W163 ML320; good/bad/ugly?

[deadtom]

I originally posted this in the off road forum, but decided it would be better here as it's not a specifically off road question. Mods please delete/lock the original thread if necessary.



Dear PH,

I've been considering potential vehicles for this expedition: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

And it seems that mk1 w163 ml series are scandalously cheap for what they are:
Lots of toys
Good amount of power
Comfortable
Proper low range transmission and 4 wheel t/c for some semblance of off road ability
Not too horrific mpg

Specifically looking at the 320 of facelift 2002 - 2004 vintage. Avoiding the 270 as I don't trust the cdi engines to not break expensively (my only personal experience of the these is my friends 270 whichever he loved except when the injectors kept going)

What's PH thoughts on these? The only topic i could find is quite old now but was generally positive. I am wondering if the consensus has changed since then

Thanks all

Deadtom

[TwistingMyMelon]

Not my cup of tea , alful build and rusty compared to mercs in the past, then there are the electrical gremlins. I cant imagine they are easy to repair either ....Cars are usually cheap for a reason

I would forsake power and comfort for reliability, I would much rather have a shogun, you can get these in petrol if you want some power. They do a GDI version which is actually a petrol which are nice, the 2 door Shoguns remind me of a modern comfy defender

[SG167]

I managed to pick one up for pennies, 75k miler and one owner from new. Even with a service list the size of your arm, little niggles to appear. Its not as well built as you would expect

MPG is not great, c19mpg average (can get more but realistically 300 miles to a tank with a mix of motorway and town).

Decent kit, its comfy on motorway - but town driving it smashes into ruts and bumps. low speed ride is not great.

Power is alright, its no rocket ship but its fast enough. It is a smooth engine, and has enough grunt on motorway.

Interior is very dated, but well equipped.

I have a soft spot for it, but its not by any means a great car. That said, for the cash you pay - its definitely a good bet.

[Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah]

Weren't these once the very bottom ranked car for owner satisfaction by by JD Power? That alone would put me right off one.

[deadtom]

thanks for the replies so far, but not a lot of love for the ML i see.

what would you recommend instead?

big enough to lie down in with rear seats folded down (I am not tall so 180 cm of space would be fine)
enough power to make motorway cruising and getting up steep hills not too tiresome (approx 100 bhp/tonne would be good)
half decent 4 x 4 system with low range
average mpg in the low 20's or better
ideally more than 4 cylinders
reasonably reliable
ideally petrol powered
reasonably comfortable for travelling in
up to £3000

i think the following tick most or all of the above:

WJ cherokee (diesel issues?)
discovery 2 td5 with remap (remap any good? underpowered without)
ML320 (unreliable/bad build quality)
early toureg (bottom of the market for these)
shogun 3.2 D-ID (fugly, really not keen on these)
landcruiser colorado (underpowered diesel/petrol version rare)
mid 90's pajero (same issues as colorado + age and hard to find decent condition as they all get abused by s)
volvo XC90 (bottom of market)

any others i am missing?

[deadtom]

it seems that the bottom end of the market for WK series grand cherokees is just about within budget, what is PH's opinion on these?

something like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jeep-Grand-Cherokee-3-0...

[Geekman]

My dad had the Hemi version and it was totally fautless for the entire time he had it. You see plenty of them where I live in Mexico, where cars get some serious abuse, which would suggest they're generally very reliable.

I remember consumables being incredibly cheap as well, something like 80 for a pair of shocks, and it was all pretty easy to fit too. The interior isn't great by any means, but it's comfortable and still leagues better than an old ML.

[nobrakes]

Peers over the parapet..If it’s not for actual off road, have you thought about an R class? Just as fugly.

[deadtom]

nobrakes said:

Peers over the parapet..If it’s not for actual off road, have you thought about an R class? Just as fugly.

.... no

[Terzo123]

I ran a WK for 2.5 years with no major issues. Would happily run one again, although if I were you I'd up your budget a little as 3k is the bottom of the market.

[BrettMRC]

I have one, looks tatty as it was a London car...but no terminal rust.

Biggest issues are the useless throttle pedal design and the door lock mechanisms.

Not a bad little tank for the lanes/dogs/tip.

If I could find a non-rusty ML55 I think I would get one.

[deadtom]

so it has come to pass that I am now the owner of a bargain basement bottom of the market 2006 WK 3.0 CRD limited.

thanks for the advice guys, I hope it doesn't come back to bite me as I sold a great and reliable car to help fund this (see this weeks SOTW)

[Terzo123]

Happy motoring.

I loved mine. Had to replace wishbone bushes and a wheel bearing, apart from that it was just normal servicing. Tax was expensive but if yours is pre March 06 then it's alot cheaper.