dcfsf

I might buy it tomorrow morning so quick advice is appreciated.

2002 ML 500 Silver on Black
Sport Package

104,000 Miles

$23,500 Price (in SF Bay Area California)

Should I buy it???

Darkmann

A lot of miles man and you probably will not have any decent warranty with that. Can you hold back and search some more? I know they are somewhat rare, but if you really have to get this one, make sure to check the history (take VIN to dealer for details). You want to be sure all maintenance work and all recalls/sevice campaigns have been up to date. If the service history looks troublesome to you, skip it, otherwise have fun and enjoy the ride.

GDawgC220

definitely get a service history on the car to see what has been done and stuff. Earlier ML's, even the early '00s had issues but not as many as the 98-99 models.

Mileage wise, that's nothing for a MB...just getting started. The engines are pretty much bulletproof...they'll keep going assuming the proper maintenance has been done to it.

If there are no major history issues with it and it's been kept well, go for it and enjoy

sosh

I hope you realize that you are buying a very high mileage ML 500. If its not the higest mileage one out there it certainly comes close. The price may or may not be fair as there is not much to compare it to. My suggestion if thats all that you can spend find an older lower mileage ML even a 320 and buy it for the same money.

amb9800

Yeah, you should definitely check out the service history. 104K is quite a bit for an ML500 -- it's at most 3 years old, so that's almost 35K miles per year. That's a lot.

You could also go for a lower-mileage 320, as sosh suggested. But I don't know if I'd do that, because the 500 is so much more potent in terms of acceleration than the 320 (which became a snail by '02)... Assuming the car has a clean history and is in good condition, I'd probably go for the 500.

ML4me

Yeah, that's a lot of miles for a 3 year old car. If your heart's set on it though(and I can understand) - go for it and enjoy!! Maybe spend the extra cash and get an independent MB technician to check it out for you before buying. I'd probably base my decision on what the tech says. MB's usually last a looong time if well maintained. I like silver/black too!!!

dcfsf

2002 ML500 SPORT
Silver/Black
Bi-xenons
etc.

Had it checked out at AAA - kind-of lame but they said it was 100%. Also it drives great.

Thanks for all of your advice. There are a couple of minor things that I will post questions about

ML4me

Congratulations dcfsf!!! I'm sure you will love the ride. I found a lot of useful information on these boards so I'm sure it'll be a great resource for you!!! In the meantime enjoy your new ride !!!!

EDIT: whoops saw your posts

Darkmann

Good thing is that at least you came here for advice first.

sideways60

Yay!

Another brother to the fold.

I love my 02 ML500