Where can I find a Cabrio G-Class? My parents have assigned me the task of finding out where you can buy one. Is it possible to have one imported from Germany? If so how much do they cost in Germany for a G500 Cabrio version?
Check out www.clubgwagen.com, then look in the classifieds and if you would like a newer model for big dollars, check out keiser, the link is in the classifieds on www.clubgwagen.com
Last i heard, Europa Motors is still selling brand new g500 cabrios for $115-$130k. They were the ones that brought most of the G into this country since the 80's. They ofcourse also sell/broker used ones... oh, and surprised about the price?... yup, it's because they are hard to find. If you want to find one for a deal, you better buckle up and be ready with (1) money on hand and (2) lots of patience. The market was relatively soft on them up to about a year ago, similar to the LWB, but that's over apparently.
Some people here could tell you better but i believe it's at least $15k to import a vehicle. I don't think you can even import any vehicle into California with less than 7000 miles.
The newer, powertop cabs are so rare that they just aren't showing up at much lower numbers than what Norm is asking for his silver 97 @ 76k. Believe me: I've been looking for two years and finally bought the last of Norm Keiser's early 90's examples as the later 90's examples are out of my range. He says he's not bringing in any more of the 300GEs....
Wolfgang's had a silver example on Ebay with a res of 69k, I believe. It didn't hit that at auction, but I notice it's no longer showing up for sale. I think he's nearby you in NJ if you want to give him a call to see if that one is still lurking around.
The older G's, pre 1996, do not have to comply with US OBD regulations and are substantially less expensive to convert to US standards. The older trucks have about a $15k conversion cost, the newer ones are more like $20k. So even if you can buy one for $70k in Europe, by the time you pay for the conversion, shipping, etc, you are painfully close to $100k. That is simply the price for exclusivity. This is how Europa sold $70k trucks(in europe) here for $130-140k for well over a decade. Norms trucks are not priced with a huge profit margin, that is what they cost to get here. Doing it yourself also can mean a long wait. I know Norm sometimes has trucks awaiting conversion for six months or more. It is simply not as easy as one would think. Best of luck though[:)]
are you crazy? If they really want Navi, just get a Garmin IQ3600.
To be slightly more serious, the interior of the 2001+ car is wholy re-designed, ventilation systems, tilt wheel steering, seating arrangement, center console... everything... you'd be much better off waiting a couple years and trying to get a Europa 2002 cabrio in 2006 for maybe $75k... and except for the pleasantly bigger motor, most people would say you would argue that it would actually be a significant step down in reliability and function.
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