newbie

[Unsure]

Hi to all
never owned a merc before hence my name "unsure"
hopeing to use all the combined knowledge within this forum to see me through good and bad times.
i am due to embark into ownership of a ml320 3.ocdi 7g.
looking to spend upto £7,995. have got my eye on two or three
but would like some help in what are the potential problem areas of this particular vehicle what to look for when viewing.
also feed back from owners who tow caravans which is my reason for buying (used range rover before it was written off)bought sedona to tied me over.
looking forward to some of your comments good or bad gives perspective in ownership
many thanks
john

 

[zipdip]

Welcome,a good choice the ml320 cdi it can tow anything,but your budget means you are looking at a 2006 or so with a lot of mileage,try to find one without a tow hitch if you find one have a look underneath to make certain a tow ball has not just been taken off to get a sale,these cars are sometimes given a very hard life,as with other mercedes a good service history is important,not sure where you are but Essex is a great place to find decent ml320 many have never towed anything,wales being the worst place to but one,I would try to rustle up a little more money and get a latter reg with less mileage.

 

[automaniaman]

Welcome, I for one wont hold towing a caravan against you...

 

[kid-jensen]

They do have problems with:-

Oil cooler O-ring failure in the V of the engine (expensive)
Front Diff bearings (expensive)
Automatic Transmission Electronics (expensive)
Water leaks causing SAM failure (expensive)
Swirl Flap actuator failure (expensive)
NaV/Stereo failure (expensive)
Parking sensor failure (cheap!)

Add to the above "wear" items like brakes/disks, shock absorbers, tyres etc.

The "road-tax" is £500, which I had to take a lie-down after finding out..

At high mileages, all the above problems are likely, but when they are running well, they are a great drive, and seem to have got the performance/economy balance about right.

Ride can be crashy on our third-world roads, so avoid anything with larger than 18" wheels.

 

[Unsure]

Thanks for the welcome
So first bit if information about looking for tow hitch taken on board
Do ml,s not come with detachable tow ball as standard?

 

[zipdip]

As Paul G said their are some costs involved in owning one,this is why it is important not to rush your purchase, a full hopefully mercedes service history is a must,the auto boxes are good but need a service,this should have been done,the electronics of the box can be a problem but there are a couple of places offering decent cheap repairs,the satnav is a joke as are many of the mercedes models from the era you are looking at,the best time to buy one is september people give up towing vans and sell the car and it is too early for people to consider winter,but just take your time.

 

[Unsure]

Thanks for the heads up on this type of car but still sounds a better bet than a range rover!
Will follow advice and get a comprehensive warranty possibly!