Hi. New & considering a G
Hi
I have been pointed in this direction by 'stevieboy' :)
Anyway, I'm looking for either a G-wagen or a Landy 110, budget circa £7K
I'm mainly going to be using the car for field work & for my wife to run the kids about. After much thought I've narrowed my choice down to the 2 cars above.
All advice etc appreciated ref maintanence costs etc
Are there any good / bad dealers ?
Stevieboy, are you mad sending a mate into this mine field.
Look at autotrader, and ebay and of course the for sale section in here, you can get a good idea of what is out there, and the huge variation in price !!!. I suggest you take all three options in the 460 range 230, 280 petrol and the 300 diesel for a test drive. This will give you some idea of performance against fuel economy !!.
You may get a 463 for around £7k. But if you have never had or driven a G, go test drive see what you think then come back with questions.
Good dealers. Nik Wheelhouse, over £12k
Bad dealers. G Wagen.co.uk formerly caversham, my opinion only.
others. The G Centre contact Merv on this forum.
For that sort of money you should go for a 460. Got he simplicity of a 110 but way better to drive and so much more robust £7K will get you a mint one. That sort of money may get you a ropey 463, plusher interior and constant 4wd (over hyped by the LR and 463 fraternity) or a complete shed of a 110.
Down side of a G? Most garages will want nothing to do with it compared to any dim wit being able to fix a LR. They have lots of practice.
well the G is the one thats gonna last longer and drive better by far.As for where to buy, i think be careful and dont rush.I was messed about then i found what i was looking for.the further you travel the better you will find.ONLY TRUST YOUR OWN INSTINCT!!
But you are in the right direction.GOOD LUCK
from my g ownership, the access to the rear of a SWB is fine, the amount of swing in the seats is huge, compared to normal cars, but test it first. the kids will love being up high too, my little cousin loved riding in the back of my g!
My three kids hated my Saab 9-5 Estate, they tolerate my Seat Marbella L and really love to be driven in any G.
My daughter is 9 and now loves the fact she has her own door as she grew up waiting for me to get out first!Mine is a 280GEL 1989 model and runs on lpg,what a great invention!! Downside is a slight loss of power but it is great on economy plus the fact its far more refined than 300GD with the 5 cylinder engine.I also believe that because the petrols are guzzlers they have led an easier life because of high running costs whereas most diesels have run a harder life cos its a diesel
Ahhh......before i forget "LPG=NO CONGESTION CHARGE!"
My mate shakir inspired me as he also runs an immaculate 280GEL LPG.
Ahhh......before i forget "LPG=NO CONGESTION CHARGE!"
double check that, ken has fudged his sums on this extension so he might be charging you full whack again for being a upper class 4x4 driver! if he does change it though, it shouldnt be to the end of next year, and hopefully he will have been shot by then
Hi,
My experience was that I went to buy an "old" Defender, for a much needed but low milage second vehicle, and I was determined to buy diesel.
There is an excellent independent specialist landrover mechanic and dealer in our local village,
I asked for something reasonably roadworthy = £ 5000
For something still going forward but not roadworthy = £ 3000
It turned out that a "G" was cheaper, better built, and easy to mechanic, had difflocks, OH and drove MUCH better ( better than a Discovery too! )
So I bought a 460 LWB 300 Diesel, which the wife loved/loves
Except I found it VERY slow, by todays standards, but SUPERB off road
So on balance I would suggest an automatic 460 LWB 280 LPG converted, tanks in boot, plenty out there.
Cheers,
Marcus
Hello James, have a dig around the site.
And keep plugging away with questions.
Try Merv At the G-class cntre, hes got a couple of nice ones on his site for sale, or go and visit him, very helpful and knowledgable.
Hi Steve. Looks like you pointed in me in the right direction :)
I've spoken to Merv & your right, he has been very helpful. Infact it was after chatting through with him the potential costs of ownership that I am now concentrating my efforts into finding a good G
Are the 280's happy on LPG? No reliabilty problems ( reliabilty is my main concern which ever 4x4 I get )
Merv does seem to have some nice vehicles. Any comments on any of them?
i do not know about merv's stock, but i have never heard of lpg problems, let along on a 280.
ill have a look at mervs stock later
merv had a nice white lwb that he updated cosmetically,but sold it!
He does have a nice black 280ge with before and after pics...what a difference a few bits make.Those guys are diamonds,always got time for you and very honest too.As for lpg i love it, with about £20 you should get 150 miles but shakir is the man to ask,he's driven to north cyprus and back.If anything lpg is cleaner ie; sparks injection system etc but you do need to learn some basics but its not rocket science.I now have power and economy and refinement.
LPG no problem at all as long as you have a decent installer. Personal recommendation is key in this, there are numerous bodgers around. An easy check on this is to ask them if they have dealt with bosch mechanical fuel injection and how they intend to protect the fuel metering unit from potential backfires. Answer is the air flow flap needs to have an actuator fitted to fully open it whilst running on gas.
The 280 engine has a good reputation for longevity and unless you find a turbo diesel 460 I personally wouldn’t bother with one. That is one area where the LR 300Tdi wins (BTW in my previous post I was attempting not to be biased against 110’s. I do have a soft spot for them, driven maybe 100K’s miles with loads off road in them over the years)
thanks everyone :)
expect some 'numpty' questions as I start my search for a G
The wife has given the thumbs up for a SWB as the LWB looks a bit too big for her to park :roll:
I just have to decide, petrol / diesel, manual / auto
Welcome James, the hunt is on then. The 280 k-jet Bosch injection is not the same as mechanical injection but you probably know that. I would have a 300 diesel every time over a 280 petrol, gas or no gas, but horses for courses etc. If you can find a truck for sale locally to go have a prod and a poke at, then do that for sure.
I would let my other half have a go at swinging the kids into the back seats of a SWB before concentrating solely on them in any searching, I think it's a PITA strapping kids in the back of a 3 door myself (it comes down to carrying small ones in through the door) and would rather have a LWB if the kids were too small to get in their own car seats. Parking a LWB is a piece of cake as they stop where the windows stop; one advantage of driving a square box. I agree with Russ; with 7 grand to spend I would buy a nice late 460 LWB.
Looking forward to seeing what you find to buy as may well be looking again myself in the new year; all this G talk elsewhere can be very bad for the wallet.
I stand corrected, mechanical fuel injection was not quite the correct term, but I guess you know what I meant. My wife has a LWB as her everyday car and it’s no problem apart from the appalling steering lock, far more practical than a SWB if you have kids.
I’m not keen on the rear inward facing bench seats though from a safety point of view.
I stand corrected, mechanical fuel injection was not quite the correct term, but I guess you know what I meant.
Yes, gotcha Russ ;) Hard to find mechanics who know k-jet in my experience, let alone LPG guys. No doubt they are out there somewhere.
James is an incredibly handsome and personable chap, so the rear seats would come in fairly handy for his ever-present fanbase lol :D
John, you are too kind :wink: :lol:
So the 280's are K-jet? Not MFi like my Porker.
My wife has said she is deffo not keen on a LWB, but we are both going to pop down the the G-class centre & have a good look at both SWB & LWB.
lwb anyday and i've got both!!My G in n-cyprus is a 4 speed manual swb cabrio which was converted to a w124 300d, perfect combination and very economical.but my wife wont drive it for manual reasons;stiff clutch and chunky gears.The 280GEL however she loves driving and in her words:"effortless and easy to park being an auto and i agree the G has no blind spots,(not to mention the fact that my wife is tiny in scale!)which should boost confidence for your wife.
Also the resale of a lwb is far superior to a swb anyday,just check the autotrader!GOOD LUCK!
Just thought I'd let you all know I picked up my new 'G' today :)
I'll post details & photos tomorrow :)
goodluck james,i had my eye on that one too.
enjoy!!
just joined the club by paypal 8)
Look forward to seeing it.
Seen it. Tidy :lol: :lol:
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thanks for the welcome :)
It has been suggested the 300D might be the one to go for ? I won't be doing motorway work etc as I have an Audi for that.
I'm also trying to decide between SWB vs LWB. We have 1yr old & 4yr old daughters that my wife would need to able to strap into booster seats. Is the access to the rear seats good in a SWB ?
I live in North Yorkshire & for some reason all the G's seem to be down south :roll: