Hi Guys,
1st post here, been lurking for a few weeks.

I need expert advice regarding a 02 G500 I intend to buy.
This is my 1st MB and been dreaming of owning such a vehicle for a long time and life is too short not to make your dreams comes true.

I can wrench pretty much anything and are very mechanically inclined and well equipped to do such work. Would do 100% of service/repairs myself

Looking for a daily driver and plan to keep it 10+ yrs

Here is the details

02 G500 from Canada
135K miles V8 Auto
Been garaged (not used) for the last 8yrs (but engine started each months since)
Always been serviced at MB (see service reports)
He's asking $30K

Any recommendations / things to check ?
Any alarm bells going off by looking at the pics below (specifically underbelly pics) ?

https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ak4BimC0ysVHqDlh...Hxpl']G500

I'm asking advice because I need to completely cross the country (like NY to LA) to look at it (fly in-out + train shipping) so better be safe than sorry even given only the cost to go see it in person. I am not that wealthy and making a bad decision is not really an option.

Truck will be inspected (pre-purchase) at MB in a few days. I'll reply with the inspection report later.

I really dig those older G500 for their reliability and their relative simplicity. Would much prefer a stout older car than the modern vehicles with all their fancy gadgets and electronics that no DIY'er can repair.

Let me know your thoughts please.
THANKS GUYS (n Gals)
Bye, Jason

 

Do some research on this section of the forum on rust. Would be the first thing that triggered a bell with it being a Canadian truck.

From the photos it looks pretty good and I skimmed the records and looks like they cared for the vehicle.

Never saw a headliner like that. I re-did mine in black suede, I'd check for stains up there, hard to tell in the pics. Also looks like there are missing pieces on the a-pillars (but that could be the year and the headliner option in Canada)

Have your mech check all three settings of the transfer case, the swivel bearings look like mine I have 80k on a 2008 G55, but do a lot of towing. And they don't look too "off".

Also look to the guys at https://clubgwagen.com/ to get super prescriptive feedback.

I fully built my G55 and love it. You'll love the right truck!

Good luck

 

Here is the MB Pre-purchase inspection report done yesterday (With an A and B Service done at the same time)
+ Estimated work to do following pre-purchase inspection
+ the Carfax (in French) which is clean except a dog collision (bumper replaced) and 2 windshields

Inspection, Work to do and Carfax G500 2002

Any comments are welcome.
Next step is to fly completely across the country to see it for real.

Thanks for the cues !
Bye, Jason

 

Several notes for me:
1. The 2 reported accidents would make this a no-go for me. There arent that many details on how the repair was done, but if inspection in the crashed areas reveal little to no lasting damage (all panels replaced correctly), then this may not be a worry.
2. Valve cover gaskets leaking is expected, and the total repair price isn't terrible. At the same time, you should replace all 16 spark plugs and plug wires since you're in there anyway.
3. Skip replacing the shocks at the dealer. You can DIY or have a local do it with Bilstein B4 (~$200/each) or an array of aftermarket for a much better price than their OEM cost (~$1k/each).
4. Leaking front diff - Make sure it's the diff - good chance the lockers have never been used (definitely not in the past 8 years), but that would mean at least a full fluid flush and a check of all the lines
5. I don't see any notes about rust and/or undercoating on the car. This is super important.
6. I don't see any notes on common rust areas on the G - should all be easy to spot and document (as in, any significant rust around the windshield, or anywhere, you shouldn't even bother going out to see it)

- The undercarriage pictures from the first link don't look too bad. Surface rust is normal, but there are so few pictures it's hard to gauge.
- Swivel ***** look to be leaking - lots of build up gunk in that area. Either it's never cleaned, or the seals are going out
- At this age, and having sat for so long, you'll probably have to replace all the rubber bushings/ball joints. If you DIY, you're looking at ~$1k in parts and many many hours. If a shop does it, think maybe $3k.
- Tires are probably well older than 8 years so will most likely have to be replaced. The look like BFG KO's or KO2's so you may be able to squeeze a little more life out of them. 8mm vs 12mm when new tread depth

Is the price $30k USD or CAD? Both are pretty good for early G's in this market. Miles are right in line with what an average 2002 would have.
Since you're the DIY type and want to keep this forever, it may be a good candidate. RUST is your biggest enemy and I would stay away from any large amount of rust.
You'll also need a good collection of larger tools to work on the G. Not many specialty tools are needed though which is good. Having a lift will make work of removing wheels much much easier, but can be done with jack stands and a 3-4ton jack.
Air tools (or good electric tools) are must to break some of the suspension bolts free (basically everything is 24mm)
A dry place to work on this is definitely important - in a garage if possible. A lot of jobs will take longer than1 day and there will be plenty of 'while you were in there' things to take care of, like treating surface rust.

Either way, good luck. Post over on the ClubGWagon forums also.

 

Hi Shiann,
Thanks a LOT for your reply. It's nice to see the MB forums are active.
The truck has only 1 incident which was a dog being hit in the front center of the bumper (that had been replaced). The 2 other items are windshield replacements.
Truck is $29KUSD (so around 40K Cad) but buyer is ok to drop the price after seeing the inspection report.
ODO Mileage is in KM so 214K kms = 133K Miles

For the rear shocks, yes Bilstein are what I would do
Tires are K02 from 2018

The other thing It's ok no big deal if it's only flush fluids and maintenance things.
As far as tools I'm pretty well set up with an indoor garage, lift, full array of Milwaukee tools, welders, lathe mill, etc. Not much I can't do myself nowadays.

I'm going to ask close inspection for rust around the common areas (windshield, sunroof, rear section, top of rear shocks...) before flying in to see it.
This is my only main concern because all the rest is pretty much ok with me. The electrical gremlins are common on these but It's well documented.

I'll keep you up if I end up buying the truck !

 

If they do get the truck up in the air, it would be good to check the wheels for any non-steering angular deflection. Try rocking the wheels perpendicular to the steering direction. Any movement here could be wear on the Kingpin bearings or wheel bearings, which are quite the involved repair.

You can google W463 Axel repair/bearing replacement, etc. It's quite involved and more than I would DIY (which has been everything so far). I checked at a reputable G Indy in the NYC area, a full axle service with bearing replacement, seal replacement, is upwards of $4k. (Just something to look out for).

Being this G has been serviced it's whole life at the dealer is a good sign that they may have kept up on fluid change intervals and caught any premature wear issues.

For shocks, I would skip the OE Bilstein B4 replacements and just go with something designed to be more comfortable, like the Koni Raid. I haven't had them personally but have heard great things. I went with Fox 2.0's and they're fine, but probably not worth 2x the cost of the Koni's since I'm rarely off road.

2018 KO2's should last you a good while. Did the PO put on used wheels from another truck? How did they wear down ~4mm of tread with 0 miles in the last 8 years? Not really a concern, just a head scratcher.

The headliner is an early G headliner (pre 2002), which IMO is a batter looking material. The rest of the interior looks pretty clean and should be a good starting point for whatever your plans are. I've over on ClubG as well as I saw your post. A good amount more traffic over there for the older models.

 

Thanks again Shiann for the numerous cues. Its nice to see active owners helping future ones !
I will look up for the wheel / axle play myself if I end up flying in to see it.

Waiting for a common rust areas report from the owner.

As far as the K02 wear they bought them new in 2018 I have the invoice. Maybe the stealership wrote a few mm less to try to sell some tires ?

Headliner is also something others have mentionned in the gwagen forum. You say its not oem from 2002 ? Maybe the canadian 2002 had this one ? Unless its sagging (which doesnt look it is strangely for a 2002) the material used is no big deal for me. I initially looked at 94-ish G320 with the plaid fabric interior so anything more luxurious is ok also.

See ya ! Jason

 

I have the exact same car as you (2002 silver/black imported from Canada to USA) and can confirm that my headliner is the same; it’s the gray textured fabric. I bought my car with around the same mileage and am right under 150k right now.

As for reliability, I would say go for it as long as you can afford the occasional money for parts and have the patience to tinker with maintenance issues. The car has never left me stranded except for the one time where the fuel pump went kaput. Other than that the g wagon has been pretty reliable. Right after I got the car I spent around $5k on a major service (belt plugs, brake pads / rotors, fluids, etc) and some repairs (fuel pump, and a few other small things) at an Indy who is familiar with g wagons; now I’m good to go for another 100k miles. The only other things that have popped up were 2 window regulars that went bad.

Most of the maintenance issues will be “minor” things like window regulators, door locks, electrical glitches, etc. I classify those things as minor because I came from owning many European cars (Porsche, jaguar) and have a fairly high tolerance for repairs/inconvenience. I’d say I’ve spent an average of $1.5k/yr over my last 4 years of ownership. I don’t have any work space so I had to have my Indy do the work. If I was able to do most of the labor that amount would be cut in half, so not too bad for what many people would call an “expensive” and “unreliable” car.

One thing to be careful of with these Canadian imports is emissions testing. I’m in WA state where they no longer test, but when I had to do my last test we couldn’t get it to pass. If you’re in a state like CA or somewhere else where they take emissions seriously make sure that there are no codes or lights on the dash.

 

Oh, and $30k is a pretty decent deal if the car checks out. I paid $31k 4 years ago. I probably overpaid by a few $k but the car was clean and also had g63 wheels.

 

@rallye_racer Here is one that you might want to consider:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/26584526913...z-G500_2022-08
https://germancarsforsaleblog.com/20...des-benz-g500/

 

I would not buy a 2002. , they have a lot of rust issues and electronic issues ,the were badly painted and prepped from the factory . 30USd is way to much imho.i just sold my 02 ,it was really a piece of crap listed it a 40CAN and after 3 months lowered it to 27UDS . just got a 2011 G550. it drive 100x better . purist say the old transmission is better , It might be offload but on the road no comparison .

 

Rust rust rust!

Other members are definitely more knowledgeable (shiann, for example) about mechanical issues. That said I've spent A LOT of time figuring out how to prevent rust on these trucks. You want to check every square inch of this truck for rust. If the dealer wont do that for you, don't bother IMO. Even minor rust issues can cost big $$$ to repair. Sometimes you can treat the rust with penetrating oil which will stop the progression, but that's only feasible if you can access the underlying sheetmetal. For example, I discovered rust on the windscreen surround of my G at the start of Covid. I applied liberal amounts of rust inhibiting oil underneath the windscreen seal which kept the rust from progressing for 18 months before I finally had it repaired.

Also, you'll want a very thorough inspection of the frame and all components. I've been slowly rustproofing mine and even after hours underneath the truck, I always manage to find one more spot that I either didn't previously coat or an area of surface corrosion that I missed previously. The crossmembers tend to develop corrosion both inside and out. If you do fly down make sure to let the dealership know ahead of time that you want the truck on a lift and you want to take your time inspecting it. Again, if they say "no", don't bother. You need to understand what kind of potential repair costs you're looking at - could be nothing, or it could run multiple thousands of dollars...perhaps even more.

If you do purchase this G I can go over with you all the rust mitigation techniques that I have learned.

 

Excellent, thanks a lot for the cues ! Yes rust can be a nightmare and I will k walk away from any G rusted more than it should.

 

I'd echo the rust on pre -2005's being a much more common issue..... we initially we looking to do a 500 to replace our rear-ended G63 but that and the HP led us to look at later 55's... a bit more $ on the front end but over time.....
And I'd concur on the Raid's as a great bang for the buck and respect Jack for steering to them, when I was tempted to do another set of Fox's ....they really have exceeeded expectations.

E

 

Hi Guys,
I asked the seller to check common rust areas and this are the pics he sent me.

Any opinions / toughts is welcome

https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ak4BimC0ysVHqEquFS3-Lsp22gYh

Thanks, Jason

 

Looks like it wasn't garaged....does the sunroof leak or work correctly, that gasket is spent and looks to have bubbled paint...

 

Still need close ups of the following:
1. under the tail lights
2. all around the front windshield
3. under all 5 doors
4. top of all 5 doors
5. rear spring perches
6. side step brackets (under)
7. pictures of any bubbling paint (anywhere)


The sunroof gasket is on its last legs.
The paint crack around the rear passenger tail light is concerning - may have been in a small fender bender

Overall it doesn't look bad for the price. There will be work to done, but as long as the rust isn't bad, it is probably still a good value since you plan to slowly work on everything yourself.

 

I'd pass. Did a quick search and found some other similar candidates.

This truck is in St. George UT, I'm actually staying one night there on a cross country drive from LA to Nebraska to pick up a 87 911 and towing it back w my G55.

https://renuauto.com/2002-mercedes-benz-g500/

There are a lot more candidates out there, I'd spend some time and bump budget up a bit and look for a car in a drier salt free state here in the US.

-Ian

 

that looks clean - and I'd agree with taking your time and being willing to travel...... if there are any in TX or VA I'm back and forth and happy to at least puts eyes on and know a few shops for PPI's... while I'm not nearly as capable mechanically much of the maint can be done, but we did get surprised by the tranny on ours a few weeks into owning her...... didn't show up in the PPI nor act up until it went into limp mode.... painful check to write but we used it as a chance to get it built up by Southern Outlaws to handle a bit more power we plan to add .. that said I wouldn't of wanted to do that if I had a 80% truck and wasn't planning a long term hold. Are looking to build it up or just as a DD ?

E

 

Hi Guys,

I got 2 videos from the seller this morning

Here is the link to see them.

https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ak4BimC0ysVHqFmn...Me06e?e=iBcccG

I'm really interested to know the experts opinions / thoughts as I am probably going to make an offer today on it.

In regards to the last link I sent with the detailed pics, the sunroof is not leaking and works as it should. The only major place I saw rust is on the RH of the rear RH tail light (you can see the paint is cracked) Other than that it's still a 20yo truck in the end.


Will let you know if I end up with the G !

Bye, Jason

 

IMO, overall it looks pretty good. minimal rust on the major spots and the condition looks normal for a 20year old G.

 

a bit more asking $ but lot's to be gained in more modern interior and likely southern background...I know a good Houston PPI shop if useful.

https://houston.craigslist.org/wto/d...523867712.html

E

 

Hi guys, I will soon be part of the G owners group !
The truck has been bought for $32KCAD ($23500USD) I think I got a fair deal.

Now to cross the country completely to bring it home !

 

Nice buy. Under 25k USD is a pretty good deal, even pre-pandemic pricing. This example looks like a pretty good example being 20 years old, and should be a good base for a long term project car.

Happy motoring!

 

What year was it? Links dead but curious what interior you find more modern, 2009-12 or 13+