Comments on this G appreciated

Tell us more about your acquisition? State, options, colour, version, etc, etc. Pics would be appreciated. If you have digitals e-mail them to me and I'll hange them from my website and link them to here.

Johann,

I do apologize for not having posted a reply to your earlier posting. The trouble is that it is very difficult for us non-South Africans to give an opinion on whether that G is a good buy or not. You must know better than us whether the car is "in the money".

If you'd like advice on what to look at from a technical viewpoint when buying a G, let us know.

Good hunt!

In theory, quite the contrary!

With the hood on the wind resistance is not quite as good as that of the tin-top, because fabric is not quite as wind-cheating as steel.

Without the hood, the resistance will be exponentially higher.

But this is the theory! In practice, and given the speeds at which a W460 300GD is likely to travel (90% under 80 Km/h), aerodynamics are not an issue. Since, if the car has been properly converted there should be no technical difference between a factory 300 GD convertible and that 240 GD, we can safely assume that, unless you go flat-out on the motorway without the hood, that car should not consume noticeably more than the equivalent 300 GD SWB.

However, it's likely to have the 4 speed manual unless it's been replaced by a newer unit. That should make it consume more due to the low gearing but this could be somehow balanced by the high diameter tyres.

The differences were mainly cosmetic and in standard and optional equipment. I can remember from the top of my head the following:

The steering wheel is now the four-spoke job taken from the MB saloon range (previously taken from the van range)

The doors are now trimmed in fabric (plastic formerly)

New upholstery and door trim design (now chequered and in black, beige or grey, depending on exterior colour)

New dashcoard switches taken from contemporary MB saloons

New combined main instrument (turn lights, hi-low beam, wash-wiper) from contemporary MB saloons.

Twin rear door is now an option, single is now standard (formerly the other way around)

New paints

Only when the going gets really, really though, there is a noticeable advantange of the SWB versus the LWB, whereas most of the time the cargo capacity advantage of the LWB is simply amazing!

Any 300 GD is slow but when in good condition and driven by an experienced driver (i.e. taking advantage of momentum at all times it doesn't feel too slow. I am inclined to think that the car is not in tip-top condition mechanically... If you were in the UK I would advise that you walk away but it doesn't look to me that the supply of honest Gs is as good down there as it is in Europe.... It can naturally be the pump or the injectors, but it can also be down to a tired engine and in any case it doesn't sound as cheap to fix.

Engaging 4wd, be it either 4H or 4L is not reported in the dashboard at all so no lights there, whereas engaging either diff lock is supposed to be reported in the relevant light in the dashboard. It can obviously be a wiring problem but my experience tells me that when dealing with GWagens you have to expect the worse and that is seized locks. Unless, obviously that they have a logical explanation which at the moment I don't know which one might that be...

Johann, you mention a car salesman, are you buying from a garage?, if so it must be in their interest to have everything working if not for you then the next buyer. If its a 4 speed box as my old un you should return about 26mpg (better than my newer 5 speed), there's no dash light for engaging 4wd but you should know straightaway if its in,transfer stick normally away from you and back, to engage 4wd push forward,across to you and back,this gives low ratio so drive in all the gears,the "across" bit is the high ratio position and on mine there is a neutral between the high and low position. Check the diff lock reservoir and the pipe under which often leaks,if it has run out in the past and been re-filled without bleeding the diff locks they probably won't work, get the garage to bleed and refill and you should get lights on the dash when you pump the levers but sometimes you need to drive a few yards before they engage.The lack of power could just be slack linkages,mine was transformed when the slack was taken out of mine,finally,my MB specialist treated my fuel system with a product called "forte" which goes directly into fuel filter housing and between all these things my old un still out performs my newer one on acceleration,power and consumption,assuming of course that you never want to go over 55mph!! If I were to take up offroading I would go 4speed without a doubt.

2

Remember not to use the difflocks on road surfaces, loose ground/wet grass only (I believe), just tried mine which do need bleeding cos the pipe perished and back one lit but front one didn't,took about ten yards though,I wouldn't pump them unless youre' stationary.

Humm... I am a bit concerned about the fact that it seems that the diesel pump has been repaired (refurbished/rebuilt ??) and still the car has weak engine. I would assume that the air filter is tip-top condition.... if that is the case then the other alternatives to explain a tired engine are fewer.... and rebuilding a MB diesel engine is an expensive exercise.