2008 ML350 at a local MB dealer. They will certify it and list at ~$26k

We are also considering a Toyota 4runner.

The ML was traded in by the original owner (looks like it was a loaner car for its 1st 25k miles) for another ML.

But, my wife and I have heard plenty of horror stories about electrical and other reliability problems with MLs. In fact, the ML we originally went to see at the MB dealer was unavailable for a test drive b/c it wouldn't start due to an unidentified starter/battery/alternator issue. That was a certified PO vehicle as well.

I noticed that there was a bit of vibration in the steering wheel on the test drive, but other than that it felt really good on the road. However, after I got back to the dealership, I got a copy of the Carfax and found that the vehicle has had the turn signal replaced and the PS pump and rack and pinion replaced, at about 35k miles (it's at 80k now).

We can get it certified, but I am not sure whether this is a good idea - MB will fix it for a year, but after that, any issues are ours.

So what does the forum think about MLs in general, CPO from MB and how much risk you would take on a vehicle that has had driveline components replaced, and whether a 4runner might be a more reliable choice for the family?

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Current Mercedes
1979 maple yellow 240D 4-speed

Gone and fondly remembered:
1980 orient red 240D 4-speed

Gone and NOT fondly remembered:
1982 Chna Blue 300TD

Other car in the stable:
2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI / 6-speed MT

I'd choose Toyota if you like its looks.But I don't like belt driven v6,or v8s.I hate timing belt period

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran, deutschland deutschland uber alles uber alles in der welt

I think you're buying yourself a rather problematically pricey to fix vehicle, with or without the CPO. If you go CPO, I believe you're paying a lot for a vehicle with 80K miles on it, where in 13 months, all it's problems/$$$ going forward are your's.

With those kind of miles on that type of vehicle, the only way I'd be interested is if I could get it at or near dealer Black Book pricing, with NO CPO, after the steering wheel shimmy gets fixed, before I even made an offer on it.

I would run from this one, but that's just me.

Weren't you all Gung-Ho on a used $40K +/- GLK diesel?

Toyota reliability/resale cannot be compared to this one's. They're in different universes.

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

TylerH860 has one with 120,000 and redone suspension for sale for $16,000 in the For Sale section.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-cars-sale/343459-2007-mercedes-ml320-cdi-new-post.html

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

@skid row - you are right, we were hot on the GLK. Then we actually got in one with our kids. The back seat is too narrow for a standard sized car seat base. when positioned in the middle of the seat, the base covers the seat belt recepticle, so the kids cant buckle themselves in. We are just at the point where they are both able to buckle themselves in, so this would be a regression. Also, it jsut seems like we would be wanting for more space when we went camping or on a long road trip.

So we pivoted back to the ML from the OP.

But it seems like the ML is not a w123 in terms of build quality. We have seen several with peeling window trim after only 3-5 years. And so many electrical issues.

So, we are now pretty much set on a current gen 4runner or possibly a previous gen pathfinder. Really sad to be leaving the safety and styling of MB, but the reliability and build quality seem to still be lacking after the Chrysler debacle.

We have also considered a Lexus suv, but the fuel economy on anything but the RX makes me want to choke! and the RX is similar to the GLK in terms of stowage space.

__________________

Current Mercedes
1979 maple yellow 240D 4-speed

Gone and fondly remembered:
1980 orient red 240D 4-speed

Gone and NOT fondly remembered:
1982 Chna Blue 300TD

Other car in the stable:
2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI / 6-speed MT

Zeke:
Just as an FYI.....I bought a used MB '06 E320 CDI from MBofSanAntonio in June..... Not a bad MB dealer to deal with, but aren't they all?! Heh!

Anyway.......

I'm sending you a PM. Didn't know part of your equation was young kids, etc. need for an SUV, kids hauling, etc.

Will PM you......thanks!

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

my dream vehicle is a MB CDI ML,not the new bluetecs.I'd buy a blue if I could rid the urea,and filters and cats.I like my diesels to breathe free.The little diesel GLK would be perfect for us too,no kids anymore. Thinking about the new Mazda diesel coming out if it has a timing chain or gears.

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran, deutschland deutschland uber alles uber alles in der welt

The GLK has ad-blue also. For me, the deal killer is having to deal with Run Flat tires and no spare.

Only one reason to buy from a Mercedes dealer, warranty and you want lots of it. So buy one with low miles and lots of warranty if you expect something cheap to keep, otherwise get a cheaper one on the market and be picky with inspections/history etc and find a nice clean one with some miles for lots less the dealer wants for one. I spent 8 months looking for a R320, looked at dozens (lots of driving to large cities to find em) and as soon as I saw the one we bought I knew, no dents, no scratches, clean light grey carpets, no salt exposure etc. Had it 2.5 years now no issues to date, just turned 100k miles. They are tough on tires (funny wear patterns/choppy) but otherwise great, kids love the dvds and space/comfort. Almost too quiet nothing to lull them asleep!
It is a completely different world out there from the w123, I have some I know the differences, but the modern stuff is throw away, replace parts dont try to fix it right kind of society. Lots of power and fuel economy (better then a 240D) but when something goes wrong it will be very hurtful. I see the ML and R well under 20k around here now (not lots of them but enough), keep looking.

I previously owned a 2006 R350 4MATIC. I sold it when the service writer at my Mercedes Benz dealership told me "It was the quickest way to spend money!"

I agree that you don't want to own a Mercedes without warranty. Even if you can work on them yourself, the parts prices are high compared to other manufacturers.

These days I only lease them.

Just wanted to update the thread. We considered MLs (both gassers and CDI models). I would say that in the 6-8 weeks we were looking, of the dozen or so that came up in our area (pretty much all of Texas except El-Paso!), 80% had evidence of electrical problems in the Carfax. Just too risky considering the electrical problems we had in our '82 300TD were too much for us.
We ended us buying a 2013 (used) VW jetta Sportswagen TDI. It's diesel, gets 34-42 mpg, is a manual transmission (maybe the hardest thing to find in most modern cars), and has pretty good storage capacity - not ML-level, but better than GLK, CR-V, Rav-4, etc.

So far we are pretty happy with it....there is an issue with the windows that the dealer has to address this week, but other than that it is more comfortable that most of the other vehicles we test drove, has V-tex (which we prefer to leather after our experience with MB-Tex), and can be pretty easily modded - to add nav for example.

RE: warranty, we got a 2 year warranty on the VW, which is nice b/c parts are similarly high for VW. We have pretty much come to the conclusion that modern cars are built to lease, not buy.

The factory warranty just happens to coincide exactly with the terms of the lease they offer. After that, you can buy a CPO, but that warranty only extends for a couple of years, rather than the entire financing period.

The issues I have with leasing are the high fees (due at signing and to return it at the end, and being at the mercy of the dealer about any damages ' beyond normal wear and tear' I just don't trust them to make that call fairly.

__________________

Current Mercedes
1979 maple yellow 240D 4-speed

Gone and fondly remembered:
1980 orient red 240D 4-speed

Gone and NOT fondly remembered:
1982 Chna Blue 300TD

Other car in the stable:
2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI / 6-speed MT

I also own a 2013 VW Jetta TDI Sedan. It gets around 40 mpg on my mix of driving and if strictly on the highway it returns close to 50 mpg. They really aren't broken in until you have 10K miles on them so I expect improvements as I am just approaching 5K miles. Check out TDIClub.org and you will find that many owners of 2012/2013 Passat's and Jetta's are already approaching 100K miles that are pretty much trouble free.

I love the sporty driving feel of my Jetta and the fact that it still comes with a full-size spare tire and doesn't require Ad-Blue (DEF) as most other Diesel vehicles.

I agree that with the complexity and new technology of most new vehicles you need a warranty. Also, if you look at warranties offered by manufacturers, they generally don't exceed 7 years or 100,000 miles. An exception would be Mercedes who offers an extended warranty on their CPO vehicles for up to 7 years and 135,000 miles. That should give you some kind of feel on how long you can operate modern cars these days economically.

I really think that these days driving a car is almost like driving a laptop computer on 4 wheels.

I've heard the Bluetec diesels are a bit of a disappointment - definitely not the tank motors from the W123 series, but maybe now they have more of the bugs worked out. It's a shame since in Europe they have a variety of great diesels from all manufacturers. It's only the USA that's been a serious pain in the ass with unrealistic standards. If it's clean enough for the Euros, it ought to be clean enough for us.

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Gil

2004 ML350
1984 300CD; Ivory (sold)

The VW diesels are still a cast iron block while the Mercedes have an aluminum block. I just don't see the longevity in a Mercedes diesel as in years past given the aluminum block.

That being said, the EPA has pretty much "killed" the simplicity and longevity of the diesel engine of the past. They have become extremely complex due to all that is required to meet emissions requirements. To keep these diesels going long term is going to require expensive maintenance/repairs.