I am about to relocate to Nigeria from Holland. I have an eight year old Benz ML320 which i have been using for the last 18 months. Is it a good idea if i ship this vehicle home or is it advisable to sell it and buy a Japanese brand instead? Suggestions from Naija residents who have actually used ML320 in Nigeria will be highly appreciated.

A Highlander or 4runner would be better.

No car is good enough for Nigerian road. Just drive because any car that plies our roads simply has a maximum lifespan on 4 yrs.

Sell the truck and when you get down here, you will get it cheaper. Depends on where you wanna live in Nigeria, all kinds of cars move here bro. But if your location in Nigeria is pot-hole prone, get Landcruiser or Any Landrover truck

Sell it bro, get here get another. highlander ain't bad.

High cost of maintenance in Naija...

Lots of ML320 on our roads and d users aint dead yet...

sylve11: Sell it bro, get here get another. highlander ain't bad.

Same here.[img]http://www.demama.info/g.gif[/img]

Best you sell it and buy your self a toyota jeep less fuel and cheap to maintain the benz is a great car but very high maintenance cost and over heating and so on

In a word: NO.
That being said, give two people the best car that fits Nigeria roads (if such exits), they necessarily wouldn't use it the same way. I guess what I'm saying is, it also depends on the user.

with german car you will not experince inferior part. german benz is trusted world wide for is quality, if you are ready to spend on good products and good maintenance culture.

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@Foyanmum.

Im currently in the Uk. can we talk? pls e-mail me minajkindy@yahoo.co.uk

You can drive most German vehicles a life time.Living in Europe is also an advantage for German vehicle owners in Nigeria. I have 2 European vehicles (BMW & Volvo)in Nigeria, and I prefer sourcing my spare parts especially new ones in Europe. German vehicles have power and balance Japanese makers can only dream about. The ML320 is a solid "Schwaebische" power-pack.
Bad roads in Nigeria makes less fuel consumption,which is the only argument Japanese users have irrelevant. If you like spending more time and money for maintenance go for a Japanese.Being different from hoards of Japanese vehicle drivers is also a plus.

i think the ML320 is a good car for naija roads i ve got one myself i shipped from the UK since 2008 its still doing fine although its 05 model, ML320 is a very good car, i liked it so much i bought another one a ML320 4MATIC 2011 model, the only problem is i spend a lot of money on petrol

niddamugu: No car is good enough for Nigerian road. Just drive because any car that plies our roads simply has a maximum lifespan on 4 yrs.

STORY

werepeLeri:

STORY

i tell u. . .

hmmmmmm people go make noise here, say they are driving german this and swedish that..... na wa oh.... for internet you fit say anything without the need for proof!
me i de use kombi bus to go from point A to be B... no problems at all

Wetin be ML320 when people de drive rolls royce phantom for naija here. Come to think of it,are you sure you get the car you just mentioned?

u better send down the ml320 to nigeria it is a strong vehicle for our roads here. it is my ideal car. pls i want to know cost over there...bengoodcreature@yahoo.com

If you plan to go japanese, avoid the Toyota brands. The physics is poor and roll-over is quite high with the trucks. I did witness one on a Saturday morning and to date, I cannot fathom how this truck rolled over within such short distance and narrow room for excessive body-roll. It turned over to the driver's door. It was also at the line for the red light (traffic light). The road isn't rough.

The ML in its design is superior and except you like trucks, you will be down-grading (the ML is a car and not a truck - the very reason it doesn't drive like one). To answer your question, firstly, I believe you are referring to the 163 chassis. It won the FIA world cup Cross Country Races (toughest rallies in the world) in its reign 4 or 5 years in a row. It was production-based homologation; in other words, the production car was what you took except for some adaptations to match the desert conditions, which were the aggressive tyres and a few other changes. So, the vehicle is rugged and you won't have to worry about straight-line/lane-change stability. Since your model designation is E-Spec, the ignition timing could be dialed back a few degrees to adapt it for the lower octane gasoline. There is a resistor where it could be manually done. I actually don't know where it is because it isn't available on the U.S. market and MB did not begin using the ECU approach or adjusting ignition for lower octane fuels till 2009.

Get your suspension worked on (if the state is questionable) and ditch the OEM dampers for Bilsteins. It's cheaper and you won't have to replace the dampers again despite wild road forces Nigerian roads might demand. It's a good investment.

If you plan to keep the ML for a couple of years, sell the V6 and trade-up the V8. The V6 will cost you more with serious attention and expenses. The V6 is prone to a catastrophic engine failure where the balance shafts rips through the engine. If you are worried about fuel, the rear has been tuned tame acceleration, hence fuel consumption is 1 mile more than the V6 variant.


Happy Benzing!

jevic: Wetin be ML320 when people de drive rolls royce phantom for naija here. Come to think of it,are you sure you get the car you just mentioned?

whats the problem with driving an ML320, you obviously think anyone driving an ML320 could not afford a ROLL ROYCE its all about choice, besides you have to start from some were,and some people chose to start from ML320 and oh! i have two ML320 and and other cars which i wont mention what type of cars they are,because i dont need to proof to you.. though is nit?

@OP

There are no issues with shipping your car home and using it there are a lot of mercedes ML in Nigeria. I have one in Benin which i sipped from the UK.

You can bling it up a bit if you like. I fitted after market full body kits to my 2000 model and 22'' decorsa C049 silver alloys with 285/35R22 xtra load 106V Tyres which widened the stance.

Ml 320 is a very nice suv 4 Nigeria road. Its major problem is the four sensor wheel wire which is 23k per 1 but it can be work and reconstruct in Alaoji Aba

Foyanmun: I am about to relocate to Nigeria from Holland. I have an eight year old Benz ML320 which i have been using for the last 18 months. Is it a good idea if i ship this vehicle home or is it advisable to sell it and buy a Japanese brand instead? Suggestions from Naija residents who have actually used ML320 in Nigeria will be highly appreciated.

@Poster,

It depends o. Roads in Abuja and Aba or Ibadan are not same. In Naija environment, apart from just road, you have to consider other things:
(1) Maintenance: ML can be costly which is affected by road quality of course.I don't drive ML but 3 relatives do in Naija and some friends here in Europe. All talk about cost.

(2)Image: In Naija the close relatives who drive them are businessmen/contractor & chiefs. Image of an elderly person. If you want to project the image of a successful contractor and you're returning home to submit tenders here and there, then fine. If you're going home and trying to blend in, a Toyota 4runner might be better.

(3)Your pocket + family situation: If you are married with kids, you don't need a car that can cost a lot to keep on the road. Private school fees can be high in Abuja/Lagos. Except of course money is no problem.

You may actually need more than one car if you're married. If you and Mrs use the same car, it could be inconvenient. A Toyota Camry for Mrs will do nicely.

@Maclovington, thanx for your advice and suggestions, most appreciated.

Forget stories mechanics or nigerians complain about mercedez benz.to the best of my knowledge it is the best brand of car anyone can ever use.I believe those that are scared of the benz is cos the mechanics scare them off it as once you have a benz and know how to maintain it.the mechanics will not be able to extort you like they used to with other brands.
@poster you have been using it in holland & must be used to its maintenance by now.no matter the road benz remains the better option,if the road is smooth they you over enjoy the pleasure & luxury of the SUV,but if the road is bad it will still do better than a Toyota or Honda.
For me its Only 2 cars Benz & others forget fuel I still don't believe newer benz consume fuel as they are labelled.Durability,Stability,efficiency & luxury always stand out.

Have you used ML 320? I love that car and will want to know which one I can go for between the v6 and v8. Do you know what the fuel consumption is like?

@ bounty dog

Have you used ML 320? I love that car and will want to know which one I can go for between the v6 and v8. Do you know what the fuel consumption is like?