tin369

I have had a few thread going on the GL450 CPO that I am planning to buy.


I still haven't found the right car with all the options and color that I want, but reading some of the older threads where people have reported issues I am getting a bit nervous.


I need some assurances from the happy owners particularly who bought 14-15 CPO GL450. This is going to a big purchase for me and I want something that is reliable. I also am not sure of what the CPO warranty and the extended warty covers. Is that something that gives you peace of mind that if some issues come up, it will be covered?

ItsRainingLead

I looked at it this way. It used to be Mercedes had all these super modern expensive bits that no other cars had, top it off with high dealer rates and you had expensive problems when something broke. Now, every Lincoln, Ford, Volkswagen, etc has electronic gadgets up the wazoo, and besides dealer rates, have expensive problems when something breaks.

Then I figured, if I have the balance of the factory warranty on a CPO, +1 year from the CPO program and a 2 year extension - that gives me a LOT of time to figure out if the car is going to be in and out of the shop a lot. If the car has been generally reliable, I may get a third party extended warranty after that. If the car has been generally unreliable, it gets traded in.

If I had not been able to get the 2 yr extension of the CPO for a reasonable price, however, I likely would not have bought a CPO Mercedes.

DC-BENZ

Wellllllll, I have a 2010 ML Blutec with 110k miles on it and it is quite unreliable (even left me and the family stranded on the way back to DC from SC ((fuel pump)). I'm just hoping the 2013 GL I just acquired is at least $600 less per year in repairs (which is not saying much).

att234

I see it exactly the same way. Where did you (or are going to) get your extension? I just got quoted something that sounded seriously ridiculous by my dealer upon delivery. If there's a good place to get extended CPO warranty and service packs, please let me know... Or if anybody wants to chime in, please do so.

Thanks and best of luck!

jlim

You don't want input from happy owners. What you want is to hear from unhappy owners to understand the potential issues you may face.

I've since put 9000 miles on my 2014 CPO GL450 with 2 additional years of warranty (until Sept 2020) which I purchased 5 months ago. Have taken 3 long trips from Michigan to Toronto, Michigan to Baltimore, Michigan to Atlanta. It's a great highway cruiser. Very comfortable and spacious. The kids (5 and 8) enjoy the ride very much. My previous car before this, (2008 Mazda CX-9) which I drove for 8 years was very much trouble free. I only did oil changes and brake pads for the 95000 miles or so.

Was looking into the new Honda Pilot (with captain's chair) and the newly designed Mazda CX-9 but top trim level was around $48k which didn't make sense to purchase.

Looked at the new Acura MDX (the trim with captain's chair and much very front snout) and Volvo XC90 but both were around $65-70k.

I happened to find a very low mileage 2014 GL450 (16k miles) and all the options I wanted (appearance, lightning, lane tracking and parking assist). It's my first MB and I'm hoping for minimal fuzz owning this vehicle. It was priced right between the Pilot/CX-9 and MDX/XC90. MB dealers around my area are horrific and I'm sure even with my pre-paid services, they'll still try to rip me off. My service B is coming up soon in 1000 miles.

DC-BENZ

Those add on CPO's aren't much cheaper than 1 leaky oil cooler and a fuel pump replacement. Most After market warranties don't cover leaky seals and if they do they tend to be near the price of one leaky oil cooler and nearly half the cost of a fuel pump replacement. At least on my ML. So if a warranty company cannot be procured for $2,200 or less I don't bother with them (famous last words).

What's interesting is I saw a 2016 GL for sale on Carfax.com with 95k miles on the odometer. No repairs just maintenance was performed, assuming Carfax is providing true data. So an anecdotal assumption of mine is maybe we just don't drive these diesels often enough?

tin369

I am also looking at the same cars as you did and I currently have a RAV4 V6, which is nimble and had a good cargo space considering its a 5 seater, however it lacks the ride comfort and other safety features that come with luxury cars.

I test drove a GL450 yesterday, for a short time and I did feel it has a good power for my needs, but I was able to tell immediately that it was a heavy car. I am sure in a few days I will get used to it, however, I am concerned that driving everyday the size and weight will become more evident and may become a pain to drive around town. I may be wrong because I am comparing it to what I drive now.

It also has easy power entry to 3rd row, so from what I understand front facing car seats will be difficult to install as the headrest cannot be removed. The car that I am looking at also does not have panoroof, although not a complete deal breaker as it has blind spot, lane assist, surround view, premium 1 pckg, heated steering etc.

I am also of the same conclusion, that a new Highlander would be around $45,000 for the limited trim, the MDX tech trim will be around $50,000 the XC90 momentum plus with all th option that I want will be around $60,000 (but reading about a lot of software issues) and I am not also considering the X5 CPO and the Q7 all of these would be in the high $50-60K range.

Whereas, the GL450 is under $50K and well equipped, so I am really having a hard time now deciding. The ride felt great, very comfortable, but I am worried about size. The roads that I will be driving are not winding and mostly straight, but parking in malls, getting in and out of office parking, etc may feel not as easy.


One of the GL450 has a sold date of 6/14 so the original warranty will be until 6/18 and additional CPO will be until 6/19 and I can add 2 year CPO warranty can be until 6/21. They did quote me $4,000 and some change for the 2 year CPO warranty.

Any other thought or comments will be helpful.

jlim

>>
I was able to tell immediately that it was a heavy car. I am sure in a few days I will get used to it
<<

My previous vehicle, the CX-9 was very nimble compared to the GL and CX-9 is also quite a big bigger than your RAV4. During the test drive, the GL felt like a huge boat. But as you suspect, within a week, I got used to it and it's fine. It drives great.

>>
It also has easy power entry to 3rd row, so from what I understand front facing car seats will be difficult to install as the headrest cannot be removed
<<

I read on some thread it could be removed, but you don't need to remove it. My 2 kids, the 5 year old is still on a full car seat. The 8 year old was on the booster by removing the back of the child car seat. You will need to extend the headrest completely up. Depending on your brand of car seat (both of mine are the Britax Parkway SGL), it may not be too bad. My 5 year old still prefers having the full car seat, so she is sacrificing a little on comfort as the MB headrest will push forward her car seat by a few degrees. She's sitting more upright as a results. But you could actually wedge the top of the car seat right under the fully extended MB headrest if your child is not too tall.

>>
I am also of the same conclusion, that a new Highlander would be around $45,000 for the limited trim, the MDX tech trim will be around $50,000 the XC90 momentum plus with all th option that I want will be around $60,000 (but reading about a lot of software issues) and I am not also considering the X5 CPO and the Q7 all of these would be in the high $50-60K range.
<<

I wanted the MDX with the captains chair and almost all the packages and it was coming out to be around $65k if I remember. XC90 was $70k with the options I wanted. X5 is a non-starter coz' the 3rd row is a joke. The new Q7 (squarish) looks good but also quite expensive. Someone who test drove the Q7 and GL says there's no comparison between the 2. GL was simply a class above (not sure in which aspect).

>>
but I am worried about size. The roads that I will be driving are not winding and mostly straight, but parking in malls, getting in and out of office parking, etc may feel not as easy
<<

It wasn't easy for me at first even coming from a 3 row CX-9. But with the surround camera, it is not an issue. The steering on the MB is very light. You can easily maneuver around.

>>
One of the GL450 has a sold date of 6/14 so the original warranty will be until 6/18 and additional CPO will be until 6/19 and I can add 2 year CPO warranty can be until 6/21. They did quote me $4,000 and some change for the 2 year CPO warranty
<<

2 additional CPO warranty from MB should be $3500 MSRP. You can get it for $2700-$2800 by calling one of the recommended MB dealers.

If you get the CPO MB with all the options you like and the car VMI is showing relatively minor work, and having a warranty out until 6/2021, you are essentially having 4+ years of warranty which is more than a regular Toyota (3 years) OR Audi/BMW (4 years). To boot you have unlimited miles as well all for $50k.

This was my line of thought when buying the MB. Hopefully down the road it would turn out to be a wise decision. It is a really good/solid 3 row SUV.

tin369

You make all points and at this price and features that you get for a 2 year old car is great with the right options.

I went to Carnax to test drive another GL450 since I didn't want to go back to the MB dealer and give him the impression that I am desperate for the car.

I am am getting more confident with the car and I wa surprised with the short turning radium when I had to make a U turn during the test drive.

Can you provide me with the name of the dealers where I can purchase or inquire about the extended CPO warranty. Who did you get yours from? Do I have to get it right away?

Although, I want a white GL with pano roof the black GL at my dealership has all the other options and priced at $48,900. I am thinking of offering them $45,000 although I doubt they will accept it.

also how do I get a VMI on the car the car fax they provided has very little info on it. They bought the car from MB auction.

bancroftdg

Similar experience as mentioned above. We were in the market for a 7 passenger SUV. When first started looking the Honda Pilot which was about $43K in the trim we wanted. Found a CPO MDX for $36K (38K miles) which was very nice. Q7 and X5 did not have legroom in the 3rd seat. Ended up with a 2013 GL 450 CPO for $40K. it had 27K miles and 7 months of original warranty left plus the 12 months of CPO warranty. have not bought the 2 year ELW yet, dealer price was $3700 (they add sales tax), think I will wait till CPO warranty is near over and make decision then. I did try one of the forum recommended MB business guys who have given better pricing on the ELW but he never got back to me.


Have only had it for a few months but so far we really like it. yes it is big but the steering is very light and you get used to its size. Power is very impressive, especially when merging onto highways. around town it is just fine, with parking being the only challenge at times. again, more time behind the wheel and it will seem like a Mini Cooper, well maybe not.


For us it came down the fact that the CPO MDX and New Pilot were similar in price and the MB was hands down better looking and offered better materials, styling, power etc.

jlim

About warranty, I emailed a few recommended by the forum, but only Jamie Ruis replied. His email is jruis@mbofelmbrook.com. I was going to buy from him for $2800+ for 2 extra years but the local dealership finance person beat the price whereas the sales person said $3500 firm.

I believe if you buy it within 30 days of purchase, there's no surcharge. Good thing is you can cancel later before the initial CPO warranty ends to get a refund. But I think most dealers figured you will not cancel down the road.

About VMI, my selling dealer just gave it to me during the initial test drive / negotiation. Sales person also showed me the work they did to make it a CPO. I asked for just $1000 off and they refused. I asked for $500 more on my trade in and they too refused. To be fair, their price was already very competitive for my area and they actually gave me the higher end of the KBB trade-in value. So I didn't fight them too hard on this.

If the car you are interested in has been sitting on the lot, you may have more negotiation power. But if it is in good shape, all the right options and just came on the market, they prob won't budge.

Btw, make sure lightning package is there. Also since they are MB dealer, they should give you the VMI without problem.

tin369

Thanks for sharing the CPO extended warranty info, I can atleast try to tell my dealer if I buy this car what I can have it for and if they match then I can get the warranty from them. or I can get it from the dealer you recommended at a later date.

The car came in a week or so ago, I don't think they will budge on the price and from what i have seen they have listed it below what others are listing in my area.

Yes it has lighting package, premium 1, heated steering, easy entry, blind spot assist, lane keep assist, surround view.

expect for pano room and exterior color, it has most of the packages.

tin369

I am now considering the Q7 as well, I haven't test driven it yet, but looking at youtube videos it does look more car like. Although the 3rd row leg room will be much less than the GL450. But I am hoping that it would handle and drive better.

I think I made myself more confused by getting the Q7 on the shopping list as well.

att234

I was considering the Q7 before I bought the GL, but no diesel and no S-Line (yet), made it a no-go for me. And, as a matter of fact, I like the old body style better. I am sure the new one will look good with S-Line... I saw a review of the Euro SQ7 TDI online and that SUV looked very hot.

rominl

we drove the q7 before the gl. it's a lot more like a car, lower, lighter, and maybe handle better. but imho it's not in the same league as the gl. the gl is a lot more refined

mustbebenz

I drive/drove Mazdas and Audis and Infiniti and Honda and Land Rover and lots more, and now MB for about a year. You want easy ownership? Ask for reliability assurances? You need to do one thing, friend, if that drives your decision: Run from Germans, head to Japanese. End of discussion. Mark my words if you go with GL or Q7. Not to say you would not like them on other levels, but that was not your question.