Older thread but its a quiet evening - better than watching Netflix.
Answer: It all depends on your mechanical ability. If you can't turn a wrench, buy a Toyota.
If you depend on a mechanic, make sure they are a G Wagon mechanic. Otherwise kiss your wallet goodbye. But really the only way to own an older G-Wagon is to own a good set of tools and know how to use them. The forums are great for collective knowledge.
With the G wagon, the older the vehicle, the simpler it is to keep running. My 1982 W460 has wind up windows, no AC, no power door locks, manual seats - it's 100% mechanical, and it will go anywhere, albeit slowly. The downside, it's a petrol (gas) pig, It cost me three times as much at the pump than my 2008 B180 - lucky to get 12 mpg - and we are paying close to US$10 per gallon here in NZ. But it not only does not need premium, it is detuned to run on any gasoline anywhere in the world.
Also, if there is a solar burst that destroys every circuit board on the planet, the older G will still run until you try to fill it up. But if you get the diesel you can run it on olive oil or perfume or just about anything you can find after the apocalypse. When I put my 300GD up for sale when I moved from the US to NZ, I had a number of preppers come by interested in taking it up into the New Hampshire hills with their collection of AK-47's... and that was 25 years ago. Then a guy called, not to buy my LHD, but to ask if I wanted to buy his RHD 280GE impounded at the port and not allowed in because it was under 25 years at that time. He offered it to me for 10% of its value, so I bought it sight unseen, had it packed back into a container and sent it to the bottom of the earth where we drive on the other side of the road. I'm still driving it. Today I used it to move some granite to the upper paddock. It came with a shotgun rack, a dog cage (the dogs had torn up the jump seat upholstery) and a Weimaraner Dog Club of Britain sticker on the side window... very tweedy.
The 280GE runs the M110 motor. My first one ran for 400,000 miles before it gave up the ghost. I located another one for NZ$1,200 and installed it myself over the summer holiday. When I need parts, I tend to find them from Eastern Europe companies who sell online. As a topical matter (it's 19 March 2022), hopefully Mr. Putin will not start a nuclear war that would wipe out the vendors I use. Unlike America where G Wagons tend to be a status symbol in Europe they are work horses thus parts are sold reasonably by Germans, Poles and probably even Ukrainians until last week. There also are some specialists in the US, which should be good for you.
As for what breaks, nothing out of the ordinary. My ignition multi-switch started failing, so I ordered one from Eastern Europe. It started acting up, so I permanently hot-wired the ignition. Starting requires throwing the hot-wire switch, then turning the key to crank - try that on a 2022 car. On the semi-annual inspection the steering rods were completely frozen. Not surprising given their age. I ordered the two complete rod assemblies for €95 and €50 respectively and shipping to NZ was €87 (that also included all the stuff to replace the wheel bearings). I installed them myself with basic tools in a couple hours. The wheels are aligned using strings - again a DIY job. Tires tend to be very cheap because Toyota dealers get their new trucks in with 215/80 R16 tires that they immediately remove to put wider tires on. They sell the removed ones with 10 miles on them for $25 each.
The brakes are not like a modern car. Disk fronts, drum rears and you have to stand on them to stop fast. The power steering is great and gives feedback, but make sure the steering damper is working, otherwise you get juddering. Also make sure you use the front & rear diff lock regularly or they can stop working. Every so often stop, put it in lower case, lock all the diffs and see how close to a 100% (45°) slope you can drive up. If you want to be really entertained, do this with your wife or girlfriend... it beats an amusement park ride, especially the ride back down.
I use mine on the farm and abuse it regularly. It is rated cargo capacity is 650 kg. I've moved 2000 kg of stone on the farm and it did not complain. I've towed a 6 metre trailer up a 30° farm slope loaded with firewood and it made it to the top... in 4WD, front, rear and centre locked in lower case and real chains threaded through the rims. I literally have pulled stumps with it and dragged trees and jarrah telephone poles around the property. I am constantly exceeding the official ratings and it performs like a champ. Nothing bends, nothing breaks and it keeps on running. When the taxi failed to show and we needed to get everyone to the ferry, we managed to pack 20 people - including some rather large Maori boys - into the LWB version, although faces were plastered on the glass (the ferry is only 5 minutes away).
As for speed, officially they say it good for speeds around 90+ mph, but at 70 you may want to install a fuel consumption gauge. Remember you are driving a brick. On the freeway, I find I toddle along at 80 kph (50 mph) with the windows wide open and let everyone blast past me at the speed limit (100 kph/62 mph) or higher. It's a whole different experience than when I'm in the Jaguar X350 with the air shocks and climate control cocooned in my own world. In the G, I tend to wave at a lot more people, and they wave back.
But it is surprisingly comfortable because of the leaf springs. Also, if you buy the older W460, don't be in a hurry to get places. When you make a stop people will come up to you and want to talk. My recommendation is to look for one in military colours. Mine is called Agave Green and it has oxidized to flat green. It sparks a lot of conversations that I doubt would happen if I was driving a late-model bling G. Mine has earned every dent honestly and that seems to attract conversation.
To explain the quality of the mechanical design, there is a story that the US won the war against Germany (WW-II) because America built simple vehicles that could be fixed by GI's scrounging for bailing wire at a nearest French farm, while Germans made far more sophisticated machines that needed the right mechanic and tools - and by the time they had arrived, the Americans had blown them to bits. I would say the older G-Wagons are more American GI in that sense. If you need a part, there is a work around. If you need a door hinge, take the door off, take it to a machine shop and they make the pin. If the windshield breaks (an owl hit mine while driving home at night), they can cut a new one from flat rated glass. For the most part, you will never visit the MB dealer. First, they won't have the part, or if they do, they want 5X the price.
As you live in Canada, be very aware of rust. To know what you are getting into watch this series of videos
.
The G-Wagon does have a separate chassis, so you can just keep filling the holes with Newtech Fibre Filler or whatever the Canadian equivalent is, and the panels are flat, so relatively easy to repair. But if you want it to look factory new, avoid one that has seen road salt.
When I bought mine the interior was in rough shape. But I went to an auction of the Xena film company (three day close out) and bought the leather room for $500 (about $30,000 of leather). Found a Ferrari upholster who had gone back to art school and need to earn some cash, so I redid the interior in Xena leather. We did the rear seats in saddle leather because of the dogs, kids and horses, the front in cowhide, and the panels in Italian handbag leather. Very unique and takes a lot more abuse than the original cloth.
I bought mine in 1997 and this year it turned 40 years old. I expect my grandson will probably inherit it in another 20-30 years, although by that time it may have been re-powered with an electric motor. If you have not yet made up your mind, I would recommend the W460.
