230E, 280GE OR 300GD

With view to the old Land Cruisers and Patrols' if we see what the market has done; true Australia and the African continent are a wash with them but pricing has some part to play; they are cheaper than the G-Wagens. 

Your question is largely dependent on how you intend using the 4 X 4? How much offroading or more mundanely, how much of bad road conditions-driving you intend doing? I have not personally experienced any Japanese four by four so I cannot comment.

By my perception, if these vehicles offer internally operating front and rear axle locking differentials, then on cost grounds stick with them. Parts should easier to source locally. The older G-Wagens rust too, a few body panels  can be sourced after market but of poor fittings and the rest are dealer parts only. Current state in the UK is the older ones were too slow and any 4 X 4 is going to be thirsty which if that is your concern, any 4 X 4 should not be your choice.

The trend here, particularly in the diesel models is to transplant the old diesel engine for more powerful versions from the saloon models. This conversion is not cheap, depending on what is required one needs to budget around the £6000 mark. There have been a few examples of petrol conversions but more diesels.

Once the niggley concerns have been covered and the G-Wagen is looked after, they are reliable. Hence, I commented in my earlier reply to have these professional inspected; you want to check the condition of front axle bearings, all diff. lockers work, address oil leak issues, head gasket issues, fuel tank condition (metal tanks if leak can be repaired in the UK but where you are in the Far east; I don't know?) the plastic tank replacement is not cheap! There could be issues with propeller shafts, worn or having vibrational issues, the wiper spindles having excessive play and so on. So unless you are a trader do not buy blindly unless you have money to burn. You need to be patient in looking for a good one.

The posters profile did say Malaysia before it was changed to its current location 

Petrol sounds good, but iirc you have some horrendous taxes on the vehcle front.

duplicate

No mistaking, it is a serious vehicle, very liked by army.

It is liked in by the civilian market except civilian tastes want more power.

The 230's may seem under powered but surprisingly they are nipper in urban driving compared to the 280's but not recommended for long journeys or touring.The engine is over worked under those conditions.

The 280's makes for an excellent touring vehicle, but thirsty.

The 300 diesel is a good work horse but slow and slower still on long hills and poor for overtaking hence, requires a driver with a patient temperament or one who is good in planning journeys to reach destinations in good time and keep to it.  

essentially the same engines but the 280ge is retuned for torque so gives out only 150 bhp compared to 185 bhp in w107 or w123 form, whilst the 230ge loses 10 bhp over its saloon counterpart

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_M110_engine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_M102_engine

these are Wikipedia links but if you use Google they will most likely be blocked

Not all engines fit the bill. The people who do conversions here are loyal to the Mercedes Benz brand and largely choose Mercedes power plants and gear boxes to mate with each other. There is a particular choice to be made, the main consideration is on which side the starter motor sits. Of those engines and gearboxes that mate up, Thankfully, these match up and no convertor plate or piece is needed. Oh, the transfer box is seperately mounted and connected by a propellor shaft.

There is however, a lot of work needed to convert engines and gear box, lots to consider; an article on this subject will be coming out in about four weeks time, keep an eye on it.

I have looked at the photos as you requested on my PM. Let me re-iterate my caution to you. My views are only my opinion and based evidence on photos and in the absence of first hand information. My advice is against choosing a vehicle which you have not had professionally inspected or test driven.

I feel the price is high based on market prices here in the UK for conditions of vehicles. Neither, the GWOA or myself can be held liable for any wrong advice we may unintentionally give. The views I present are based on the visual evidence you have shown.

You have two SWB and one LWB; although both give a good ride, all things being well, in comparison the LWB give a smoother ride than the SWB.

If you are a family member with young children; it can be cumbersome to let them in and out of the vehicle. In particular if the child is a baby, it is more awkward to put baby seat in and out of the rear seat. Vehicles pre 1984 did not have central locking which is very much a must for creature comfort.

The 230GES (SWB) is clearly off my list of any suggestion, it has too much body rot in the rear panels and is general a rough looking vehicle. Cost to restore any vehicle in this condition will be high. Generally, a good urban vehicle, nippier than a 280GE but a poor touring vehicle.

The best presented vehicle is the 300GDL (LWB) but a slow vehicle, can easily bottoms out on extreme offroading and great for a large family, the kids love sitting in the rear. My second choice is the 280GES.

In all cases you DO need to have the vehicles fully inspected and tested. Let me run through the negatives of these. Exhausts systems of all these models have a high initial outlay, to replace the whole system. But the system does last between 6 to 10 years and spreading the out lay over this period makes the system no more the dearer than any other vehicle.

The fuel tanks can be an issue. Metal tanks are no longer available and the plastic replacement and fitting kit can take the bill up to £1400. The rear coil can break top and bottom and can be easily missed on inspection; best checked out with vehicle body jacked up and of course supported by axle stands before any one considers crawling under the vehicle.

Prop. shafts need to be checked for excessive joint wear and vibrations whilst running the vehicle, there are three prop shafts in the drive train and on average each new shaft is some £900 new. In the last five years or so a new weakness is showing up in the older G-Wages and that is chassis corrosion in particular at the rear top coil spring cups, these rot at the tubes the cups are welded to. Check for any bubbling in this area, the rot starts internally and works out. Repair parts are available and the new pieces welded in but does require some degree to lift the body off the chassis.

Have the front and rear diff locks tested out, if fitted. The front wheel bearings need to be checked out, any excessive play found means replacement bearings, adjusting the play out is no good. The bearings set(s) are some £300 and 5 hrs labour per side of axle. Radiator blockages can cost £500 replacement, cheaper to re-core. This should not an issue for you as I expect there would be lots of radiator repairs in your country. Worn wiper spindles can cost £130 to renew the part. So, this is why I am adamant of having the vehicle professionally inspected before you commit to any one of these vehicles. A long term standing vehicle can erode the fuel metering body internally, which can be over a £1000 to replace, so to see a properly running engine is crucial! Brakes can be seized after a long standing, tyres develop flat spots.

Despite the negative picture listed above, once the vehicle is up to scratch, these are one of the most reliable and effective offroaders provide they are maintained.

Aaah - the engine that never dies !

The [ Datsun ] Nissan TD42 engine is one of the worlds great  engine families - not seen in europe since the 90's- I did'nt realise it was still produced for some markets

From little 2.3's [ vanette ] forklifts and trucktrailer 'fridge motors to the wonderful [ and rarely recognised as such ] TD27 turbo both manual and electronic from the Maverick / Terrano /Cabstar -the TD27 gearcam push rod engine is FAR superior to any Pajero / Trooper type engine and is widely used in West Africa as a transplant in Land rover / Range Rover vehicles and is good for 400.000 km's without a spanner

HOWEVER nothing except  MB603 and Toyota landcruiser 6's come near the TD42 dating from the early 80's Patrols for longevity

You cant beat a sweet 6 !

Except for a well set up MB 602 of course - my  new project is a 605 20 valve head on a low mileage 662 with big turbo ,7mm pump and fabricated manifolds - will post dyno results when done !