First post: my daughter wrecked our Toyota Highlander (no injuries).

So, we're in the market for a used, 7 passenger SUV, preferably with about 50,000 milies, years 2003 - 2005, in the $15,000 price range.

Pilots and Highlanders fit these requirements, but to my surprise, so did ML350's, in fact, there are three nice ones available in my area. So what's the catch - a tricked out Mercedes for the price of a Toyota?

I started searching on reliability and read a plethora of horror stories about the early M series, including some abysmally low JD Power rankings. My questions: are 2003, 2004 and 2005 considered "early M series" - do any of these years provide decent reliability? Assuming I find a car with service records, and these records indicate relatively low maintenance, is this a predicator of clean living in the future, or is a breakdown just around the corner?

I was ready to flee from Mercedes, but thought I'd ask the question first. Thanks in advance for your replies.