W163 ML Quality/Reliability?
Discussion
Evening,
I'm on the lookout for a tow car for my trackday BMW. I'd narrowed it down to a Discovery TD5 of some sort, but am hesitant because of reports of cracked heads on the TD5 and the disaster that was my old RangeRover. However I've just discovered that some of the ML series have a 3.5tonne towing capacity too, so they're suddenly on the radar as an option.
All I know about these is the terrible reviews when they were first released, and that Mercedes had rust problems through the mid-late 90s. Are they actually any good? Reliability is my primary concern as my A2 has been a disaster too despite the intention being a cheap runabout while I recover from the losses from the RangeRover. So I really need something that's not going to cost me thousands a year in repairs.
I'm looking to spend between 5 and 6 thousand, and engine choice is fairly free as even the ML500 has roughly similar MPG to a TD5 Discovery. Pointers, advice and warnings welcome.
I'm on the lookout for a tow car for my trackday BMW. I'd narrowed it down to a Discovery TD5 of some sort, but am hesitant because of reports of cracked heads on the TD5 and the disaster that was my old RangeRover. However I've just discovered that some of the ML series have a 3.5tonne towing capacity too, so they're suddenly on the radar as an option.
All I know about these is the terrible reviews when they were first released, and that Mercedes had rust problems through the mid-late 90s. Are they actually any good? Reliability is my primary concern as my A2 has been a disaster too despite the intention being a cheap runabout while I recover from the losses from the RangeRover. So I really need something that's not going to cost me thousands a year in repairs.
I'm looking to spend between 5 and 6 thousand, and engine choice is fairly free as even the ML500 has roughly similar MPG to a TD5 Discovery. Pointers, advice and warnings welcome.
Hi there
Ive just bought a ML 500 earlier this year and so far it's been 100% reliable & im completely smitten. Its a 2002 model & everything on the car works perfectly. There is only one very tiny piece of rust just below the boot handle but given the metal sheet quality merc use it'll probably rust very slowly if i dont fix it. Yes these cars were noted for their slightly cheaper interior plastics but i think that was merc practice in general at the time I think the unreliability issue is just the same old story of you only hear of the bad experiences. I was looking at an X5 but so happy i didnt, these cars are much better value for money & theres plenty of pattern part suppliers. The engine & gearbox are super smooth as you'd expect from merc. Given the horror stories ive heard of land/range rover gearboxes expiring, my friend a personal victim & £2500 poorer, i'd go merc everytime & like all cars, get one with a good service history & looks like its been looked after & just make sure it hasn't been clocked as these engines are very capable of hiding big mileages.
Ive just bought a ML 500 earlier this year and so far it's been 100% reliable & im completely smitten. Its a 2002 model & everything on the car works perfectly. There is only one very tiny piece of rust just below the boot handle but given the metal sheet quality merc use it'll probably rust very slowly if i dont fix it. Yes these cars were noted for their slightly cheaper interior plastics but i think that was merc practice in general at the time I think the unreliability issue is just the same old story of you only hear of the bad experiences. I was looking at an X5 but so happy i didnt, these cars are much better value for money & theres plenty of pattern part suppliers. The engine & gearbox are super smooth as you'd expect from merc. Given the horror stories ive heard of land/range rover gearboxes expiring, my friend a personal victim & £2500 poorer, i'd go merc everytime & like all cars, get one with a good service history & looks like its been looked after & just make sure it hasn't been clocked as these engines are very capable of hiding big mileages.
Thanks both. Insurance look reasonable. Tax band L though for a facelift model, which is £440+ from 2012. 270CDi looks the best bet, faster and more economical than a TD5 Discovery. Various talk of gearboxes not taking too well to towing seems to be the only mechanical problem I've seen with any regularity.
agent006 said:
Thanks both. Insurance look reasonable. Tax band L though for a facelift model, which is £440+ from 2012. 270CDi looks the best bet, faster and more economical than a TD5 Discovery. Various talk of gearboxes not taking too well to towing seems to be the only mechanical problem I've seen with any regularity.
270CDi I've got, as said, it's been very reliable. Think they were facelifted in 2001/2. The complete new model was 2005ish.
te.Well they're hilariously cheap and owners seem to love them. The 430 and 500 models have the bullet proof m113 engine. They get a slagging off because they are not like a BMW X5. Nor were they meant to be. They are much closer in principle to a well-executed Discovery: a proper 4 x 4. I have driven all three, only test drives in the ML and Disco, but about 1,000miles driving a X5. I have to say the X5 was the most uncomfortable car I have ever driven: the ride quality is dreadful. It is like they forgot to fit springs and tyres. The luggage capacity is pretty poor, too. The Disco was not much better and had a pogo feel to it. I suspect the ML is about the most under-rated car of all time. If you pick a good one and don't expect it to be a 6' tall sports car, then it will probably meet your needs very well. And if you're not using it for many miles, you might as well get the V8.
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