2005 Mercedes-Benz M-Class

SUV

3.7L 3699CC V6 GAS SOHC Naturally Aspirated

Automatic

4JGAB57E35A566664

Clear

Gasoline

The arrival of my new 2016 Mercedes-Benz Metris heralds the imminent departure of its illustrious predecessor, the 2005 Mercedes-Benz ML350 on offer for sale today. This car is the Special Edition model. It is pretty well equipped. It has the upgraded leather, complete with leather wrapped shift bezel. It has the highlighted instrument cluster. It has the smoked maple wood trim, which has faded slightly on the center console into a brown color that looks very nice. It has the top-line Bose sound system with the standard Becker head unit. It has the third row opening vent windows, a factory 6-disc cd changer (6-disc cassette is included), a sunroof, and heated seats- along with the usual Mercedes-Benz refinements. By usual Mercedes-Benz refinements… I mean the best brakes in the business. I mean an ABS system that electronically distributes brake force between the wheels to maximize stability in panic braking. I mean Mercedes vaunted Electronic Stability Program that works with the 4 Wheel Electronic Traction System to keep the car on an even keel, no matter the speed, condition, or weather. And I mean 10 airbags (front, front side, rear side, front curtain, rear curtain) with a pyrotechnical pretensioner at all outboard seating positions, and force limiters. Hence the Bee Gee’s commercial used to introduce the car: Staying Alive It also has an aftermarket DVD player for the rear seat that does not seem to work- but I didn’t spend any time trying to make it do so, since I never transported kids in the car. I’m also including a Radio Shack Bluetooth cassette that fits into the tape player that will stream music from your phone or other Bluetooth device to the car’s speakers. This car is also equipped with the 17 inch wheel package, shod in this instance with the factory specified Dunlop SP Sport 5000 P275/55R-17 190V M+S tires. If you don’t know tire speak, that means big steam rollers with a medium profile, 17" wheels, by a good tire manufacturer, rated for 135 mph operation, with all-weather capability. This car, with these tires, is a beast on the road, and a beast in the snow. I bought this car in 2012 from Koons Lexus in Wilmington, Delaware, with 67k miles on the clock. From its condition and mileage, and anecdotal evidence from the dealer, the car was used as a family vacation car. I put it into use as a traveling salesman. Almost all the mileage I have put on was done on the highway. I like the car- it handles well, has decent pickup, and is, well, a Mercedes. But when you drive 110k miles in 3 years, 21 mpg (respectable for a 4WD SUV that weighs nearly 2.5 tons) really starts to add up on you… Which is why I replaced it with the Metris. The car has been serviced almost exclusively at Mercedes-Benz of Little Silver (Contemporary Motor Cars), with a few trips for minor stuff at Mercedes-Benz of Princeton, and a replacement battery at PepBoys- a 4 month old Robert Bosch battery. I serviced it every 13,000 miles as required, and performed all recommended extra service. With the amount I drive for work, I need the car to be there for me. I even replaced the wiper blades with Mercedes-Benz brand blades.   The car is not perfect, of course. It has 173,660 miles on it, so some issues are to be expected. The car is not being driven, but is available for test drives and look-sees as schedules allow. First of all, the washer function doesn’t work for either the front or rear windows. I have no idea why. It broke this summer, and I had already ordered the Metris, so I didn’t bother even having it diagnosed.   Second, the interior handle for the tailgate is broken. It still opens and closes fine from the outside, and the power lock function works just fine, as well. Third, the remote locking system is broken. The car can be locked and unlocked easily from the outside. Fourth, the car has a bunch of minor chips in the paint and some small dings. I hope the pictures I took show the spirit of it- nothing significant, and nothing noticeable from more than a few feet away. There is also a rust bubble in the rear license plate depression- see pic. Fifth, some nitwit clipped me when backing out of a spot, and chose not to leave a name and number. This dislodged the rear bumper cover from its mount, and the stress of me leaving it that way caused the bumper cover to crack- there is also a similar crack in the passenger side running board. I have the bumper pieces in a box, I never reattached them, but they are included if you wish to do so. Sixth, the parking brake doesn’t work, and I was discouraged from engaging it. This car has reliably taken me all around the tristate area for the past three years without a lick of stress and has served me well, and I hope it will serve you well, too.