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.
If you know, you know. That was the general consensus if you owned a Mercedes-Benz G-Class in the United States prior to 2002. You couldn’t just ride on down to the local dealer to cut a check for a G-Wagen, you had to actually call up Europa International to cut an even bigger check. However, even knowing what Europa International was in the infancy of the internet was a big accomplishment, let alone actually buying a G from them.
Today, we have one of the pre-2002 G-Wagens that reportedly is still with its original owners. That counts for something, right?
Thanks the Mercedes-Benz W463 chassis from running 1990 all the way to 2008 on the same platform, you do get some mixing and matching going on in terms of body parts. However, almost every time it is someone sticking late model bumpers and grilles on an early example, but touching nothing in the interior so when you open the door you are mightily confused. I really don’t like that as the early example and anything pre-2002 in the US is a rare bird that should be left alone. However, today’s 2002 G500 is a little different situation. This is not a bolt-on bumpers job – not even close.
We are over a year into the all-new Mercedes-Benz G-Class and to the surprise of no one, they literally can’t make enough of them to meet demand. It makes sense, as the G-Class is used as a form of currency in the state of California, both monetarily and socially, and they don’t ride like old farm trucks anymore. So as soon as a new one hits the lot, it is usually snagged up within a day or two. That I expected. What I didn’t expect is now that we are well over a year in, prices are still as crazy as ever. Let me explain.
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.
