Newbie here seeking perspective from seasoned G folks!
This buy is for my wife and the G will be a lightly used vehicle for her as she has an Audi RS eTron GT that is her primary daily -- but she wants an ICE vehicle too for her occasional longer work trips as the Audi gives her bigtime range anxiety. I was shocked that with the impending significant changes in the '25 G that we cannot find something near MSRP in a '24 (again I am a newbie)-- so my thought was to get her a '22-'23 CPO G to get something near MSRP with low miles. I hate to spend the $25K extra on a '24 now (that we can't Order as we want anyway this late) and then have her turn around when the new G comes out and want to spend the $50-75k ADM and order a new one. The dilemma is she does not want to wait as she needs the ICE vehicle so we have to do something. Does my thought make any sense or no? I figure a used '24 will drop to msrp levels fairly quickly due to the new '25 but that may also be misplaced due to my lack of experience with the Gs--though if true that would also affect the resale of any CPO we buy.

Am I merely saving $25K and buying someone else's problem with a used one of these? I'm a Porsche guy for my fun stuff so the ADMs are not unusual but my daily is a lowly 7 yr old second Gen F-150 Raptor so I'm a Cheapskate at heart too. Any thoughts are welcome.

 

I'd either wait for a 2025 or buy a 2019 CPO and then trade it in for the 2025.

I daily a 11 year old Toyota Sienna and my wife drives a 2019 G63 and 2021 Panamera Turbo S Executive. We had a 2019 G550 and if you're looking for super smooth daily, that's a better choice than the G63.

 

Has your wife driven a G or she just likes the way it looks? "Longer work trips" for range sounds like 300+ miles one way, and the G isn't the best use there in my mind--it's much better around town. With that said plenty here use their G's on the highway all the time, but I wouldn't buy a G primarily for long highway use.

Concerning the market, the 25's will likely reset some ADM's higher and there will still be a wait, so many will decide to get a 24 instead, so values will likely stay somewhat afloat.

 

It is clearly the aesthetic and cool factor that is driving her desire. I can't really make too much noise there as I would be a total hypocrite based on some of my own purchases. But after reading more on the characteristics of the G shared on here--it does seem THE WORST choice for her intended use. I have shared the very practical 'rolling brick not being the best highway cruiser' theme to her from reading on here and she is definitely now wondering a bit more what she is in for there. I told her it sounds like the G would be great around town but not for what she is considering. The only one locally for sale is a couple year old G550 at an MB dealer so we plan to take it on the highway during a test drive so she can assess that at least a tiny bit. I think her next play will be OK lets get the G for local use and dump that depreciated mess of an EV and look for another ICE for highway use lol. I can't complain...my wife is an absolute workhorse executive and has been throughout our marriage so I count myself lucky to have such a great partner. I wasn't so lucky the first time around

 

Have you considered the Urus, Bentayga or Cayenne Turbo GT?

 

Sounds like a plan—looking forward to hearing what you all think after the test drive.

 

In a way--yes to a couple of those. We have an absolutely car crazy neighbor who constantly brings in the best stuff to rotate in and out of his collection--bear in mind we live in a part of the world where we would otherwise NEVER see most of what he has. The Urus he bought was stunning and i of course came home from walking the dogs gaga about the latest car **** around the corner. He more recently bought some kind of Aston Martin SUV as well (sorry i do not know what model it is). His wife took my bride for a drive in the Urus several months ago. My wife is not a car person per se except that she does have strong opinions about what interests her--her response about the Urus was that yes it was 'neat' but that "it looks just like the Buick Envista" one of her employees bought. I had to look the car up as I had NO clue what she was talking about --google it yourself and you will see that there is uncanny merit in the comparison from the mind of a woman who just is not terribly tuned into that world. I laughed out loud when i saw the Envista as there is a rudimentary resemblance. Fortunately, she had the self awareness not to mention this to the neighbor. We did see a Cayenne Turbo GT that our local P dealer had and again my wife lumped it into the generic SUV category as i babbled on about the giant PCCBs and performance numbers. I can tell you she feels VERY differently about the G. She expresses that there is nothing else to her that looks remotely similar --and that has always been her main criteria in cars (hence the Audi RS etron GT she chose). She likes quirky and unique while performance or most other objective criteria is a distant second. She was for a period of time ten years ago infatuated with those silly Toyota FJ Cruisers--which I couldn't stand--but she loved because they were so oddball. Not sure what all that says about her picking me...but I try not to go there.

 

the reason why the ‘24 are still commanding a premium is because the changes are NOT significant and many G owners including myself who was on the earliest allocation list opted to wait a year or two after seeing the lack of changes from the ‘24 to ‘25 model… in fact, some changes are a negative including the removal of the IWC watch which was a very expensive staple of the g63 and the mild hybrid system is not desirable. A few other pluses and minuses. I don’t in-vision that ADMs will go away for the last of the ICE model. In fact, even prior models still hold value.

In fact, a key reason why the G values through time hold value is because MB makes sure every new model is somewhat similar to outgoing models…

 

You might want to consider checking BAT from time to time since there have been some nice G Wagons recently.

The market seems to be adjusting downward a bit so it might appeal to your "Cheapskate" side.

A couple of examples:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...cedes-amg-g63/

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...s-amg-g63-amg/

 

Buying a '20-'23 CPO isn't a bad decision, but it sounds like finding one in your market might not be very easy. I'm guessing you are in a smaller market area for that type of vehicle, so you might have to shop outside your market to find the right one. Paying ADM on a '24 is a bit more of a gamble in terms of long term depreciation. If only we all had a crystal ball...

As you have pointed out to your wife, the G63 isn't exactly the "best" choice for a highway vehicle (aerodynamics of a brick, and flat windshield that is a magnet for rocks), but it can certainly be comfortable "enough" for most normal sized people (ie, not over 6' tall or so). There are certainly more comfortable, fuel efficient options for highway cruising, but I agree with your wife that having something more unique is an important part of enjoying the car ownership experience.

I like the Urus interior, but agree the exterior looks like a Lexus SUV, or a Pontiac Aztek. I understand what they were going for, but you really have to do some work to make them look right (widebody, aggressive wheel offset, etc.).

I might suggest a couple year old CPO Aston Martin DBX707 if you can find one for the right price. They were nearly $300K new, but can be found in the high $170-$190K range now. Wicked fast, very comfortable, and probably a better highway driver than the G Wagon. However, finding service in your area might be an issue. Admittedly, a Mercedes is likely a more reliable choice...

 

I agree with the Butcher wholeheartedly - especially on the Aston Martin DBX707. Just make sure you get a pre-owned one as it will be a temporary vehicle to tie your wife over until the new 2025 G63 is available. I had considered getting the 707 before I went with the G63. The 707 has the same AMG engine but tuned to a higher level of performance, and has a beautiful low-keyed exterior design. The dealbreaker for me was when I found out an AM will lose approximately 30%-40% of its value the moment you drive it off the lot. I never understood why AM has such a high level of accelerated depreciation, but it just does - unless you are talking about AM's that are >25 years old, which are obviously highly desired by classic car collectors. As such, it is definitely not a car I would hold on to for the long term.

Good luck with your decision.