New member who will need some help!
Hi there
Thought I'd join up and say hello after being advised of this site from a defender forum i'm a member on.
I've only ever owned and driven Land Rovers, but have just put my 110 up for sale which will be replaced with a G wagen.
I'm sure ill have lots of stupid questions as genuinely don't really have a clue about them (I can tell you anything about a defender though haha) any help would be much appreciated and will be reading through all the buying pointers and what to look out for.
As a fairly young driver ill be using it for towing boats mainly and a bit more comfort as a general car along with some gentle green laning and mountain bike carry duty along with the odd trip abroad.
Im not really fussed about left or right hand drive although the latter would obviously be better.
Anyway Hello from me
Tom 
Hi, Tom,
Nice to have you on board. I am sure you will get lots of help from the members, here, in making your decisions. The G has been around since 1979 and there are at least 3 main civilian versions: the 460, the 463 and the 461. The 460 was more or less the first version, with part-time 4WD, like the defender. The 463 emerged in 1990 and continues to this day. It has full-time 4WD and more 'recent' engines (even though, the engines in the G have, traditionally, tended to be about 1 generation behind those used in comparable MB saloon cars of the same era,). The 461 is a more modern 460 and rare, if not impossible, to find in RHD. Anyway, this is the broad-brush picture of the range. Until recently, the 463 has been available also as a short wheel-base and cabrio - now only long-wheel base - and the 460 can be found in both long, short and soft-top.
More details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_G-Class
From what you described as your requirements, sounds as if a 460 might suit (except maybe for the bit about traveling with it to Europe, unless you are not in a hurry.)
The 460 have certain areas prone to rust, mainly in the rear quarters, wheel arches, lower parts of rear-door and in some, the front floor pan, if water ingress is left un-addressed.
Body-wise, the 463 generally has none of these issues, if reasonably well maintained. However, the chassis and suspension mounting-points may require attention, after long-term exposure to road-salt and neglect in washing (and waxoyling) the chassis. The interior of the 463 is more refined than the 460 and newer engines make it a better motorway cruiser. However, be warned that with the G's aerodynamics, anything over 80 mph gets very noisy and fuel consumption takes a dive.
If you'll accept LHD, then the choice is much broader with cars from German, or even the UK:
http://www.guestscarsandcommercials.co.uk/used-cars/mercedes-benz-g-class-rugby-201510057513201
This one has been for sale for a while at another dealer for as low as £23k, but it looks good compared to many older RHD ones at higher prices and the 270CDi is reasonably powerful and economical (as can be on a G). AMG wheels and side-steps have now been added.
Thanks again
Would probably require a lwb for me, as for fuel consumption im fairly realistic in not expecting very good numbers probably close to my defender? I dont tend to drive that quick either Ive found from land rovers numbers over 80 tend to get scary. It will be a second car so mainly just for a nice drive and leisurely towing.
Ill take your advice on looking at foreign ones for sale aswell. Im pretty happy you said about waxoyl/ dinitrol as do all our cars in that once a year anyway. Just part of the joy of coastal air living on an Island along with salt spray on the roads!
price wise obviously lower is nicer but realistically 20's seem to be the going rate for the older ones ive seen?
Take it part wise most bits are fairly easy ship ive been spoilt with a local specialist around the corner from me.
Many regular service parts for engine, cooling, brakes etc, which were common to MB models such as the W124 or commercial vans can be had OEM from the likes of Euro Car Parts or GFS etc. Other parts will from your friendly MB Dealer parts dept. For springs and suspension, I think factory-standard gives the best ride for general use, but plenty of aftermarket options there too.
I drive a LHD model and find little or no issues. Turning right at busy junctions takes an extra look, though. The European (German) ones were offered with updated engine choices (eg M104) whilst the UK ones remained with the original offerings. Ones up to about 1999 are 'traditional MB'; those after that have signs of cost-reduction in the interior fit and finish (Chrysler era, or should that be 'error') Though, body-wise and main mechanicals remain the same through the years.
The G in the link that you posted looks good apart from as you say the stupid spoiler.
Not sure whether the interior in that G is totally original or has been re-trimmed. I may be wrong, but I don't think that I have seen one like that before. Anyway. I have had a 300GD Auto SWB and I think they go quite well. Can cruise at 80mph all day long and the engine is quite refined. Also does not have all the possible electronics/ sensor problems of later CDi models. However, not sure how well it will cope with the extra weight of a LWB.
with the GBP £ so strong these days against the Euro have a look on www.mobile.de.
There are also RHD ones from Japan :
http://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/MERCEDES_BENZ/G-CLASS/index.html
eg:
Im taking all this in I promise 
Hadnt even considered looking abroad and at Japanese imports but a point well made with current prices and something else to look into.
I dont mind getting my hands dirty so sounds like that could be the ideal model for me to look at. Must say ive never done big mechanical jobs like an engine swap, Luckily we have a fully equipped workshop with friendly mechanics who love a project at my place of work would take some convincing though!
Cheers
Tom Have a look on mobile.de (German Autotrader). You may also find gfg-shop.de or orc.de usful for accessories.
Think ill have to start some research on importing costs, I guess they cant be to bad though but will need to do some reading.
Both look good sites from taking a quick glance
Japan
Typically, Japanese cars will have been well looked after and pampered. No off-roading, no salt corrosion, no rust.
You'll pay VAT (20%) on the sale price but being used, there should be no other taxes. shipping costs may be around £1500.
Re-registration in UK is fairly straight forward, and takes about 3 weeks. Some will be RHD and some will be LHD. If you want a RHD one, this is probably the cheapest route for a newish, c. year 2000, G500 or similar.
There are import brokers in the UK for Japanese vehicle who handle all the arrangements and paperwork.
Germany
From Germany, no import taxes nor duty and GBP/Euro exchange rate is favourable. Again, re-registration in UK takes about 3 weeks with a fee of £50.
NOTE that if you import a non-UK model you may have to negotiate with your insurance as to what nearest UK model they will insure it under. My G400 is insured as a G500AMG (practically, 2 models up, but still a reasonable premium of around £300)
Think as im in no rush ill be more inclined to see some in Germany then as would prefer to see the car in the flesh.
It doesnt bother me putting in a bit more effort to see one so not put off by that really.
Seems so much more choice from the cars shown on the mobile site. I'll have to brush up on my German going down that route though haha
NOTE that if you import a non-UK model you may have to negotiate with your insurance as to what nearest UK model they will insure it under. My G400 is insured as a G500AMG (practically, 2 models up, but still a reasonable premium of around £300)
I don't know if it's of interest to you Arnie, but my insurers (NFU) have agreed to adjust the premium on my 300 post TT'ing. They've asked for a BHP read out, and will calculate the premium from that. Initial discussions indicate that it will be a bit below the premium for a 500.
TT'ng should start soon, I've been beset with health problems, both my old frame and the Lexus!!
Thank you for the pointer about NFU. I had contacted them originally, since the previous owner was insured with them at a good rate (around £240). However, the best they could manage for me was £700, which then went up to £840 after they re-considered, and then they added the requirement to fit a GPS monitoring device to check my driving. That was with 11 years NCD and clean licence. Probably, my London post-code did not help (as they cover mostly more rural areas). Anyway, I then tried many others, including Adrian-Flux (which is also often mentioned and who wanted over £1,000). All the big-name, on-line insurers who did not have the G400 on their lists did not want to know, except for Direct-Line, who were very helpful and who insured it as a G500-AMG. I guess I could have argued that it should be closer to a regular, G500, but then the G400 has a lot more torque, so I wanted to avoid the possibility of any arguments later. Also, the £300 premiium seemed reasonable, especially when compared to the other two quotations. My G300E, I can insure with almost anyone for less than £200.
Anyway, I am glad that NFU can tailor a solution for you, as they are supposed to be one of the best for insurance.
Thanks for the help Guys
looks like i'll be going for a G270 CDI from looking more in depth. Will definitely use the Mobile.de site recommended, might be a little more effort viewing but think it will be worth it. Thanks
ill keep reading all the posts put up as research before I look, my Owners pack arrived today in the post.
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Thanks Arnie
So far its the 463 that is the style ive been looking at, most have been left hand drive although like i said isnt crucial to me anyway so dont really mind that.
At the moment ive been trying to read up on all the key bits to look at when buying, with land rovers the bulkhead and chassis are the main areas to go, so just taking it all in.
I also considered a range rover tdv8 (sorry to mention them on here!) but still think the G like the defender has a certain charm and character, The G wagen seems the perfect vehicle between the two plus holds its value well which is a major plus point for me. Ive been looking at this one as an example although not keen on the wheels and spoiler
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201509197055525/usedcars?l...
This site seems to be a great source of info so looking forward to getting involved as know a couple of people here like Jim and Chris at CSK. Also sure they'll still be the usefull mods and alterations ill be trying. Hopefully I wont miss driving a defender too much!