Advice for a 1st time buyer

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Big Al
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I'm looking to buy my 1st G-Wagen. :D and am looking for some advice.
I have my eye on an 88 (F) SWB 300D, manual, 140k miles.
The vechile body work was restored in 2006 and is now in very good condition apart from some surface rust by the on-side tail light. The rev counter and central locking are intermittent. The fuel gauge does not work but the seller is replacing the sender unit to cure this.
It appears a good solid car, asking price is £6,500.
Is this a reasonable price? and is there anything else I should particularly look at/for?

Any advice will be gratefully received! Thanks

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Roly
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

There is alot of advice around if you lok under some of the other headings.
The price seems well over the odds for that G. Don't rush into a sale.

fixwin38
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

to many miles to much rust to many faults and toooo much money.asking is one thing getting is another......GBP 3000 to 4000 will get you much better provenance if you look around. there is a LWB 463 on Ebay at GBP 4500 to start and no bids...My advice!!! look hard and long before you buy.....

buckalec
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

Big Al wrote:

I have my eye on an 88 (F) SWB 300D, manual, 140k miles.

The vechile body work was restored in 2006 and is now in very good condition apart from some surface rust by the on-side tail light.

It appears a good solid car, asking price is £6,500.
Is this a reasonable price?

If the body was restored in 2006 - he didn't do a very good job if the taillight area is rusting again.

As for £6500. Not in a million years.Nearer £3k by your description. Caveat empor, or something similar!!

prwales
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

its too much money for a 460, I would suggest that you could get a 463 for that kind of figure.

prwales
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

there is a lwb diesel in manganese brown on the Auto trader site at £2250,
a 9 seater manual with 130,000 on the clock 01639-896268 looks better value

Grecian
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

I agree with all the above. I've been looking around for some time now and prices are dropping. It would have to be a really special 460 for that money. There was 280LWB manual that sold on ebay last week for 4600ish. It only had 92k on it and was in very good nick. There are some 463's around for under £10k that if people really want to sell are going to have to accept offers of not much more than you're thinking. There's this 230 SWB on ebay for 4295 (from G-class centre) which used to belong to a GWOA member. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT... and there's another LWB 300D on autotrader for 4500 with only 73k (although you'd want to get that verified). Like fixwin says, look around.

Big Al
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

Thanks for the advice given. I will keep on looking!

prwales
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

there is a 463 swb ge300 on Pistonheads in the g-class section with an asking price of £7000, London though, but much better value than the 460 at £6500

Grecian
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

That one's been for sale for a while in various places as well.

Big Al
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

Has any body been to see this 463 swb ge300 that's for sale on Pistonheads?

Spider1V
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

What about the one Jack the Lad was selling - and with a private plate? 6K, SWB, RHD 1990 (?) drop him a note and see if it is still up for sale...

Spider1V

Grecian
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

It's on autotrader but for sale with a dealer in Windsor. Too much money I think as there's a very similar one at G-wagen UK for 5k..1 owner, 94k miles...quite tempted myself but too fickle to make a decision!

Grecian
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

Big Al, have you seen the red 463 300GD on ebay? It's for sale at 10k but it's a good bit nearer to you than the one in London (Durham I think) and appears to be very tidy. There's a discussion about it in the for sale forum somewhere.

phileas
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

hi big al. if the one in london is the blue swb 463 auto located in the north of the city, i test drove it. i thought it was a really nice example. the reason i didn't go for it was because i ended making a decision to the a lwb one, newer and with air con. my only suspicion with it was that it had too little rust on the body and a lot (admittedly surface rust) on the chassis. like the others have all said, take a good look around: i probably drove about 20 Gs before deciding on buying the one i did. good luck/ph

Big Al
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

Just like to say thank you to everybody who gave their advice, much appreciated. I have did not pursue the original '87 460. I ended up setting my sighs higher and am just about to conclude the purchase of a much better vechile. :D

fixwin38
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

Go on then don't keep us in suspense...pics plse

Grecian
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

My bets are on the blue 300GES from London. Or maybe that silver one in Canterbury, bidding for that ended yesterday.

Big Al
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

Good guess, but no. I went for a Sliver 300GES from Canterbury via ebay. There is a thread on it in the G's for sale forum. But hopefully pic attached

Grecian
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

Super work Big Al, she's a beauty. Shame you ended up in a bidding war with Marty though! You certainly did set your sights much higher. I edited my guess once I realised that this one had sold yesterday. Best of luck with her.

Spider1V
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

Nice, very nice!

be warned - the southerners are coming! -Well Spider1V and family will be venturing up to Mull WE 3rd April - don't be shy if you see us - give us a flash and a wave!

And my daughters are on a £1 per G they see!

Once again, great purchase and hope you enjoy it as much as we are enjoying ours

Spider1V

prwales
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

Mull and Aberdeen are as far apart as London and Leeds

Spider1V
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

Thank you prwales, althought aware of that fact, just thought I would mention it as;

a) He may like his G so much he may decide to drive around a bit
b) to warn any other Scotish/Northern member to be on the look out as it would be nice to give a wave and a flash!

Spider1V

buckalec
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

Grecian wrote:
.Shame you ended up in a bidding war with Marty though!

Not guilty, my bids didn't even get her up to the reserve!!

Great looking G + glad it didn't go for silly money....spot on IMHO.

Personal plate + a bit of colour coding + she is, for all the world, a £50k looker

Health to enjoy.

Not sure if that recipe will work with my latest Ebay blunder though!! :oops: Twins separated at birth?!! :D

Grecian
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

Spider1V wrote:

And my daughters are on a £1 per G they see!

Spider1V

If you hang around til the end of April they might be £1 better off each. We'll be up round that way, hopefully in the G and may well take another trip over to Mull. Fish and Chips in Tobermory is a lunch of kings after all and Sea Eagles at Calgary are a sight to behold (I'm told!).

buckalec wrote:

Personal plate + a bit of colour coding + she is, for all the world, a £50k looker

Health to enjoy.

Not sure if that recipe will work with my latest Ebay blunder though!! Twins separated at birth?!!

Perhaps it depends which colour you code with, Marty?! What's the thinking behind that then?

Spider1V
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

Grecian wrote:
Spider1V wrote:

And my daughters are on a £1 per G they see!

Spider1V

If you hang around til the end of April they might be £1 better off each. We'll be up round that way, hopefully in the G and may well take another trip over to Mull. Fish and Chips in Tobermory is a lunch of kings after all and Sea Eagles at Calgary are a sight to behold (I'm told!).

well we started 3 weeks ago and so far nothing in the kitty! :twisted:

Spider1V - Just call me Scrooge

Big Al
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

Drove the 300ges the 600 miles back to Aberdeenshire yesterday. We are both having a well earned rest today!

Grecian
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

How was it?

Big Al
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

Great. Cruised along the motorway at 75mph no bother at all. The traffic was kind, with the only slight hold up at the Dartford tunnel tolls.

Used close to 40 gallons of petrol!

It has 18" amg wheels fitted with large tyres which does seems to make it a little unsettled over tarmac lumps and bumps. Will be investigating if there may be a better tyre choice. Also will be looking for a set of side steps as the seats are close to 3.5ft off the ground. I am ok at 6ft+ but my wife will need a set of steps!

Just as described in the advert and as it looked in the photos. Man selling it was a real gent, he runs a specialist merc garage in Wingham, just out side Canterbury.

All in all very happy :D Now thinking how I can get out of work early...

Grecian
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Re: Advice for a 1st time buyer

15mpg sounds about right at that speed! G-class centre do side-steps and I've also seen new ones for sale on ebay.

I'm considering putting narrower tyres on mine too for the same reason. I'll let you know how it goes if I do.

:idea: By the way....I think you left the oven on at home :wink: