ML buying advice

[Piff]

I've sold the Audi this weekend and now need a replacement. The replacement needs to be a workhorse with towing capability.
I've generally been looking at Nissan Navara but as it has to double as the family car I've been loking at the Aventura spec (leather, auto, sat nav, etc). I'm looking up to 40,000 miles and the asking prices seem to start at £12k +VAT

However, when looking at other options Land Rover Disco, etc, I came across a 2005/05 cubanite M270CDi Special Edition with 36,000 miles. It hasn't got comand or 7 seater option but otherwise the spec is ok.

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-u...del=M+CLASS&min_pr=&max_pr=&max_mileage=40000

It's with a fairly local trader and he is asking £12,795.

Any thoughts on the value bearing in mind that all car sales are down, especially 4x4 vehicles.

Anything I should be looking out for when I go to view?

Have test driven a similar one a few months ago and aside from the general heavy feel I found the gas pedal was very heavily sprung and even maintaining a constant speed required a strong right foot. Are they all like that?

 

[Gucci]

A good price for a diesel too (considering fuel prices are coming DOWN now). Anyway. The last MLs were much better than the first off the production line. I have a 2004 ML350. Have owned for over a year now and greatly enjoyed. Having said that, I don't use it as a workhorse so it's not pushed.

Things to watch out for...they eat tyres and brakes. Ball joints are also prone to flaking so listen out for any groans from the corners. The accelerator pedals are not the smoothest in the world, my wife sometimes finds it hard to accelerate without the car lurching a little bit (no, she's actually a good driver).

 

[r280]

Things to watch out for...they eat tyres and brakes.

Guess it depends on the type of use...I had my '03 ML270CDi for 36,000 miles without replacing any of the tyres.

The accelerator pedals are not the smoothest in the world

Have to agree with this point. Never the easiest car for a smooth take-off.

 

[Piff]

The one I tested before had a particularly strong "spring" in the gas pedal. It took considerable pressure to maintain progress

 

[Dieselman]

Are you talking cars or cookers.?

 

[Gucci]

Are you talking cars or cookers.?

Ensure brakes are piping hot before consuming. Mobilo assisted MLs will reduce cooking time.

 

[Piff]

Are you talking cars or cookers.?

Can't spell acelleratorrrrr!!!!!!!!!

 

[hawk20]

If you go to the MB website and use the Approved Used search engine you can get good ML270cdi's from £12k from an MB dealer with the 12 month approved used warranty.

Just put in diesel, 10-20k, nationwide and your postcode and lots come up. Huge scope to haggle as some say dealers are only paying 12-14k for 3 year old part ex new model 320cdi's.

 

[Piff]

If you go to the MB website and use the Approved Used search engine you can get good ML270cdi's from £12k from an MB dealer with the 12 month approved used warranty.

Just put in diesel, 10-20k, nationwide and your postcode and lots come up. Huge scope to haggle as some say dealers are only paying 12-14k for 3 year old part ex new model 320cdi's.

Tried that, couldn't see anything at similar age or mileage with a similar price.
I would need to check out what warranty the independant trader is offering though.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Keep an eye out for worn ball joints too.

 

[Piff]

Planned to go & view tonight. Phoned the guy earlier & he said that he already had somone going to view this evening who said that they would be palcing a deposit :-(

 

[Robbie T]

I think most common faults have been listed above, just be aware that ball joints aren't as cheap as you'd think (around £120each just for the part). The throttle pedals can break (heaviness can be an early sign, but not always) but they're only about £15, if the current owner doesn't know this it can be a good bargaining point

 

[hawk20]

Tried that, couldn't see anything at similar age or mileage with a similar price.
I would need to check out what warranty the independant trader is offering though.

I should try again. Private sales are asking almost the same as dealers but with no guarantee or finance arrangements. On the MB approved used search engine, I put in nationwide, from £10k to 20K, diesel, auto, up to 50k miles, and there are quite a few in your price range and with full twelve month guarantee. No worries.
Here are just a few. One in Redhill, 2004, 40k miles, asking £11,995
http://www.mercedes-benz.motortrak.com/matrix.php?csref=embuk

One in Blackpool looks particularly nice at 41k miles and with a nice spec including luxury pack and memory seats and it is 2005 asking just over £13k. Will haggle for less.
You’ll find others at similar prices and mileage in Lincoln, Leicester, Aylesbury, Macclesfield, Mansfield, Glasgow, Lincoln etc etc. Others at slightly higher prices from 2005 in Hull, Manchester, Kingston-on-Thames, York, Hull and Birmingham. All MB approved, all with main dealers. All on the search engine. Sorry that I can’t get it to give a separate link for each car like it usually does.

The cheapest new model I could find is at the Temple Fortune dealer, a 2006 280cdi SE, with leather seats, with only 13k miles on her, asking £21,995. It has a tasty spec with luxury pack, burr walnut, memory seats, telephone pre wiring etc etc. Asking half list price approx? Bargain if the budget will stretch that far.

 

[Piff]

I should try again. Private sales are asking almost the same as dealers but with no guarantee or finance arrangements. On the MB approved used search engine, I put in nationwide, from £10k to 20K, diesel, auto, up to 50k miles, and there are quite a few in your price range and with full twelve month guarantee. No worries.
Here are just a few. One in Redhill, 2004, 40k miles, asking £11,995
http://www.mercedes-benz.motortrak.com/matrix.php?csref=embuk

One in Blackpool looks particularly nice at 41k miles and with a nice spec including luxury pack and memory seats and it is 2005 asking just over £13k. Will haggle for less.
You’ll find others at similar prices and mileage in Lincoln, Leicester, Aylesbury, Macclesfield, Mansfield, Glasgow, Lincoln etc etc. Others at slightly higher prices from 2005 in Hull, Manchester, Kingston-on-Thames, York, Hull and Birmingham. All MB approved, all with main dealers. All on the search engine. Sorry that I can’t get it to give a separate link for each car like it usually does.

The cheapest new model I could find is at the Temple Fortune dealer, a 2006 280cdi SE, with leather seats, with only 13k miles on her, asking £21,995. It has a tasty spec with luxury pack, burr walnut, memory seats, telephone pre wiring etc etc. Asking half list price approx? Bargain if the budget will stretch that far.

Thanks for that.
with full twelve month guarantee. No worries I've been there with a 2000 E320cdi Avantgarde estate, bought from main dealer at Watford - it was the biggest problem car I ever had, resulting in the return of the car for a refund after a couple of months & the purchase of an Audi!
The budget tops out at around £12k at the moment and I would prefer to buy within 50-60 miles from home (Suffolk) - round trips of 200 miles to Watford with a problem car weren't my idea of fun

Not that I dismiss the idea of a main dealer car. I went to look at one at Colchester earlier in the summer - 2005, Special Edition - they wanted £17k and no sign of a movement in price! This was the one with the stiff accelerator pedal - hence my earlier questions - are they all like that?

I do need to get a vehicle sorted by mid October and I've broadened my search, now also looking at Land Rover Discovery TD5 and (to my surprise) Jeep Cherokee.
Now I appreciate that a Jeep is not an MB, but bearing in mind that any money I put into a 4 x 4 is likely to disappear down the depreciation chute, I could be putting much less money down that chute!
Im seeing advertised:
2.7CRD Limited 04/54, 39,000miles £7650
4.0 Overland LPG converted 03/03 32,000miles £8990
4.7 Limited LPG converted 04/04 27,000miles £9490
The 2.7 diesel is an MB engine but I wouldn't know about the gearbox.
As far as I can make out the 4.0 & 4.7 LPG's should do about 16 to 16.5 mpg but with lpg at 53p/litre, that could save me £500 to £600 per year over 15,000 miles.

Ducking now as I'm sure I'll take some flack over this idea

 

[drh1210]

just picked up my ML320, was lucky in that its got the lux pack and the 7 seat options ( thats the familey pack right?? ) only thing missing is comand but ive managed to get one for 400 quid and will be getting it fitted by comandonline soon. The ML had 44k on the clock, full MB history, on a 52 plate and cost me 8700 from a 4x4 dealer. Even got 4 brand new tyres on it, 13 months MOT and warrenty... it seems to be buyers market !!!

love the car but agree with the throttle...i just gun it

 

[Piff]

just picked up my ML320, was lucky in that its got the lux pack and the 7 seat options ( thats the familey pack right?? ) only thing missing is comand but ive managed to get one for 400 quid and will be getting it fitted by comandonline soon. The ML had 44k on the clock, full MB history, on a 52 plate and cost me 8700 from a 4x4 dealer. Even got 4 brand new tyres on it, 13 months MOT and warrenty... it seems to be buyers market !!!

love the car but agree with the throttle...i just gun it

The one I (& the wife) tried earlier in the summer needed constant hard pressure on the accelerator just to maintain a constant speed

 

[hawk20]

The one I (& the wife) tried earlier in the summer needed constant hard pressure on the accelerator just to maintain a constant speed

That's unusual and needs fixing. I had a new 2004 ML270cdi for 18 months and the accelerator on that was fine.

 

[Piff]

Been to test Jeep Grand Cherokee's today. Looked at 'old' models priced £8k to £10k, deisel & lpg.
All (about 6) cars viewed had rust under window trims which put us off immediately. 2.7 diesel & 4.0 lpg seemed to have similar performance, except for the initial surge of the 4.0. The reason for the similar performance seemed to be 5 speed 'box in the diesel and 3 speed in the (petrol) lpg.
Scary moment in the lpg - about 3 miles into test drive at a roundabout the engine cut out!!! It may be that the lpg hadn't cut in & the car was out of petrol.
Generally a bit of a bouncy ride.
Went then to Robinsons at Norwich to test a ML270, 03, 46k. Rust around tailgate handle, but otherwise ok. Asking price £11,990 & all that was offered off was £250 (as they had only had the car a week - as if that makes a difference!)
Test drive convinced us that an ML is the way to go.
Have contacted another main dealer and hope to view tomorrow (if they phone back)
Has anyone done an lpg conversion on a petrol version? Obviously this would invalidate the main dealer warranty so there would be no advantage buying from a main dealer.
Generally, the independants don't seem to have a significant price advantage over the main dealers, but there is more choice - to be expected in the £10k to £12k range.

 

[Piff]

Deal done. Hawk's advice taken. Deposit placed on a ML270CDI at MB Grimsby.

 

[Seamster15]

Has anyone done an lpg conversion on a petrol version? Obviously this would invalidate the main dealer warranty so there would be no advantage buying from a main dealer.
.

Yes! it would seem too late to tell you about it!
Good luck with the new car.

Simon