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So i've been lurking around this section for a little while asking questions and generally learning about the GL diesels. I was planning to get one by the end of this year or maybe even next year to replace my XC90. Well, I came across the perfect truck a lot sooner than I thought and didn't waste time.
2008 GL320 CDI Silver on black with appearance package.
P2 pack, tow pack - were requirements for me.
One owner, 94k miles. EVERYTHING was done at the dealer, down to changing bulbs, wipers, and refilling windshield washer fluid. Ran the dealer service history and it was packed with maintenance items, yet nothing major was fixed.
Body is immaculate, interior is very clean. Really, I was hard pressed to find a scratch on it anywhere.
BIG THANKS to BHA here on the forum for helping me out through the process and advising on the purchase. Big help!
Look forward to doing own work and maintenance, and being active here on the forum!
18s which I prefer for towing. They are not the best looking wheels but function over form. In the future I may pick up AMG 22s as I always loved them, but that would require fender flares for the right look.
I ended up with 19" (because that is what this one had).
It certainly increases the tire cost and decreases the choices.
I would have been happy with 18's (The other one I was looking at had 18's).
I don't care much for the big-wheel/thin tire look (or ride, or cost) on an SUV.
19's are still enough sidewall for towing.
19s are absolutely fine for towing. I would be happy with 19s as well.
I always had a thing for the 22s so they will haunt me until i get them. But not sure i want to go through swapping wheels every time i have to tow. We'll see.
First of all, congrats on the truck! Didn't realize you had actually bought it as our last PM was left at the point of you being really close to purchasing it but not finalized. So congrats!
Second, if you're going to tow just leave the 18 or 19" rims on it. They're great for towing and the 22's will be more expensive to replace and bumpier.
I have 19's and they're the perfect combo for ride/handling/towing.
22's look great until you start driving long distances and want a comfortable truck. Airmatic will only take care of so much.. you'll feel the potholes with 22's for sure!
Love the 22's on my truck. Haven't had any issue in the 100,000+ miles I've been running them. The 22" tires were considerably less than the 19" tires. At the time I made the switch, the 22's were around half the cost.
First of all, congrats on the truck! Didn't realize you had actually bought it as our last PM was left at the point of you being really close to purchasing it but not finalized. So congrats!
Second, if you're going to tow just leave the 18 or 19" rims on it. They're great for towing and the 22's will be more expensive to replace and bumpier.
I have 19's and they're the perfect combo for ride/handling/towing.
22's look great until you start driving long distances and want a comfortable truck. Airmatic will only take care of so much.. you'll feel the potholes with 22's for sure!
Thank you and for all your help! I went back on the weekend and scooped it up. It was just a very good truck to pass it up.
22s would be just for daily driving. Would swap 18s for towing. But yeah, that may be too much hassle and I will just keep 18s.
Love the 22's on my truck. Haven't had any issue in the 100,000+ miles I've been running them. The 22" tires were considerably less than the 19" tires. At the time I made the switch, the 22's were around half the cost.
That is actually interesting. Usually the bigger the size, the more expensive the tires are.
19" is just a weird truck tire size. 20's are cheaper as are the 22's. If you really want to go cheap, you can get a set of 22's for around $500 delivered to your door. I run 305/40/22 Goodyears and they were less than $650 to my door.
It is supply and demand. The small market for 19's means fewer manufacturers will make fewer tires and the smaller the choice the more the price tends to be.
Good to know. Now I have 18s anyway so not a concern.
I do have two questions:
1) The iPod/iPhone cable is broken. Anyone knows how to replace it? I guess better question is how to take apart the glove compartment area to replace it.
2) What are the bluetooth options for phone integration? I see that one option is OEM puck but are there any other better aftermarket options?
Take off the dash bottom cover on the passage side and removing the glove box becomes fairly easy.
While you are down there, you might want to do a mod, I have found very helpful.
The power outlet under the dash is always on.
I added a switch and a relay so I can have it always on, or follow the ignition.
I used the power form the glove box light as the sense lead for the relay to follow ignition.
Now I don't have to turn on and off the radar detector.
BT options include the factory puck ($100 on ebay) (so-so) and an aftermarket puck (expensive) (Supposedly better)
Cheers. Will find the cable itself then try to take the glovebox apart. Good point on the power outlet! I plan to hardwire the detector in but still a mod worth doing.
I also have a '08 GL320 CDI silver on black. It came with 19's and I installed 22" Vossen wheels with 305 tires. These heavy wheels & wide tires killed my gas mileage. Then I switched to 20" AMG GL550 replica wheels with 285 tires. I got most of my gas mileage back and the OEM look without the high 21" tire cost.
I also have a '08 GL320 CDI silver on black. It came with 19's and I installed 22" Vossen wheels with 305 tires. These heavy wheels & wide tires killed my gas mileage. Then I switched to 20" AMG GL550 replica wheels with 285 tires. I got most of my gas mileage back and the OEM look without the high 21" tire cost.
Not really a fan of replica wheels but see your point. Do you have a picture of the 20" wheels?
I also have a '08 GL320 CDI silver on black. It came with 19's and I installed 22" Vossen wheels with 305 tires. These heavy wheels & wide tires killed my gas mileage. Then I switched to 20" AMG GL550 replica wheels with 285 tires. I got most of my gas mileage back and the OEM look without the high 21" tire cost.
I lost around 1.5 mpg when I went to 305/40/22's. The rims are forged so they are very light. Yeah, I noticed the huge dip in mpgs too.
Hi guys! So I currently own a 2009 c350 sedan. My wife and I are expecting our first born and figured we should get a bigger car. I was doing some homework and correct me if Im wrong but it looks like t the gl320 cdi gets the same if not better mpg than my c350. I found one on craigslist through a dealer for under $20k but it has 178,645 mi on it. Here's the link http://sacramento.craigslist.org/ctd/4644648989.html please let me know what you guys think.
Hi guys! So I currently own a 2009 c350 sedan. My wife and I are expecting our first born and figured we should get a bigger car. I was doing some homework and correct me if Im wrong but it looks like t the gl320 cdi gets the same if not better mpg than my c350. I found one on craigslist through a dealer for under $20k but it has 178,645 mi on it. Here's the link http://sacramento.craigslist.org/ctd/4644648989.html please let me know what you guys think.
what is your question? mileage on those trucks if maintained properly is pretty much irrelevant.
on a related note - one kid - get an ml or even better - an x5. the gl is big - two kids or more and luggage. lots of it.
As alx said above, from what i hear these diesel motors can go on for quite a while if maintained, so mileage is not as much of a concern. But at that point around 200k miles, you should expect to do other repairs, like suspension and maybe random electrical gremlins. Service history is obviously very important when buying such a high mileage car. If no history, no way I would buy.
As far as fuel economy, depends how you drive. Highway cruising 65-70mph i can get about 25mpg. NYC driving average is about 18mpg. Usually my mix is 21-22mpg. Not sure how that compares to C-class.
06-25-2014, 08:50 PM
