KA8

I'm leasing my ML and love this suv. This is our 3rd W164, I just love the looks and overall ride quality which is the reason why I got this just before W166 came out plus someone I know just lemoned W166 for mysterious engine shutoff problem. Also I just can't get used to W166 styling still. Anyway Mine is a P2 with trailer hitch, and currently leasing it and it's scheduled to end on July 2015 but I'm contemplating on buying it out at the end of the lease for $27K. Or I can return it 6 months early and get a new ride. I looked up dealer price for 4 year old ML's and all of them are in the low to mid $30K's so it doesn't look to bad to buy it out. I was going to replace with with a tacoma crew cab but loaded one goes for $37K+. Any high mileage ML owners out there? Appreciate your input

MA-E320

Enjoy it until then :-). I would worry about what to do with that lease in two years. The new face lifted W166 should be available by end of 2015 so I would jump in that one. Judging by what they did to w212, w166 might get a pretty nice face lift.

I got rid of my w164 bluetec. Too many oil leaks and electrical issues!

Cyber GS

I understand that not all 164's have problems but the thread below sums up my feeling towards my departed 2011ML.

https://mbworld.org/forums/m-class-w164/474629-mb-substituted-my-2011-ml350-2012-ml350.html

I have had the W166 for 4 weeks now and in all fairness you can't compare it to a W164. It is so much more refined, smoother, better power and the ride is better. Everything you would expect in a newer model.

Yes, maybe I am soured towards the W164, I think I am entitled to be after everything I went through with it. But go spend some time driving the W166 and you will see what I mean.

Good luck whichever way you decide to go.

MA-E320

:-)

MA-E320

I think you and me were the most unfortunate w164 owners ever. Glad we're over it now

Cyber GS

You got that right... For the first time in a long time I actually look forward to taking the Benz instead of another car..

And more important, the wife is smiling again....

06e320cdi

I love my ML320 CDI, the dealership network not so much.

KA8

Thanks!

I guess I got two years to think about it. For next car I want something that I can keep for many years so that is the reason I wanted to go with Tacoma crew cab.

MAmendola

The lease on my 09 ML 350 is up in May. I ordered it loaded and am extremely happy and have had no major issues thus far. The buy out is 22k. I can not buy this vehicle for this price so I think it is a great deal. I do like the w166 but my plan is to keep the Ml for many years and in a few years buy a CLS as my weekend driver.

UR2SLO

I like my 08 ML as I haven't experienced any major problems or problems in general aside from my sunroof. I think the W166's are plain ugly with no dual exhaust, straight/van like body design, and a interior design that could of been done years ago in the W164's. Even the 09-11 ML63 look more mean and aggressive than the W166 ML63.

I am not biased towards the W164, I love the new Cayenne and X5's

C-rod

I've always love the ML-Class...........My current 11 model, by far is the finest of them all.............wonderful power and a wonderful Grand Edition interior(Canadian option).......It has been 2 years and luckily my issues' have been addressed through warranty........As for the W166, I think the interior is stunning, but the exterior, with all due respect to my W166 buddies, is clearly a mystery to me...I have no idea what Mercedes was trying to accomplish...from the odd shaped tail-lights, to the "no tail-pipes" look, the exterior is a disaster.........I'm sorry , I have to be honest....Unless Mercedes performs a radical switch to the mid-model 14 vehicle, I may hold on to mine for a little while longer......

AudiA4Turbo22

I must agree here, the W166 was such a disappointment, I really think Mercedes over the years has lost all passion for the M-Class and is focusing strictly on the GL-Class. The W166 looks overly feminine and just down right ugly. What's with the HUGE gaping mesh bumper grille on the ML63? Or how the ML550 still has hideous 19" wheels and no exclusivity?

Cyber GS

The exterior of the 166 is still growing on me, but IMO the interior is beautiful.

Even though some feel that the 166 exterior needs work or a refresh, and it might. MB is selling the heck out of them and can't keep them on their lots. See link

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/10-harde...;_ylv=3?page=2

It will be interesting to see what kind of refresh MB does based on how well they are moving them..

DC-IT

I'm loving my ML which has been trouble free so far.
My lease will be up in June 2014 so I will decide then what to do.
If it remains reliable I may buy it over. If not I might get the next gen X5 or the updated E350BT.

Whilst the interior of the W166 looks great it's too much like the Jeep GC and my ML Grand Edition interior is not too shabby with the Artico leather dash with contrast stitching. Also love the AMG steering and exclusive Chromite Black paint plus two tone 20" rims.

spikethedog

I bought a W164 on E-bay with 60K on it, my fifth E-bay MB.
Previously had an E320 wagon (W210?) that I liked, but I really LOVE this ML550 and it still looks great.

And my favorite place for my right foot is all the way to the floor, whenever possible.

HOWEVER, the only problem with it is that on the RR door the top strip is delaminating and I can't find the part number.
Anyone know how to find it?

Also, what would I have to do to hardwire a radar detector in? It's plugged into the cig lighter and I hate the wire coming down. A Cobra....

Thanks.

buckybr

Had ours 2yrs. and 22,000 miles and no issues.Only thing that bothers us is cost of standard service.

mhammady

Enjoy ur ride as I enjoy my '10 ML350. I had it for nearly 5 months, with 29000 miles.

I faced some minor issues with front light, seat belts, some sensors problem,... Etc but all was covered by warranty, and I really like this car...

betrezra

2007 ML500 W164 74K Miles Orig Owner here - great truck. No major issues what-so-ever.
I use this as 3rd vehicle for knocking around, towing jet-skiis to lake.

Wife just got a new X5 5.5 TT sport pkg..... better handling, braking, accel, stereo, seating, etc..... but I still find the old W164 more comfortable for long trips.
The W164 compared to the x5 is just more solid and IMHO is more suited for the little bit of offroading we do to pull out jetskiis to our fav spot. Pull a fully loaded jetski trailer through sand-dunes/mud/ruts with ease and comfort. I do not get the impression the x5 is as a capable offroader.... more car-like.

I test drove the new W166 when it came out..... very nice IMHO.... I like the looks... the new AMG is the titsss.

GL.

Grau E350

I'll try not to grump too much. My 2011 ML350 4m was plagued with problems. Rattles, squeaks, electrical gremlins, rough shifting transmission, suspension clunks and noises and a few other problems. I kept it one year. Some people have gotten good cars while others have gotten absolutely sub-par cars.

I had enough of my ML and traded it. The car felt loosey goosey after 8000 miles. It's tailgate's hydraulic system had to be replaced. Car always made several clunks going over bumps. Had the infamous headlights come on during bright sunshine. Bluetooth never synced despite updates. Suspension had a crunch. Power steering adjustment had a grinding noise.

Overall this was a massive disappointment for a 60K car. I had to find an out of town dealer to fix what the local guy failed to fix or wouldn't.

I had enough and dumped it at a loss.

With 20" wheels the car sucked without snows. Also it added a very harsh ride. If you have back/neck problems and you have to transport passengers it can be murder on them.

The xenons would ice over in winter conditions! Even with full concentrate VW fluid meant for extreme cold temps, it would not help with the cold package. I had visibility drop to dangerous levels in a snow storm--the xenons didn't pump out enough heat to keep the headlights clear.

It had some good points, however the car visited the shop waaaay too much. I'm chiming in with my low-mileage ML 3504m that was horrible.

Like I said some get lucky, some just get what is typical for MB now. Defect after defect. And the dealers like to say "cannot duplicate customer complaint." After they write that out, and you drive off the lot you hear the same issue and have to turn around and get the tech into the car.

Just the trim piece around the steering column gave me trouble. It ground when the steering wheel was adjusted.

The service monkey hosed it with silicone spray totally discoloring the pastic and pleather trim which took 3 times to repair.

I think I got a bad car. I would not hold it past warranty. My life got much better wth less stress after dumping this car. Hate to say it, but that's my experience. Local dealer was so poor, they didn't even bother to mount the snows correctly. The tech damaged all 4 wheels with his mounting experience, then skipped putting on wheel weights.

Driving along, the radio would turn on by itself. Backing out, the camera wouldn't engage.

I liked the car when it worked, but for most of the time it had a gremlin. For this experience I have to give it thumbs down.

Cyber GS

You're right some are good and some are bad but it sounds like you and I had the same ML.

Sorry you had to take a loss on it, fortunately for me MB bought mine back, after two years of hell..

chikoo

I just test drove a 2010 with 26k miles on it for over 30 miles. It had no rattles, squeaks, nothing. Shifted with no hesitation under slow, fast, medium speeds and acceleration. Quiet like I was in a Tomb. But it does sway just a bit more than the other car like SUV (Ford, Lexus) that I have owned. But it is HEAVY. Like a TANK.

Benzy550

Very happy, but when time for services not really.

LOVEMYBS

Trading mine for a 2010 Porsche Cayenne GTS which IMO is a much better SUV. I never liked my ML550, it's too soft, too top heavy and has too much body roll. Now that I've switched over to Porsche I don't think I'll come back to MB.

Cyber GS

I like the Cayenne, especially the GTS or of course the TT. Good luck and enjoy..

chikoo

Ha Ha
My sis in law has the 2006 cayenne and hates the automatic transmission. Thinks too much before shifting, especially if you are stopped or are in the process of stopping and decide to move forward.