If you like Range Rover-level luxury and mystique, but need three-rows in your SUV then maybe today’s Nice Price or No Dice Mercedes GL320 will the car to scratch that itch. We’ll just have to see if its price has you itching to buy.
Yesterday’s 2016 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider was offered with just 2,300 miles on the clock, and a price premium driven by that lack of use. Unfortunately for the seller, squirreling away a car for a few years to grab such an almost-new premium doesn’t work all that well on cars that, for one reason or another, suffer extreme depreciation. One thing Alfas do really well is depreciation. That made our candidate’s $48,999 price a bit too hard to swallow, ending up in a 57% No Dice loss.
Interestingly, yesterday’s Alfa had one thing in common with the car we’ll be looking at today. That similarity? They both are painted white. Other than that I can’t imagine two cars as seemingly contradictory as the tiny two-seat 4C with its 2,300 miles, and this 2008 Mercedes Benz GL320 CDI seven-seater that rocks a hefty 200K on its clock.
The big GL was introduced back in 2006 in the form of an extended wheelbase edition of the smaller, two-row M-class. Both cars were built in the same Tuscaloosa, Alabama manufacturing plant. Mercedes’ goal with the big seven-seater was to have it take over the mantle of top dog in their SUV lineup allowing the company to finally phase out the incredibly long-serving Geländewagen. Buyers disagreed in principle with this plan and the company was forced to sell both models—the G-wagon moving even farther up-market— and raking in money hand over fist on each one. I actually don’t think Daimler will ever be allowed to end G-wagon production.
This CDI edition comes in Arctic White over a cream leather interior. No, that’s not the most exciting color combination one could imagine, but it’s timeless and let’s be honest, you can’t get bored with something that’s already kind of boring out of the box.
The best thing about this first generation of GL is that it still looks contemporary with Mercedes’ current line up. Seriously, if you saw one of these advertised as a 2021 model would you call shenanigans? I think not.
That kind of dull paint color is still all kinds of shiny, and matches well with the heavily tinted windows and handsome five-spoke alloy wheels. There’s no yellowing of the headlamp covers, nor any peppering noticeable on the nose so those 200,000 miles must have been fairly kind and not racked up behind gravel trucks.
The interior appears just as inviting, with leather seating surfaces on all three rows and a panoramic moon roof up top to let plenty of daylight in. The only issue in here is an elbow-worn armrest cover and an infotainment screen that’s last-decade sized.
Aside from those demerits, the interior exudes German luxury appointments and looks to have held up pretty well. The capacious load area is equally up to the task and features a rare sight—an actual Weathertech mat in the wild!
The big GL is a unibody truck but is still pretty heavy despite the lack of a separate frame. These trucks tip the scales at up to 5,400 pounds and that can mean a thirsty driving experience.
Fortunately for all you frugal types, this one sports the OM642 V6 turbo diesel under its hood. That three-litre engine features an all-aluminum build and an odd 72° angle of the dangle between its direct-injected banks. In the GL it’s good for 215 horsepower and a massive 398 lb-ft of torque. That all rolls through Mercedes’ 7-speed automatic and the 4MATIC AWD system that does all the torque distribution so you don’t have to.
The ad gives no word on the car’s mechanical condition, nor its past maintenance history. That’s somewhat alarming for a car of this level of complexity and expense when repairs are needed. That being said, the ad does call the car “gorgeous” and notes that it comes with a clear title, both valid advocacies.
The asking price for this diesel behemoth is $10,999, which is a far cry from the original MSRP that would have been somewhere north of $60K. Time and those miles have obviously pared that down, but they haven’t done the same to the big Benz’s style nor—in this car’s case, at least—its appearance.
What do you think, does this big Benz seem to still have it? And whatever that “it” is, do you think anyone should pay $10,999 to get it?
You decide!
Los Angeles, CA Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to FauxShizzle for the hookup!
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