Hey gang... I'm an old-timer on the board but will be new to the W166 forum.

I've got a W211 E55 and previously had a W203 C32 and R129 SL500 but am picking up a 2012 W166 ML350 for my new wife (yes...new...and First!) this weekend. We pretty much new from day one what we were going to get...but I encouraged her to drive a few other comparable vehicles before we made the decision. She had strict criteria - White with Black interior... believe it or not that is actually very hard to find. I had one: tow package (for my boat). Seriously, finding a 2012+ with those three things has been daunting (white exterior + black interior (everything is tan!) + tow).

One matching all of the above came up at a trusted dealership here in Atlanta that had worked on one of my cars doing some remote tuning previously. Price was very fair, the things I pointed out that I wanted fixed they're fixing (cosmetic - mechanically very pleased with it), reports showed me it was in a minor accident two weeks after being bought - which I was able to instantly deduct as a rear-ending... and therefore the drips on the rear bumper cover paint......so looks like I will be getting it this weekend.

I've already ordered 22" reps from a company I've gotten two other sets from for other cars.... and then we'll tint the windows for Atlanta sun and style. Other than that, I'm super psyched.

It's P1 but without the Pano roof (which I would have liked) but doesn't have airmatic... which I'm super happy about.

Under the hood...everything looked as it should.

Interior wise... I was VERY VERY impressed. And trust me, I'm annoying when it comes to this stuff.

Anything anyone on here would suggest I look at before handing over payment this weekend???

http://www.malonesauto.com/web/used/...rgia/17479020/

 

Sounds like you found what you want and at a price you are happy with. I have a 2012 and have been very pleased with it. There are a million things to consider of course but you might want to check these two I had develop on my car that most people overlook. Look very closely at the exterior of the two side mirrors. You might even want to use glasses to look real close. The mirrors are prone to stress cracks, especially at the bottom point just above the black molding. They start as hairline cracks and get bigger as time goes on. The service manager said he has seen that before when I brought it to his attention. The mirror was replaced under warranty.

The only other problem I have had is the right rear hatch shock. I believe it is the one that contains the memory for the auto stopping feature. If the hatch has been closed manually a lot (rather than by remote button or the button on the hatch itself), chances are it has been forced to open beyond the stop point set by the owner. By so doing, the pressure on it confuses the memory and the door will not work properly. Be sure you test the hatch to be sure it will retain the program you set for the auto stop feature and maintains the exact height at which you want it to stop. Once again, the service guy said he has seen this problem before and most of the time it is because of manual lifting and lowering rather than letting the hatch open and close automatically by using the buttons on the car itself or the remote. This is a warranty item as well.

Other than these two minor problems, I have thoroughly enjoyed driving my ML for the past 2 1/2 years - I hope you enjoy yours as much as I have. Good luck!