The shediest ML in the WORLD (possibly)

The shediest ML in the WORLD (possibly)

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rich12

Original Poster:

3,462 posts

154 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
Let's start here. The world's greatest advert that I just couldn't resist.
I just felt like I knew everything I needed to know thanks to the in depth advert.


I'm sure you'll agree, you just feel a bond with the car and feel there's going to be nothing wrong with it. laugh

So.. I've been looking at random cars like the ML for a couple of days and was 100% not going to have another range rover.
Here came my excitement when I saw a unusually rare ML500 IN BLACK! WITH LPG!!!!!!!!!

I was so excited and knew it couldn't possibly be a POS so put a bid on it. Right until the last second I was the highest bidder then all of the sudden it finished at £1270.
Strange I thought, I'd gone the whole way through the auction winning it and then all of the sudden it jumped nearly £300.

I was annoyed that my epic car was going to go to someone else and as I'm always skeptical of people bidding on their own auction, I decided to send the seller a message saying 'if the buyer changes their mind, let me know and I'll collect tomorrow'.

9am the next morning (the ad finished at half 9 Friday night) I got a message saying the guy was a timewaster and I could have it.
EPIC SURE THING CAR IS MINE!!!

Lots of messaging etc and we agree £1100 so I book my train ticket to Manchester and off I go.
My neighbour gave me a lift to the station, well he tried..


I missed my train so I was gutted but obviously so was he.
I waited until it was all sorted and the lovely policeman who attended took me to the train station and had a word with them to ask if I could catch the next one.
They said yes so I was on my adventure again.
Weird being literally the only person in the whole cabin.

|https://thumbsnap.com/SdQHQKPK[/url]
When I finally got to Manchester, the guy picked me up from the station.
As I was walking out, I saw the car gleaming in the sun and couldn't believe my luck.
As I got closer, I realised the car is almost at a ratio of 50% paint and 50% rust.



I knew these cars are prone to a bit of surface rust but I think this car spent a couple of years in the sea.
Anyway, I'm in the car, the guys telling me how amazing it is and he's had it for 5 years and never had any problems. (except for all the obvious problems I suppose)
The initial issues are;
No door card on the drivers side (second hand one in the boot)
Door card on the passenger side is destroyed and needs replacing.
Drivers door mirror glass needs replacing.
Filthy as fk
Accelerator feels like a wobbly tooth.


Im going through the mountainous paperwork (all 6 pieces of a4 paper) and looking at the V5 I see a tiny little note at the bottom saying this car is a piece of st and was probably as I suspected driven off the pier and left in the sea.
It's a bloody cat C and has an unhealthy obsession with rust.
I'm pissed off at this point but keep a cool head and basically tell the guy he either drops the price dramatically or he pays for my travel costs for the day.

He wants rid and I don't like trains so we agree £700.
Whats the worst that can happen at that money.

I fill up the lpg and the petrol and load in the non rusty bootlid he had given me. (we weren't sure it would fit but it was actually quite easy to put in the back).

It took me 2 and a half hours to get home and used half a tank of petrol so not 100% the lpg is working properly or somehow it just didn't turn on for the whole journey.
It didn't overheat, it didn't catch on fire, it just trundled on down the motorways perfectly.

It's rusty, dirty and old but the engine is absolutely spot on although it's far too quiet for a V8.
Overall for £700, I'm very happy and once I've touched in the rust, it'll look 10 times better.
Plans are to give it all a service and make get someone to check the lpg system.
Oh and try and make it a bit louder on the cheap.
Oh and find out why the rear brakes are horrendously squeaky the second you touch the brake pedal.






Back home..





Anyone know why the airfilter is like this?


Edited by rich12 on Sunday 14th June 18:33


Edited by rich12 on Sunday 14th June 18:37

cossy400

3,161 posts

184 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
7/10

Epic journey and no pics of said car.

anonymous-user

54 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
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Sounds like a V8 rusty POS. Love it and jealous.

finlo

3,750 posts

203 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
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Your neighbour actually bothered having the burnt out Astra brought home!

rich12

Original Poster:

3,462 posts

154 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
finlo said:
Your neighbour actually bothered having the burnt out Astra brought home!
He's a proper idiot. Got his mate to recover it even though me and the copper said to get his insurance to do it.

It's been like the local attraction here today.
Don't think anyone's noticed the rusty bucket on my drive which is good. laugh

anxious_ant

2,626 posts

79 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
Feel for you OP but love your preseverance smile

Hopefully you can turn the ML around. A bit brave to ask seller to cover train costs though, well done!

rich12

Original Poster:

3,462 posts

154 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
anxious_ant said:
Feel for you OP but love your preseverance smile

Hopefully you can turn the ML around. A bit brave to ask seller to cover train costs though, well done!
Ha. I really wanted the car as I hate leaving empty handed.

anonymous-user

54 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
I jumped on a train from Leeds to Bristol last August to buy a £1200 SLK. It would have had to have been a deathtrap on wheels for me not to have haggled down to a suitable price and avoid a train journey back. As it happens, it was worth the asking price.

miniman

24,914 posts

262 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
rich12 said:
whistle

Jimmy Recard

17,540 posts

179 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
I thought my ML was the sheddiest, but you beat me biggrin

Butter Face

30,279 posts

160 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
The funny thing about the Cat C write off if that the car had a VIC check done about 2 weeks after the current owner bought it, so he 100% knew about the write off rofl

You’re a brave man!

rich12

Original Poster:

3,462 posts

154 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
miniman said:
whistle
Sadly its not just dirty. Almost looks like the heater element burnt it lol.

Found another seat for £60 so may just buy that rather than trying to get it repaired.
Really don't want to spend more than £300 on it but I do want to really like driving it so I need to do something.

Also need to work out why the power pedal feels barely attached.

rich12

Original Poster:

3,462 posts

154 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
Butter Face said:
The funny thing about the Cat C write off if that the car had a VIC check done about 2 weeks after the current owner bought it, so he 100% knew about the write off rofl

You’re a brave man!
Oh 100%. I didn't realise but there's a little bit of paper showing as some sort of certificate with the date it was done so when I asked him, he said his nephew did the advert for him.

Im happy with the gamble for the money. I'll never make any money on it but if it lasts a while, that'll do.
I reckon I could get £500+ as spares/repairs.

Jimmy Recard

17,540 posts

179 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
rich12 said:
Also need to work out why the power pedal feels barely attached.
That's a common thing. They all do it after a while. There is a plastic pin that the pedal hinges on. Just replace it with a metal bolt and it's fixed forever smile

rich12

Original Poster:

3,462 posts

154 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
Jimmy Recard said:
That's a common thing. They all do it after a while. There is a plastic pin that the pedal hinges on. Just replace it with a metal bolt and it's fixed forever smile
It slides around on that white thing?


Pic of somehow the whole boot fitting in the back of the car. Debating whether to keep the 270 badge on it to save having to remove it polish it up.


Edited by rich12 on Sunday 14th June 20:02

Jimmy Recard

17,540 posts

179 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
rich12 said:
It slides around on that white thing?
I haven't actually done it on mine because it hasn't bothered me enough although it is a little loose.

I assume the black piece of plastic that looks like it goes through the white thing is the thing you have to change?

Piginapoke

4,753 posts

185 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
That car is a disgrace. Well done!

rich12

Original Poster:

3,462 posts

154 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
Piginapoke said:
That car is a disgrace. Well done!
Thanks. I'm very happy with my disappointment.

Ruskie

3,986 posts

200 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
Didn’t these finish bottom of the reliability surveys around that era? Outstanding work. A V8 for £700!

rich12

Original Poster:

3,462 posts

154 months

Sunday 14th June 2020
quotequote all
Ruskie said:
Didn’t these finish bottom of the reliability surveys around that era? Outstanding work. A V8 for £700!
It's 19 years old and still going so.... laugh