The Mercedes-Benz G-Class – or G-Wagen – has long been associated with excess in a few different categories. In most cases, it is a four-door, full-size SUV with a ridiculous amount of horsepower thanks to modifications by AMG, and carries with it an eye-watering price tag. The G55 and G63 are surprisingly common sights in well-to-do suburbs, often driven by housewives that apparently saw Mercedes’ brutish SUV on an episode of Real Housewives of New Jersey and decided the Macan they were driving would no longer suffice. Well, if you want to get back to the roots of the G-Class, then this slow, simple, and highly utilitarian version with a folding roof is worthy of a look. Check out this 1986 280GE here on eBay with bids to $22,600 and no reserve.

The drop-top version of the Gelandewagon has been popping up more frequently in the states as a special order import, procured by companies specializing in locating vehicles never sold in the U.S. I’m not sure why it took so long for these to become more popular, as it seems to combine multiple must-have criteria into one package: exclusivity, check; convertible, check; legitimate off-road chops, check; three-pointed star badge located prominently on the grill, check; stylish hard-shell spare tire cover, check – the list goes on. This particular 280GE also sports a unique color combination of a “Marble” eTxterior with gray leather and a merlot-colored soft top.

The seller claims this example has just 12,000 miles and it certainly appears that was in pictures. It also notes that it has recently come from long-term one-family ownership, which presumably means it was living overseas until recently. The early G-Wagens were much simpler machines than the late model examples that were sold as part of the company’s U.S. lineup of vehicles, with ornate interior trimmings and the full assortment of audio-visual upgrades and navigation equipment. You may get leather seats in a 280GE, but the rest of the cabin is spartan enough to remind you that this model’s primary purpose was that of a military vehicle before Mercedes decided to sell it as a mall crawler SUV. The seller notes this truck needs new window regulators on both sides.

Unlike the twin-turbocharged G63, the earlier G-Wagens made do with humble (but un-killable) six-cylinder gas engines and diesel powertrains. Again, the primary intent behind Mercedes’ SUV was to move troops and other personnel that absolutely had to arrive at their target destination. While this 2.8L inline-six is quite utilitarian and nowhere near as exotic as the 4.0L V8 in the G63, it will provide dutiful service for years to come (and by European vehicle standards, likely be fairly reasonable cost-wise to maintain). Would you choose a G-Wagen like this convertible model over a new Wrangler or Bronco?