Is a G right for me?
I was wondering if a G was really for me? I absolutely love the retro look of the vehicle, and the solid build, however at the same time I am on a very limited budget (up to four thousand max). At the moment I am a mature student and it will be my only vehicle, so money if very tight and I need to guarantee reliability. Apart from daily driving my main interest is camping holidays (I tend to go into the wild), and the vehicle seems perfect for this. Later next year I also have plans for a 3 month trip to Africa. So in all these respects the G seems to tick all the boxes.
My main concern is the fact that these are now old vehicles (on my budget) and they are bound to need money spending on them (As it will be my only vehicle reliability is essential on a limited budget). It seems that many parts are dealer only and very expensive with few second hand options. Also I have to balance this with my fairly limited mechanical skills which only run as far as replacing wheel bearings, callipers, belts, water pumps, springs etc. I really know nothing about engines or gearboxes and have never attempted anything as complex as a clutch etc. The only vehicles I have ever run and worked on were Toyota Hilux pickups and Vaxuhall Brava / Isuzu pickups which are really easy when it comes to basic stuff and the parts are easy to find at cheap prices. So with this in mind do you think a G is really for me? Or are they just for enthusiasts with money to burn?
In short it seems a landrover would be the easy way forward for me. As you can buy parts for these on Ebay all day long (as well as a huge community with massive amounts of tutorials, advice etc), however in all honestly I absolutely love the styling etc of the G but I really don't have much money to play with and my technical skills are somewhat limited. Due to my current financial position I really can't afford anything that is going to cost me much more to maintain than the Vauxhall Brava or Toyota Pickups that I am used to. As I said I love the G but I can't afford to go on a path to financial ruin. In light of this do you think a G is really for me?
Apologies for the negative tone of this message, however I need some honest sound advice from people who run these vehicles and need to know if a G would be feasible for me in my current financial position?
Thanks Adam
You are being realistic. 2nd hand G-wagen prices have gone through the roof in the last 6 or 7 years and whilst they are more robust and reliable than a LR the aluminium heap does have a huge support network, very enthusiastic and clued up organisations and its parts are cheaper. Its not all one way traffic though as the G's engine and mechanics come from widely available mainstream cars or vans and many service parts can be had at Euro Car Parts or GSF.
Finally you will note that there are LR's on the road that are over 50 years old, with a modicum of care this will be easily achievable with a G-wagen too and they don't leak.
Appears you have many of the skills needed to keep an older G going. It's not unheard of to find old G's that need very little doing to them. More so the most other vehicles.
Certainly looking to an LR would be the last resort. If you decide against a G then look at Land Cruisers before LR's, especially if your heading to Africa
I think if I was to give impartial advice then it would be easier to find a low cost well maintained Defender than a G wagon within your budget. Landrover parts are also in plentiful supply and much cheaper than the equivalent G part in the UK.
However a Defender is not a G Wagon and you may regret missing the opportunity to have owned one.
Search through the members list and find Pok (he likes cats) Drop him a PM as he was a student and ran a G for a while, he can give you some serious pointers. ou could also get some advice from Tommy Clynes or tclynes on the forum) as I am sure he had one while doing his A levels.
There has been some wize advice given, but if your passionate about it , I am sure you will find a way. best of luck and keep asking the questions - that is what we are here for!
Spider1V
My advise based on ownership of all vehicles mentioned would be to purchase a LR Discovery. I think you would be dissapointed with the diesel performance of an older G and find the petrol quite thirsty, 18/20 Mpg. A defender is cramped and expensive compared to a disco which can be bought for very little money. If you are used to the pick-ups you mentioned you will find a g very heavy. I love my G but it is far more difficult to find parts at the cheap prices and the easy availability of my Disco. Just to say that I prefer my G to my Disco because it is what it is, but that affection has a cost. If I were in your situation then the above should say let your head rule your heart !
Driven gently you can get 25mpg from the manual diesel 300, 13-15 with an auto ge280 a little more with the rare manual; 18-20 with a manual 230ge. The diesel will also run on vegetable oil and if you can source it, recycled chip fat! Diesel LR's are not much better dspite having less weight to haul around. I can't emphasise enough about trying before buying, if you do the sheer quality of the G will hook you, everything else will seem shite.
None of the Isuzu's [2.8 , 3.0 & 3.1] are easy...adaptor plate is a £500 one off job and you still have old type gearbox issues.
The best non Toyota engine is the Nissan 2.7 Terrano so consider one of these as a daily driver for a non LR option.They are by far the best of the rest ,underated here in UK and therefore good value and give 30mpg .Get one for c.£1000 for your 4x4 needs and find a G to reengine[ with MB 60# ] and restore when you can afford to.
So are you saying a Nissan Terrano engine will go in a G wagon? You also mention the Isuzu conversion kits, were you referring to these in reference to a G wagon? If so where can I get them from and do you know anyone who would do a conversion? The reason I say this is I already have an Isuzu 2.5 TD engine and gearbox. Both are in A1 condition
no ,tony is saying that you should buy a terrano 2.7td to drive day to day and get a g later on to convert to 60x engine when you arebetter placed to do so ie. financially if not you could end up spending thousands trying to get an isuzu engine to fit with all the issues of oil sump,flywheel clutch/gearbox etc blah blah etc.
basically sell the isuzu engine and box and get yourself a terrano or a ssangyong korando or musso (some badged daewoo) that gets you a sort of (and i really mean 'sort of') g wagen drivetrain experience if you can buy a td musso /korando then you have your engine to put in your g wagen when you are ready .
do not fit a non merc motor in your g it will devalue it and make it very difficult to sell later, the musso and korando look a bit odd but they are very underrated (just be wary of the electric transfer box make sure it all works ) thet are rear wheel driver with selectable 4x4 hi /low like a 460 it is the only way to get a 4x4 with merc diesel power without buying a cheap ml 270 or cherokee jeep which has a merc diesel aswell both highly electronic and you will not want to swap an engine like that when the time comes and the jeep or ml 'fail to proceed anymore'
get your g later you could get into trouble with a cheap one and end up with no car at all.
Thanks for your honest advice. I do have my heart set on a G but think in this instance I need to use my head. In my current financial position. I really can't afford to be messing around with anything that may require serious expense with regards to parts. If I did encounter any problems I could see me being left without a car for months until I could afford to fix it.
Despite this I still have my heart set on a G long term and whatever alternative vehicle I buy now it would be great if I could use that engine on a G when I have more money in the future. As for the Korando or Musso are there any specific specifications that I should look out for engine wise? I see they do a range of Merc diesels for these - which is best / easiest to drop into a G? Also what sort of Mpg would I get with one of these engines in a G?
Thanks Adam
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Thanks for all your comments guys. I guess the conclusion people are coming to is that a LR may be the most sensible option for me in my current situation. I did consider a discovery but the insurance is pretty ridiculous (over a thousand pounds). I think it may be so expensive as despite holding a driving license for 15 years I don't have any no claims bonus as I have always driven on other peoples insurance due to it being much cheaper (girlfriends etc) I also have to factor this into things, as with a G it qualifies as classic car insurance at just £125 per year fully comp. I have to say I was surprised how low this was.
Another thing I know the G has a reputation for being thirsty, just wondered if anyone had ever heard of anyone fitting a G with an Isuzu engine? You can buy the Isuzu conversion kits for LR right off the shelf, but can't see anything like that for the G.