2000 Europa g500

[turnerc7]

Hi everyone,
Im new to the world of G Wagons and thought I would get some input from the people who know. I have been using a 97 defender 90 for daily driving as well as some trail work but lately I have been looking into the mercedes alternative. having done some research i decided upon the pre MBUSA models and since im in California a 2000-2002 would be just the ticket. If any one has input on realities of living with a G I would really appreciate it.
On a different note, there is currently a 2000 G500 for sale on the europa website. it has around 85k miles and is going for 26k. Any thoughts?

thanks

[stevegsmith]

Hi everyone,
Im new to the world of G Wagons and thought I would get some input from the people who know. I have been using a 97 defender 90 for daily driving as well as some trail work but lately I have been looking into the mercedes alternative. having done some research i decided upon the pre MBUSA models and since im in California a 2000-2002 would be just the ticket. If any one has input on realities of living with a G I would really appreciate it.
On a different note, there is currently a 2000 G500 for sale on the europa website. it has around 85k miles and is going for 26k. Any thoughts?

thanks
Howdy,
If you're used to driving a D90 as a daily, you'll love how a G feels on and off highway. That includes early G's (460's) as well. Drive a few and take your time looking around. G500's are now more affordable. If you don't mind a little more rugged feel, check out some 460's.
Where in California are you? The US west coast G community is very accessible and many of us would be more than happy letting you test drive our vehicles on any of the outings. We have several impromptu events throughout the year and one semi-official MB club event coming up in July.
Also, contact Mike Serpe and let him know you're looking. He's in the Bay Area. I'll PM you his contact info as well as mine.
Steve

[DUTCH]

On a different note, there is currently a 2000 G500 for sale on the europa website. it has around 85k miles and is going for 26k. Any thoughts?

thanks

If it's been well maintained, that's probably a fair price.

I have a Europe Int'l 2000 G500, and love it.

[turnerc7]

Thanks SteveGsmith,

Good to know, I was under the impression that to own a non MBUSA g it was either a 2000-2002 G500 or something before 1985. Is that correct?

[turnerc7]

Good to know, did you get yours through Europa? Have you had any issues?

[stevegsmith]

Gray market G's have been imported since their production beginning in 1979 (probably not that early but maybe there were a few) either privately via auto importer or by Europa (first official dealer). MBUSA brought the 2002 G500 then came the G55 and G550.

I'd join the G-forums and peruse a bit.

Here's some stuff:
history and some model overview:
http://www.g4rce.net/engl/history1.html

the two most frequented US based forums are:
http://www.pointedthree.com/disc/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=57
and
http://www.clubgwagen.com/forum/index.php

on the clubgwagen forum, check out his thread:
and links to more:
http://www.clubgwagen.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1688&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

[turnerc7]

I hadnt considered a 460 until you mentioned it, They look to be a great deal and more utilitarian. Any thoughts?

[otiswesty]

I test drove a couple of D110's before I bought my 1st Gwagen in 2000. I thought the 460 series 300GD that I ended up with was a much nicer and better built vehicle from a newb perspective. The Gwagen that I got was nicer than many of them with the factory Recaro seats, and was a nicer drive and more comfortable than the NAS Defender 110. I have since traded to a G500 (2002) sold originally by MBUSA and appreciate the available power (300HP) much more. The Pre-2002 vehicles have the same motor as the MBUSA truck but with less drivetrain and stability management, an advantage that makes them some of the best Gwagens ever sold. With the center diff locked they are a very similar beast though. Also, the early G500's have the benefit of a manual transfer case shifter. I looked seriously at a Europa G500 before buying used in 2008. However, all of the modern Gwagens are complex electronic vehicles and I feel that access to repairs is more available with the MBUSA trucks. Either way, it is a huge step from a D90 in a positive way. I do like the Defenders though, very classic style, probably the basis for the G design.:snorkel:

A 460 Gwagen is a great trucks also. The gassers are a bit thirsty with fuel and the diesels are a little slow on the on ramp, but on the trail they are all about the same, including your D.

[turnerc7]

Otiswesty,
thanks for the info, how does your g500 compare on gas to the older 460 series gassers?

[DUTCH]

Otiswesty,
thanks for the info, how does your g500 compare on gas to the older 460 series gassers?

My 292 HP 2000 G500 V8 gets almost exactly the same gas mileage as did my 150 HP 1984 280GE I6 - ~15 mpg on the highway. The 280GE was happy with low or mid-range octane gasoline. The G500 prefers premium.

[zimm]

having owned a 95... im a convert.

the electronic controls offered 2002 on are nothing to fear, and work great when your not locked up. wish i had em for icy snowy roads.

with the way the prices have dropped on the early 2002's on, theres no reason to invest in less technology, unless of course you WANT an older truck feel. that i comprehend. and frankly, you'll still get it with a newer one... this IS a live axle truck, and you will know it on crappy roads. dont expect IFS feel. i dont live wheres theres smooth tar, so i get to feel the difference every day.

make sure you get the dealer maint records and see whats been replaced. you'll find some doo dads quite spendy if they break on you.

i do wish i had the v8 and OD transmission, but if i was to "trade up" i wouldnt waste my time on a pre 2002. id get as new as i could afford, as they keep improving the truck.

big ticket items? prop shafts. name a shaft, its expensive. make sure they are in good order.
apparently window regulators. my back two clank... i live in fear. make sure you have recent ones, as, i guess they go.
check the lockers, by wheeling. mine "worked" when i got em, but i found on a hill they will fail if theres a vacuum leak or the booster pump goes. which i had. to top it off, the center is vacuum controled only and when it opens, the idiotic locker control board thinks you turned them off and it opens all the lockers. (im currently converting my system to a 461 style, since theres no advantage to that crap in my vintage).. vacuum pump. make sure it works.
you do not want a squeaky AC fan. it could be near death, is expensive, and is located close to china if you are digging into the dash.
ignition key steering/lock cylinder failure is an issue... make sure that feels right. i was lucky. mine froze off and i could extract everything and move the cylinder. others have dealt with worse.

i didnt have any rust issues so i cant tell you where to look there.

im sure theres more, its a used car. its as much the PO as anything, so good records are worth the price! happy shopping. dont rush in.

[otiswesty]

My G500 gets 12-15MPG (292 HP)
A friend's 280GE LWB 9-12 "by report" (150 HP)
My old LWB 300GD 17-19 MPG, with turboed motor (110 HP)

[zimm]

My G500 gets 12-15MPG (292 HP)
A friend's 280GE LWB 9-12 "by report" (150 HP)
My old LWB 300GD 17-19 MPG, with turboed motor (110 HP)

its heavy, has a heavy drivetrain with friction, shaped like a brick.

if the mile you drove it was out of the back of a c-130 at altitude, it would still be 13mpg.

i did expect a 300gd to crack 20 though.

[otiswesty]

I think the 300GD was rated at 20-22 in the sales literature, my experience was slightly less. A bit slow, but a great car otherwise, runs on straight veg oil in the summer though with no fancy system.:chef:

[Joe]

Hi,

I manage to drive my "G" with 300D @21,5 mpg but this is with long axles, bigger tires and max. 65 mph on motorways
The average du to German forums are 17 mpg or less.

[Canada G]

which g's have the long axles. I had once an unimog (firefighter) with fast axles, is that the same?

[Joe]

HI,

Unimog have Portal-axles, G's not. The rear axle of the G is as far as I know the same as they used for the transporters, e. g. 207.

[turnerc7]

having owned a 95... im a convert.

the electronic controls offered 2002 on are nothing to fear, and work great when your not locked up. wish i had em for icy snowy roads.

with the way the prices have dropped on the early 2002's on, theres no reason to invest in less technology, unless of course you WANT an older truck feel. that i comprehend. and frankly, you'll still get it with a newer one... this IS a live axle truck, and you will know it on crappy roads. dont expect IFS feel. i dont live wheres theres smooth tar, so i get to feel the difference every day.

make sure you get the dealer maint records and see whats been replaced. you'll find some doo dads quite spendy if they break on you.

i do wish i had the v8 and OD transmission, but if i was to "trade up" i wouldnt waste my time on a pre 2002. id get as new as i could afford, as they keep improving the truck.

big ticket items? prop shafts. name a shaft, its expensive. make sure they are in good order.
apparently window regulators. my back two clank... i live in fear. make sure you have recent ones, as, i guess they go.
check the lockers, by wheeling. mine "worked" when i got em, but i found on a hill they will fail if theres a vacuum leak or the booster pump goes. which i had. to top it off, the center is vacuum controled only and when it opens, the idiotic locker control board thinks you turned them off and it opens all the lockers. (im currently converting my system to a 461 style, since theres no advantage to that crap in my vintage).. vacuum pump. make sure it works.
you do not want a squeaky AC fan. it could be near death, is expensive, and is located close to china if you are digging into the dash.
ignition key steering/lock cylinder failure is an issue... make sure that feels right. i was lucky. mine froze off and i could extract everything and move the cylinder. others have dealt with worse.

i didnt have any rust issues so i cant tell you where to look there.

im sure theres more, its a used car. its as much the PO as anything, so good records are worth the price! happy shopping. dont rush in.
Hi Zimm,
thats all very good advice. A problem I have to work with is that Im in Southern California and as far as I know I can only have a 2000-2002 or pre 85. do you have any insight on that?

[Hafwit]

For CA you have to deal with several obstacles. To the best of my knowledge, the following is applicable. A pre-1975 vehicle is the only option to avoid smog testing. Diesel vehicles and firetrucks have some exceptions, but they are limited. Any non-US vehicle newer than 25 years old brought to the US needs to be federalized if it was not made to US-specifications--that is if it is to be used on the road. There are many vehicles that have come into the US that are questionably legal. Some states are more lenient than others, but CA is probably the worst. If they catch you with an illegal vehicle on the road, they can confiscate it. People often register vehicles illegally by using falsified data, and if they aren't caught, I suppose that works out, but if they are, then there can be considerable misery. Europa-imported vehicles that were brought in prior to MB-USA (2002) were federalized and made legal for all 50 states. Since all the G Wagens all came after 1975, the gassers must be smog tested. I'm not sure about the diesels.

Cheers,
Greg

[PCH]

Europa-imported vehicles that were brought in prior to MB-USA (2002) were federalized and made legal for all 50 states.Not all, actually very few Europa/GWagen USA cars were CA certified.

[koly]

Not all, actually very few Europa/GWagen USA cars were CA certified.
BEFORE YOU BUY MAKE SURE you check the VIN with CA to see if it's a recognized, registered (or available to register) vehicle and save yourself huge headaches. Also make sure you get copies of all the documentation regarding federalization, importation, and federal approval for the vehicle.

I purchased a 2000 Europa G500 that had been registered in CA since 2000 and had even had a title transfer in CA. When I tried to register it in AZ, it was a bad dream bordering on a nightmare. The guys at G-WagenUSA helped out with some documentation, but ultimately what got me through the registration process was 2 things:
1. that it had been registered in CA for 10 years with 2 owners
2. A nice, understanding registration official in AZ who was able to cut through the red tape that took me 8 months to try to machete through on my own.

Sidenote: don't let the stories keep you from looking at an 02 or newer - just make sure you get a proper vehicle history from an owner that knows a bit about the vehicle (ie: they've engaged their diff locks on a semi-regular basis if only to make sure they're still functioning).

[delmartin]

Not all, actually very few Europa/GWagen USA cars were CA certified.

Are you sure about that?

[DUTCH]

Not all, actually very few Europa/GWagen USA cars were CA certified.

All the G500's were, as were many of the others.