I was looking for a 4x4 to use in the snow and around the compound. A police auction has an ML500 with 200k on it. The only thing the description says is runs with a jump. It looks rough but it's still under $500. What expensive horrors should I expect to fix on one.
I would be most cautious of air suspension if it has it and price out brakes and tires in the proper sizes. I would worry that a car sitting in custody is behind on wear items.
At that money you can part it out and be way ahead.
You should expect the horrors of a old, worn out, German car. They are not like a old, worn out, American car. They are more like a petulant child that needs to be coddled constantly. 
Everything, but for $500 I'd be tempted too.
It's been a while since I looked at these. From recollection, these had no showstopper "IMS"-level problems, just a ton of little gremlins. $1200 modules that would short if you spill your soda. That sort of thing.
You can lift it a little with torsion bar adjustments.
For $500, it's hard to take a loss, I'd suspect.
make sure it has a working key......that's the vintage (iirc) of lost key=totalled
Which ML500? W163 or W164?
In reply to G_Body_Man:
Whichever on was the newer body style. I couldn't get registered on the website and the auction just ended. It looked to run pretty good in the video and sold for $280
Some people blow more than that in one evening on hookers and coke.
Datsun310Guy wrote: Some people blow more than that in one evening on hookers and coke.
You mean Hooker Headers and Coca-Cola, right?
Datsun310Guy wrote: Some people blow more than that in one evening on hookers and coke.
They were good times.
Honestly, I'd buy it for $500 find out what's wrong with it and dump it for $500 if it's a troublemaker.
In reply to SyntheticBlinkerFluid:
That was the plan but the website didnt cooperate
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