Well-optioned, well-kept, unmolested survivor

Make:	Mercedes-Benz
Model:	G-Class
SubModel:	280GE
Type:	2-door
Trim:	short wheelbase
Year:	1983
Mileage:	122,000
VIN:	00000000000000000
Color:	Tan
Fuel:	Gasoline
Transmission:	Manual
Drive type:	4WD
Interior color:	Tan
Vehicle Title:	Clear
Item location:	Hazel Green, Alabama, United States

Extras

Air Conditioning
4-Wheel Drive

Listed by

Private seller

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Description of 1983 Mercedes-Benz G-Class 280GE

For sale is my 1983 Mercedes 280GE Geländewagen with 122000 original miles. This will be just a standard auction as I don't have a specific selling price in mind. In other words there isn't a Buy It Now feature on the auction. I would prefer to just let the auction run its course and I would also prefer not to disclose the reserve in fairness to all bidders. However I will say that I feel the reserve is very reasonable compared to the silly asking prices I've seen on some of these vehicles.

This G-wagen is not a recent import from Europe. It was imported to the U.S. when still new and retrofits were made to allow it to conform with USDOT/NHTSA regulations. For example the speedometer reads in miles per hour like a U.S. vehicle not in kilometers per hour. It received a DOT release back in the 80s meaning that it could be legally registered in the U.S. — I checked at the time I bought it (2006) for the DOT release.

It had lived in the dry southwestern U.S. until I bought it and has been in Alabama since then. So it has not rusted. This is a nice W460 chassis.

This one was also a fully-loaded example having air conditioning five-speed transmission the six-cylinder gasoline engine upgraded (factory) Recaro seats which are still extremely supportive and comfortable jump seats in the rear and I’m not sure about the map light but I think that was an option too.

This is an all-mechanical vehicle with no electronic systems. It is very reliable. In the time that I’ve owned it it has never once failed to start or left me stranded anywhere. It has the Mercedes M110 engine the inline six-cylinder which was also used in Mercedes’ 280xx series of cars. This variant of the M110 has the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection which is a mechanical fuel injection system. Simple and reliable.

To me this vehicle represents a really nice happy-medium mechanically speaking in that it’s simple enough for somebody like me (not a mechanic) to work on but without being crude/primitive. It’s comfortable enough to drive cross-country which I have done.

It’s also extremely capable off-road with solid axles and locking differentials at both the front and rear. And the diff locks do work — see the attached video. G-wagens also feature a very overbuilt fully-boxed ladder frame. G-wagens have never been designed nor built to a cost standard but rather to a set of design specifications to make them very effective and durable for off-road use. The modern versions have essentially become luxury cars and are much more complex but still retain the off-road capability.

Some of the maintenance I’ve done or had performed:

Front axle rebuild (remove axle shafts; clean out and repack CV joints replacing all seals oil and grease).

I had the air conditioning professionally repaired/rebuilt a couple of years ago; this included a new condenser and electric fan assembly. It works very well.

I had the old rusty exhaust system replaced with a custom-fabricated stainless steel system. There wasn’t anything wrong with the original manifold so that is still intact but the rest is new stainless from the engine compartment all the way back to the tailpipe. So the exhaust will never rust out again.

The warm-up regulator was recently professionally rebuilt.

I replaced the heater core and fan assembly with new OEM parts so those should also be good for quite a while. There wasn’t actually anything wrong with the heater core; it was just that I had to replace the fan and it’s a big job to get to it. So it’s one of those things where while you’re in there it’s good maintenance karma to replace the heater core too.

Replaced the headlights as the original ones had cracks in the lenses.

Repaired the outside bolster on the seat cushion of the driver’s seat — it had a large hole in it at the point where the seat had to bear the brunt of the driver’s body weight when they slid in or out of the seat. This was a common issue for these vehicles.

Re-sealed the windshield replaced the (driver's side) wiper shaft assembly and cleaned out the water drain in the fresh air intake to address water leakage into the cabin.

Removed cleaned and lubricated the door latch assemblies in the left and right doors — this makes a world of difference in the ease of fully latching the doors. I regret that I never got around to doing the rear door. It could use the same treatment. It shuts fine but you have to shut it like you mean it.

The only things I’m aware of that are not working are the back-up lights the radio the light for the clock and one of the lights for the temperature/vent control sliders on the dash.

Also the transfer case weeps a little oil. But it isn’t much — a few drips — and it isn’t any worse now than when I bought the vehicle years ago. The transfer case rarely needs any oil added.

This is a non-smoking vehicle with no interior odors. The interior is clean and dry. In fact there haven’t even been any pets or children in the vehicle since I’ve had it.

The VIN is 46023217900683. Ebay cannot work with that number as it's not a standard 17-character U.S. VIN. The last six digits of the VIN encode the serial number. For any G-wagen history buffs who may be reading on this particular vehicle the serial number begins with a 9 which indicated that it was originally badged as a Puch. This was done in certain countries. I think I read that the ones sold in Austria were that way for example. This was just a case of badge-engineering as the vehicles were identical mechanically. The Puch name came from the Austrian company Steyr-Puch who collaborated with Mercedes-Benz to build the G-wagen. I believe that company is now called Magna Steyr.