Hey Expedition Folks,
As a complete novice I wanted to document and share my journey, and also learn from the collective wisdom of all the people that make this community great.
About me: I spent the first 30 years of my life in Ohio. I grew up on a farm until I was 14. My Dad is an incredibly capable mechanic, electrician, welder and all around engineering problem solver. I am going to refer to myself as novice, but I did have a hands on upbringing around tools and machinery.
How the off-roading & overlanding bug bit me: I moved to Colorado 7 years ago, and made friends with a crew of people that I would call automobile enthusiasts. While I don't have the interest to race vehicles like they do, I did find a connection through the outdoors. On a trip to Moab we rented some side by sides and hit up the trails and rock crawling routes that Moab is famous for. That experience was the catalyst.
Why a G Wagen?: I've got a few reasons and you can be the judge of how good or stupid they are. The group I would mostly be traveling with didn't want any duplicate vehicles in the crew, because we are eccentric like that. The crew desperately wanted me to go with a Samurai, and I was on-board with this idea. I was also interested in a Delica, having almost gone the van life route prior to buying a house. I mentioned my adoration for the look of G-classes, and asked my friends if they were capable. I received a volley of good natured ribbing about the stigma that came with them, and Mercedes owners in general. Despite all that baggage, they all agreed they are incredibly capable stock. I looked up their specs, and was happy to see they had an automatic transmission. This is an important detail for two reasons. First, I don't really enjoy driving a manual. Second, I wanted my partner to be able to drive and enjoy it as well. Bonus reason, my partner has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Germany so that connection is worth something in my mind (even though they are built in Austria).
Buying journey: I turned my search to G-wagens and quickly lost a bidding war on Bring a trailer for a 1995 Turbo Diesel model that had the most gaudy red leather interior. I found a 2003 G500 in Houston Texas, and took it for a ride. This was my first time ever setting foot in one. I was instantly sold. I loved the visibility, the upright driving position, the massive amount of headroom, the sound and feel on the road, and of course the solid and heavy doors. The owner pointed out the flaws, such as failed power lock and window switches he had to replace and the useless cup holder that attaches to the arm rest. The owner was a great guy and he let me get in the dirt and engage the lockers and feel it on something other than tarmac. I slept on it, and landed on a price. I went to the bank to do a wire transfer, and was hoping by about 4pm I would be the proud new owner. Instead I got a call from my bank saying the transfer failed. I contacted the seller and found out I had transposed the last 2 digits in the transfer details. I'd have to wait till the next day to redo the transfer. Later that evening I fall into my standard routine of looking at my autotempest search results across all the craigslist cities, and to my surprise there was a new listing. It was for a 2005 G55 that had 80,000 fewer miles than the one I was planning on buying, and it was 'only' $7,000 more. I look to see where it's located, and my stomach sinks, because I see that it is in Honolulu. I instantly Google "shipping a vehicle from Hawaii", and much to my surprise find that it only costs about $800 to get it to Los Angeles. I call the dealership in Hawaii that posted it, and they were beyond helpful in doing a video call to walk me through it. They were totally willing to help ship it to the main land. They sent me the vehicle history report, and what I found in it helped me make up my mind. It had originally been sold in Colorado, went to Ohio for a few years, and then to Hawaii where it has been for the last two years. I felt a kinship with it, since we had lived in the same places. It didn't hurt that the AMG upgrade also gave it Turbo (good for Colorado elevation) a good bit more HP and Torque, and generally made it more unique/rare. Near the end of January 2021 I bought a one way ticket to LAX. With Covid in full swing the ticket was only $37, and there were 12 people on my 5am flight out of Colorado. With two masks on and plenty of hand sanitizer I got to the dock and finally get to see the beauty in person. As a bonus it came with a Journey greatest hits CD!
As a complete novice I wanted to document and share my journey, and also learn from the collective wisdom of all the people that make this community great.
About me: I spent the first 30 years of my life in Ohio. I grew up on a farm until I was 14. My Dad is an incredibly capable mechanic, electrician, welder and all around engineering problem solver. I am going to refer to myself as novice, but I did have a hands on upbringing around tools and machinery.
How the off-roading & overlanding bug bit me: I moved to Colorado 7 years ago, and made friends with a crew of people that I would call automobile enthusiasts. While I don't have the interest to race vehicles like they do, I did find a connection through the outdoors. On a trip to Moab we rented some side by sides and hit up the trails and rock crawling routes that Moab is famous for. That experience was the catalyst.
Why a G Wagen?: I've got a few reasons and you can be the judge of how good or stupid they are. The group I would mostly be traveling with didn't want any duplicate vehicles in the crew, because we are eccentric like that. The crew desperately wanted me to go with a Samurai, and I was on-board with this idea. I was also interested in a Delica, having almost gone the van life route prior to buying a house. I mentioned my adoration for the look of G-classes, and asked my friends if they were capable. I received a volley of good natured ribbing about the stigma that came with them, and Mercedes owners in general. Despite all that baggage, they all agreed they are incredibly capable stock. I looked up their specs, and was happy to see they had an automatic transmission. This is an important detail for two reasons. First, I don't really enjoy driving a manual. Second, I wanted my partner to be able to drive and enjoy it as well. Bonus reason, my partner has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Germany so that connection is worth something in my mind (even though they are built in Austria).
Buying journey: I turned my search to G-wagens and quickly lost a bidding war on Bring a trailer for a 1995 Turbo Diesel model that had the most gaudy red leather interior. I found a 2003 G500 in Houston Texas, and took it for a ride. This was my first time ever setting foot in one. I was instantly sold. I loved the visibility, the upright driving position, the massive amount of headroom, the sound and feel on the road, and of course the solid and heavy doors. The owner pointed out the flaws, such as failed power lock and window switches he had to replace and the useless cup holder that attaches to the arm rest. The owner was a great guy and he let me get in the dirt and engage the lockers and feel it on something other than tarmac. I slept on it, and landed on a price. I went to the bank to do a wire transfer, and was hoping by about 4pm I would be the proud new owner. Instead I got a call from my bank saying the transfer failed. I contacted the seller and found out I had transposed the last 2 digits in the transfer details. I'd have to wait till the next day to redo the transfer. Later that evening I fall into my standard routine of looking at my autotempest search results across all the craigslist cities, and to my surprise there was a new listing. It was for a 2005 G55 that had 80,000 fewer miles than the one I was planning on buying, and it was 'only' $7,000 more. I look to see where it's located, and my stomach sinks, because I see that it is in Honolulu. I instantly Google "shipping a vehicle from Hawaii", and much to my surprise find that it only costs about $800 to get it to Los Angeles. I call the dealership in Hawaii that posted it, and they were beyond helpful in doing a video call to walk me through it. They were totally willing to help ship it to the main land. They sent me the vehicle history report, and what I found in it helped me make up my mind. It had originally been sold in Colorado, went to Ohio for a few years, and then to Hawaii where it has been for the last two years. I felt a kinship with it, since we had lived in the same places. It didn't hurt that the AMG upgrade also gave it Turbo (good for Colorado elevation) a good bit more HP and Torque, and generally made it more unique/rare. Near the end of January 2021 I bought a one way ticket to LAX. With Covid in full swing the ticket was only $37, and there were 12 people on my 5am flight out of Colorado. With two masks on and plenty of hand sanitizer I got to the dock and finally get to see the beauty in person. As a bonus it came with a Journey greatest hits CD!
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