1980 Mercedes 280ge W460 g-wagon

1980 Mercedes-Benz G-Class Description

Selling my daily driver. Purchased it sight unseen (on Ebay) approx. 3yrs ago from a dealer in Chicago. I was told it had spent its American life in Nevada and New Mexico prior to being sold to the dealer in Chicago. We have spent the lastfew yrs getting "Helga" in shape to be my wifes daily driver. Fair enough to say we probably bit of more than we expected but it has been a fun ride, she is readyto go back to heated seats andBluetooth! Real head turner and fires right up. For those curious about the off-road ability;my understanding is a bone stock w460 is awesome off road. We have done nothing to alter this ability, nor do we use her off road. Attached you will see a list of the work we have doneduring our ownership. We thought we had it inspected prior to purchase (inspector recommended through the seller), but obviously he or they missed some things.

The vehicle is not without its flaws. Maybe I am a more particular than others but there are still items I would fix or replace (overtime). For example I have new (old stock/original) fabric for the front seats. They could use a freshening up. The heater fan has a slight squeak when you first start using it. No a/c, means the fan doesn't get used much, so I don't know if that could be oiled/greased or what. I just took her ona 200 mile road trip down to Southern Oregon on the freeway. Something I noticed was the front end wandered a bit, liked to grab the ruts in the road, so I am guessing the front end would need some freshening up. I have zero uneven wear on the tires and in town it tracks great. We don't usually go on the highway. Rear shocks are ready to be replaced, I already did the front. I was just informed the right rear taillight does not light up with the headlights on, but it does with the brake light and the turn signal works? So I need to check out the driving light. There are a few odds and ends plastic/trim type items that could use some attention. Nothing that I listed interrupts the drivability of the vehicle, its more of a personal attention to detail that bugs me and a new owner could take their time to do whatever they wanted.

I would have no hesitation to drive this vehicle long distances, other than the gas mileage is not the best nor is the top speed, lol. I am more than willing to work with any potential buyers on coordinating inspections and will provide all receipts and prior service shop connections/numbers if someone wanted to call. I have no knowledge about registering this vehicle in California.Can it be done? Is it already approved? I don't know. Oh and there is NO a/c!

I recently had this vehicle listed on Bring a Trailer and unfortunately I was not able to make a deal with the high seller (my reserve was not met).From that listingI was able to be contacted by the original owner of Helga who had owned the vehicle for over 25 yrs. They saw the vehicle listed and reached out.They were the ones that actually had her imported from Europe. I am waiting for additional paperwork to be sent from them showing the process they went through to have the vehicle imported, apparently it was a ginormous hassle.

The market on these type of vehicles is all over the place. Its tough to compare one to the next especially depending on the work done or that needs to be done. This is basically a 40 yr old, rust free,280ge, inline 6 with barn doors....very very hard to find. I know it can be considered fodder, but we did have the vehicle independently appraised for insurance purposes and have a copy of the report stating the appraiser listed it at a $43,000 value.

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1980 280GE

Original purchase- 9/3/16- From NorthShore AutoSport in Chicago

Seller stated the vehicle was in “above average” condition for its age. Seller also stated they recently had replaced the Brake master cylinder and fuel filter and fuel lines.

Below is a running list of the more major repairs done since purchase, most with receipts and any applicable warranties.

October 2016

General vehicle inspection by SportsCarShop (Eugene, Oregon)

Fixed heater

Set timing/adjust distributor

Replaced front shocks

Replaced antenna

Rust proof coating underneath

November 2016

Replace front windshield and gasket (leaking)

Remove and replace passenger side floor pan (rusted out due to windshield)

-drivers side had been done previoulsy

December 2016

Replace two front speakers

Find, locate and purchase rear axle (few months after driving regularly, the existing axle imploded, damaging the interior components and housing)

January 2017

Install new (used) rear axle

-inspect, transfer and refurb all interior/exterior parts as needed

-fluid serviced

Inspect front differential

-fluid serviced

Inspect transfer case

-fluid serviced

Inspect cooling system

-radiator removed and repaired (leaking)

-fluids flushed and serviced

Install new fan clutch

Install new drive belts

February 2017

Install new shifter bushings

-lube assembly

Remove rear brake components

-replaced rear wheel cylinders

Remove and replace rear hydraulic locker actuator

-flush and bleed entire differential lock

Replace all brake flex lines

-flush and bleed entire brake system

Replace clutch master and slave cylinders

-flush and bleed entire clutch system

Replace right radius arm to axle housing mount bolt (frozen)

March 2017

Replace/Rebuild Starter (plus tools)

Replace turn signal lens w/clear

Replace side marker lens w/clear

Replace heater control cable

Install new fuel injectors

Install new spark plugs

April 2017

Replace fuel filter

Replace fuel accumulator

-fuel lines replaced, front to back

POR15 entire inside floor

Carpet entire interior

Replace shift boot

May 2017

Spare tire and modified tire holder

September 2017

Parts for rear door latch and fabrication

October 2017

Roof rack

Oil change

Replace Turn Signal lever/assembly (Multifunction Switch)

December 2017

Replace gas/clutch rubber pedal covers

Replace red/green/plastic covers (diff, turn signal)

January 2018

Replace front sway bar bushings

March 2018

Purchased right and left rear corners

Miscellaneous parts, nuts, bolts, pieces due to prepping for paint

April 2018

Paint and rust remediation

July 2018

Flush power steering system

Repair transmission leak at speedo drive

Replace shifter components (bushings and springs)

Complete replacement of fuel lines w/fuel filter

Replace ignition rotor

October 2018

Tire rotation and balance

February 2019

Replace water pump and housing

Coolant replacement

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