Benz G class, thoughts?
 

So my dad bought a vacation farm close to Hope and would finally come to Canada more often, they are in the process of getting their super visas, and we expect them to actually come in a year time or so.

Long story short, bro, mom and I are pitching in to get his car. (Thankfully my mom taking the large piece of pie. :fuckthatshit: )

At first I thought about Range Rover, since my dad is coming from a Bentley Mulsanne+LR Defender and the RR sounded an ideal hybrid of the 2. But given my dad does like to get his hands dirty in the farm (he devoted the last 15 years doing this in his retirement and is totally pro now), and he's looking forward to do some serious road trips (on, and off-road) when he's not in the farm, RR seems to be coming short on the off-road and roughness department when comparing to my dad's Defender (which my dad clocked over 600k on it traveling all over South America... solid as a rock and always relatively easy repairs when problem arises)

My bro suggested Benz G class as a midground to have some decent luxury without taking away the ability of offroading that my dad enjoys very much.

My questions, do modern G class lives up to its reputation? I mean, the old one from the 70/80s was legendary. Given a new update is on the horizon and my dad's timeline, it looks like a great time to put down a deposit for one.

Any reason against this idea and if not, any reason to go AMG? I know they have larger engine... but they also come with some ricey kits that I don't find any sense for offroad. Lower side exhaust-pipes? :rukidding:

Vacation Farm?

Honestly though, all the vehicles are pretty capable. Ground clearance is always an issue off road, and that is probably where a G is going to shine.

How about a Rubicon, and then a nice S class? Best of both worlds as there is always a comprimise.

If he needs to do long drives, consider how the G wagon is terrible on gas. My vote goes to the RR Sport Diesel. It has decent offroading capabilities, (better than the G anyways) with great gas mileage.

However, the value on the G holds so much better even if you rack mileage on it. Both sides to consider.

your dad sounds like he could use one of these... :thumbsup:


https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/...an/first-drive

If your dad is going to do some actual farming he would be way better off with a pickup truck.

It's a vacation home for him, but it's more like a farm rather than the usual vacation home. So, vacation farm. :D

The idea is to just get a single car as it's a vacation home and doesn't justify owning two seperate cars.

I didn't quite think about this, and after you mentioned, I looked it up and god is this car chugging on the gas. Hopefully they bring the diesel version this time around.

My dad's dream is to own a MAN 6x6 Expedition truck. But the asking price and it being an actual truck is not something my mom is willing to go along with.

Although when my mom gave the green light on the Bentley, my dad teased her that pound for pound, the MAN is so much a better deal. :fuckthatshit:

I think I'm going to drop by the dealership asking for a reservation on the next year G class (apparently they have a long wait list?) and also take a look at the RR Sport Diesel.

My dad isn't doing "farming" on a commercial sense, but rather planting flowers, veggie and fruits. (on a scale of enough to feed 30-50ppl, as he gives away to F&F)

He'd buy all the equipment he needs (a bobcat and a tractor), his car is more to carry the final products. :D

Pitching amount

Bro: $500
OP: $500
Mom: $200,000 (earned by dad)

"Here's our gift to you!"

I'm not sure if you can bring one in from the US or not, but what about the new Land Cruiser? They're supposed to be designed to have an obscenely long service life.

Lol... I wish that's the split.

My bro and I were originally thinking about a nice pickup truck, but my mom voted against the idea of a pickup for it to be too rough. (the hint was "don't get something like ur dad's Defender") But our budget (35-50k each) couldn't quite afford a higher-end Europeans like RR.

So my mom proposed us picking whatever we feel suit and she will pick up the remainder of the bill.

Land Cruiser sounds good. I'd look into that. And yes, it's admissible. If anything, the Lexus LX570 is supposedly the beefed up version of LC.

Get your mom to ride in one of the new Ram Longhorns or Limiteds, Ford King Ranch or Platinums, or GMC Denali. Definitely not rough at all... the new pick up trucks are comfy.

I miss my truck. :(

F150 Limited interior
http://st.motortrend.com/uploads/sit...d-interior.jpg

But when he is buying supply's for his farm I don't thing he will want to carry them int back of a G wagon. Also there are no Mercedes dealers in Hope. So if he has any problems with the G wagon I will be a bit of a drive for service.

My dad currently carries his supplies in a little trailer he tows with the Defender. I figured he'd do the same when he's here.

As far as service goes, is the G bad in this aspect? I think my dad can live with the once every while drive to a MB dealer as he'd be coming into town anyway. But if there's a lot of small problems here and there, I might take it off the list.

The F150 limited was something I was thinking originally as I was working with a sub 100k budget OTD. But given the additional budget, is it still the best option considering the need?

I'd take a F-150 over a G-wagen for "farm" or hobby use. Be nice to be able to throw stuff into the bed (mulch, hay, 2x4s, fence posts, tools, etc) rather than the interior. The new F-150 with the 3.5L EcoBoost and 10-speed is just about as fast as the non-AMG G-wagens, and probably better fuel economy to boot!

If you're looking at under $60k for a G-Wagon, then that would put you into the early 2000's G-Wagon. Which is the Daimler Era Benz's. I work on a lot of G-Wagon's.....and these Daimler Era's G-Wagon's all seem to have ALOT of little electrical issues (power seats/window/locks no working, annoying vent issues, dash lights, battery drain, etc). Nothing that really effects the drive of the vehicle, but definitely effects the convenience. As you're aware little issues on Benz's tend to run thousands per little issue.

Old G-Wagons don't have all the complicated electrical but have no convenience features, Daimler era Benz's in general are plagued with electrical gremlins, and new gen models are damn expensive.

Just my opinion on it.

I think you need the big G wagon for ultimate off road. Wonder if they're legal in Canada

https://rennlist.com/forums/attachme...d-img_0927.jpg

The current G-Wagon is the worst SUV I've ever driven for the price, only get it for looks or if you are a serious off-roader. Horrible on gas, rides like shit, loud as hell, possibly because it's still based on it's 70's chassis. Recommend Range Rover / Escalade ESV or even the GL-Class.

Although I really love my G wagon, I can't disagree with ^. I daily drove it for 2 months, and I got 24L/100KM, driving with a light foot lol. It also rides extremely rough/jarring. My lowerback and neck feels tense even after just driving the car

I think the OP meant 50K each, so their budget is 150K, which will put them in a new one....

I know this is kinda... not main stream.. but RAPTOR man... god, I am not into trucks but I would love the Raptor...




yes..... lol
but... if G wagon...


though your mom might kill you because of the "left over tab" lol...

Any reason not to get another Defender?

If he was happy with the other one?

Ford Raptor or Jeep Cherokee SRT! Thinking about a day of farming and then getting into a luxurious Mercedes G cabin doesn't seem to match. Thinking about the interior getting muddy and dirty makes me cringe.

There's no new defender to purchase... not in Canada/US dealers at least.

And to go through the hassle of specially import one (assuming it's admissible), doesn't make much sense as my mom hates it. :D

Going to be in LAX soon, I'd rent a G-class on Turo and see how it is.

Not an issue... my dad does it currently with his Mulsanne from time to time. He just cleans it afterward. (my dad is really a car person. Not only he drives/works on what he can, he washes his cars on a weekly basis)

There are plenty on the used market. I spoke with a guy last year who actually purchased one from Land Rover Canada. They had actually fully restored an imported one. Not sure about warranty, but who cares. They are simple machines.

If you can get over the looks, LX570 and call it a day

Based on what you're saying he could easily make a Range Rover diesel work. Get a little trailer to tow stuff around in and install some weathertech mats so he doesn't get mud all over the inside.

But if it were me, I'd go leased base model f150 as the farm vehicle and a nice German sedan for your mom/dad for when they want to go out etc.