Merc ML430 LPG

[the crowman]

Hi all, any views on this motor 138, 000 on a V 2000.

 

 

Cheers Mark

[robbiep]

Do you have lots of money to spend on repairs if when it breaks down ?

[the crowman]

Do you have lots of money to spend on repairs if when it breaks down ?

That's a good point :( :(

 

And I do 1200 miles a week

Edited May 7, 2013 by the crowman

[Twistedsanity]

Run Away!!!!

[NIGHT SEARCHER]

1200 Miles a week. In a 4.2 litre V8 even on gas it would be very expensive to run.

On gas it will be 15 to 20 MPG more like 15mpg and gas prices keeps creeping up.

Servicing cost on a 4.2 V8 will be expensive and with 138.000 on it now.

Merc or not things will be getting tired like the auto box.

Doing that sort of milage you would soon have 200.000 on it.

And a 4.2 V8 with 200.000 on it wouldn`t be worth much at all.

I would be looking at Diesel. My shogun is doing 34 mpg on a run.

I had a Disco V8 Auto with LPG it was nice having the power but servicing was bad.

On LPG it did 14 mpg on petrol 17 mpg I got shut it was very expensive to run and

something was always breaking every week. Piece of ****.

The Shogun has had £300 spent on it in two years excellent reliable vehicle.

Your a brave man if you take it on. Good luck.

Edited May 7, 2013 by NIGHT SEARCHER

[ferguson_tom]

They put a smile on your face though when you push the go pedal.

[swiss.tony]

Run Away!!!!

run like forest grump

[NIGHT SEARCHER]

They put a smile on your face though when you push the go pedal.

 

Yep it`s nice when you push the loud pedal. Nice Toy but not for doing 1200 miles a week in.

[the crowman]

Thanks for the comments lads,what would be suitable for the miles I do and 4×4 and I don't want to spend a lot :)

[robbiep]

What you want really depends on what you do on those 1200 miles in a week.

If 1100 of them are motorway runs for work, and 100 is your shooting on a weekend, then you really have a lot greater need for an economical diesel (50-60 mpg), than you have need for a full on 4x4.

Unless you are loaded, in which case the mpg doesn't matter. But if that was the case, you'd probably not be looking for something cheap/old.

Running any petrol full size 4x4 is horrifically expensive. With the age and engine size, assume 15 mpg, as nightsearcher has said. That's going to drop to 12 mpg on LPG, but with the cheaper cost of LPG, it's going to be equivalent to 20 mpg.

 

1200 miles a week @ 20 mpg = 60 gallons of petrol. At £6.40 a gallon, that's £384 A WEEK.

 

If you have a eco-diesel, you CAN get 55-60 mpg (and yes, I do this all the time in my BMW 118d. 63 mpg is my record on a 450 mile trip. 53 mpg on a tank is about as bad as it ever gets. Those are real figures too, not trip computer)

 

1200 miles a week @ 55 mpg = 22 gallons of petrol. At £6.60 a gallon, that's £145 a week.

 

If you can save £240 each and every week, that will pay for a VERY nice 4x4 in a few months.

Of course, if you need a 4x4 for those 1200 miles a week, then all that above is irrelevant.

[the crowman]

That is a very good point Rob, what I mean about the money is I don't want to spend a lot as the only person who will see the motor after me is the scrap man as I will run it in the ground

[Chr15j]

You could by my freelander td4

[Dead Eye Dunc]

On LPG you'll get about 21mpg @ ~70/l so it's the equivalent of getting ~38mpg in a diesel (diesel is nearly double the price and you lose a few mpg on gas). Plus you're not stuck driving some oil burning hatchback (which you'll pay a premium for when you buy)

 

MLs don't really have many problems so ignore the reliability comments. They are pretty reliable and stand up well to daily use. I have two friends that have MLs. One has done 200k miles and just changed it...for a new ML and the other has done over 100k miles towing and is looking for a newer ML. All they've had to do is service and replace the odd part here and there. Not bad I'd say!

 

I'm looking to replace my Ford Ranger and this is on my short list. Anything Land Rover is unreliable junk (just look for a buying guide if you don't believe me, the list of common issues are staggering!). The defender is the only possible exception here but even then, watch for warped heads from overheating. The German soft-roaders (x5, ml, cayenne) seem to be the ones to go for from the research I've done. If you'd consider a pick-up, look at the Ranger/Hilux. The other Jap trucks have had fairly common engine failures over the years.

 

Just don't over-pay for an ML, the market is dead for them at the moment...perfect time to buy!

 

All just my opinion based on my experience, research and a bit of insider knowledge.

[al4x]

the big issue would be the lpg issue is it a kit with added lubrication etc or is it a basic kit been run for 100k and the owner is fed up with all the sensors going up the creek. I hate lpg as its cost me a fortune over the years on repairs ok that was early factory fitted kit but our vehicles needed a rebuild after 100k and then soon after the gas injectors were knackered which made it uneconomic to run on gas. But running that merc on petrol wouldn't be an option either cost wise and rebuild costs if it had valve seat erosion would also I assume write it off. 1200 miles a week is a serious amount on an older motor

[Twistedsanity]

On LPG you'll get about 21mpg @ ~70/l so it's the equivalent of getting ~38mpg in a diesel (diesel is nearly double the price and you lose a few mpg on gas). Plus you're not stuck driving some oil burning hatchback (which you'll pay a premium for when you buy)

 

MLs don't really have many problems so ignore the reliability comments. They are pretty reliable and stand up well to daily use. I have two friends that have MLs. One has done 200k miles and just changed it...for a new ML and the other has done over 100k miles towing and is looking for a newer ML. All they've had to do is service and replace the odd part here and there. Not bad I'd say!

 

I'm looking to replace my Ford Ranger and this is on my short list. Anything Land Rover is unreliable junk (just look for a buying guide if you don't believe me, the list of common issues are staggering!). The defender is the only possible exception here but even then, watch for warped heads from overheating. The German soft-roaders (x5, ml, cayenne) seem to be the ones to go for from the research I've done. If you'd consider a pick-up, look at the Ranger/Hilux. The other Jap trucks have had fairly common engine failures over the years.

 

Just don't over-pay for an ML, the market is dead for them at the moment...perfect time to buy!

 

All just my opinion based on my experience, research and a bit of insider knowledge.

And the annual servicing costs for an old knackered LPG driven Merc 4x4 would be horrendous ! Mercedes are a great car if you can afford to put it into a Mercedes dealer every year for a full proper service and not worry about the bill , but otherwise forget it , nissans are pants, X5's and cayennes cost a mint for servicing every year and if you don't get them serviced you are in a world of hurt when something goes wrong, the list of common faults with landys could be explained away by the fact that they are such a common car but I would avoid freelanders like the plague unless soft grass is the total extent of your off roading , if you want something that will go on forever with just an oil change get a shogun or a land cruiser . There are proper 4x4's with hi&lo range boxes like defenders and shoguns then there are pretend ones called All Wheel Drives like freelanders, x5's and ML's , I'm on my 4th shogun now and the biggest problem I have ever had is a split turbo hose whereas my Mercedes turbocharger bearings went after only 60,000 miles . Mercedes Benz wanted to charge me £1500 plus VAT for a turbo (supply only) that I got elsewhere without the branded cardboard box for £800

[robbiep]

I'd very much question the '21 mpg on LPG' thing. That would work out at 25-27 mpg on petrol, for a 4.3 litre, 2.1 tonne v8 4x4 that is 13 years old.

Bear in mind that when it was new, it had an official combined mpg of only 21, so to imagine it's going to be 30% more efficient now is to be in cloud cuckoo land.

 

Vehicles like that are cheap because they are money pits, and cost an absolute fortune to keep on the road. It has been converted to run on LPG because it costs a fortune to fuel, someone has put that investment into it. Now they have gotten rid, because it is going to cost another fortune for something to be fixed, or it is still ruinously expensive to run, even on the LPG.

[NIGHT SEARCHER]

I'd very much question the '21 mpg on LPG' thing. That would work out at 25-27 mpg on petrol, for a 4.3 litre, 2.1 tonne v8 4x4 that is 13 years old.

Bear in mind that when it was new, it had an official combined mpg of only 21, so to imagine it's going to be 30% more efficient now is to be in cloud cuckoo land.

 

Vehicles like that are cheap because they are money pits, and cost an absolute fortune to keep on the road. It has been converted to run on LPG because it costs a fortune to fuel, someone has put that investment into it. Now they have gotten rid, because it is going to cost another fortune for something to be fixed, or it is still ruinously expensive to run, even on the LPG.

 

 

+ 1.

[Livefast123]

I've driven ML 430's in anger for the last few years and to be fair to them they are not bad cars, i've rescued a number of cars from the soft sand @ Weston Super Mare and towed work mates out of the snow when they have become stuck in their X5. Once you get past the initial body roll they handle pretty well for a car of that size, the only thing you have to watch with them is the steering ratio which requires around 25 turns to move the wheels an inch

 

Ours all got to 150,000 without major problems and they generally got a thrashing every day. I would say that would stay well clear for a private buy as the cost of running them is horrendeous in fuel alone........but then i've never had a private 4x4.

Edited May 9, 2013 by Livefast123

[jgguinness]

Do you have lots of money to spend on repairs if when it breaks down ?

What total BS!!

 

My 70 year old father has an ML500, it's on a 52 plate, he bought it at 2 years old, had it gassed the following week. It's been a great motor, very reliable, only glitch was an abs sensor a couple of years ago. It's now got just over 140k on the clock. He does all his own servicing, has the diagnostic gear and a proper Merc dealership software.

 

An ML on as that's been we'll looked after will be a lovely motor at little money. Maybe 1200 miles a week is going to be costly, but a lovely car to do it in. The ML500 is blistering off the mark, initially quicker than the SL up to say 20mph as its lower geared.

 

He also has a 1999 SL500 that's only got 70k on the clock, summer use only and again been trouble free.

 

Mother has an old S plate C250 Turbodiesel and again, apart from service items, suspension bushes etc, its been perfect.

Edited May 14, 2013 by jgguinness

[Dead Eye Dunc]

I'd very much question the '21 mpg on LPG' thing. That would work out at 25-27 mpg on petrol, for a 4.3 litre, 2.1 tonne v8 4x4 that is 13 years old.

Bear in mind that when it was new, it had an official combined mpg of only 21, so to imagine it's going to be 30% more efficient now is to be in cloud cuckoo land.

 

Vehicles like that are cheap because they are money pits, and cost an absolute fortune to keep on the road. It has been converted to run on LPG because it costs a fortune to fuel, someone has put that investment into it. Now they have gotten rid, because it is going to cost another fortune for something to be fixed, or it is still ruinously expensive to run, even on the LPG.

It does depend on where/how you drive. It's very easy to get more than the quoted figure if you know how to drive (except Audis because they flat out lie!).

 

As you'll note from anyone whos actually owned one, they don't really go wrong much and don't have to cost a fortune. Sure, if you buy a ****ter to start with and scrimp on maintanence you'll run into problems but that's true of anything.