I've never owned a Mercedes though I have owned a Lexus, Acura and an older BMW. I'm in the market for a new SUV and I like what I've seen so far of the 2006 Mercedes. Nearly everything I've heard about the older ML 320s has been bad. Is there a reason for hop that the company has turned the corner or quality or will I one day look back and curse the day I bought the 2006 SUV?

 

The 98 to 00 ML's were horrible. 01 to 05's are OK. My neighbor has a 04 for just about a year, never been in the shop for a repair.

 

I agree the quality of benz vehicles overall is improving, you need to remember that the o6 model ML is different from the the earlier ones-- --and they may have some bugs to work out in the first year.

 

Quality has improved in the Mercedes line. I have a 99 C280 with 47K miles and the car has been trouble free for the most part. But in 2001 when the restyled most of their lines, the quality and frequency of repairs dropped to a new low. I just read a JD Powers survery on reliability for the first 2 years of ownership. The Lexus is no 1, HYUNDAI is 2 and Mercedes has move up to 3, from 15th a year or so ago. When the ML came out in 98, is was a really clunker, not only with mechanical problems, but radio's falling out of the dash, cheap workmenship. My neighbor purchases a demo ML 04 model year in the late fall. It has been trouble free. My wife bought a 04 Hyundai XG350L and it also has been trouble free, and this cars has more bells and whistle and electronic this and that then most Mercedes C Class's have. If you considering a 06 ML I would wait a year or two until the bugs are worked out, but an 05 back to 03 are good vehicles.