Damn Yank in Japan just bought a G500
Hi guys,
Hope you don't mind me joining you from across the pond to learn and share knowledge of my new G500. It's a 1999 SWB with only 30K original miles on it. As part of the purchase we took it to the MB dealer to go over it completely and everything checked out. This truck has never seen a dirt road much less off road having spent its entire life in Tokyo.
I'll mostly be interested in learning where to find repair and upgrade parts for it since I'm going to get it dirty as the second owner. ;- )
I've followed your site enough to know to watch out for scoundrels and will ask for help if something seems too good to be true.
Welcome! :)
Hi Gandore,
As I'm sure you took a bit of time looking around for your G perhaps you can answer a couple of questions:
Is there a good supply of RHD G500s over there? If so what sort of prices do they fetch there?
I hear that low mileages and no off road use is quite common in Japan and so was considering looking to import one to the UK as they are VERY rare here.
Good luck with your new toy.
Mark
Gandore,
Welcome to the forum and also to the unofficial sub club of the Wood, Leather & Carpet Brigade (Power Division) 
(which all V8 and or 500's gets you access). Lets get some pics up, inside and out.
Nice you will want to get it dirty, I am assuming that will be in Japan, or are you going further afield? My only concern would be (and I think it's called Brindling) to get the wheel bearings checked out. Sometimes with G's if they have been sitting around in a collection or not used the weight of standing around can squash the bearings a little out of shape and cause problems later down the line. Also check the fluids in the diff's and that they still all engage. As its pre 2002 you should have a H/L range stick as opposed to the button option, which can seize up if not used. Sorry of I am teaching you to suck eggs, but best to point these out early.
So do you have 4x4 experience, is this your first G and what made you choose a G over say a Jeep?
Once again a warm welcome
Spider1V
Welcome from a fellow Yank, living in the UK (and also looking to import from Japan).
Dan Gilmore
..... (and I think it's called Brindling).....
try 'Brinelling':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brinelling
Though one or two of my Gs have stood still for a few years, I've not found that to be a problem - at least not yet 
Yes, a big welcome to the club and look forward to hearing all about your new G. !
If your's still has the lever for the transfer-case, think yourself lucky. Apart from unreliability and erratic message about TC in Neutral ! with the electric (wiper-motor) actuator, the tiny switch just does not look the part and the massive centre console is a waste of space.
welcome.... you have a rare beast....
I'd have thought they would have to have been stood around for decades for a wheel bearing to get dented in it,.
Spider1V,
Thanks for the welcome and I'm fortunate that the original owner kept every bit of annual maintenance he had done on the G since the day it arrived in Japan. Everything is in perfect working order except that I'm not used to having the power steering pump being louder than other vehicles I have owned. Is that normal for our G's?
Being from Minnesota I've always had pickups and many, many years ago I owned a Jeep CJ until the engine blew and the swap I did never quite worked right after that. During my service years I drove the HMMV through the surf offloading from craft and worked with the USMC iFAV in my well decks (never drove one) and I used to see G-wagons around the world in my travels. I test drove a couple G-wagons in California when I was stationed there but didn't quite have the cash at the time because of how the prices were driven up Stateside for them.
I was here for the big quake and tsunami a few years ago and there are always landslides and potential volcano episodes here because it seems to be Ma Nature's playground. The roads can be VERY narrow here so I've been watching for the right SWB to come along and give me that warm and fuzzy I don't have with the little Alfa Giulietta as the family car.
Nope, the more information you guys can share, the better. My owners manual is in Japanese so unless the picture is self explanatory I have no idea what it says. ha. But yes, I have the high/low lever vice the button and no buttons on the steering wheel for that matter, either. Less things to break. Speaking of which, where can I find a 1999 owners manual in English?
Here are a couple shots of the new beast.I hope I've uploaded these correctly. My apologies if I didn't and please educate me if so.
Great G. 99 is a good year. I have an owners manual in pdf but its a large file so can't post it here. Ask any query you have. Have a look to see what major components have been replaced over the life of the G. There are a few known items which benefit from preventative maintenance.
Hi Gandore,
Thanks for the links - always nice to see more Gs for sale on-line.
Interesting that you drive on the left (I think) but all but one G for sale is LHD.
And are you saying that sale prices shown are not really prices that vehicles actually go for? Only RHD one I could see was:
http://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/MERCEDES_BENZ/G-CLASS/700957045...
but US$56,470 is still a lot of money for a 2000 G (Yes Joe, even if it is a 500).
Mark
Sites like goo net exchange and tradecarview are geared towards international sales. What often happens is that local dealers will use agents to sell internationally, often because the local dealer is not geared up to deal with foreigners. Those agents add their commissions to the price and also advertise in US$, so the price on those sites is usually way more than the price dealer has it up for locally. I would use these sites to locate a car you like, then try and identify the local dealer and buy it from him in Yen assuming you can convince him to sell to you. It will work out much cheaper.
Hi Gandore,
Thanks for the links - always nice to see more Gs for sale on-line.
Interesting that you drive on the left (I think) but all but one G for sale is LHD.
And are you saying that sale prices shown are not really prices that vehicles actually go for? Only RHD one I could see was:
http://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/MERCEDES_BENZ/G-CLASS/700957045...
but US$56,470 is still a lot of money for a 2000 G (Yes Joe, even if it is a 500).
Mark
Mark - fair point, though the last 2000 G500 that came up (RHD) had 60K miles on it and went for around £39,950 and that was about 2 years ago. G500 RHD 2000 and 2001 G's are rare....but are also the best mixture of G and engine. :)
Spider1V
Ah yes - so:
http://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/MERCEDES_BENZ/G-CLASS/700957045...
suddenly goes from being about £37,397 via international trader site to about £25,132 via WINIX (local) site.
I wonder if I should be getting excited?
Anyone know what costs are involved in importing a G from Japan to the UK (including shipping, taxes etc.)? I'm sure someone on here has done it fairly recently but can't locate post to find out who it was.
I imported from Japan last year. There will be the cost of de-registration in Japan and transport to Japanese port. The cost of shipment to the UK and shipping insurance. All of this worked out at about £1200 for my SWB and was done by the shipping company. LWB will be more as shipping cost is worked out by volume. Customs agent in the UK will be about £100. He deals with getting the car off the boat and paying the taxes. VAT is unavoidable and will be 20% of the total of the car price plus shipping cost. Import duty is an interesting one - it is 10% of the car price plus shipping cost, however there is an exemption for EU manufactured goods returning to the UK. If you apply through the customs agent for that exemption and get it, then you pay just a flat fee of £50 instead of the 10% - this is why the customs agent is worth every penny of his £100 fee. If the car is over 10 years old then no need for the SVA test and no need for the certificate of conformity. All that is required is an MOT. Then insure and register it.
What Devonjem just said is correct, including the customs piece. I used the local CarSensor site to get a better idea of what the starting price was going to be. I know it's roughly $1000 to ship to or from the US from here. I finally just finished my whole registration process in Yokohama to transfer title to my name and it was relatively painless. And like he and I both mentioned, Goo-net jacks up their prices to deal with us Gaijins (foreigner).
If you do find one and start the conversation for purchase a good bit of info is that the Japanese value 'original' as the better resale price. On mine the owner made a couple nice mods that I like but those became haggling bits to work them down quite a bit due to the cost of reverting it back will be if I desire. Hope that helps if you get to this point.
Japan drives on the left side of the road so my LHD is technically on the wrong side but most of them are like that over here and I'm used to driving other vehicles like this. The good news is that it will allow me to ship it back to the US if the time ever comes when employment stagnates or I retire, whichever comes first.
nice G....!
enjoy it mate...
rgds hus
Thanks, and I hope to make it better with what you guys can teach me about them.
And yes, Trinculo, best to be very wary of us colonials, especially since we've got you surrounded with me coming from your east. A bit of a trek, but I now have the wheels for it um...with a bit longer snorkel to get off this island, that is. ; )
There was another - LM002? (he also had a Fab Lambo LM with optional custom Gun Cabernet at the back. Though nothing here in Las Vegas at the moment - not seen one G at all, and I am leaving tomorrow.
Spider1V
What Devonjem just said is correct, including the customs piece. I used the local CarSensor site to get a better idea of what the starting price was going to be. I know it's roughly $1000 to ship to or from the US from here. I finally just finished my whole registration process in Yokohama to transfer title to my name and it was relatively painless. And like he and I both mentioned, Goo-net jacks up their prices to deal with us Gaijins (foreigner).
If you do find one and start the conversation for purchase a good bit of info is that the Japanese value 'original' as the better resale price. On mine the owner made a couple nice mods that I like but those became haggling bits to work them down quite a bit due to the cost of reverting it back will be if I desire. Hope that helps if you get to this point.
Japan drives on the left side of the road so my LHD is technically on the wrong side but most of them are like that over here and I'm used to driving other vehicles like this. The good news is that it will allow me to ship it back to the US if the time ever comes when employment stagnates or I retire, whichever comes first.
Scouse,
You will not see anywhere in my posts where I ever claim to be the sharpest tool in the shed, nor my ancestors. ;-)
But in my defense I can say that in my younger years I may have wandered over to that side of the road from time to time. I do like driving on the 'correct' side of the road as a southpaw because the stick shifts are where they are supposed to be.
Another question for all of you. My data card says 9189 as the color but the code sheet I've got has the closest to that as 918. Plus, there are several codes that don't show anything for them. Is there another resource that may have more?
Hello,
I think paint code 9189 means that it is based on code 189 (Obsidian Black), but the first '9' indicates that it has a different filler which gives a pearlescent effect, rather than the standard metallic effect. I think its full name is "Smaragdschwarz". It also requires a clear top-coat.
By the way, I just returned from 10 days in Osaka where I saw just one G.
9189 is Emerald Green Black Metallic sometimes called Black Opal Metallic
Same as my ML55AMG, Looks Blue... just like 9199 Blue Black Metallic looks Green...
(Obsidian Black is 9197)
Not sure that "9" means that, the colour code is 189 with the "9" prefix
Most MB Silvers, Whites, Blacks are prefixed "9" whether Metallic or Solid
I.E
9147 Arctic White Solid
9040 Jet Black Solid
9744 Brilliant Silver Metallic
Gav
Count on gav to know the exact data.
He knows whats on the spec sheets and is always spot on if you describe the correct item to him
Unsung hero
G
Obsidian-Black Pearl
Obsidian-Black Pearl
Russia's favorite G colour!!
Yes,indeed !
Obsidian Black Metallic
or Obsidian Black Metallic-Pearl ?
Other references indicate 'Pearl' with the '9'
but the MB touch-up just says Obsidian-Black Met.
Hi Arnie
Think the truth is both, some of the colours are Pearl and i think Obsidian is one of them
However i don't think the "9" indicated that in this instance
In nearly 30 years with MB i have never heard that...
The 3 digit code "197" is the actual colour code and seems very random...
The prefix "1-9" gives a good indication of the colour but not whether its metallic or solid or pearl etc
1 = Beige / Yellow / Gold / Off White / Cream
2 = Orange
3 = Red
4 = Violet / Lilac / Purple
5 = Blue
6 = Green
7 = Grey
8 = Brown
9 = White / Silver / Black
Then you have the 3 digit Designo and AMG codes too...That are not prefixed
Gav
My code is 9189. Emerald Black metallic. Looks deep blue mainly but at different angles can look bluey green. I had the spare cover re-sprayed recently and the guy said it was a pain to get right and the mixture included all sorts including red.
My code is 9189. Emerald Black metallic. Looks deep blue mainly but at different angles can look bluey green. I had the spare cover re-sprayed recently and the guy said it was a pain to get right and the mixture included all sorts including red.
Thats the fella... Mainly Deep Blue, but can look greeny.. Nice colours
Wow, I had no idea. So, green (emerald) mixed with black gives me a dark blue, eh? I need to get up closer to it and look at these pigments. ; )
Gav, I have my data card. Would you be up for trying to decode some of the ones that don't match anything? I can see that a few definitely translate to a vehicle shipped to order in Japan so I wonder if some codes are for the foreign markets and not on the basic sheet?
Arnie,
I hope you enjoyed your trip to Osaka. Lots of history there if you were able to get out and about. Tokyo has lots of them, and of course there is an obvious need for them in that jungle of humanity. ;-)
Wow, I had no idea. So, green (emerald) mixed with black gives me a dark blue, eh? I need to get up closer to it and look at these pigments. ; )
Gav, I have my data card. Would you be up for trying to decode some of the ones that don't match anything? I can see that a few definitely translate to a vehicle shipped to order in Japan so I wonder if some codes are for the foreign markets and not on the basic sheet?
Of course...PM me your chassis number and email and i will decode, Gav
Thanks, Ned.
I need to crawl underneath and take some pics for you guys. A true virgin. ; )
Finally got home in the daylight (barely) to take a shot for you guys after I put the original grill back in.
I hadn't noticed in your first pic that the grill was non standard..
Looks good
Is the front bumper slightly discoloured on the lhs (viewed from the front)?
I am a lWB man at heart but that does look good.
Err, isnt it the reflection of the concrete slab?!
Cool Vid of the festival Howard 
Hi Gandore,
I've just replied to you on one of my other posts. Also driving a Japanese import G here in the UK, when I went to pick it up from the previous owner, all the manuals and service history was in Japanese! AAAHHHH!! I was going to sit down with a bowl of noodles and a dish of sushi to see if I could digest any of the service history....but to no avail.
I've never been to Japan but I can imagine the streets are quite narrow so it must be fun being the "king of the road" over there. I bet you swerve round everyone Tokyo Drift style :P
No, Roly, Jkelly was right, it's only a reflection from the new slab I poured for my truck. I need to pour more for the old Harley I have sitting behind it, too. ;-)
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Mark,
Sorry for the late reply. As an excuse I only get on the computer during weekdays during work.
There are two websites that I used to find my truck. The first is one that seems to be used more for international sales but my G showed up on there at $40K US dollars, almost twice what I actually paid for it here. http://www.goo-net-exchange.com/
The second one is mostly for the local folks but they're the same vehicles for the most part. If you need help navigating around in it let me know and I'll try to make a few notes for you. http://www.carsensor.net/
Actually, to save you from pulling out hair, here's the direct link to the G page: http://www.carsensor.net/usedcar/index.html?STID=CS210610&AR=&BRDC=&CARC...
Looking at the images and columns to the right of them, the first column is the cost before haggling. It's in yen, so if the first one shows you 898.0 it translates to roughly $89,900 US dollars. Actually, it's less than that right now because of the low yen rate but we've gotten in the habit of rounding off the last two zeros for quick relations.
Never mind the second column because that's the cost for registering the vehicle here. The next column is the year, the next is mileage with the little kanji symbol for 1000ths, so the first vehicles shows 7000 KM. And the next column is engine cc.