Mercedes ML320 W163 - Reliability
I am thinking about buying one of these, E32 engine, 3.2 V6. Specs look
good (I don't ask a lot from an engine - power or stuff, I just prefer a comfy
ride), from what I seen on the internet, easy to work on, parts on ebay
pretty cheap, (big/whole parts kind of expensive - like transmission, but
hopefully no problems). Transmission 722.6 seems ok, the electronic part
is abot 2-300$ so no that expensive, engines looks ok, no problems with
the intake butterfly valves, timing chains seems ok (unlike other European
brands - vw for example). I've seem some reviews regarding some
actuators, switches, but nothing serious. As a person coming from Europe,
these cars have nice reviews here and are renown for reliability and class
(but I didn't work on these to confirm), but in the USA the C and E...well...
you can talk on this subject a bit. Does this apply to the ML? (1997-2005
model). A diagnostic tool is not that expensive, the MB II is about 160$ so
it's ok. Anyone who is a pro on these cars, an opinion please? I like playing
the mechanic part, but not all day long, and certainly I'm not a mogul to
invest in the car more than I paid for it...
PS: thanks for listening and thanks for the replies!