Selling This Piece Of ****!!!!
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99950 miles GOODBYE MB BOARD , HELLO CADDY ESCELADE
Last edited by Darkmann; Sep 15, 2002 at 08:41 PM.
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
think twice about this buddy. one other thing is lexus,toyota,
SUCK. they were the ONLY, (HEAR ME, THE ONLY) company that did NOTHING for 9/11. NOTHING.
do you know how many americans buy toyota's (lexus... included here)? it is a terrible thing.
the europeans (mostly germans) generally do build a better vehicle. so i am gonna suggest the X5 as an alternate, that is what i would consider next if i were you.. plus how could you go from a MB to a GM (yuck!)
good luck ml320chrome20's
X-5 built in SOuth Carolina...
SO GERMAN
Escalade is the worst 50k anyone can spend. Based off a 15k truck chassis with a camper. Fake wood. HORRIBLE interior. Looks like a Tahoe/Denali/Yukon from the sides. The front and rear have a Cadillac badge the size of a satellite dish to make the owner feel good.
It does have nece seats.
Try a Land Cruiser, LX 470, Range Rover IMO....
Seriously though, like the other poster said there's probably a better $50 k purchase than an Escalade (forget about Range Rovers though). Think Lexus or BMW X5.
Like yourself I suspect this is my first & last ML (and probably MB product) - and out ML has only 36k miles on it :-((
Both of my uncles retired from GM after 30 years. One of them won't even buy a gm product. He said that you like the gizmos for 6 months, then worry about them for the rest of the life of the car.
The end result being a vehicle which has lots of fun gadgets, but that you worry about for the rest of the ownership period.
On top of the above MB does not have the best of reputations when it comes to electrics and system integration.
Granted the early ML's did hoave some problems they fixed, but the later models still had some of the original defects plus some new ones.
Think Lexus or BMW X5.
You know that the 'slade is the flavor of the month . Most of it's trendy image forward or high media profile owners have moved on to the MBZ G500 and now the Hummer H2. Caddy dealers are pi**ed GM didn't position the Escalade for long term sales. In other words , it hasn't sold to soccer moms due to it's rapper/24 " wheels image.
Insiders at GM and Caddy know they have a lot of bad 70s and 80s " Caddy Pimpmobile " juju to erase from the upscale import intending buyer's minds .
The whole rapper / 'slade persona hasn't helped sell CTSs, Led Zeppelin theme music aside.
Last edited by MKW; Sep 23, 2002 at 02:03 AM.
That said, I've always bought 'premium' vehicles (BMW, Porsche, Audi etc) brand new every 2-3 years for nearly 25 years and I can honestly say the '00 ML430 we currently have has given more trouble that the rest put together :-( (by a large margin).
It was our first MB and will doubtless be our last. Now I'm not saying the ML is a bad truck, just that after sales / MB USA customer care, in some cases, can leave a lot to be desired.
As for the X5 and it's recalls - that's pretty poor too, but I suspect from my previous experience of BMW after sales that everything would have been taken care of without any drama.
Whereas with MB USA I've had to fight with them to keep the ML running - although for the past 6 months or so it's been ok, apart from needing another visit to the shop for work on on the drivers window (sounds like something is jamming the works up).
Still what's another service / warranty claim when you already have 23 (yes twenty three !) on the sheet.
Tim in San Diego
'00 ML430
'02 Porsche 996
Here's my opinion.. MB's were OK until Chrysler took over.... joking aside
I have had two MLs.. my first was a real *****.. I put 58,000 miles on it, and it has had every problem I have ever read on all MB forums.. more than once..
My second 2002 ML is a very different vehicle... I have had this one 9 months and put 16,000 miles almost without any problems...
The X5 looks good as long as you don't need the loading space in the back.. and don't mind being part of the type of people who buy BMWs.. or maybe that's just here in the UK... anyway moving on..
Toyota/Lexus do have some of the best build and after sales qualities that many other manufactures admire.. but come on, owning a MB or a BMW is just a pleasurable as driving it.. and owning a Toyota/Lexus just does not do it for me, know matter how good they are...
Best 4x4 in Europe has to be the Landcruiser (but its a bloody Toyota).. as for Landrover, you can have the whole lot, that's why in the UK we sold the company to BMW
Last edited by Londonboy; Sep 24, 2002 at 10:20 AM.
hey ML320chrome20s,
think twice about this buddy. one other thing is lexus,toyota,
SUCK. they were the ONLY, (HEAR ME, THE ONLY) company that did NOTHING for 9/11. NOTHING.
do you know how many americans buy toyota's (lexus... included here)? it is a terrible thing.
....
good luck ml320chrome20's
Sorry for just showing up, but I was looking for some information on MBs and I saw that. Honestly, I'd like to know what you're talking about.
http://129.33.47.206/about/community.../redcross.html
Hmm, do MB or BMW have any factories in the U.S.? I don't think so, (of course I could be wrong, it certainly wouldn't be the first time!)
well, I think for reliability an Escalade isn't going to be any better. Good luck
Yep.. the ML is built in the US.. perhaps thats why it has been the worst built MB ever... who knows..
Basically though that is the only MB I don't really like the look of, I'm not a big SUV fan at all...
However what really 'sucks' is MB USA's general attitude to those MB owners who have had trouble - far too often an owner has been left with a vehicle which is clearly sub-standard.
The recent $1000 coupons to early ML owners, while being a step in the right direction, is not nearly enough to compensate for the hassle and excessive depreciation suffered by the affected owners.
Now if it was a $1000 check to spend on whatever, that'd be an improvement - but a $1000 coupon towards purchasing another MB product - I don't think so !!
The later models of the ML are supposed to be better - but imho it's too early to tell.....
It'd be interesting to know how many of those coupons actually get used - that statistic alone may tell MB something about customer satisfaction & retention.
Tim in San Diego
'00 ML430 with 23 warranty claims
'02 996 Porsche
But why should the Q&A and local parts be the cause.. is this something particular to MB USA or USA auto manufacturers generally.. because it aint an MB Europe problem and that's for sure...
I think your right about the line workers not being the problem to a point, but that does not explain the paint and body shop problems.. missing wax coats and paint missing causing early rust and corrosion underneath and inside door frames..
I am now on my seventh SUV so I have a little experience..
Whow..!!!! $1000 vouchers is this some kind of wind up... we didn't get anything like that in the UK... We did get a full 3 year warranty, which has now been extended to four years.






