Whats your thought on the M-Class ?

redthies

Renaissance Redneck
M in "M-Class" stands for MALL.


On top of that, you would have to drive to Colwood to buy it... Ew! "The Crawl"!
 

otiswesty

Regular guy
Decent clearance with AWD, so pretty good for some rough terrain. Since there are no lockers, you have to keep all 4 down for traction. I have seen pics of them in Death Valley and Baja, but have never been on the trail with one. They look relatively capable and the price is better than an old Lexus with comparable miles.
 

Victorian

Approved Vendor : Total Composites
Thanks guys!
I really just want a suv that doesn't look like a beat up POS and doesn't break the bank. It will be our weekend getaway vehicle, therefore fuel consumption is not that important. Yes, Toyotas are nice, Land Rovers too but I'm not willing to spend more than $5000 for a "fun" truck. It will get dings and scratches.... And why not do it in style with nice leather heated seats, bose sound system and such :)
 

Victorian

Approved Vendor : Total Composites
That is cool stuff. Thx! It actually surprises me that there is almost nothing negative to be found on the web about the ML 320.... I assumed that the electrics may be as bad as in the Smart car ....
 

Mrknowitall

Adventurer
The 1st gen W163 ML320 was surprisingly capable and sturdy- with an aggressive traction control that gets it a lot further than an SUV with 4-wheel independent suspension should. If they had ever been available in the US with a diesel, I think they'd be quite desirable.
 

SSF556

SE Expedition Society
The WK2 Grand Cherokee rides on the same chassis as the M-Class with a lot more off road options.
 

DUTCH

Curmudgeon
Keep in mind that the off-road option package is NOT available in North America starting with the W164.

A few years ago the P3 G-Class owners organized a Treffen to the Vance, AL assembly plant. Part of the tour was a ride on the off-road test track. Every single vehicle used was a "R-O-W" (Rest Of World) model; i.e. NOT available in North America.
 
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zimm

Expedition Leader
the GX Lexus is based on an actual off road vehicle, adapted for luxury use. the ML is a light SUV designed for on pavement manners. as a result, you can deck out a GX with some rather inexpensive and capable aftermarket off road options, at least when compared LX land cruiser based model.

The ML and GL are basically large station wagons, and the build quality of any Lexus in the model years you are shopping is going to be vastly superior.

as far as a weekend "adventure" truck, the ML will go a few more places than a buick roadmaster, but without as much gear for the family, so lets call a spade a spade here. the only reason you are considering the ML for this, is so you can justify a purchase of a truck'ish, with the merc badge, and at the price point you are talking, you will soon get slaughtered by the repair costs. this isnt an 89 cavalier youre talking about.


if you want something that size, thats capable, for some odd reason has little upper middle class panache, and is cheap due to crappy resale, believe it or not.... get a disco. all the little unimportant ****, like the dual sunroofs, likely ceased to function at 22,000 miles, but the drive train is proven and it will run and stop with all the dummy lights lit on the dash. there a huge supply of reasonably priced after market bits, and it will go anywhere a G will go, let alone an ML.
 

otiswesty

Regular guy
A friend of mine has a 2003 that he has taken down to Baja and has been pretty impressed with. He typically drives a G500.

Yes the older ML320 can be had as low as $5000 in good condition, we have been considering one as well.BajaML.JPG
 

Victorian

Approved Vendor : Total Composites
Thanks for all the replies!
Unfortunately I have to work with $5000..... A lexus and discovery was on my radar, but they are either not in my budged or needed to be fixed.... I'm past that fixing stage... I rather drive :) Till a couple of years ago, I have always serviced all my motorbikes and cars myself. Heck I have even worked for Unicat for several years. For many reasons I don't get pleasure from fixing things anymore ;-)
If I had more cash to waste, I would import a Unimog and do it right....
I will keep looking for a nice used ML. Getting it inspected at the dealership before you buy can also help sorting out the lemons.
 

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