At $39,500, Is This 1991 Mercedes Brabus G36 A Big Deal?

The Geländewagen is nan longest-running exemplary successful Mercedes' fleet, but today's Nice Price aliases No Dice Brabus exemplary is 1 of nan rarest of nan bunch. Let's determine whether this luxury off-roader tin ford some streams and our poll.

In nan movie, "Jaws," nan shark's attacks are announced by a two-note ostinato successful John Williams' now iconic score. At nan clip of nan movie's release, that elemental pairing of notes E and F elicited a consciousness of primal dread successful movie-goers, keeping group retired of nan water and contemplating showers complete baths for months afterward.

It's a shame that cars for illustration nan 2011 BMW 535i we looked astatine yesterday don't travel pinch a akin philharmonic leitmotif to pass of imaginable catastrophe looming ahead. A analyzable car, contempt its manual gearbox, that six-cylinder sedan portended a rewarding driving acquisition and nan threat of costly mechanical failures successful betwixt those jaunts. A $19,991 value tag couldn't flooded nan ominous imaginable of having to hole something—anything—on nan car, which resulted successful it falling successful a 70% No Dice loss.

There's a crippled we for illustration to play astir present astatine nan move of nan almanac page to a caller year. It involves imagining what quarter-century-old cars aliases trucks we would import now that they suffice for the Federal government's Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act of 1988. That enactment exempts astir vehicles 25 years aliases older, opening up caller opportunities pinch each passing year.

Most participants successful this idle hours pastime prime a conveyance that's ne'er been officially imported owed to challenges pinch gathering emissions aliases information standards, aliases from a institution without nan resources/wherewithal to execute those requirements.

Rarely would 1 see a backstage import of a conveyance that is already offered present successful 1 shape aliases another, arsenic what's nan point? It's for illustration going to 31 Flavors and ordering vanilla.

That could beryllium considered nan rumor pinch today's 1991 Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen, arsenic nan institution officially began importing nan exemplary to nan U.S. successful 2002, and nan boxy behemoths are still connected connection coming successful some state and electrical forms. However, this G-Wagon isn't 1 that Mercedes ever offered present successful nan States. It's a Brabus G36, which was built by Brabus, nan celebrated Mercedes-loving tuning house, and features galore upgrades complete nan banal 300 GE.

When Mercedes introduced nan G-Class successful nan U.S. successful 2002, nan exemplary was already 23 years old, having primitively launched arsenic a subject and cultivation exemplary successful 1979. That intends it was aged moreover erstwhile Brabus took this 1 and worked its magic connected nan model. To beryllium fair, this 1991 is nan second-generation W461model introduced a twelvemonth earlier, and which moved nan G-Class up-market, smoothing retired nan styling and making nan interior a bully spot swankier than nan first W460 models.

Layered connected apical of that is each nan changes Brabus made to nan truck, starting pinch nan punched-out engine. Initially, this motortruck would person had a 3.0-liter version of Mercedes' M104 consecutive six. Brabus saturated and stroked that, bumping nan displacement to 3.6 liters. That awesome reimagining created a centrifugal tin of putting retired a patient 285 horsepower. It's truthful different from nan stock, smaller motor that Brabus warns connected nan motor plaque, "Dieses Fahrzeug benötigt von der Serie abweichende Motoreinstelldaten" ("This conveyance requires motor tuning information that differs from nan modular model").

That's not nan only spot of Brabus brashness connected this large beast. It besides has a remapped automatic gearbox, unsocial exterior elements, typical leather upholstery, and a Brabus badged four-spoke steering wheel. Naturally, nether each of that is Mercedes' stout body-on-frame chassis and tin 4WD.

The seller says nan motortruck has zero rust and is successful bully shape, suffering only immoderate insignificant chips successful nan Arctic White paint. The Brabus alloy wheels fitted to nan motortruck look to beryllium free of curb rash. Those deterioration caller BFG All-Terrain tires.

In nan cabin, nan leather does show immoderate wear, but not excessively so. In nan halfway stack, a later Nakamichi CD stereo shares abstraction pinch 3 now-useless cassette retention slots. As luxurious arsenic it each appears, it should beryllium noted that nan motortruck lacks A/C, truthful beryllium prepared to support that deodorant handy.

Mechanically, it's said to beryllium successful awesome shape, pinch caller activity done to nan ignition and substance systems. The seller claims nan truck, "Runs and drives very well," and touts that it is simply a "well-preserved illustration wrong and out." There are 80,421 miles connected nan clock, and nan motortruck comes pinch a cleanable title.

The asking value for this spot of Brabusery is $39,500, and we now request to talk whether that is simply a adjacent value for truthful unsocial an version of a well-known truck. What do you think? Is that a smart bargain considering that a much modern, V8-powered type of nan motortruck could beryllium bought for nan aforesaid magnitude of cash? Such a motortruck would person nan added use of being much easy serviceable astatine an MB dealer. 

That being said, this one's Brabus badassery is simply a beautiful unsocial draw. But does it travel crossed arsenic a deal? Or astatine $39,500, does this Brabus miss nan bus?

You decide!

Seattle, Washington, Craigslist, aliases spell here if nan advertisement disappears.

H/T to Dean Ponda for nan hookup!

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