OK! I know I must be a glutton for punishment (garage punishment) to even think of a move like this.

We are looking to replace the wife's '98 Suburban with 140K.

With kids in college and the less than robust economy I am not able to drop a bunch of $$$$ at the moment.

This evening, I am going to look a '99 ML320 with 240K.

Am I crazy?

The seller stated on the phone that once the initial factory clitches were resolved, it has been a pretty reliable vehicle.

We might be able to trade over for very little cash out of hand.

What is you opinion?

Maybe I just like high mileage rigs. I would probably still have my last M5 if it had not been wrecked at 320K.

Thanks,

Eddie

IMO yes, you are crazy, I would not touch a late model 240k benz with a 100ft pole.

I would put my 2 cents on another BMW.

I bought my kid an E36 and while those aren't the best of the breed, they are more than solid. BMW quality is so much better for the money than just about anything else out there.

Benz stuff seems over complicated to me. But I'm not the sharpest tac in the box either.

99-00 Ford Expedition.... lousy mileage, no one wants them... especially in XLT and Harvest Gold.... very good truck.. can pull a house..

I did get another BMW. I replaced the 320K M5 with a 140K M5.

We need to replace the Suburban with something that is able to pull our 18' Bluewater openbow boat (2400# + 800# trailer + stuff = 3500#).

Two of the three kids are driving so we don't need the third seat in the Suburban and 20mpg vs. 13mpg would be nice.

I sounds like the ML320 has been well maintained ... I will find out in a couple of hours. It is only six blocks from where we live.

Thanks

Eddie

we love the mls. Had two really great. Just bought a cayenne for Mia but have our 2005 special edition for sale about 15 grand just turned 100,000.

Wouldn't touch another BMW either. Wife now has an Acura and I have a 07 Suburban. Haven't seen a repair shop since owning either one! Besides...parts and repairs on a Suburban vs a Benz? My guess is the Suburban is easier and cheaper.

I have owned three Suburbans. They seem to be pretty maintenance free until about 125K, then waterpumps, radiators, front suspension, etc.

Is the ML320 at it's "remission" mileage (175K to 275K)? After that it will need all the 125K repairs AGAIN and MORE?

Thanks

Eddie

You can find a Jeep GrandCherokee V8 for under 5k maybe closer to 3k with under 140k miles! Mine has almost 240K on it now and is still going strong!

Mine is a 01 with 235K.

When I am about to buy another car, I usually research the cost of common repairs.

I have a Chevy S10, and the cost to fix common items is very small. (Water pumps was around $65 or so. Alternator was close to the same. I believe the Benz is well over 3x that in parts. Can't say for certain, as I don't own one. I just know what it cost for my other european car (Alfa).

Also, as someone else stated, the benz is much more complicated and has more potential for fails.

I once test drove a C230. My rule of thumb is to drive a car long enough to thoroughly heat up, and for the OBDI system to register problems. So, when I was testing the C230, after about 5 minutes the SRS light came on. No biggie, just an air bag sensor <shrug> then after another 10 minutes, the CEL came on! Run away!

Hope that helps.

-- brett

Two words - Honda Pilot

If the Suburban is paid for, why not just bite the bullet and do the known maintenance items now?

Hey. While I wouldn't buy an ML or an M5, I encourage you to do so. Your local independent shop could use the rent money, or maybe the owner needs another, bigger, boat! Those things are cash machines for me .......................

The Cap'n

Duh, I didn't even notice you were looking for something with tow power.

I'll second the Jeep comment. Get something with the striaght six in it.

FYI - I had an 88' 2 door Montero that towed your almost exact boat from Lake Stevens to Seattle many, many times last summer. It was a 4cyl, 5spd.

Took a while to get there.

But we did get there.

Eventually.

Given time.

Lotsa time.

If you buy the Benz, give me a PM and I'll tell you where to get the parts. There's a great guy in Seattle who sells oem parts out of his shop

Our Expedition ejected a spark plug and the dealership would not fix it, even though we had an extended warranty. We ended up putting in a helo coil just to get it running. We then took it to the Toyota Dealer on a Sunday (no mechanics) and traded it in on a used two year old Sequioia (lease return). We now have over 110k miles on the SUV with no problems whatsoever. Night and day diference in quality. Toyota's are cheap right now because the stuck throttle witch hunt. There are no stuck throttle issues with the older Toyota's.