I bought this car thinking that the Mercedes-Benz brand was reliable and known for quality, which it is. However, it is also an accepted fact that the Airmatic suspensions system will fail somewhere around or after 100,000 miles. You may have to replace the compressor, ($800+), the front struts ($2400), and rear struts ($1200). I also learned that the steering rack on the GL450 is known to fail and costs $4000 to replace. Heaven forbid that the serpentine belt breaks; you could warp the head and be into a $10,000 fix in that case.

You have to religiously service these cars every 10,000 miles. If you buy one, plan for maintenance costs of about $400 per month on average. You will have to eventually replace the suspension. But when you do, it rides like a dream, assuming that you have decent tires that cost around $1500 a set.