G Wagon

[nick-E55]

Has anybody got any thoughts/experaince on the G-Wagon?

Am considering buying a L/R defender, but someone suggested i look at the G-Wagon.

My criteria are:

able to tow a horse-box
moderate off-road (we live on what used to be a farm, so need to negotiate fields not mountains!)
enough space to carry 4 in moderate comfort
can chuck a couple of bikes/two large dogs in the back
will only do at most 2k pa, but must be robust and most importantly reliable even if not used from one mth to the next.
dont care about age/mileage as long as condtion is good, and was thinking of paying 5-10k.

Anyone got any thoughts??

cheers
Nick

 

[type49]

They where made in conjuction with Puch (yes, like the moped) & I belive commissioned for the Swiss army. Very robust, very good off road, very slow & very very expensive to replace an exhaust! Get a quote, it used to be at least £1500 for a petrol one. Managed to avoid working on them so dont know much more than this.

 

[nick-E55]

They where made in conjuction with Puch (yes, like the moped) & I belive commissioned for the Swiss army. Very robust, very good off road, very slow & very very expensive to replace an exhaust! Get a quote, it used to be at least £1500 for a petrol one. Managed to avoid working on them so dont know much more than this.

Interesting, thanks for the info.

Nick

 

[jibcl500]

Nick

G-wagon is a fantastic 4x4, prices are strong even for quite old G's, have a look on autotrader.co.uk to get an idea of prices. Parts are expensive and secondhand parts limited. Buy the right G now and look after it and it will still be worth what you paid for it in the future.
Alternativly go for a landrover diesel, not discovery, but traditional old landrover long wheel base. parts are cheap, plenty of experienced people on the net etc and specialists that can service them cheaply. landrovers also hold prices well so assuming you look after it, it could be a good investment.

jib

 

[nick-E55]

thanks, am gonna check the Gwagon/Defender out over next month or so. cheers

 

[Apial]

Having had 2 g-wagens, if all you want to do is soft-roading and tow a horse trailer, have you considered a 4wd estate? They are a lot cheaper to run, a lot newer for the money, and don't handle like a dino (saur!) when pushed.

G-wagens are fantastic serious off-roaders, but I think that they have become a cult vehicle, and this has spoilt the value for money that they used to be.

8 years ago I sold a '91 463 GDL300 with 60k on the clock for £12k. I hate to think what it would cost to buy it back!

 

[nick-E55]

Having had 2 g-wagens, if all you want to do is soft-roading and tow a horse trailer, have you considered a 4wd estate? They are a lot cheaper to run, a lot newer for the money, and don't handle like a dino (saur!) when pushed.

G-wagens are fantastic serious off-roaders, but I think that they have become a cult vehicle, and this has spoilt the value for money that they used to be.

8 years ago I sold a '91 463 GDL300 with 60k on the clock for £12k. I hate to think what it would cost to buy it back!

THat's a very fair point. Started to think about 4x4 of some kind, but i do want one that i can just chuck bikes in the back.. or anything else for that matter, rather than having bike racks etc. Rangerovers seem super cheap, for example, but am not a fan. THe indestructable Toyota hilux on Top Gear crossed my mind, but finding one that hadn't been on a buidling site probably impossible....

 

[stumpy]

I had a few Subaru Legacy estates and they were suberb vehicles. Bikes go in the back, as does a tonne of rubble (oops) but I'm not sure about the max towing weight. Isuzu Troopers seem to be very popular cars of that type with people 'in the know'.

 

[nick-E55]

I had a few Subaru Legacy estates and they were suberb vehicles. Bikes go in the back, as does a tonne of rubble (oops) but I'm not sure about the max towing weight. Isuzu Troopers seem to be very popular cars of that type with people 'in the know'.

Subura Legacy estate. THat's a v good idea. Hadn't thought of that. gonna check em out. i remember Top gear doing a piece on them... started off a farmers cars for the gentry when they were first imported. Gonna check em out. cheers

 

[Bobthebuilder58]

Why not the discovery??? I run an old one and it fantastic

Bob.

 

[jibcl500]

Isuzu Trooper

Ok this is the deal, I break Classic Range Rovers for a living, I specialise in 1990-1994 3.9 SE and 4.2 LSE, brilliant car in many respects and without Landrover and Range Rovers there wouldnt be the huge market place for 4X4 vehicles that we see today.

This I think will be big in the near future with the 4X4 boys and anyone looking to own a cheap reliable 4X4, I was offered a 1988 Isuzu trooper 2.6 petrol, I didnt know much about them so I paid the £200 for it bought some parts, did some work on it and got it through the MOT. Bought myself some big chunky off road tires and its brilliant. One of the best cars I've bought in 20 years, I use it for dragging and pulling RR chassis around the yard, I can put loads of stuff in the back, its tatty but it adds the character, parts are really cheap and its japanese so its reliable.
there are Troopers out there are beer money and trust me if you look at a few before buying theres some good ones out there.

I wanted a G Wagen, but I think the trooper could kick the ass on a G anyday.

jib

 

[nick-E55]

Thx jib. I was starting to come to the conclusion that japanese was the way to go. Partly, cos they're robust, but also no hassle to get fixed/serviced, and easy to find. The only issue with the legacy might be the ground clearance. I will be sticking it in a barn in a field round the back of my house, and theres a few large "humps" to negotiate (for want of a more agricultural description :-? ). ....so i started thinking Toyota landcruiser, on the basis that if it's tough enough for the UN, then it aint gonna fall apart on me. early 90's seem to be 2-3k. So in that respect, the Isuzu trooper is another decent alternative. i'll have a hack around autotrader... Cheers mate.

 

[3146bj]

If you are mainly towing and not off-roading, I'd suggest you go for a long wheelbase Japanese, such as a Landcruiser or Nissan Patrol as they are more stable for towing at speed. The Disco's shorter 'base makes it a bit unstable on rougher, particularly wavy, roads. It can pitch quite dramatically even with stiffer damping.

Nissan and Toyota are all thats used on the rough stuff in the North of Australia. Isuzu (Holden here), Land Rover or Subaru just don't last. The G Class is not sold here.

 

[nick-E55]

If you are mainly towing and not off-roading, I'd suggest you go for a long wheelbase Japanese, such as a Landcruiser or Nissan Patrol as they are more stable for towing at speed. The Disco's shorter 'base makes it a bit unstable on rougher, particularly wavy, roads. It can pitch quite dramatically even with stiffer damping.

Nissan and Toyota are all thats used on the rough stuff in the North of Australia. Isuzu (Holden here), Land Rover or Subaru just don't last. The G Class is not sold here.

Good point... especially as i have no experience of towing. ...and after all, there will be a live animal being towed, and i won't be very popular with the kids if i crash it !

cheers mate

 

[Apial]

The pitching of course is transferred to the horse trailer, so a smooth towing vehicle is preferable. Try getting towed across a field whilst stood inside the trailer. You'll see why some horses hate getting in them from first hand.

If it had not been for the fact that my use of the tow car did not include "humps", I too would have considered a Trooper, instead I found a Quattro estate and shod it with Nokian WR M+S tyres to cope with the mud.

If you have any loading problems just ask. I have plenty of experience there including 2 broken fingers from learning the hard way!

 

[nick-E55]

If you have any loading problems just ask. I have plenty of experience there including 2 broken fingers from learning the hard way!

Will do, that's very kind. I have visions of it being a bit of a nightmare, i must admit.

 

[Russ H]

LR…………..don’t do it. Compared to a G they are such poor value. Initial purchase price maybe lower but then you have to put up with appalling build quality and the endless repairs. Don’t get me wrong I actually like LR’s but comp[ared toa G no way!. A G is a far better long term bet and there are still bargains to be had because people are scared of them. There is no need to be though. If you know merc’s you can look after a G. Exhausts from a main stealer yes they are £1500 but you can get a custom made stainless one for around £400. Rest of the parts no probs. They are a mix of Merc saloon engine and gearboxes and Merc commercial bits. Just trawl round euro car parts.

Jap. Only one is a Toyota Landcruiser. Patrol would be good if they didn't self destruct with rot. Unless of couse you go for a post 98 one.

Diesels run on veg oil so close to being carbon neutral. Way safer than any land rover. I could go on but I will bore you to death, try some of these links:
http://www.pointedthree.com/disc/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=57
Excellent friendly site.
http://www.gwoa.co.uk/
You may pick up good tips but a bit of a closed shop if you are not a member.
http://www.g-classcentre.co.uk/
No direct knowledge but I hear they offer sound advice
http://www.clubgwagen.com/
Good tech. Info on repairs / servicing

 

[nick-E55]

thx Russ. re L/R i came to same conclusions. Have narrowed it down to G, or Toyota Landcruiser, on the basis they both indestructable, and have the groundclearance, and room in the back that i need. Advantage the toyota has is that it'll be much less hassle finding one.

Am gonna check out the links, thanks again,
Nick

 

[Blobcat]

You can get a G Wagon with the AMG 55 engine to match your saloon

 

[Russ H]

Yes I nearly strayed to the dark side to Toyota, beware there are loads of clocked abused dogs out there. Eventually found 463 G with nearly 200K on it but it drove so much better than a 100K Toyota that I didn’t hesitate getting it. 6 cylinder diesel (same as E Class engine) a bit of a slug but if you want to go fast you’ve got an AMG