SOLD 1983 Mercedes 300GD Gelandewagen G-Wagen. SOLD

[G-ER]

1983 Mercedes 300GD – 109454 km (approximately 68,011 miles). This vehicle is ready to go out and explore.

Engine: OM617 diesel (non-turbo) with power steering

Clear Colorado title in hand.

This Mercedes G-Wagen handles well on and off the road!



The good:

Over the past couple years, I have done a fair amount of maintenance to include:

- New radiator

- New fuel injectors

- New master brake cylinder

- New turn signals on front wings

- Valve adjustment

- New rubber brake lines on the front (4x total)

- New OEM steering damper

- Starts right away, hot or cold and runs very smoothly

- Like new Rhino Rack

- New shifting bushing kit

- New differential covers and gaskets

- New Differential drain plugs

- New V-belt

- New grill emblem



The bad:

The vehicle is clean and solid but has some rust around the body (see photos). Paint is all original and in very good original condition, some patina on the roof, and some paint chipping off due to body rust. Doors are solid with all functioning locks, windows, and latches with minor rust along the bottoms. Rear bumper could use a replacement. Fuel tank leaks when full which I believe is due to an old gasket on the top of the tank but haven’t been able to diagnose that further yet.



Asking $12,500. I’m happy to take photos of any other aspect of the vehicle if requested.

 

[otiswesty]

Hi, do you have a pic of the rear compartment with the cargo door open? A picture of the motor or engine compartment would be nice as well.

 

[G-ER]

Hi, do you have a pic of the rear compartment with the cargo door open? A picture of the motor or engine compartment would be nice as well.

Here are the pictures you requested. Thank you for your interest!

 

[RemoteSsh]

Hiya,

Had a "few" questions. Hows everything work on the car? I unfortunately live in Florida so A/C is always on my list of priorities, does it work? This is a four speed right? Do the diff lockouts work? How does it fare at highway speeds? I have a w123 300D with and it's a dog at anything over 75 but I'm used to it. I wager this one is a bit heavier tho!

Also just to get an idea of rust issues, I was wondering if you had any pictures of the undercarriage, inner tire wheel wells, and the floor boards underneath the mat?

 

[VinceAtReal4x4's]

As someone who is very familiar with this and the 300D W123 car, there is no comparison on the highway. The diesel 460 Gs tops out around 62mph, as a reasonable highway speed, and gets around 17-19mpg. It will go a little faster but not much, but you are really pushing it above 65.

I don't see AC components.

The rust repair is where you will spend time and money. There's no way around it, other than new panels, which are available from a few USA based sources.

 

[RemoteSsh]

As someone who is very familiar with this and the 300D W123 car, there is no comparison on the highway. The diesel 460 Gs tops out around 62mph, as a reasonable highway speed, and gets around 17-19mpg. It will go a little faster but not much, but you are really pushing it above 65.

I don't see AC components.

The rust repair is where you will spend time and money. There's no way around it, other than new panels, which are available from a few USA based sources.

I kinda figured as much on the top speed being a little lackluster, might be worth to scavenge a turbo off some of the wrecked w123s in a junkyard to eek out a little more power.

I'mn not too worried about rust repair, ive done some gutting in the past and while time consuming it's always left me with confidence in a car since you basically have to touch everything.

The AC imo is the biggest issue for me, this state is too damn hot. Do you have any experience with setting up ac in one of these? Googling around didn't real give me much hope other as most people were saying the cabin isn't amazingly sized for vintage air and mounting a compressor can be a bit of a challenge. I re-did the AC in my 300D but it was originally designed for it so it was more or less placing parts.

 

[G-ER]

RemoteSsh,

I'm sorry to say that this truck does not have A/C. This is indeed a four speed manual. Unfortunately, the diff locks have seized, I believe it's a linkage issue but I haven't investigated further. The mechanic that maintained the diffs said that everything inside appeared to be in good condition.
This truck will not perform quite like your 300D. (My son had a 240D that performed at highway speeds much better than this 300GD) It is a bit challenged in the mountains of Colorado. When climbing mountain passes I am limited to 3rd gear and about 45 mph. On the flats and down hill I can reach 60 without too much effort, just be patient!
To the best of my knowledge, the rest of the truck works fine. All lights work, including directionals. For some reason the passenger door lock is keyed different than the rest of the truck, but I have a key for that.
I'm gathering pictures now and I'll post them here soon.

 

[G-ER]

Requested photos can be viewed here:

15 new items by Mark Thuli

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[VinceAtReal4x4's]

Adding a turbo will shorten the life of the motor as that block was not designed for a turbo. The 617 and 617A are different in many ways internally. Regardless, a turbo will make little difference in top speed. I've had both. The top speed limit is gearing and power related. If you really want to go more than 65, you need to look at a (basically) 1990+model which will cost way more, or you swap in a 606 engine with an "Iron Box" 5 speed, which will be $10K+ in parts and work. There's no free lunch with these rigs. You either pay a lot or you deal with the fact that it's a 1970's euro designed 4x4 that is tougher than anything else on the road, but it's not fast nor cool (temperature wise).

The AC issue is a tough one. People have done the work but I'd personally not go through with it as the results aren't that great. AC on a 460 G was an afterthought.

The lockers are generally an easy fix. It's most likely the slave cylinders corroding from not being used. It's best to engage lockers once a month to keep them "lubed". The system is very simple and is exactly like your average clutch hydraulic system.