This 2001 Mercedes-Benz ML55 AMG was sold new in Arizona and was previously a Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle from the dealer in 2004. It lived out West until 2019 when it spent a year in North Dakota with consecutive registration in California. This ML55 now resides in Atlanta, Georgia with the current owner. Finished in Travertine Beige Metallic (693) over Black Exclusive leather (561A), power is provided by a 5.4-liter V8 driving all four wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission. Equipment includes xenon headlamps, 18″ AMG wheels, factory AMG body work, power-adjustable and heated front seats, cruise control, OEM head unit, BOSE audio, integrated radar, and a lockable safe located beneath the front passenger seat with 2 keys. Two of the most recent services took place in August 2024 which included a new throttle position sensor and serpentine belt with a tandem service early in 2025 which included a crank position sensor, camshaft position sensor, brake pads, brake rotors, oil change, brake fluid service, and a rear main seal. Brand new Continental tires in factory size, wheel alignment, and Mobile 1 oil service were just done in preparation for the sale. Upgrades include an all new black Alcantara headliner with Alcantara A,B, and C pillars with all plastic pieces dyed to match. This ML55 has just under 89k miles and is now offered by the selling party with a spare tire and cover, a custom matching 1:18 diecast model car, factory literature, a Carfax report, 2 keys, and a clean Georgia title.
The truck is finished in Travertine Beige Metallic (693) and is equipped with AMG body work consisting of revised bumpers, side skirts, hood bulges, and wheel arch flares. Additional exterior features include fog lights, xenon headlamps with washers, a power sunroof, roof rails, and a factory exhaust with dual AMG-stamped outlets. The Carfax report notes incidents in 2010 and 2018 resulting in damage to the front-left and rear of the truck, respectively. The front bumper was previously resprayed and the rear flares as well to correct clear coat issues. The seller notes imperfections on the rear hatch door and an imperfection around the rear driver tail light. Detailed photos are provided in the gallery and in the provided walkaround video along with paint meter readings of all the metal panels.
Factory five-spoke 18″ AMG wheels wear Continental Cross Contact tires measuring 285/50 on all four corners with 2024 date codes. The seller provided photos of the tread for each corner of the car in the gallery. Braking is provided by disc brakes and black painted calipers at all four corners. Brake rotors, pads, and fluid were done in early 2025 using low dust Akebono pads. The factory spare wheel and tire are located in the rear cargo space with the first aid kit attached. All of the clips for the spare tire cover are intact with no cracking.
The cabin features seats upholstered in Black Exclusive leather (561A) along with matching door panels and carpets. Wood veneer accents the center console, doors, and steering wheel. Upgrades include an all new black Alcantara headliner with Alcantara A,B, and C pillars with all plastic pieces painted to match, replacing the original gray plastic and fabric. Equipment includes power-adjustable heated front seats, driver’s seat memory, cruise control, air conditioning, Bose audio, and a lockable safe located beneath the front passenger seat. All front and rear headrests are included and the rear cargo area is equipped with the factory spare tire, cover, first aid kit, and jack. The original floor mats included are embroidered with ML55 AMG. The seller has provided pictures and video showing the modularity of the rear seats as the W163 provides the owner with a flat loading floor. The multi-disc CD changer is intact and operates.
The wood and leather-wrapped steering wheel frames white instrumentation consisting of an AMG-branded 160-mph speedometer with orange back glow, a 7k-rpm tachometer, and gauges for coolant temperature and fuel level. Digital readouts for outside temperature and time are located on each side with all pixels in working order. The digital odometer shows just under 89k miles.
The 5.4-liter aluminum M113 V8 produced 342 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque when new. Power is sent to all four wheels through a five-speed 722.6 automatic transmission. The most recent engine service was done in January of 2026 including an Mobile 1 5W-40 oil service with new filter, o-rings, and crush washer. In August 2024, a new throttle position sensor and serpentine belt were installed. The current owner had a crankshaft position sensor, camshaft position sensor, rear main seal, and oil change done in early 2025. Additional services are noted on the Carfax showing new valve cover gaskets, new brake pads (which were just replaced by low dust ceramic pads by the current owner), and a new power steering pump were installed in 2022 along with a coolant flush. The seller shows new brake rotors in the underside video. The steering rack shows some dampness around a fluid line in the video.
The Carfax report lists 11 service history records and linear mileage updates since new along with the aforementioned minor damage reports. This ML55 has just under 89k miles and is now offered with a spare tire and cover, factory literature, a custom 1:18 diecast model car, a Carfax report, 2 keys, and a clean Georgia title.
A detailed walkaround, underside inspection, and POV driving video is provided by the seller.
As the 955/957 Porsche Cayenne is becoming increasingly popular to overlanding enthusiasts, it begs the question: why not buy a ML55 AMG instead? Why are we not seeing more W163 builds from the overlanding crowd? They’re more reliable, have more power than the NA Cayenne V8 S models, do the same 0-60 times, are tough as nails with their body on frame design, and have so much room to grow as collectors and enthusiasts begin to notice them. The M113 V8 is a powerhouse in this chassis making it suitable for climbing hills, especially with its low range gearbox. Remember, the W163 was built to replace the G-Wagen. This was a purpose built off road SUV. The A/C system will give you hypothermia on a hot day in the desert plus the flat folding floor provides excellent storage space for any adventurer. Plus its highway manners are E-Class good. What’s not to like? This Travertine ML55 sports excellent recent services, great tires (which are hard to find in OEM sizes), new brakes, and great cosmetics. The provided driving video shows basically everything on the truck still works and it’s as tight as a drum with a complete, clean interior free from squeaks and rattles.
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24 Comments
Such a nice example. Well bought!Wow, that's a lot of truck for the money! I adored my '99 ML320 (sold it for $2000 with over 200K on the clock around 2018 LOL); later year MLs were much more luxurious and yes, I know I'm totally ignoring that it's an AMG beastie! Kudos!Thank you to everyone participating. If you have a collector Mercedes or other brand car, I’m now offering help brokering, reconditioning, and photography services to make listings such as these. Feel free the reach out — my IG handle is the same as my user name here. Thank you!$14,005 bid placed by @asstonmartian
$13,755 bid placed by @benzbuyer
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$13,250 bid placed by @Abby87426
$13,000 bid placed by @asstonmartian
$12,750 bid placed by @Abby87426
Thank you for the bids and good luck to everyone.$12,500 bid placed by @asstonmartian
$12,250 bid placed by @Mbb79184
$12,000 bid placed by @Abby87426
$11,060 bid placed by @Mbb79184
$10,810 bid placed by @asstonmartian
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$9,190 bid placed by @asstonmartian
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$8,685 bid placed by @asstonmartian
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$8,175 bid placed by @asstonmartian
$7,900 bid placed by @Mbb79184
With 5 hours left, I want to point out some of the outstanding items with this example: - under 100k miles as most of these were used and driven - no rust - rear main seal and crankshaft positioning sensor just done - new brakes all the way around. AMG brakes are rather large and costly to replace - excellent exterior condition with no clear coat issues - interior is immaculate. No broken interior plastics and a new Alcantara head liner - AMG collector and W163 enthusiast owned - 2 IR keys and books I try to sell turn key examples of modern classics. This example was driven to and from Virginia several times during 2025 and was used a daily driver in Atlanta along side the owner’s ‘81 Euro 500SL. If you’ve been shopping for a rare ML55 this really is the one to buy. I look forward to chatting to the winner in 5 hours!$7,650 bid placed by @asstonmartian
I hope everyone had a good weekend. With less than a day left, this auction is ending tomorrow and the car is selling since it is NO RESERVE. I wanted to check in and make sure everyone is good -- reach out if you need anything. A bidder sent a question about the seat height to my inbox. I'll be next to the car tomorrow morning, so I will get you that answer.$7,250 bid placed by @Mbb79184
$7,000 bid placed by @Bad_Idea_Dante
@erichollis thanks for the question. It's an integrated radar detector. You can turn it off and it'll never intrude. Happy bidding!Hi. The listing shows “Integrated radar”. Im not familiar with that. Does that mean distronic? Parktronic? Or something else?$6,750 bid placed by @Classygrand
@GenevaMotorCars Thanks for the comment! The owner was very happy with the car when he got it from you. You sold a good one. Always love to hear your enthusiasm for the W163.The one that got away! I have had this car in my possession a few times, and I always have racked my head in ways to keep it. The timing has never seemed right unfortunately. This was one of the nicest examples I have come across in many years and the owner made it even better. I too am a bit of a W163 nerd and if anyone is looking for the ultimate ML from this vintage, this is the one! This not only has been impeccably cared for, but it is also possibly the rarest ML55 color out there. I have never sold, nor seen another travertine beige 55 before. Considering the low miles, corrosion free undercarriage, and a owner of this caliber I would not hesitate to jump in!@Tom80 Hard to find and not cheap! And I'm so happy we had a Continental to choose from.Finally an ML55 with OEM tire sizes! Man they look proper! Kudos to the sellerThanks for the bids and comments so far. We're at the halfway point, so I just wanted to check in and make sure everyone has what they need. My auctions have a lot of information, so it's easy to miss stuff. Please ask me anything if you have a lingering question. Thank you!$6,500 bid placed by @FranklinG3
@blakleyleonard Thanks for the comment. I appreciate hands-on feedback on this example from reputable collectors -- it adds perspective for potential buyers. These are arguably the most slept on AMG. I want to reiterate how unlike these cars feel from a ML320/350/430/500. AMG built these right.$6,000 bid placed by @undertone
I've had the opportunity to spend some quality time around this ML55 and know the owner all too well. This is one of the most sorted examples out there without question. It feels so solid and drives amazing. The alcantara headliner is such a cool upgrade and reminds me of my factory headliner in my S211 E63 wagon. I also own an ML55 personally (this is my 4th one over the years) and it's such a good rig. If you've spent any time searching for one, you know most have been used and abused, showing cracked bumpers and tired leather with tons of miles. Examples like this are a needle in a haystack. If you’re bidding, know you're bidding on an outstanding ML55.@CICBarkeep I just spent the evening cruising through a bunch of MB forums looking for the issue present on the W163 Valeo radiators and didn't run across a single event. It seems like a common issue on the W203, W209, and W211 -- also on your R129. Nissens sells a radiator and is under $300. Valeo was the OE supplier to Mercedes-Benz when these trucks were built. Radiators are not hard to replace on a W163 as there is a ton of room. This radiator shows no sign of failure.Owned an '01 SL500 (same exterior paint which is lovely btw) and experienced the Valeo radiator contaminating the tranny fluid issue. Got lucky and caught it before any irreparable damage was done but sourcing and installing a replacement radiator was time consuming and expensive. Any history of that issue on these? Thanks!@hawaiibenz Thank you for the comment. I have a ML320 in the pipeline that's a personal car that I've been wrenching on and I'm surprised at how well engineered the W163 is. They are great to work on and yes, parts are widely available. It helps the engine and transmission were used on millions of cars. And Travertine is stunning in my opinion. I'm a huge Smoke Silver fan which this color superseded and it's way warmer than Smoke silver in person. It's cozy and inviting before Mercedes-Benz went with the cold Y2K aesthetic. It's that late '90s warm summer glow everything had from commercials, to TV shows, to the old school lighting we used to have in houses before everything went LED and sterile. It still has the green tinted glass before they went to blue! I'm a HUGE fan and I'm glad to see another person with taste appreciate it.I love that this is not silver. No offense to anyone who wants or has a silver ML55, because the ML55 in general looks amazing with a slightly aggressive (but not over-the-top) stance compared to the run-of-the-mill ML 163s. Just that silver seems to be the most common, and I'm attracted to oddball colors. Color debate aside, this is in amazing condition, and I am excited to see how far this auction goes. They exist, but finding an ultra-nice example without a ton of miles is like finding a needle in a haystack. My ML55 isn't as nice as this, and the road to making it mint is a long one. What surprises me is the availability of parts. I'm used to NLA parts with my W140, R107, my recently sold W126 and R129. But so far, everything I've needed or want to keep as back-up stock in my storage has been available for the W163 ML55. A little searching here and there, but parts exist, which is refreshing. I've been on a naturally-aspirated V8 binge, and the M113 is the sweet spot for usability and reliability.@6thinline9 Thanks for the comment!Beautiful vehicle and great video too.$5,500 bid placed by @Mbb79184
@Jrad1600 The other two the owner had also had wet steering racks. I think it's a specific rack for the ML55 AMG and it's just a thing they will all do at this stage. Luckily it doesn't drip when parked -- bidders can see it in the gallery. The owner of this one doesn't tolerate drips or leaks. If parts are available to fix issues, it gets taken care of. It's a lot like me with my personal cars which is why we're good friends and get along. ML63 is a tank with a way more exotic engine (and way more maintenance intensive), but the 5.4 liter M113 is as simple as a cage fighting pitbull with a lobotomy -- just one goal in mind: go fast and be angry doing it.Very nice! I own an ML55 and can appreciate how nice this listing is. I see the listing mentions some dampness on the steering rack, which mine suffers from as well. Pretty much every ML55 on the planet will have some slight wetness there, but mine has been that way for years and never actually leaked or given me issues. The rear main seal on mine also has some wetness, but it's been that way for around 10 years or so and it's never dripped onto my garage floor. With these old German cars you just have to accept the fact that the underside of the car will never be 100% bone dry! Every time I think of upgrading to an ML63 or something newer, I get behind the wheel and have a blast. Best of luck to the bidders and the seller! It's an SUV you can feel cool driving even as a macho dad ;)We got another ML55 AMG up! As rare as these are, they are just attracted to me. I'm SO excited to help sell this one for my friend who is a lifelong AMG collector and Mercedes-Benz curator. He's owned three ML55s in the past, so the owner knows how to dial them in. With me being a W163 nerd and M113 fanatic, he wanted me to represent the car and I've performed a few maintenance items on it to get it prepared for sale. Like the last ML55 I sold, this is a turn key example. We have new Continental tires, alignment, crankshaft position sensor, camshaft position sensor, rear main seal, all new fluids, brakes, and more. What's really cool about this one is we just had one of the best upholstery shops in Atlanta do an all new, custom black Alcantara head liner complete with recovered pillars. He even removed all of gray plastics and painstakingly painted them black. It looks truly OEM down to the finish and touch. It gives the car an updated AMG look more akin to later models like a W211 with its all Alcantara head liner. Way more premium than the original fabric gray head liner that fails on W163s as well as the pillars which all have weak glue. Not an issue anymore with this one. Please look through the gallery and watch the video. I was as thorough as I could be (a lot of pictures!), but it you have any questions, leave them here or PM me. I have the car stored at an indoor private collector car club in Marietta, GA and it is available for showings and appointments. I'm open for phone calls and Facetime if needed. Let me know if you need additional info and I'll get it uploaded! Thank you and happy bidding!$2,500 bid placed by @Map19335