Grey in the USA: 1995 Mercedes-Benz G320 Gelaendewagen 5-Door

This G-Wagen was imported and converted when new by Europa International of Santa Fe, NM. It has an astounding 294,050 miles on it's original engine, and the transmission was replaced after 280,000 miles. For all that driving the truck looks brand new. I've seen plenty of low-mileage Mercedes' that didn't hold up so well. These were built in Graz, Austria at the Puch factory, mainly for military and police duty, so I would assume that's why the level of build quality differs from that of the standard civilian-spec MB models.

Europa was the sole importer of pre-2002 Gelaendewagens, and their website history tells that they began the process back in 1983, but the government put a stop to "casual importation" in 1987, causing them to begin the process of certifying the car with the EPA and DOT. By 1993 and after a half million dollars and 5 years worth of testing they were finally allowed to start selling European G-Wagens in the US again. In 1997 they began testing the new V8 G500 model, which took a further two years and $1 million to get approved. Mercedes-Benz apparently bought the distribution rights to the G500 from Europa in 2002 and so finally became the official source of their own product in this country, and Europa continues to provide support to pre-2001 G-Wagens.

The G-Wagen has become a symbol of trendy extravagance because of it's ludicrous price, and it's a shame because it's a very capable off-roader and a surprisingly comfortable and pleasant on-road vehicle. I don't usually like trucks and SUVs, but I love the G-Wagen's driving position. It's not as large as some other lux SUVs (rear legroom isn't great), but it has a massive trunk. This car, with just one day left on the eBay ad, has been bid to $9,300 r.n.m. Considering a new one costs over $100,000 in 2009, I'd say that even if it needs a new engine soon it's a good buy around that price. The seller lists videos as well on his website, which I love to see in car ads.