I hope he takes the chain off. Otherwise, that's a lot of miles to put his gearbox bearings for no reason.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Just been looking at the G wagon's on ebay. Wow the purchase cost would put me off straight away. I do like the fact that its fairly simple though.

What is the purchase cost of a decent reliable well looked after G wagon? I must admit, I do like them.

Always a smile when one passes.

G

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Land Rover D90
www.Siroccoverland.com | Follow us on Facebook

I admit they are a bit high priced at the moment but it does go up and down and if we are talking about an expedition vehicle then cosmetics might not be over important. I would think that £3k would be a starting point for something from the late eighties. Beyond 1990 then you are into the 463 series and arguably the best to buy but you will need £6 or £7k.
An ex military one with low mileage can be had for around £3K at the moment and will have the full winterisation kit - webasto and block heater
And don't forget you are buying something with 100k miles on it where as similar spec Land Cruisers might have 200.000 and be in need of some serious chassis work.
Buying a g wagen should also be though of as a long term proposition as once you have it as you want then you should easilly get 10 years from it. Don't forget that what you buy in the uk is the sae as what is issued to most military markets throughout europe with the addition of carpets and comfortable seats

Just as a point of reference I have 2.
A 240GD Diesel softtop which cost me less than a thousand 4 years ago, approx 100,000 on the clock.
A 230GE petrol that I have had for 7 years - paid £2k with 106,000m on it.
This has taken me all over North Africa.

These are a couple of reviews of the new PUR 30 which is essentially the same car as my 1979 240 though with a lot more power and engine managment crap. They share the same springs, body panels, bumper panels, prop shafts and lots lots more.
RPM TV - Episode 159 - Mercedes-Benz G300 Professional Station wagon - YouTube

Mercedes G - YouTube

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Chris
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"Never have a stupid argument with an idiot - he gets a lot more practice than you"
there I go again
not too hard really

For those who might be up for doing engine transplants then there are some interesting options too.
3 litre 603 diesel from a 124 saloon
3 litre 606 turbo diesel fro a 124 saloon
2.9 litre turbo diesel from a sprinter van


From Mercedes you get a choice of 6 or 7 spring setups (all coil btw) for different load and ride height combinations.
5 different diff ratios
At least 5 gearbox options - a box from a 1979 will bolt right up to a current sprinter engine.
A mechanical diff loc on front and rear axles ( automatic center loc on the transfer box when you select 4wd) - a center diff loc after 1991
And an independent transfer box with syncro on change from 2wd to 4wd and high to low - after 91 you get permanent 4wd

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Chris
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"Never have a stupid argument with an idiot - he gets a lot more practice than you"
there I go again
not too hard really

Wow Chris what were you thinking posting that here??

You’ve pretty much covered what they can have going for them. Mines the 463 series so a few more creature comforts but not as honest as my old 460 with it’s rubber mats, plastic seats, part time 4wd and zero electronics
The 463 is still pretty basic though, the same straight six non turbo diesel found in just about every MB taxi for the past 20 years and the only electronic being the ABS. Can do 28mpg+ probably 22ish with normal everyday use.

I think people are wary of the unknown (of course the blinged up rapper spec. ones don’t help the cause) but in reality the right ones are wonderfully engineered vehicles. Put together from a parts bin of W123/4 series saloons (the W124 / 300 series allegedly the last properly engineered MB) and 300 series vans. No bad thing when you want spares.

Everyone to their own though. Ours suits our lifestyle, budget (ignoring the fuel incredibly cheap to run) and everyday usage. It gives the impression that it'll run for ever, with basic maintenance age doesn't seem to bother it. Its now 20 yrs old.
Oh and even though it's perminant 4wd it still has syncro on the transfer box. Nice and easy to move between hi and lo range on the move.

Russ

was an accident but seems to have gone unseen

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Chris
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"Never have a stupid argument with an idiot - he gets a lot more practice than you"
there I go again
not too hard really

Chris & Russ et al,

where would one find a 463 - I think, 300GD??,

I really like the G wagen, but would want a 3.0 TD engine - are thesr available and wjhere from, how much??
Or would it be better to buy a reasonable/decent G Wagen and have an engine transplant done?
Ideas on the above??

Ta
Chris

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ChrisC

You are right - the 463 300 in it's basic early form like the one Russ has is probably the ideal but no turbo.And it depends on your budget and mechanical ability. If you can swap an engine then all you need do is find a good car, late 460 or early 463 and mate it with an engine from a 124 series turbodiesel then you are home and dry. A2.9turbo from a sprinter is another good choice with masses of torque at 1500rpm though the conversion is a little more complicated with the managed injection pump. Swap it with the pump from the ssanyong which is mechanical.
My ideal would probably be a late 460
606 turbodiesel (non electronic version)
5 speed granny gearbox from a merc T1 van
though auto would be many peoples choice.

All G wagens have a separate (detatched) transfer box so there are many options for gearboxes.
If you are serious then just have a drive in one or two and see what you think - It all depends what you have been used to.
Send me a pm if you want me to put you in touch with someone local to you.


NB. all G wagens come with a very good heating system

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Chris
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"Never have a stupid argument with an idiot - he gets a lot more practice than you"
there I go again
not too hard really

My main point here was really to say that for an expedition vehicle project where you might be spending £5k on your platform then the once overpriced G wagen is a serious contender particularly based on it's durability and readness in standard form.

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Chris
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"Never have a stupid argument with an idiot - he gets a lot more practice than you"
there I go again
not too hard really

Yes and that’s the bit that I really like, mine is very much mechanically standard and copes wonderfully with overland trips even though it’s the underpowered non turbo 603 engine. 113bhp when it was new so at 230k miles I’m probably lucky to see 3 figure bhp

I’m not in to dune bashing so can’t comment on how it would deal with that but soft sand tracks are fine.

I would not recommend any G with a retro fit turbo (I guess that goes for any engine actually). Transplanting a W124 turbo engine seems relatively common but has some clearance issues in RHD vehicles due to the proximity of the turbo/manifold and steering column.

Given the choice I would go for an auto, very basic and robust, but this is very much a personal thing.

If you really want a 300TD factory 463 mobile.de is the place to look, plenty of choice and you’ll soon get a feel for prices. LHD and auto only of course. Importing seems to be relatively painless.
Problem with RHD 463 diesels is simply a lack of supply, very rare maybe 2 or 3 a year appear for sale in the UK. Petrol’s seem far more common.
So your best option may be to go for a good 460 and do an engine transplant.
You are welcome to have a drive of mine anytime if you are around Shropshire.
Russ

I recently started looking into this subject, especially because of this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrxqtwRZ654

I have done some trips with my transalp 650 witch is great but with the girlfriend on the back and with full luggage its not as fun.. especially off road.

So now I'm considering one of these, the later ones seem more logical to me mainly because of the price, as my budget is max €15k and it would be nice to get a low milage one.

Im a bit confused still with the engines, I think id rather go for the diesel for the torque and milage
"I drove the military version PUCH 2.3 (i think) petrol, (sloooooooow) and thirsty here in the swiss army..

can you guys recommend with model or model years to go for?
im also interested in weaknesses? rust or the such?

would be great to hear some stories!

I'm a dyed in the wool "land rover" man, but have just bought a 1989 SWB 460 G wagen.

It's my next project vehicle... I've pulled the engine out (280GE) and will be installing an OM606 and 722.6 gearbox.

I recognise some of the usernames on here from GWOA and CGW.... hi all!

What you planing on doing with the G wagen?
an overland project?

they seem to come with the old landrover level of horsepower , a 5 door would be a bit slow i would think ?