TimCDI

Hi everybody,

I'm going to take the plunge and purchase an ML320CDI within the next two weeks or so. I have several questions though and would like to bounce them off you guys.

A.) Air suspension vs. regular suspension.
Will the air suspension last 6+ years without any major problems? Is the air suspension covered by the extended warranty? Will using the lowering chips available from tuners void my warranty if problems happen? I plan on lowering the truck so I hope my warranty will not be voided...

B.) Options.
1. Are there any options from MB I should stay away from? I've been reading that the iPod integration kit is crap (sound-wise) and that I should go with the Denison kit. What are your thoughts?
2. Should I buy the little things from MB, like running boards, illuminated door sills, roof spoiler, bike rack, all-weather floor mats, etc from the dealer or should I buy them cheaper online and install them myself/get them installed somewhere else?
3. If I buy the illuminated door sills online, can I install them or do they need to come installed from the factory?

C.) Colors.
I like the Alpine Rain color but I'm afraid it may hurt resale value later on down the road... it seems that it's a rare color. Would I just be better off getting white or silver?

D.) Price
How much wiggle room do I have in negotiating price if I pay cash versus finance? Using the online MB configuration window, the price came out to roughly $60,000 on the two versions that I configured...

What do you guys believe is the lowest price that I could pick it up at?

Thanks for your help,

Tim

The two configurations I put together are:

Alpine Rain with the P2 package, Macadamia Leather and the iPod integration kit, illuminated door sills, parktronic, voice controls, running boards, keyless go, roof spoiler, and wheel locks @ $60,218.

or

Artice White with the P3 package, black leather with parktronic, voice control, keyless go and wheel locks @ $60,443.

blazinginder

I dont have the P3 pkg aka normal suspension but I havent heard of any issues with the air suspension that would make me not want to get it.

I've heard mixed reviews about the Ipod kit, it is quite expensive for something that's not certain to be that great, just my opinion of it. That being said if you're set on getting certain accessories such as the ipod kit, bike rack, side steps, all season mats etc....I'd negotiate all those things into the purchase of the car by having them throw some things in/discount them more then they would have had you already bought the car.

If you're thinking about reselling the car and don't "have to have" the alpine rain, I think it would be beneficial in resale price to get a more commonly demanded color, as you said something like white, silver, black

Regarding price, I've seen discounts as much as 1-2k off MSRP without any real negotiating...not sure if they can be had for invoice (about 3500-4k off MSRP) but I'm sure recent buyers can help more with this


I personally would go with the P3 route if you're spending that kind of money, illuminated doors sills etc are nice to have but IMO wont hold their value as much as the P3. I also prefer the P3 over the other car's specs so I'm a little bias.

cschmelz

I just took possession of a P3 2007 CDI about a month ago. I test drove the P2 car first and was pleasantly surprised as the lack of body roll and firm yet not jarring BASE ride. I REALLY like the air suspension though. The ability to firm it up with a button push when I want to be sporting (and the 0.8 inch drop at highway speeds) is great. At the same time, I was able to take my ML down a deep two-rut dirt road the other day. At stock height it was dragging on the brush in the center. Click one button and over about a minute my ML gains 2.5 inches of height!

I would highly recommend P3 and I am certainly glad I found a ML with it used to buy. I'd strongly recommend the ipod adapter for a factory/ordered car. It costs $850 or so for the dealer to add it later, but the factory price of $375 seems fair. It's integration sucks, but it sounds pretty good. If you EVER want to tow, or know someone who wants to tow get the factory hitch. Again, especially with P3 it is $500 from the factory and between $1200-2000 to be added by the dealership later.

uhaveit

I recently purchased a ML 320 CDI with P1 and other stuff .MSRP 51910 I paid 48500 . I think yuo can now get them close to invoice price

I live in the Atlanta area and I purchased it from a small dealership 3 hours from Atlanta downtown

BruNo

i have Alpine Rain with Macadamia.... i think its a nicer alternative to the common silver.

get the options that you want during your order, it would prove to be more cost effective, rather than retrofitting them later.

jerseyMLdriver

Hi! That's awesome that you decided to get the ML320! Nice choice. Tons of people on here are so happy they did. In regards to options, my ML had the P2 package. It had the running boards on it already and a few other goodies. I got the roof racks and mats for free and the illuminated MB for half the cost.

Mine is a black on black color wise because I like it that way. In regards to color. Get what you like.

Brian_74

I love the airmatic for all the reasons already mentioned. Here's another tip from the GL forum that I read. If you're extra cautious and park a million miles away from everyone like I do, here's another thing you can do with the air suspension. Raise it up when you have to park next to another car or in a smaller space. It brings the running boards up to the height where if some idiot were to fling their door open, you have a greater chance that it will hit your running board first, not your car.

As far as extras, order them with the car from the factory if possible. The dealer charges $$$ to install these later. Something as simple as running boards can cost you a couple grand.

My vote is for the P3 white on black

dgiturbo

Excellent choice! I went for the P3 leather on mine, and I did spoil myself and with the illuminated door sills. The best I can say about the sills is that most everyone that I give a ride to comments on it. As for the air suspension, I think it feels better than the P2's, and I frequently raise and lower it for clearing snow drifts where I live. The sport mode is great, usually used on entrance ramps. I love the running boards, and I will never have an ipod so can't help there. As for accessories, check dealerfit.com Might be the way to go if your handy. Keyless go I wish I had. As for price, IF you can find one, the dealers think they are gold plated. (MPG word is spreading) I ordered mine at a $3500 discount as I bought on of the first ones in this area, but last time at the dealer, the manager made a point to tell me how lucky I was, etc. Whatever. I Personally think that at this time of year, with the economy the way CNBC is broadcasting, you should be able to get some good discounts. The color is on you, mine is Pewter.
Remember to fuel up with ULSD ONLY.... and it uses a special engine oil (229.51 spec). Welcome.

TimCDI

What is ULSD fuel? Is it different than the regular diesel gas I get at Chevron?

Thank you everyone that's replied -- you guys are awesome! I think I'll end up going with Alpine Rain with the P3 package, keyless go, parktronic, illuminated door sills, running boards and the iPod kit.

I'll let you guys know how it turns out. Thanks again!

Tim

dgiturbo

It stands for Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel. Almost everywhere has it, but as not using it voids the emissions and engine warranty, I check for the sticker on the pump when I fill up. Click on http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/cars/DieselFuel.html
and also http://www.chevron.com/products/ourf...ommercial.aspx

Every ULSD diesel pump will have a label that says "ULSD, 15PPM. Required for diesel engines 2007 or newer" I have never had a problem finding it, and have driven to many States. No worries.

sosh

I have an ML500, 2006. Its Alpine Rain with Macadamia Leather and Air suspension. The car including the airmatic has been flawless since I took delivery in Sept 05. I happen to like the color combo and its not so rare. I do not think it will effect resale one way or another. The only color that seems to effect resale in a negative way is that ugly Desert Silver or whatever they call it now. As for the other stuff, if you are concerned about return on resale forget that stuff as you will not see one cent back from it. If you still want it, order it with the car including the Ipod kit (which I think is great) that way you will have full MB warranty with it and the cost may be a few bucks more but its worth it for having no grief with the install and the full warranty.

paulybagadonuts

I agree with most of the posts. Get as much as you can up front; it's less expensive, you don't have to worry about some knucklehead at the dealer screwing it up (depending on the dealer) much better to get installed at the factory. and you'll have them right away instead of waiting and making appointments, shopping around... it's a pain.

Also would lean toward the black interior instead of the mac. My brother has this in his clk and it gets dirty very quickly even from clean suits and dresses.
Maybe from the dyes in the clothes

Anyhow, sorry for the run on sentences. Nice choice. I love my ML with no problems. Good Luck

sosh

Had the black interior in my 02 ML500. I liked it however it was a bigger pain than Macadamia to keep clean as it showed every speck of dust. In addition it was hot to sit in if the ML was parked out in the summer sun for a while. The leather Macadamis seems to stay very nice and usually can be cleaned up with a damp cloth. I have never had any dye transfers from clothing or such.

gawdfatha

A.) Air suspension vs. regular suspension.

-- I say the air suspension is a great feature for an ML and gives you a completely different driving experience. But you can search forums for airmatic to find that some people experience technical problems -- esp with the compressors. 6+ years without any major problems is ambitious, depending upon how and where you use the car. Mine has held up well thru 9,000 miles but without any offroad beatings.

--- Not sure which parts of Airmatic are covered by the extended warranty (suspension components are usually limited), or whether lowering the truck will void the OEM warranty.

B.) Options.

-- Ipod kit is definitely an MB engineering afterthought but works OK for me -- have never tried one from Denison.

-- Get the Bi-Xenon headlights and trailer hitch.

2. Add ons from MB like running boards etc,

-- You will generally come out ahead by pre-ordering the car with the larger, labor-intensive components (like running boards, skid plate). Labor to add them later is stiff, at dealer or elsewhere. Small stuff like mud flaps, trim pieces, floor etc are easily ordered online and you can DIY at home.

3. If I buy the illuminated door sills online, can I install them or do they need to come installed from the factory?

-- not sure. Probably best to have the factory install those.

C.) Colors.

--The rarer colors are always harder to resell, but it's your $60K, get what you want.

D.) Price

-- Depends on the area you are in, how far you'll travel to get the car, competition among local dealers, time of the month, and how much time you have to haggle around. Check Edmunds.com cost estimator as a start. Most MB dealers will only offer a token discount at first. If you are ordering a loaded car, and have the time to set up a protracted bidding war among several dealers that drags on until the end of the month, you should be able to get at least $2000 - 4000 off the total. But you soon reach the point of diminishing returns. Mine stickered at 54,800 and I paid 52,000 with some better tires and dealer addons tossed in.

Go for the : Arctic White with the P3 package, black leather with parktronic, voice control, keyless go and wheel locks @ $60,443.

PS -- also, insist that the dealer put Michelin Latitude or Michelin Diamaris SUV tires on the car, otherwise you'll get whatever the factory sticks on it that day. Most dealers will swap the tires for little or no charge up until you take delivery.

good luck,

gawdfatha
2007 ML 320 CDI (P3, Airmatic)