Retired military vehicles.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by wildchild

I drove a cucv in the Army. it was geared for shit. as in highway gears. 3.73 maybe 4.11's rode around at 70 easy. yes it got wheeled. everytime we took it out we "drove" it. maintainance was done by the driver except major issues. Mine never had a major issue.
Do they get driven hard? absolutely. are they maintained? absolutely. thing gets everything it needs and then some. my heat worked fine. no ac or radio though.
would I buy one? in a minute. would i buy one for 4200? not on your life. they usually have very little to no rust, and usually go for around 3 grand. look around you can find them everywhere for 3 grand or less.
watch out for the ones that were purchased and then screwed up by folks who knew nothing about vehicles.
also a BIG thing to check into. make sure your state allows it to be registered for street use. Wisconsin just passed a law that vehicles that were not originally registered for street use cannot be registered for street. guys with old mil trucks are less then happy.

to illustrate the "driving" I was the first person in my unit to stick a hmmv. it took 3 feet of water and 2 feet of mud but it was stuck!! never did run the same.
put a jeep in so deep it took a 5 ton wrecker to get it out. then there was the time we fell through the ice.....
I was a howitzer driver too. LOL at least I wasn't the one who put the gun tube through fritz's bedroom.....
don't expect it to have been babied through life. some are, but most are driven and used as trucks should be.

worst part about mil vehicles is the pirated parts. make sure to check it over for missing items. although the cucv's were just gotten rid of as a whole so most went out intact.

should point out that the cucv program was right about the time the army's book keeping went to shit and a LOT of those things were pirated for parts in house but reported as functional vehicles.

[Cutty72]

Originally Posted by wildchild

worst part about mil vehicles is the pirated parts. make sure to check it over for missing items. although the cucv's were just gotten rid of as a whole so most went out intact.

They are still in the system for the Guard as TMP vehicles, and parts are still getting pirated to keep the fleet running.

[101lifts2]

Both seem overpriced...the Chevy and the Dodge. lol

[the chi]

Listen to Cutty and look at Derf's pic, nuff said.

[the chi]

Im actually just remembered another thing they do to those military vehicles when no one's watching...they use them to teach teenage girls how to drive up and down vertical inclines and through things they probably shouldnt. Ah, the memories...

[Triple]

Looks like this thing is still available. Price has dropped significantly:

1987 Chevrolet ton and 1/4 diesel w/under 40K miles - $2500

Originally Posted by Triple

Ever purchased one?

These trucks tend to have very low miles, but I wonder what type of abuse they endured during their time of service. I feel that this one in particular is a bit over-priced, but I'm interested in something similar:

1987 Chevrolet ton and 1/4 diesel w/under 40K miles - $4200



I used to have an '86 2WD diesel, and I would have kept it for future restoration had it not been so eaten up by salty Michigan winters. Vehicles down here are infinitely more solid (assuming these military trucks were originally stationed somewhere in the south), and this is my favorite body-style pickup.

[Gas Man]

my FIL has one like that... but a Dodge.

[Racerboy]

Originally Posted by Triple

Looks like this thing is still available. Price has dropped significantly:

So you going to take the plunge and buy it? One of my friends here in AZ buys old Deuce & a Half's as well as trucks like this one. Most need work but are cheap as hell...since he is a mechanic, its all ina days work for him to get them running right and resold.

[Triple]

Originally Posted by Racerboy

So you going to take the plunge and buy it?

This one has already been retrofitted with 12V electronics and civilian/street model gearing.

I wanted to sell my truck (click HERE) before buying another, but $2500 isn't too big a gamble. I would have preferred a 4-speed stick and I could forego the 4WD, but I may still go take a look. Solid metal is my number one requirement.

[fujimoh]

Originally Posted by Triple

This one has already been retrofitted with 12V electronics and civilian/street model gearing.

I wanted to sell my truck (click HERE) before buying another, but $2500 isn't too big a gamble. I would have preferred a 4-speed stick and I could forego the 4WD, but I may still go take a look. Solid metal is my number one requirement.

Yep, if the Frame and sheet metal are straight and intact, the mechanics aren't that tough to fix. Just like buying an old bike to restore. If you aren't afraid to get your hands dirty, go for it