So I had planned on taking my daughter's 2010 ML350 W164 when she got into a 2017 GLC300, but ended up deciding that 123,000 miles might be a little high, even for what is essentially an "extra" car (beach car in summer, winter car when the SL comes off the road). My cars.com search is 2012+, up to 90,000 miles, and the first car I got excited about was a 2012 with 84,500 miles for $17,500, but it was 100 miles away, and I have issues driving that far out of my comfort zone. On the third day of trying to arrange a sight-unseen purchase it got sold. So now my search finds nothing under $20K so I'm trying to determine which is the best value among cars of similar mileage and different model years.

Current "saved cars":

2015 in white with 80,858 for $24K (I like white) beige keyless
2014 in navy with 86,048 for $24K (that seems to indicate the value of the white 2015)
2015 in gray with 86,333 for $23,500 (gray will do)
2014 in silver with 79,873 for $23,350 (is that a better value than the gray one, MY vs. miles??) black, keyless, bixenon
2014 in white with 72,957 for $23K (this is feeling like the frontrunner) black, keyless, heated steering, lane recognition, metallic paint
2014 in silver with 83,401 for $23K (like the navy one above, this supports the value of the white 2014)
the rest are likely not contenders, but do illustrate the current crazy used car prices
2013 in black with 71,309 for $22,500 (beautiful car but black's an odd choice for a beach car)
2013 in navy with 73,619 for $21,800
2013 in black with 90,130 for $20K

Of course one wild card is trade-in value for my current "extra car", a 2006 Lexus RX330 with 152,600 and a dent and some rust, but I've got a cash offer of $5000 for it so that's the least I'd take for it, but I'd like to think there's more value in as a trade (I think most of these sellers are more likely to turn a $2000 profit on my Lexus than their MLs). Other wild cards are some options I lsted above for the ones that are emerging as favorites as I create this post.

Anyone have any input?

 

Go with the first one on your list - the white 2015.

The market is the market. It's a seller's market now.

If you look at the car before you buy, bring a bright flashlight and look at the front of the cylinder heads to see if oil is leaking from the front cylinder head covers. It's a common defect from the factory, fixable by the dealer. With the age of cars you are looking at, warranty coverage won't be possible unless you buy an ELW, in which case read the fine print for coverage. If you don't buy an ELW, the leak repair is probably a couple of hundred dollars, maybe more than that.

Also check for full service history including spark plugs, engine air filter and transmission service, all of which should have been done on the cars you are looking at.

If you find a GLE400 in your price range, it has the same 3.0L V6 TT engine your SL400 has, so it would be a known data point for you, reliability-wise. The GLE350 has the same engine but 3.5L NA variant, also reliable with the exception of the front cover leaks. Cam sensors and magnet leaks into the harness are also possible with both 3.0 and 3.5 engines.

 

Thanks for the tip; I plan to look at both white ones today as they're about 3.5 miles apart and on the way to where I'm headed anyway. The 2014 is $1000 less, has about a year's fewer miles (per my driving) a couple of options I like. Which service should include the spark plugs? I think it was at my SL400's 50,000 service that my SA said plugs were called for, but he suggested that new plugs might cause more trouble and advised me not to change them if it's not misfiring (it isn't).

As is often the case, the "price range" is a moving target, and it only moves upward, but that's another $10K which is hard to justify for the third car in a two person household. I'd have been happy to have found an ML550, which are scarce as hen's teeth. My daughter's previous car, the 2010 ML350 was woefully underpowered, as is the Lexus RX330 I currently have.

 

[QUOTE=eddieo45;8565729
the 2010 ML350 was woefully underpowered.[/QUOTE]

V6 in W166 ML350/GLE350 is only marginally better. ML550 is on a different level all together, but was produced for only 3 years with limited numbers (I think there are actually more 63s than 550s). See if you can find a '15 ML400 (same engine as in GLE400, but at ML price).

 

I fully expect that.
According to cars.com there are 33 ML400s and 30 ML550s for sale (vs. 300+ ML350s), unfortunately not near enough to me, as the 400s seem especially well-priced.

 

IIRC replacing the spark plugs is required so they don't corrode in place, causing more problems. That they are not misfiring is not a valid reason to ignore the service.

Another point of reference for you: In January I picked up my '13 ML350 bluetec with 51K miles for $27K

 

Fire your service advisor based on the spark plug comment.

Replace plugs at 50k miles.

 

well, this isn't going well so far; first off I ran the link to the 2015 by a trusted former car-broker friend and he noticed something in the listing I hadn't: 2WD! then I went after the Diamond White 2014 and ended up with a "bullet-dodged" story to rival the time I sold my CLK550 on eBay and the buyer reversed the $10,000 Paypal payment (search the forums for that one).

First of all the car was filthy, which should have been a tipoff. Rear brake pad wear indicator was lit, which is no big deal, and when opening the hood to inspect the cylinder head covers, which did look leaky, I saw the the grille was loose. I knew in advance the chrome was missing from the star but they had told me on the phone it was on order. The car drove well so I just made a list of the repairs, maintenance and cleaning I'd require to purchase it. They only offered me $4000 for my trade but I already have a $5000 cash offer from a dealer I met through my trusted former car-broker friend; I texted him and asked if he'd go to $5500. "$5000 is where I want to be" he replied. I offered them $22,000, no trade, if they'd do the brakes, the plugs, the cylinder head gaskets and fix the grille, and then things got interesting. The business manager chimed in that if I took $4800 for the trade I'd save $300 in sales tax. I felt a little slimey texting the $5000 buyer about it, but he did come up to $5500. Back to the no trade deal they want $22,500, plus a $695 document fee. I offer $22,300 plus their fee and think I have a deal when the business manager says they'll match that $5500 for the trade. So they seemed to have "found" $700 they didn't know they had; how could I refuse that? I put $1000 on my credit card and signed over the Lexus title, planning to pick up the ML early next week, all fixed, maintained and cleaned. I texted the now $5500 non-buyer my apologies and he texted back that he's be willing to pay $6200 if I'd sell the Lexus to him (another finder of $700 he didn't realize he had!). About a half hour later a partner of his called me, identified the ML and asked me if that's the car I just bought. I said yes and he said I should really get that car looked at by a mechanic before finalizing the sale. I called trusted former car-broker friend [his name is Bob BTW] and told him the whole story and that this guy had called me trying to queer my deal in an obvious attempt to get his hands on my $#i+box Lexus, but Bob ended up speaking to our mutual friend dealer on an unrelated matter and was told that the ML had been through the auction multiple times in recent weeks, each time selling for less. Evidently it had problems no one wanted to fix. Bob advised me to cancel the purchase, even if I had to lose my deposit. So I did cancel the deal, and I did get my $1000 and my title back. 5 hours over two days, a half a tank of gas, and nothing to show for it.

 

I have a 2015 ML350 with 80,000 miles bought it as a CPO with 11,000 miles . Its been a reliable car. AS for comments on power, the 350 has plenty of power and is cheaper to operate than a 550 due to maintenance and some cylinder issues I think on number 5 cylinder. 400 come with more standard features than a standard 350. and has a turbo, ie more HP. Turbos are pretty readable but another issue to deal with. If you buy a 350 make it does not have the standard halogen headlights, they are terrible. Personally, I would love a 550 because its a V8 but less mileage and increase maintenance make me shy away from it, but if those are not issues for you go for the 550.

 

I had two CLKs, a 350 and a 550. As for maintenance no difference. As for reliable the 550 won in a landslide; the 350 was the only Mercedes I've ever owned (I'm on #11) that had ANY mecanical issues. The 550 actually got BETTER gas mileage for me: most of my driving is highway, about 75-80MPH. As for turbos my wife put 70,000+ uneventful miles on her 4 cylinder turbo C300, and my twin-turbo 6 SL400 is a beast. Turbos are nothing to deal with; even my supercharged 2002 C Class coupe was a fantastic car.

I agree with you on the halogens. I swapped those out on my CLK350 and have had active bixenons on every car since. Get adaptive high beams and you'll never accept anything less.

 

The CLK has the M272 or earlier 90 degree V6 with balancer assembly. It is far less reliable than the 60 degree M276 with no balancer. The CLK350 and ML/GLE350 gasoline are not comparable from an engine point of view.

 

my CLK350 had the balancer; I still believe an ML550 would give me better gas mileage on the highway.

 

Well, five months later the market has softened a little, though many sellers are still clinging to their pandemic prices. The wholesaler that had offered me $6200 for my 2006 RX330 in May backed away from the figure and would not even make a new offer. I put it on Craigslist for $7500 and got $7000 cash. After chasing a couple of ML350's locally I heeded both of your advice (advices??) and searched nationally for an ML400 that would deliver and put a deposit on one in Nebraska last night. 86,000 miles or so and dealer serviced since new. I am beyond psyched! I'm so glad I remembered this tip from the two of you and very grateful for it. Thanks!
Y'know, I was digging through my service records looking for something else when I came across the receipt for my SL400's Service A at 46,000 miles, a year before Jesus had given me that advice. Turns out they replaced the spark plugs then, so his memory (or record keeping) was flawed, but I feel a lot better at +/- 55,000 miles now knowing I've got fresh plugs in the SL!

 

I'm not sure how long this link will work, but how cool is this salesman? Every other web inquiry I made led to multiple automated responses asking when I would like to make an appointment, completely ignoring any questions or comments I made in the inquiry. Not this guy.....

Link to video

 

Wow!! That looks like an awesome experience and an extremely clean truck!! I am excited for you!
Enjoy in good health!

 

Thanks @Gray_Panther Do you think that skid plate at the tailgate is an EASY DIY replacement?

 

Find a car with the best dealer service history. Someone willing to pay dealer prices on an older car will do everything required to keep the car in the best shape possible. I just picked up an almost perfect 15 ML 400 that had an extensive dealer service history. Needed nothing but an alignment. My 05 ML was bought that way. Had the car for almost 3 years zero issues, sold it for more than I paid for it.
As for your trade, I think $5000 is ALL the money. I think a dealer would hit you $3-4k.

 

That piece can be replaced without removal of the bumper cover.

you will need a spray bottle of concentrated mixture of dish soap and water and a trim tool like this (see below attachment)

with the trim tool at the rear edge of the chrome trim insert tool there and you need to slide the trim rearwards to unclip from the bumper cover. note use the soapy water and spray generously under the trim when prying up to ease the chrome removal.

link for the trim tool, but equivalents can easily be found on amazon or ebay

https://yaoota.com/en-ke/product/kok...om-jumia-kenya

 

I have that tool; which end?

 

https://mbworld.org/forums/gls-class...ml#post8563051

https://mbworld.org/forums/gls-class...ml#post8163976

 

wish they made those in black. chrome is so 1970's. lol

 

I believe, if you have the chrome piece, you have to replace with chrome. The bumpers are cut differently between the two different trim types. You can modify to fit the chrome one by clipping the rear tabs off and using adhesive tape or glue. The black trim pieces do not offer as much protection since they don't cover the edge of the bumper cover and the black has a tendency to fade with age.