in recent maintenance and repairs (New brakes - New Catalytic converter - major A/C overhaul) - Never wrecked - Garage kept......etc.

My question is:

"Should I buy one with less miles and possibly end up putting money into it that has already been spent on this one????? OR, is the high mileage something that I should completely stay away from on the ML class????"

Thanks

190k on a ML? I would stay away

> LOL@ ML being for severe off road use

Yeah, it could never win the Dakar run. Twice.

> No Unibody vehicle can be called a severe offroader

And this has what to do with the W163? You really have no idea what you are writing about, do you?

As there are darn few (if any) engines that have worn out from normal wear and tear we don't have good data on how long it will last. If it hasn't had a new transmission put on recently there is a good chance that it could go at any time. If all of the wear items have been replaced these are the only two material items that could go wrong in the next few years.

Get an oil analysis and a compression check on the engine. If it is good condition and you've got an extra US3k set aside for a transmission rebuild then you should be fine. If the engine is iffy then set aside another US$4k.

I've got accurate repair data on quite a few high mileage vehicles. These are US domestics, Japanese, and MB. For all of these once you get past the warranty period if you set aside US$2k/year on average for a vehicle that is driven 12k miles a year or less you will have enough money to make the vehicle last forever and never get your hands dirty. This includes drivetrains, paint jobs, and interior rebuilds in addition to the standard maintenance. If you baby the vehicle and do repair work yourself you can cut that number down by at least 1/3.

If you have the reserve funds mentioned above and plan on keeping the vehicle a long time/forever the data indicates that on average you will be spending the same amount of money in the long run. So if that is your goal a perfectly maintained high mileage vehicle can be a good choice.

Please look at the reliability scans attached...Thanks

The ML uses the same 4ETS system that many 4matic cars use.

Please show me where the ML won the dakar rally?

I don't see it listed here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakar_rally

The m class did win 2 times, 2000 and 2003, in the production class category T1. Sorry to burst your bubble.

ok. just to chime in....

problems or not...

we didn't like the way our ML320 would act from time to time...
*skyview, rear gate, low range, window switches... ect* all w/in first 80K miles
lets face it. everyone dumps money somewhere...
we get a good deal, we're ticked because we put money into it, we find a higher priced serviced car, and are ticked because we didn't jump on it...

@ some point we just pull the triger & go.

ok... now... i'm only here to gather the diesel guys back to our territory because this is like bad news bear.

lol

>>> 100K Diesels???
:: GASP :: I missed that recall notice. lol..

& in regards to the harmonic balancer, it went on our SLK320.
dealer took care of everything & i got to drive a nice C300 4MATIC Lux pkg for a week while they did so :)

PS.
this is the kinda sight you get w/ the harmonic balancer :/

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...ew8908/005.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...8908/002-1.jpg

Well guys, I did it!!!!
 

Just purchased a 2000 ML320 with 97,000 miles in literally mint condition...

The guy was asking $7,800.00 and I got it for $6,900.00 cash!!

Here are pictures of it, thanks all for all of the great advice...Had you guys not told me about the 1997-1998 ML320 problems, I probably would have purchased one!!1 A MILLION THANKS, I SWEAR IT!!!! I'm VERY pleased with this purchase and for a truck it floats down the road, almost effortlessly! :-)

It did not have an owners manual and there are a few buttons that I am unsure of, anyone know if there are any online service manuals?

Man, I am just so friggin happy! :-)

Congratulations!
 

Congratulations! I know you will be happy with it, I sure like my 2001 ML320! They do ride very comfortably for a truck, both in the front and rear seats, and the "amenities" are very nice indeed. You need an owners manual, and I'll bet you can get one on Ebay if you watch for a few weeks. There are a few things that the owner's manual is needed for.
I just finished installing the phone adapter in my 2001, a bluetooth version, and I really like it, as I use the phone on the job a lot, and all you have to do is get in the ML and the bluetooth syncs right up to the phone, then you can talk normally and hear the caller on the radio speakers (the radio mutes automatically) plus you can dial the number using the radio buttons. With my PPC-6800 I cannot download the phone directory, but I can use it from the phone if needed. Next addition will be the voice control, which will allow me to dial numbers by voice, and control some radio functions by voice also. The phone was just a plug the cable in sort of addition, but I have to build the harness for the voice control unit, as it wasn't an option in 2001.

Good luck with the new purchase, let us know how it does with mileage after a few hundred miles are accrued.
:)