2000 Europa g500

[Canada G]

which g's have the long axles. I had once an unimog (firefighter) with fast axles, is that the same?

 

[Joe]

HI,

Unimog have Portal-axles, G's not. The rear axle of the G is as far as I know the same as they used for the transporters, e. g. 207.

 

[turnerc7]

having owned a 95... im a convert.

the electronic controls offered 2002 on are nothing to fear, and work great when your not locked up. wish i had em for icy snowy roads.

with the way the prices have dropped on the early 2002's on, theres no reason to invest in less technology, unless of course you WANT an older truck feel. that i comprehend. and frankly, you'll still get it with a newer one... this IS a live axle truck, and you will know it on crappy roads. dont expect IFS feel. i dont live wheres theres smooth tar, so i get to feel the difference every day.

make sure you get the dealer maint records and see whats been replaced. you'll find some doo dads quite spendy if they break on you.

i do wish i had the v8 and OD transmission, but if i was to "trade up" i wouldnt waste my time on a pre 2002. id get as new as i could afford, as they keep improving the truck.

big ticket items? prop shafts. name a shaft, its expensive. make sure they are in good order.
apparently window regulators. my back two clank... i live in fear. make sure you have recent ones, as, i guess they go.
check the lockers, by wheeling. mine "worked" when i got em, but i found on a hill they will fail if theres a vacuum leak or the booster pump goes. which i had. to top it off, the center is vacuum controled only and when it opens, the idiotic locker control board thinks you turned them off and it opens all the lockers. (im currently converting my system to a 461 style, since theres no advantage to that crap in my vintage).. vacuum pump. make sure it works.
you do not want a squeaky AC fan. it could be near death, is expensive, and is located close to china if you are digging into the dash.
ignition key steering/lock cylinder failure is an issue... make sure that feels right. i was lucky. mine froze off and i could extract everything and move the cylinder. others have dealt with worse.

i didnt have any rust issues so i cant tell you where to look there.

im sure theres more, its a used car. its as much the PO as anything, so good records are worth the price! happy shopping. dont rush in.

Hi Zimm,
thats all very good advice. A problem I have to work with is that Im in Southern California and as far as I know I can only have a 2000-2002 or pre 85. do you have any insight on that?

 

[Hafwit]

For CA you have to deal with several obstacles. To the best of my knowledge, the following is applicable. A pre-1975 vehicle is the only option to avoid smog testing. Diesel vehicles and firetrucks have some exceptions, but they are limited. Any non-US vehicle newer than 25 years old brought to the US needs to be federalized if it was not made to US-specifications--that is if it is to be used on the road. There are many vehicles that have come into the US that are questionably legal. Some states are more lenient than others, but CA is probably the worst. If they catch you with an illegal vehicle on the road, they can confiscate it. People often register vehicles illegally by using falsified data, and if they aren't caught, I suppose that works out, but if they are, then there can be considerable misery. Europa-imported vehicles that were brought in prior to MB-USA (2002) were federalized and made legal for all 50 states. Since all the G Wagens all came after 1975, the gassers must be smog tested. I'm not sure about the diesels.

Cheers,
Greg

 

[PCH]

Europa-imported vehicles that were brought in prior to MB-USA (2002) were federalized and made legal for all 50 states.

Not all, actually very few Europa/GWagen USA cars were CA certified.

 

[koly]

Not all, actually very few Europa/GWagen USA cars were CA certified.

BEFORE YOU BUY MAKE SURE you check the VIN with CA to see if it's a recognized, registered (or available to register) vehicle and save yourself huge headaches. Also make sure you get copies of all the documentation regarding federalization, importation, and federal approval for the vehicle.

I purchased a 2000 Europa G500 that had been registered in CA since 2000 and had even had a title transfer in CA. When I tried to register it in AZ, it was a bad dream bordering on a nightmare. The guys at G-WagenUSA helped out with some documentation, but ultimately what got me through the registration process was 2 things:
1. that it had been registered in CA for 10 years with 2 owners
2. A nice, understanding registration official in AZ who was able to cut through the red tape that took me 8 months to try to machete through on my own.

Sidenote: don't let the stories keep you from looking at an 02 or newer - just make sure you get a proper vehicle history from an owner that knows a bit about the vehicle (ie: they've engaged their diff locks on a semi-regular basis if only to make sure they're still functioning).

 

[delmartin]

Not all, actually very few Europa/GWagen USA cars were CA certified.

Are you sure about that?

 

[DUTCH]

Not all, actually very few Europa/GWagen USA cars were CA certified.

All the G500's were, as were many of the others.