alexoE55

Want to get a g500 gasoline for south america... The 2002-2003 with 60k/miles 100K/km are about 40,000$ the 2008 are between 75,000$ to 80,000$ for same mileage...

The interior is alot nice for the 2008 but I can always change the steering wheel and the command gps doesnt work here therefore I would probably get a piooner anyway and plug an aftermarket back up camera...

is the engine and all the components the same? reliability? because if its the same car aside from some aesthetic changes I will get a 2002-2003 and use 10k for sound and other mods and keep the 30k to enjoy life down here for a whole year.

thanx in advance for you feedback

Lbg500

I am in Miami as well. Nice to see a local MB enthusiast on the message boards. I would say unless you are getting a warranty with the 2008, and plan to use the warranty, go with the 2002-2003. The money you save by buying the older one will not approach the newer, even with some major repairs. From what I have heard, the newer ones just get more and more complicated to work on and are more difficult to modify, like adding trailer hitches etc. I have a 2007 and the only reason I went with newer was because the MB certified warranty. 2007 also has the 7 speed trans and Xenon lights and I use mine for a lot of long drives. For your purpose, I am not sure if the warranty will work in South America anyway. Best of luck!

Lbg500

btw the gps will suck no matter what. I have the DVD based NAV and I use my phone ALL of the time and occasionally use the map function on MB command system. So even with the 2008, you will probably want an aftermarket modern NAV unit.