Ml 430

[Alfie]

So how do the cars at the top of the survey get such good scores?

They get less responses of being bad. Which isn't the same thing necessarily as lots of comments about how good they are.

As with all surveys, we would need access to the whole set of questions and responses plus the criteria by which they are then assimilated to make a fair judgement.

All I know for sure is that talking to people who have owned and run ML's and my own experience, the survey is not representative of the truth.

 

[spitzkop]

All I know for sure is that talking to people who have owned and run ML's and my own experience, the survey is not representative of the truth.

Touch'e! Complete agreement.

Also considering a chunk of people with money who buy these cars belong to the 'Chelsea Tractors' brigade where projected image is important, actual reality from them may well be based on the 'Joneses' principle. If Jones comes along with a Cayenne, Smith is bound to feel envious!

Only constructive comment I can add for dmarley is that the ML430 may cost more to run maintenance wise, such as cats, tyres (more power = more rubber lost) etc. If its power you want and you can live with LHD, look at the ML400cdi - V8 Diesel.

 

[BTB 500]

Previous thread on the ML's good and bad points:

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=9954

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I've chipped in to the ML threads previously so I won't say the same old stuff again. We've been chuffed with ours.

If you're sure you want one, spend as much as you can, on the newest model you can afford, and that's been maintained on the dot, load it up with Service Plus, and you can be fairly confident in your purchase.

PS The low cost of the petrol models do make them incredibley good value to buy, but also means you get relatively little back when it comes time to sell on. Fairs fair. That said you may find it considerabley more difficult to sell a petrol model later, and then it'll have to be cheap enough for someone to consider to be ripe for an LPG conversion.

HTH

 

[dougal74]

I have contributed to other threads as well but I think this is the first one looking specifically at an ML430 which I had for three years.

In summary, I wouldn't have one again but they are now an absolute bargain as people (who don't want a diesel) go for the 320 for its slightly better ecomony or the 500 because it is a more sorted (later) car (and seems like a bigger gap from the 320).

So if you go in with your eyes open you can pick one up for next to nothing really (since they were very well specc'd as standard) and listed at c.£43k new.

Personally, if someone forced me to have an ML again(!) I would go for either a chipped ML270 with Lux and Family Pack or the ML55 (but nothing in between).

 

[dmarley]

Thanks, i have read the other thread and can say i am a little unsure now. So a question, can anyone recommend a good 7 seater car then ?

 

[Alfie]

Thanks, i have read the other thread and can say i am a little unsure now. So a question, can anyone recommend a good 7 seater car then ?

Yep, an ML500 with family pack, lux pack, Comand, parktronic etc...

 

[Dieter]

Hi D,

For all you want to know about ML's click here:

http://www.whnet.com/4x4/specs.html

Although it's a USA site it does includes common faults/breakdown statistics etc.

For example:

"Dekra, TÜV reliability data
The Dekra and TÜV examine every car in Germany biannually. According to their latest data 3-year old M-Classes show above average reliability with 81.8 per cent passing without any deficiencies. While 3.6% have serious problems requiring retesting, 14.5% show only minor ones which can be fixed or adjusted. Most problems concern the chassis, the braking system and the tires. In the TÜV data Mercedes ranks on third place (out of 33) for reliability with 8.32 failing from 1000 cars examined.
November 23, 2002"

Every model from every manufacturer has its horror stories and I'm not sure how much of the motoring population contribute to JD Power surveys. I assume its a bit like the TV ratings where average audiences are worked out from the viewing habits of a thousand or so homes.

Ultimately go for what you want but do what you can to ensure you don't buy a 'bad'n'.

Cheers,

 

[nickg]

Thanks, i have read the other thread and can say i am a little unsure now. So a question, can anyone recommend a good 7 seater car then ?

I don't know why you're unsure - most of the comments here seem pretty positive.
As for the good and bad points - all cars have those.
The ML430 is probably one of the best value cars you can buy at the moment in terms of size, power and toys for your money.
I think its a great choice.

 

[spitzkop]

What car give a pretty good review of the ML = http://www.whatcar.co.uk/used-car-summary.aspx?RT=2297&type=1
although they do say to avoid the ML500 and ML55 .... spoil sports

 

[BenzComander]

Thanks, i have read the other thread and can say i am a little unsure now. So a question, can anyone recommend a good 7 seater car then ?

Err... W210 estate, best MPV money can buy!!

Only my opinion though!!

 

[GSMGuy]

I would go for either a chipped ML270 with Lux and Family Pack or the ML55 (but nothing in between).

Exactly what I have, and althought it's had the injector problems, and a duff alternator - they were all replaced FOC by the supplying dealer.. TBH have now done over 15k in it, and I would have another tomorrow. The family pack is great, as rear access to the FULL SIZE seats is a lot better than say the Volvo XC90 that we looked at, and didn't buy for exactly that reason.. - 220bhp and SHEDLOADS of torque - most hot hatches give up......

Mike

 

[wobbly]

I have owned a ml320 year 2000, for three and a half years, the longest I have ever kept a car. Only problem, one coil pack failed and a small electrical problem.

I have covered nearly 60,000 miles, it has more than impressed me. 20mpg, plenty of space, it has family pack, and lux pack, command, so plenty of toys.

The prices are really dropping, which makes thema great value car.

 

[dmarley]

Everyone , thanks for the comments. BEst thing i can see if go and find an ML430 and take it for a test drive.....

I do agree with people about a lot of car for the little money.

I'll report back with what i think

 

[Alfie]

Everyone , thanks for the comments. BEst thing i can see if go and find an ML430 and take it for a test drive.....

I do agree with people about a lot of car for the little money.

I'll report back with what i think

If you can run to it, the ML500 is a better car as its facelifted and probably more economical with more power to boot!

 

[spitzkop]

Everyone , thanks for the comments. BEst thing i can see if go and find an ML430 and take it for a test drive.....

I do agree with people about a lot of car for the little money.

I'll report back with what i think

Just thought you may like to see this:
Reliability Index88.31
Average Age4.143092105

Average Mileage52993.07895
Time off the Road2.179456137

Average Repair Cost£342.88
Air Conditioning5.36%

Axle & Suspension9.82%
Braking System3.57%

Cooling and Heating System4.46%
Electrical38.39%

Engine13.39%
Fuel System16.07%

Transmission5.36%

WarrantyDirects research of the ML car. If a car has a reliability index above 112, it is less reliable. If a car has a reliability index below 112, it is more reliable. So the ML aint bad.... especially when you compare it to a X5...

Reliability Index146.67
Average Age3.385416667

Average Mileage43961.9
Time off the Road1.640556958

Average Repair Cost£477.81
Air Conditioning9.68%

Axle & Suspension- Braking System22.58%

Cooling and Heating System6.45%
Electrical35.48%

Engine9.68%
Fuel System16.13%

Transmission-

Text of reliability index:

The UK Reliability index takes into account all factors of a repair, the cost of the parts and the frequency of failures - The Average of all cars is 112 which means that if the figure for the car you are looking at has a higher than average index (118) it indicates that that car is less reliable than the average, if however there is a lower than average index (60) the reliability is better.

Separately to this figure you can also look at the average cost of repairs for a particular make or model, a car with a good reliability index and a high average cost would imply that the frequency of failure is low, however when it does fail the bill will be a lot more than the average. Toyota, for example, has a high average cost of repair but quite a good index rating - which means that the car fails infrequently but when it does you will be in for a larger than average bill. Overall however, Toyota is a very strong make of car to buy.

Wont be long before you can pickup an X5 for less than an ML

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

WarrantyDirects research of the ML car. If a car has a reliability index above 112, it is less reliable. If a car has a reliability index below 112, it is more reliable. So the ML aint bad.... especially when you compare it to a X5...

A good point. I noticed that the the ML was pretty much alone in it's class - surrounded by Hyundai and the like - presumably because of insufficient responses for X5, etc? I wonder why though?

I actually sniffed around the JD Power website a couple of evenings ago and it was dissapointing. No statistics or actual scores at all. The cynic tells me it's because the actual difference between 1st and 100th expressed as a percentage of the maximum attainable is probably slight. Much more dramatic to use only ranking positions.

And the FAQ doesn't help with this patronising Q & A:

Q :: Why doesn't J.D. Power and Associates list actual survey scores for specific models?

A :: Our goal is to make the information easy to use. While a large table of numbers and volumes of data may help car company engineers, many consumers find it less than useful. Therefore, we have created a rating system that rates each model from poor to average to very good when compared against other models in its class.

Source: http://corp.jdpower.com:80/jdpcc/global/uk/content/faq_auto.jsp