Buying a W164 M Class advice needed

[asharb123]

Hi,
I'm thinking of changing up to a M Class my budget will stretch to an early W164. However I do not know anything about these cars. Are they reliable, what are they like to live with in terms of running costs and what to look out for when buying one. Which is better petrol or diesel? I've seen ML350 & ML320 advertised but which is the more reliable engine?.

I have 3 children and need more space for them. My W211 E class has been a pain but touch wood has been going fine. However there is not enough room in the back for them. I can not afford a W212 which really does look alot roomier in the back than the W211.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[kid-jensen]

Copied from my thoughts the last time this question came up....

Mine's coming up to 10 years old now, so this may be sa mileage thing, but one thing that really irritates me is the amount that the interiors rattle..

A good one is probably no worse that a Beemer or Audi over potholes, but a bad one is like being in a 1966 Austin 1100...

Try to actually drive as many as you can, if you find a rattle-free one, buy it!

Obviously, also check for oil leaks under ther pan. The seals on the oil cooler in the V of the engine can still break-down, and it's an expensive fix.

Parking sensors are sometimes trouble prone, and need the bumpers off to get to them. Cheap to buy though.

The centre of grivity is very high (doh!) so if you're going to drive "enthusastically" around corners, you'll get through a lot of tyres.

I changed my tyres to 285/50x18's to give me a smother ride (slightly) and the grip improved enormously as did the tyre life.

Gearbox shouldn't thump when coming to a stop. If it does, youi might get away with a software update, then again, you might not.

Make extra-special efforts to check that th emileage is genuine, there are a HUGE number of clocked MLs around.

The fact that I've had no other problems probably is all you need to know. I certainly love mine, and look forward to (almost) every journey.

What more can you ask?

The 350 petrol was way too thirsty for me to consider it, even though I'm a petrolhead at heart. The diesel has a really impressive economy/performance balance for such a heavy, high cdA car.... good power delivery too, very un-diesel-like...

 

[Craiglxviii]

The W211 has 690/ 1950 litres luggage volume.
The W212 has 640/ 1820 litres luggage volume.......