[SOLD] 2000 ML320 (W163) - the "Festival Wagon" is now for sale

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Blobsta

Active Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2013
Messages
373
Location
Maidstone, Kent
Car
S202 C43 Wagon
The decision has been made, I need to make some space on the driveway ready for the next financial mistake so the ML is now for sale on Car and Classic and I realised I should have put it here too as it received such positive feedback when I was getting it ready for the family camping trip to a festival earlier this year, hence being dubbed "The Festival Wagon". For some time there has been speculation as to whether or not we keep the ML as my wife and I both really like it but the smart move really is to replace her Mini and this with something more practical for family life. I did float the idea of a newer ML but I don't think they have the same charm and my beloved has designs on a Discovery/Evoke/Aston Martin and other such ridiculousness so we'll see in the fullness of time. That's for another day though.

I'd like £2000 for the car as that is a bit less than it owes me without factoring in my time etc. I'm open to offers from members of course but please bear in mind this is already a cheap car.

Below is the advert from C&C with a load of pictures taken yesterday.

I feel like this is a modern classic, this 21 year old survivor ML320 has worn it's years far better than most having been owned and driven by only one person from the day it was collected from Mercedes until I purchased it earlier this year from an gentleman who's failing eyesight had forced him to surrender his licence.

We needed a car with a lot of boot space for a family camping trip and neither my CLK or my wife's Mini was up to the job. Instead of hiring something, I decided to buy this for the task and as I've always had something of a soft-spot for the early ML it seemed like a great idea and it was!

It's done it's job for us now and as much as we all like it space is at a premium on our driveway so it's time to move it on to someone else. I am actually considering changing my CLK as well so it's my intention to advertise both and drive whichever doesn't sell until I find the replacement I want.

Detail on the car itself:
2 keys
MOT expires 26. 10. 22
1 former keeper
Registered 16. 02. 2000
149300 miles (increasing slightly)

Silver
Grey leather
Electric memory heated seats
A/ C in perfect working order.
3. 2l v6 with 5 speed auto transmission

Condition wise, this is one of the best I have seen of this age, it isn't covered in rust scabs and even underneath it is in excellent order. The fact that just one person has owned it for so long means that it hasn't been messed about with. I don't think it's ever been further off road than a grass campsite and it doesn't have a towbar either so it's really never worked hard.

I bought it knowing it needed work and have invested in the car, in my short ownership it has had:
12x spark plugs
Oil filter and oil
Air filter
Replacement radiator
Coolant flush
Brake fluid flush

I have also fitted a double din stereo with Apple CarPlay/ Android Auto/ Bluetooth etc. as well as a reversing camera.

On the exterior the only change I have made is to fit some headlights from the facelift ML and and HID/ LED bulb upgrade so that you can actually see in the dark. The original headlights/ radio etc are all included of course as they belong to the car.
Pics of the car with the new headlights will be uploaded later.

It's not a cheap car to run on fuel of course as it is a heavy full-time 4x4 but I will say that it has surprised me. We managed Maidstone to Lulworth (Dorset) and back on a single tank of fuel (just) and that was with a lot of queuing. Round town it's a different story but if you're not going far I wouldn't worry plus you won't have the diesel injector/ pump failure concerns and the soundtrack of that lovely V6 to listen to.

There are a couple of things that really need to be done before the car goes to a new owner just for my own peace of mind. On the MOT, two advisory items were highlighted:
1x brake line is corroding, not dangerous but I have all the parts/ tools so I'll change that
Shock absorber bushes are worn on the front and they make an awful noise when going over rough roads. I have ordered replacement front shocks for the ML and I will fit them as soon as they arrive.

I feel this is fair price for this car as it is just under what it owes me. Another one in this condition won't be easy to find and certainly not with the amount of longevity this one has after this amount of recent work. Yes, you can buy a cheaper one initially but you may find it more expensive in the long run.

** UPDATE - 03/ 10/ 21**

To address a couple of points I need to state that I have now changed the corroded brake line but the shock absorbers are coming from Germany so have yet to arrive.

I don't have much in the way of history for this car. The service book has been misplaced and although I was assured that if found it would be forwarded to me, I don't have it so there is little more than the MOT history to go with it prior to my ownership. I have all of the invoices for the parts I have fitted and every tax disc it has ever had I think. The first was from the DVLA when it was registered by the selling dealer (I believe Clearwater, Dartford) and then every single one after that was done at Sydenham Post Office. It had Bosch plugs in it, a fairly clean air filter and quite clean oil when I bought the car so it had clearly been serviced in recent times. I decided to take a punt on it being a one owner car and have since started a nice history file to catalog it's time with me and hopefully going forward. Personally I love to have all of the history for a car and I do for all of my others but at this money I didn't feel it could affect the value enough to warrant worrying about and having looked at other cars with history and rust everywhere I knew which one I wanted.

I've taken more pictures today that I will upload shortly to the advert and have many more if needed. Also, I would like to thank those that have called and emailed about the ML as it proves that these old things are still held in high regard.

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Sold! The guy didn't even test drive it, he messaged me last night late, got a lift over this morning and said "I haven't got much time today, I need a car and I always have a 4x4 for winter. Never had an ML so I'll try it out, let me get you some money"
 

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