abomb

Hello all.

I'm looking to buy a ML320 for my wife. I saw a lot of postings from late 2006 where members were paying MSRP, just curious if anybody had bought one more recently and what they were selling for as compared to invoice or MSRP.

I'm in the DC area if that helps.

Thanks!

NickIndy

5% under MSRP here

sam1son

5% under here in Scottsdale Arizona, great vehicle, glad I went with the 320 cdi.

abomb

That's great to hear, 5% under is better than 0%.

sam: We loved the pull of the CDI after about 2k RPM, never seemed to run out of power. Out of curiosity, anything you would have done differently option-wise? We're thinking premium 1, xenon lights, heated seats. Still debating leather versus MB tex.

DUTCH

-4.5% back in November. Get the AirMatic suspension. Requires PIII, but well worth it!

I have the leather. It's some of the cheapest artificial looking stuff I've ever seen. I wouldn't do it again.

abomb

Thanks Dutch.

A few people have said airmatic is worthwhile, I'm almost afraid to try it... I might end up buying it.

I wasn't a big fan of the MBtex either, I guess it's like our politicians, you pick the one that least irritates you. I suppose diaper duty will be more compatible with the MBtex though, and $1600 pays for a couple tanks of gas.

kimcork

I ordered a 2007 CDI almost exactly a month ago at MB of Princeton (NJ) for 6.5% under MSRP.

abomb

That's even better news. I've driven to Elizabeth to pick something up at Ikea, I could drive to Princeton to pick up a car.

Did they give you the "short supply of CDIs" song & dance when you were ordering?

sam1son

I have the prem 1 , ash interior, cd. I really like the vehicle ( when I can drive it). I am really happy with the pulling power from 1700 rpm up, very smooth and very good fuel mileage. I don't think I would add a thing. I don't need more power as ( i have a sports car for that) . If I traveled a bit more I might want a nav system. I think the way the package is right now is just fine.

kimcork

No song and dance from Princeton. They didn't play any games at all. Almost all discussion was via email: Initial offer was just over 6%; I asked several questions nailing down the fees, and exploring options. When I went to sign, it took 45 min with no back and forth to the Sales Mgr.

It's worth noting that I was only able to find 2007s at two dealers (one was in Texas, when I visited family). Several dealers offered 2008s--most would be avail in August, one dealer said September. I wanted a 2007, if possible, because I was uncomfortable about ordering a car with TBD pricing.

Princeton was the best offer; it appeared that Millenium might be close with their 2008 offer, but I didn't pursue it in detail. Most dealers were starting at 3% below MSRP.

I think this is a pretty good deal for both of us--Princeton was getting one of the last 2007 models off the assembly line; now they've sold it well before the arrival of 2008s, which would drive the price down.

abomb

So was your ML still in the factory when you negotiated your deal or was it on the lot?

That makes a lot of sense though, if I could buy a 2007 still coming down the line it would be great. I wonder if I waited until January/February if I could get a better deal on 2008s in the off season.

Still 6.5% is a sweet deal. Even 5% is a good deal I will have to start emailing around to see what I can pull.

Thanks for the input.

kimcork

My ML is still just pieces and parts scattered about the world even today...perhaps the engine has made it to the States from Germany, but their inventory plan is "just in time"....and my build date is the week of 21 June.

My understanding is that dealers can submit modifications to a planned vehicle up to about 6 weeks prior to the build date...so I think we're right at the window for modifying the very last 2007 models. One of the 2008s I was offered had a build date of 5 Jul.

If this year is any indication, Jan/Feb and even March would enable several opportunities if you want a car with an uncommon selection of options. By mid-April, there weren't any CDIs planned on the assembly line that had not already been "spoken for" by a dealer--I received complete disbelief on the part of two dealers that I had been able to order a 2007.

My "must haves" were Capri Blue or Barolo Red with a black interior, Premium 1 and a hitch...I was told that there were only a handful of ML CDIs nationwide with those exterior colors and a black interior, and none had a hitch. I also selected Lighting Package, M333 Sport Package (6-twin spoke wheels), Nav system, and iPod integration. I went with Capri Blue, but it was a tough choice--since I ordered, I've seen both the Capri Blue and yesterday, I saw the Barolo Red--I liked both a lot...though both needed the Sport Package :-)