[WorkingGuru]

One mustn't take anything for free from one's in-laws under ANY circumstances. Period.

If a smaller car can do the job of what it's purpose is (daily beater and occasional highway runs), then make do with what you have.

That said, owning an old German car will be a pleasure if you have the wherewithal to maintain it properly & can afford the money and time for its upkeep.

[Nilesh5417]

I won't say the ML350 is free - you are just not paying anything upfront to get it. The insurance costs alone will be higher than the annual maintenance cost of the XUV300. Plus like others said, the annual maintenance costs that will be needed for the ML are going to be the in lakhs depending on the kms and condition of the car. And all this provided you find a way to legally keep the car on road.

Also, i don't think getting an XUV for daily drive and keeping the Merc for weekend fun is a good idea. That will eventually mean you will drive the Merc once a month for not more than 100kms. Life is like that! A car that isn't used enough is anyways going to cause trouble. So what's the ROI on all the cost you will sink into the Merc? Two cars doesn't sound like a great idea to me.

My take is that if money is not the most important variable in the equation and you can enjoy the ML and clock some serious kms on it without losing sleep only then take the plunge. Else just go for the XUV.

[SnS_12]

If you have disposable income from which you can spend 1 to 1.5 lac minimum annually on the upkeep of the ML350 then go for it.

Looking at the current cars in your garage or even the new XUV 300 you are considering instead of the Merc will not command maintenance cost annually in that range so you’re entering unfamiliar territory and don’t end up in a money pit.

[inwester]

Originally Posted by Vicky85

Dear friends,

I was planning to buy myself a XUV 300 but then I was offered a 11 years old ML 350, for free by my brother-in-law.

If you are real shady like me, get it from him, sell it and buy your XUV 300.

You're welcome.

[ajs85]

Originally Posted by Vicky85

Dear friends,

I was planning to buy myself a XUV 300 but then I was offered a 11 years old ML 350, for free by my brother-in-law. The car is registered in Delhi and since it cannot be driven there anymore he wanted someone within the family to have it instead of selling it off.
I do not have the slightest of idea on luxury vehicles and i am looking for suggestions here. The car is well maintained with regular servicing being done. I would like to know from you all on what can be the downside of owning a decade old Mercedes. What would be the service cost and how frequently is it needed. What would be the annual expenditure like? And what would be the cost of re-registration in Hyderabad/Bhubaneswar?

Vicky,
You can definitely go for this car if it is well kept and low-mileage car but always remember to following things:
1. They are not very reliable
2. They are designed to fail over a specific period/cycle
3. They are not abuse-friendly, thus anything that goes wrong needs to be set right else the bills adds up exponentially.
4. Parts are not readily available in India as the car starts ageing
5. ASC will be eye-watering expensive whereas FNG will help you a lot in keeping the costs under control BUT they (FNG) and OEM part suppliers mainly work in cash.

Some points to give you the courage to take this car:
1. Parts can be easily imported (Euro Parts, Spareto etc.)
2. Sticking to periodic and scheduled maintenance will surely keep the car running without many niggles.
3. You will experience the fun of owning a German
4. I have seen people running 2008/2009 petrol Germans in Delhi and the maintenance was not more than like of VW's and Skoda.
5. If you will spend some time studying the parts catalogue you will easily identify and get the parts from other Mercedes models.

From my personal experience if you keep your eyes (leaks and wear) and ears (clinks and abnormal sounds) open and get things fixed right away you can use this car as the main car as well (a second car will not be necessary). Being 10-year-old car insurance will only be comprehensive or 3rd party and this won't be as expensive as Zero Depreciation one. You will have to get the car re-done with all the major changeable parts and fluids and you should be good to go. Get your AC components checked and changed too as this will for sure fail no matter how much the mileage of the car would be.
Last but not least "Best of luck" I'm sure you will take up this car, just keep us posted

[Cresterk]

A free car is a free car. Since it's more than 10 years old, you won't get NOC for re-registering it outside of Delhi. So you will have 4 years to drive this outside the NCR region before it becomes de-registered. Take it, drive it as much as you are able to until it fails completely. Annual expenditure will be expensive in around 1-2l per year if something fails. Fuel economy will also be low. But still, it will work out cheaper than spending 10-16l on a new xuv300 since you don't have any upfront costs. I would say take it, keep driving it even as small bits keep conking off, until the car is completely undrivable and then get a new car. This might work out better since the current long waiting lists and car shortages might get over.

Since you said the car is well maintained, it might just run for another year without major issues.

[horsepower911]

Nothing in life is for free! Never take anything free from relationships is my personal advise no matter how good it is. Eventually everything dies including relationships.

[One]

Originally Posted by inwester

If you are real shady like me, get it from him, sell it and buy your XUV 300.

You're welcome.

not for the idea but for staying true to your name, hard to find such qualities these days

[rageshgr]

Car is free. But maintenance is not. Will you be able to ear mark 1-2 lacs per year for maintenance? May be you can put the intended EMI of the XUV into an RD or liquid fund so that u can pay for the maintenance of the ML if u have your eyes set on it.

[amarprusty]

Please check for good outside garages with good mechanics and spares availability for low cost mantainance in your city before taking the car for status and show off else it shall be sitting roadside with service and spares while authorized service and spares may cost u several lacs

[Vicky85]

Thank you fellow BHPians for your valuable inputs. After careful consideration, i decided not to take the ml350 and make do with my Chevrolet Beat / Alto K10. I guess spending 2 lacs a year for the upkeep is one thing but breakdowns and part replacement is a different story. Therefore I let the offer go. Thanks again!!