I would like to sell my 1980 Gwagen. The VIN is 46023217006445. Asking price is $24,500. High, but read on.
This is the short-wheelbase three-door model with the ambulance doors in the back. It is a German spec vehicle which was imported about twenty years ago, I think, by a fellow in Oregon. I have all the DOT paperwork and releases. It is legal in all states EXCEPT California, where (as I understand it) its age does not exempt it from emissions requirements. It is the six-cylinder 280GE model, four-speed. It does NOT have the locking center diff, but it DOES have the locking front/rear diff feature. It does NOT have air. "Fierce invalids from hot climates", you are hereby notified. Although Gwagens do have excellent ventilation....
I will upload some photos of it within the next few days. It is beige/tan with the usual wacko plaid interior. It has about 35,000 miles on it, total, and is in excellent shape.
The tendency of 460s to rust is well-known. However this car has always been stored indoors (at least in this country) and the only area of corrosion I have seen is the rear pinch seam below the ambulance doors, which has been stable. I had this area repaired a few years ago with new metal welded in, and it has been stable ever since.
This is a very original truck. It does not have big wheels, lifts, mags, or anything of the sort. It has the original monaural AM-FM radio. All of the details such as headlamp washers, rear fog light, etc, all work. Two things require attention- the fuel tank sending unit ought to be replaced, as below a half-tank it is intermittent, and the trip odometer works only part of the time. The regular odometer works fine.
I bought this car years ago because I HAD to get back and forth to my job as an emergency doctor; calling in sick was not an option. It was for winter use only, and because it was so clean I drove it only when I had to, washing it off top and undercarriage when I did use it. I used it very little. Most of the time it sat around on a battery charger. Over time time I've owned it, I have had a lot of servicing done on it, most of which seems to have to do with it sitting around and not being driven much. I have driven it less than ten thousand miles since I bought it in the spring of 2006.
I advertised this vehicle on BaT and also had a try at eBay, unsuccessful in either venue. This group of enthusiasts here may better appreciate a utilitarian vehicle that is so clean it might win a preservation award at a regional concours.
Here's a list of what we've done on her over the eight or nine years in my ownership:
-new tires, repaint wheels
-flush and renew all fluids, including the hydraulic diff locks, and all engine and trans fluids
-new brakes front and rear, including rotors, rebuild calipers, rear linings
-new MB exhaust system end to end
-new clutch: pressure plate, disc and TOB
-clean and repack all wheel bearings
-refinish all stainless black exterior trim
-various switches
-disassemble wiper transmission, hone shaft bores, repack with grease, reassemble (this is a very good example of what happens when you let a truck sit in the garage for years and never turn the wipers on)
-new screen washer pump, clean system etc.
No doubt there are other maintenance items, but this is what I remember doing.
Photos to follow. In the meantime, if you would like to know more, PM me or email me. Selling this vehicle is part of my pre-retirement car collection downsizing. Retirement is still a few years away, and I have begun the process determined to avoid a mass sell-off of cars later on, or, worse yet, a sell-off by my estate. LOL
Thanks for reading this dilatory post.
Jim Rosenthal
This is the short-wheelbase three-door model with the ambulance doors in the back. It is a German spec vehicle which was imported about twenty years ago, I think, by a fellow in Oregon. I have all the DOT paperwork and releases. It is legal in all states EXCEPT California, where (as I understand it) its age does not exempt it from emissions requirements. It is the six-cylinder 280GE model, four-speed. It does NOT have the locking center diff, but it DOES have the locking front/rear diff feature. It does NOT have air. "Fierce invalids from hot climates", you are hereby notified. Although Gwagens do have excellent ventilation....
I will upload some photos of it within the next few days. It is beige/tan with the usual wacko plaid interior. It has about 35,000 miles on it, total, and is in excellent shape.
The tendency of 460s to rust is well-known. However this car has always been stored indoors (at least in this country) and the only area of corrosion I have seen is the rear pinch seam below the ambulance doors, which has been stable. I had this area repaired a few years ago with new metal welded in, and it has been stable ever since.
This is a very original truck. It does not have big wheels, lifts, mags, or anything of the sort. It has the original monaural AM-FM radio. All of the details such as headlamp washers, rear fog light, etc, all work. Two things require attention- the fuel tank sending unit ought to be replaced, as below a half-tank it is intermittent, and the trip odometer works only part of the time. The regular odometer works fine.
I bought this car years ago because I HAD to get back and forth to my job as an emergency doctor; calling in sick was not an option. It was for winter use only, and because it was so clean I drove it only when I had to, washing it off top and undercarriage when I did use it. I used it very little. Most of the time it sat around on a battery charger. Over time time I've owned it, I have had a lot of servicing done on it, most of which seems to have to do with it sitting around and not being driven much. I have driven it less than ten thousand miles since I bought it in the spring of 2006.
I advertised this vehicle on BaT and also had a try at eBay, unsuccessful in either venue. This group of enthusiasts here may better appreciate a utilitarian vehicle that is so clean it might win a preservation award at a regional concours.
Here's a list of what we've done on her over the eight or nine years in my ownership:
-new tires, repaint wheels
-flush and renew all fluids, including the hydraulic diff locks, and all engine and trans fluids
-new brakes front and rear, including rotors, rebuild calipers, rear linings
-new MB exhaust system end to end
-new clutch: pressure plate, disc and TOB
-clean and repack all wheel bearings
-refinish all stainless black exterior trim
-various switches
-disassemble wiper transmission, hone shaft bores, repack with grease, reassemble (this is a very good example of what happens when you let a truck sit in the garage for years and never turn the wipers on)
-new screen washer pump, clean system etc.
No doubt there are other maintenance items, but this is what I remember doing.
Photos to follow. In the meantime, if you would like to know more, PM me or email me. Selling this vehicle is part of my pre-retirement car collection downsizing. Retirement is still a few years away, and I have begun the process determined to avoid a mass sell-off of cars later on, or, worse yet, a sell-off by my estate. LOL
Thanks for reading this dilatory post.
Jim Rosenthal
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