zoro

Hi I'm in the UK where we have Main Dealer MB and franchises almost impossible to tell the differance without asking....I am thinking of purchasing an ML in the next few weeks and have been looking around for info . . .I must say that I am quite dismayed at the amount of unhappy customers MB have with the ML . . . . I am now seriously considering the X5, the 4x4 I purchase will have to last for a while as this will be my Major car purchase first car over 20k previous car MR2 which cost about 6k so there is a big jump and I want to make the right decision on everything. . so the question isn't on are you happy with your ML (thats already been asked) but the question is does it make a difference on where you buy as to
a) the quality of the car (all made by MB so does the purchase place make a difference???)
b) service given by staff. . I was told by a franchise dealer that the service given by franchises are higher as MB sets the standards for franchises at higher levels??
c) service when dealing with car ??. e.g 25 k service and other major milage services
d) overall quality of everything (all of above and anything else)
e) almost forgot COST.
thanks in advance

bottedi

zoro:
As far as I know, all the dealers in the US are franchised so I can't help you with the comparision between the two, however, I can give you some feedback on a few of your other questions:

a). all ML's are made in Alabama, US. (I live in Atlanta, so the factory is relatively close to me.) The quality of the ML's has NOT been up to MB standard, BUT I am on my second ML 320 and I have to admit that the major quality issues I have experienced are annoyances versus real problems. (Like rattles, squeaks, etc.) Overall, I have really enjoyed my ML experience(s). I had 1 1999 model for 3 year and just now bought the 2002 model.

d). overall, the quality of the ML is good. It drives like a car and is as safe as they get. If you can live with rattles and squeaks in odd places then you will like the ML. I was looking at the X5 as well when I purchased my latest ML, but I concluded that the X% is not a real SUV - it's a glorified 5 series. It has no more interior room the the 5 series wagon. Also, one of the reasons I wanted an SUV again was because almost everyone in the US seems to drive trucks/SUV's these days and if you have a regular car, you literally get claustrophobic driving on the highway. The X5 did not give me a "height" that I needed compared to the ML.

Anyway - that's my input. Hope it helps.
DRB

amb9800

Same here with the franchising - All the US ones are franchised, so I can't answer that one.

Regarding the place of manufacture - most, but not all, ML's are most in Alabama. They are also made somewhere in Austria. I am not sure if the UK-sold ML's are Austrian-made or US-made, but I do know that a lot of the world - atleast Eastern Europe and parts of Asia - get the Austrian ones I think.

I haven't checked out any Austria-made ML's, so I wouldn't know about them, but as far as the US-made ones, the quality was poor on some of the earliest models, but the 2002 is a lot better than before.

Here in the US, MB dealers are quite infamous for bad service and staff treatment of customers, but there are a couple good dealers. Again, I wouldn't know about the UK dealers.

Anyway, thats my .02.

zoro

thanks for the replies

I gues it will be case of just taking the plunge with whom-ever..