ML320CHROME20s

99950 miles GOODBYE MB BOARD , HELLO CADDY ESCELADE

Chris Gillio

I am also thinking about getting a cadillac escalade whay year are you going to get 2002 or 2003.

Chris

sosh

My last Cadillac, a 1993 Seville STS is the reason I will never own another GM produced car (or truck). I have owned more than 40 cars in my lifetime and that was the worst automotive experience I have ever had. They just do not care!! (GM and Dealers!!!)

mr1320

i never understood why people buy a chevy tahoe with cadillac emblems. why not just get a chevy? maybe they watch too much rap videos. lol!

Chris Gillio

What do you mean a chevy tahoe the escalade looks alot different than the tahoe.

Kar don

same basic idea tho, escalade is a piece of junk imo. Needs better materials inside, feels just like a chevy pickup.

Chris Gillio

Well when i test drove it the material seemed to be nice the seats were very nice.

Darkmann

Big mistake. If you're getting rid of the ML because of it's numerous problems, at least conside a X5, Acura or even the Infiniti. The Escalade is not going to cure you!!! From the pic, looks like you have a pre '00 model, probably the 98. The earlier models were rigged with problems, serious and annoying problems. For My '02, a lot of the problems have been resolved (some new problems have cropped up, but no different from what you'd expect with a vehicle having as much electronic systems as the ML) and for the price, it really is a bargain buy.

three56a

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.

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

mrgolf25

i have a 92 cadillac sts and i love it it doesn't have the northstar in it either. it saunds like a muscle car

1SICKLEX

ML built in freaking Alabama
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....

timdf

but I suspect it'll outlast / perform a glorified pick-up :-)

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 :-((

digital_b

looks like your ml was a 98 or 99 which were problematic. then you show your total lack of taste by putting asinine rims on it. and then you ***** and say youre going to buy an escalade? from your apparent lack of spelling ability you must not be very bright to begin with so please go buy your silly escalade and go to the generic motors forum and take any other illiterate syncophants with you.

4benzes

about buying a Chevy Tahoe in nice clothes. Its funny how GM does that and demands more money for a model. A chevy is an olds, which is a buick, which is a caddy. All of them share frames engines, transmissions, doors, seats and everything else.
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.

timdf

Because while the under lying mechanics are German designed and manufactured (which means they're fairly robust) - there is alot of domestic content in the ML from the same suppliers who support GM and other domestics manufacturers.
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.

Drew_ML

Forget the X5. It has poorer overall reliability than the ML. Not only that, but it seems that the majority of issues seem to be far more serious than the ML. I've never heard of an ML owner having to climb out of a rear window because the vehicle won't unlock the doors. A friend of mine with a '02 X5 has had numerous issues with his vehicle, similar to others on the BMW boards.

MKW

No matter how bad the early ML was, it didn't have 15 NHTSA recalls like the X5 had in it's first model year !
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.

timdf

rather the incompetent overloaded / dealers (some of us have had to suffer) combined with the unhelpful attitude of MB USA.

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

Londonboy

Hey, we must stop digging one another out.. its not our fault early MLs are crap..

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

ViKTORiOUS

ahhhh!!! converting to General Motors??? BLEH!!! BENZ POWER BABY!!!!!!

chastan

What do you mean they did nothing? They donated millions of dollars. Did you read that out of an email you got on hotmail?

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

Londonboy

Yep.. the ML is built in the US.. perhaps thats why it has been the worst built MB ever... who knows..

chastan

hmmm, guess I was wrong.

Basically though that is the only MB I don't really like the look of, I'm not a big SUV fan at all...

timdf

I tend to agree, but it's not so much the workers fault as the poor quality of some components (domestically manufactured ) and lack of QA.
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

Londonboy

I think you could be right about the Q&A and the locally manufactured parts....

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.