Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
You are probably looking at that photo above and thinking that is not a 2004 Mercedes-Benz G500. Thanks to the never-ending need for humans to look more wealthy than they really are, we end up with this creation. That is in fact a 2004 G500 with a W463.2 front grille, hood, fenders, fender extenders, bumpers, lighting, side mirrors, and giant 22″ wheels. I’ve seen it all.
One of the biggest jumps in values over the past two years has been the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. It seems that no model was spared in the G world, as almost everything saw a spike a value. Pre-2020, finding an early-2000s G500 in decent shape for around $25,000 wasn’t a problem. Now, those trucks are well over $30,000 and it only gets crazier from there. With the pre-2002 imports, things get a little more complicated. Given all of these trucks are imports with varying degrees of condition of specifications, you really only have a ballpark based on recent sales. However, that might only be a handful given their rarity, so values tend to be a bit more suggestive when talking about a fixed asking price. Today’s G, a short wheelbase 300GE, is one of those situations.
Do you want to get crushed? Because this is how you get crushed.
This Mercedes-Benz G320 offered up for sale in Utah is being advertised as a 1982 “Professional.” It is not a 1982, not even close. It is a 2001 made to look 1982. Why is that important? 2020 minus 2001 equals 19. Not 25, which is the required time that is needed to import foreign vehicles that weren’t originally sold in the US. It looks like they fitted W460 bumpers, mirrors, grille, taillights, and front fenders to masquerade as a 1982. This is very illegal. So much that if any government agencies who deal with imports find this truck, they’ll probably crush it. Please don’t do this.
From time to time I look at cars that you should never buy and feature them more as a warning, rather than something you might consider. Today is something similar, but has to do with the circumstances of this specific vehicle rather than a flaw or problem with the model. Where am I going with this?
Well, this 2005 Mercedes-Benz G500 up for sale in Virginia shows a little under 55,000 miles. Looking at the Carfax, it had 33,000 miles in 2007 then was promptly exported to Finland. In came back to the US in 2018 with 50,250 miles. Why is that a problem? Don’t ever, for any reason, ever, no matter what, no matter where, or who, or who you are with, or where you are going, or where you’ve been, ever, for any reason whatsoever consider buying a vehicle that was exported to Finland then re-imported back to the US. Buckle up, this one is a good read.
Do you really want a Mercedes-Benz G550 4×4² but short about $200,000? Well, I have a solution for you. This is a 2002 G500 up for bid in New Jersey that has been jacked up thanks to a suspension lift and 40 inches. Not to end it there, the body work has been added to mimic a 4×4² thanks to the W463 literally staying the same for the past 15 years. All this sounds pretty good in theory, but put in practice like we see here, I think it’s a disaster. Let me tell you why.
