Looking at a 2015 ML400
 

Are there any strange issues or problems with the 2014 ML400 being only a 1 year model? I'd rather find a 550 but they are few and far between and. The one I'm looking at is low mileage and still under factory warranty.

where are you getting this from? private party? dealer?

private party. 29K miles. it's 500 miles away but I have already had someone eyeball it and drive.

was this person an independent MB inspector/mechanic?

retired MBUSA mechanic, shop foreman, and body shop manager. He also managed a large porsche and MB salvage so he knows what you can see and what to look for as he has seen thousands dismantled.

if they give the car a green light then you should be in good shape, on the safe side i'd get a carfax report, but good luck and happy driving

he gave the green light and carfax looks good. no wonky service issues. I just wanted to know if anyone knew anything as the 400 is a one year wonder. the owner was a bit uneasy as he showed up with a creeper, an ipad with a remote camera and climbed all over it after driving. Orignal owner kept it under a soft cloth cover in a garage.

the only difference between ML350 and the 400 is that you have a little more power, i mean not as crazy as the 550, but you have a biturbo engine. Since your telling me what i would look for, esp when buying private party, i think your in good shape. Each car is its own story so the experience you have will be different from mine, as long as you service the car, and take care of the parts that need parts to be fixed then your in good shape

drove a couple of ML400's close to home. One with 38K and one with 89K on them both still tight solid vehicles. I can see why people don't sell them much.

the very first one i saw was a 2013 or 2014 model with 5k miles on it (they were advertising it as new) and they were selling it for 56k. Once im done with my current, im planning to go for the AMG GLE43 SUV (same as what you are getting except with AMG branding) *hopefully*

The ML400 was only a 1 year model. 2015. It was a predecessor to the GLE400 which are still very pricey. in 2015 there was no ML550. The ML400 with the amg package are pretty good deals as most came with the AMG package.

the ML400 comes with alot of goodies default, although ive seem some with halogens for some reason, but it does come with the 21" AMGs which are my favorite, next to the defaults that come with GL/GLS550

Yes - it is the "other features" that can be key - overall the powertrain for the ML400 is super sweet - the right combo of power/torque/responsiveness for a great driver !

Good to see that the OP has done his due diligence. Sounds like he is stuck on the ML400 only being available for 1 model year. Don't let that be a cause for concern. The W166 chassis that the ML was built on has been in use from 2012 until now. While that specific engine was only used in the ML for just 1 year, MB was using it in other models previously. So it's not as if it was a vehicle that for some reason was quickly taken off the market (ie: GLE250d). Going to be a similar situation w/ the short lived GLE43. Same engine was previously used in the C450, now it's in the C43, GLE43, GLC43, etc and next year will be replaced by the GLE53.