Thoughts on this ML280 for SWMBO

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clk208

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Hi folks.

Second child on the way so the wife’s tiny car is going and need something bigger.

What do the panel think of this?

I know it’s old and EU5 diesel but will it do a few years reliable ish service? We never venture into cities with it.

She acquires car park dents quite regularly so something older makes some sense.

I just found a great car on Auto Trader:


Auto Trader logo
 
Hi folks.

Second child on the way so the wife’s tiny car is going and need something bigger.

What do the panel think of this?

I know it’s old and EU5 diesel but will it do a few years reliable ish service? We never venture into cities with it.

She acquires car park dents quite regularly so something older makes some sense.

I just found a great car on Auto Trader:


Auto Trader logo
If she acquires car park dents in a 'tiny' car be prepared for loads more dents in this tank ! :p
 
Asks for advice on a vehicle and gets unsolicited life advice - you can’t beat this forum at times..!

The ML does look very clean as I view it on my phone but nothing beats viewing in person; low mileage “older” vehicles, by definition, tend to have done a lot of town driving where the wear & tear ratio goes up x4 so even though on paper they should be “better”, the opposite can sometimes be true.
 
The dents are normally a function of other drivers hitting the thing rather than her doing the denting but I take your point.
I thought an ML would be more fun than a C from my perspective.
 
Asks for advice on a vehicle and gets unsolicited life advice - you can’t beat this forum at times..!

The ML does look very clean as I view it on my phone but nothing beats viewing in person; low mileage “older” vehicles, by definition, tend to have done a lot of town driving where the wear & tear ratio goes up x4 so even though on paper they should be “better”, the opposite can sometimes be true.

Great point. Yes the immaculate interior is part of the appeal to the wife but appreciate depending on the usage the low mileage may be a downside mechanically.

going to have a look later today anyway.
 
Asks for advice on a vehicle and gets unsolicited life advice - you can’t beat this forum at times..!

The ML does look very clean as I view it on my phone but nothing beats viewing in person; low mileage “older” vehicles, by definition, tend to have done a lot of town driving where the wear & tear ratio goes up x4 so even though on paper they should be “better”, the opposite can sometimes be true.

Great point. Yes the immaculate interior is part of the appeal to the wife but appreciate depending on the usage the low mileage may be a downside mechanically.

going to have a look later today anyway.
 
Nice car, lovely interior, decent spec (though no Airmatic - your wife should drive it to see if she's happy*), but will your wife be OK with such a large car? Also, if it will be a runaround, bear in mind that a diesel isn't terribly suited to lots of short runs, and you may have problems with both the inlet tracts sludging up and the DPF coking up quite rapidly.

*And thereon hangs a tale... Donkey's years ago I bought my wife a VW Polo saloon - 8K miles, fsh, genuinely like new in every way. She took one look at it, and said: "I'm not driving that - it looks like a bloody Trabant!" That was the end of that...
 
It looks like a very well looked after vehicle, plenty of space for the needs of children and a safe and pleasant place for a family to travel in.
 
OP. You are obviously smitten with this car but the interior colour is almost the worst you can get for a child ready family car, the external colour is not much better unless you like polishing acres of black metal. I know this is an MB forum but if it's a do it all family run around you need buy a Vauxhall Zafira B , get a late petrol one (if you can find one) , They are the most un engaging cars to drive (and that bursting into flames thing has been sorted) but they are perfect for growing family ...and cheap. You could use the money you save on purchase (and future maintenance cost) of this American SUV with a 3 point star to buy SWMBO a nice little sports car (MX5 etc) for her to wazz around in this summer when the fancy takes her.

You did ask.
 
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OP. You are obviously smitten with this car but the interior colour is almost the worst you can get for a child friendly family car, the external colour is not much better unless you like polishing acres of black metal. I know this is an MB fourum but if it's a do it all family run around you need buy a Vauxhaull Zafira B , get a late petrol one (if you can find one) , They are the most un engaging cars to drive but they are perfect for growing family ...and cheap. You could use the money you save on purchase (and future maintenance cost)
Colours are very subjective.

I would not want black for the reasons above but that is a personal choice and the interior is a welcome relief form the usual dark scheme. It is leather and easily wipes clean.
 
Colours are very subjective.

I would not want black for the reasons above but that is a personal choice and the interior is a welcome relief form the usual dark scheme. It is leather and easily wipes clean.
Unlikely to be leather, probably Artico and that does wipe clean (sort of), but dirt gets into the creases and stitching . But with the in and out of child seats/boosters and all the other carp they bring with them as they move from toddler to child stage will do that interior no good at all in the long run. And don't forget that it will be covered in parking dents on the outside too :p
 
Unlikely to be leather, probably Artico and that does wipe clean (sort of), but dirt gets into the creases and stitching . But with the in and out of child seats/boosters and all the other carp they bring with them as they move from toddler to child stage will do that interior no good at all in the long run. And don't forget that it will be covered in parking dents on the outside too :p

Cloth takes the same sort of battering and can wear, tear, rip, stuff ground in etc? :)
 
The dents are normally a function of other drivers hitting the thing rather than her doing the denting but I take your point.
I thought an ML would be more fun than a C from my perspective.
That's strange , My wife , her sister and their mother have all come to me with mysterious dents in their cars caused by someone else. Wow, what a coincidence. Must be a 'lady' thing that a mere male like myself can not be expected to understand :dk:
 
That's strange , My wife , her sister and their mother have all come to me with mysterious dents in their cars caused by someone else. Wow, what a coincidence. Must be a 'lady' thing that a mere male like myself can not be expected to understand :dk:
Magnetic personalities? ;)
 
Cloth takes the same sort of battering and can wear, tear, rip, stuff ground in etc? :)
Magnetic personalities? ;)
You may jest Sir . On 3 separate occasions my sister in law has reversed into her mothers stationary car(s) while my mother in law was visiting her. She has a large property and drives 4x4's . She is so used to just jumping in and reversing without looking any car parked where she does not expect it to be is fair game. How she has not run over one of her four children or countless horses by now is a mystery to the whole family. She tows a horse box and occasionally drives a 7.5t horse truck :eek:.
She is blonde, not sure if that is a factor :dk:
 
It’s very tidy looking but I wonder if you’d prefer one with a higher spec? There’s not even heated seats for example.

I much prefer a light interior to a black one, and have 3 kids and a cream interior on our BMW, I get it valeted once a year and it comes up like new.

Personally I would seek one out with the more powerful engine and maybe more spec, our GL 350 is, on paper, a second and more quicker to 60 than that 280 and still feels a bit underpowered to be honest.
 
Even more a reason for not buying it as a child carrier then !

Are you suggesting cloth is better?
Leather cleans up much more easily if properly maintained.
 

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