Drove deuce for the first time. A3/A2?

[Rubicon51]

Ok I went to view/drive some trucks at the GL, and now I don't know which one I want. I'm still looking to buy my first one. I got to drive an m35a2c, and a m35a3. Wow the A3 will get you spoiled, drives nice. Now I think I want to hold off so I can get an A3. What are the pros and cons of an A3 compared to the A2, becides the obvious? As for reliability which is better? Any reason to stay away from an A3? Realy like that power steering, is it hydro or air? Do the self inflating tire system work pretty good? I'm diggin the A3


Anybody out there with an A3?

Thanks

 

[dittle]

There are some previous posts about an A3 vs A2 and here are a couple off the lists:

Cons: Parts are harder to come by (transmission especially), the CTIS can be a POS (can be disconnected however), low top speed, costs a lot more to purchase

Pros: Powersteering, automatic transmission

 

[BKubu]

Price is a good reason to stay away from the A3. All things being equal, it is a superior truck, though. However, you can buy several good A2s for the price of one A3.

 

[cruz]

I have an a2, and I love it, if you get the a3 anyone can drive it and people will always be asking to use it to move, or haul something, with the a2 half the people out there can't drive a manual tranny, and half of those who can drive it wont want to drive it because of the lack of power steering, just my opinion. besides the a2 will give you a free workout everytime you drive it.

 

[Rubicon51]

Is the top speed on an A3 slower than an A2? What is the CTIS? Yea i've noticed that the cost is twice that of an A2. I think what I like about the A3 it the power steering (smaller steering wheel), and the auto trans. I wonder how the MPG is.

Matt

 

[BKubu]

The cost is more like three, four or five times the cost of an A2. If you find an A3 going for $6K, you stole it. Most A2s bring $2K or less (I'd guess the average cost is closer to $1,500 or so). The A3 is just as "fast" as the A2. The belief that it is slower is a myth. It is much quicker from a dead-stop. Further, the top speed is 56 MPH, which is the same as the A2. People drive their A2s faster than that and I am sure the A3 will go faster, too. The manual and the motor both say that 2,800 RPM is the max allowable RPM (red line). That seems high for my liking, but the motor sounds fine at that RPM (I only had it there once). I just drove my truck on the highway to and from David's funeral at any where from 50-55 MPH and it did fine. You are doing 50 MPH at 2,500 RPM in an A3. I have no idea about mileage. CTIS stands for Central Tire Inflation System. While my CTIS works, I have heard horror stories about it. It cannot tolerate inactivity for long stretches...or so I have been told. The same is true, by the way, with the CTIS on the M939A2 series.

 

[BKubu]

DITTLE has some good points to consider. Parts availability is a problem. This is something to consider before buying one.

 

[Rubicon51]

I think i'll just stick with an A2 for now, considering the cost of the A3. At least thats what I say now, I want that cat though. I just can't justify that much money for it. I'm pushing my luck with the 2k for an A2, wife is ready to kill me now.

 

[Warthog]

Also the A3 is not a multi-fuel, if you are going that route.

 

[wsucougarx]

Ok I went to view/drive some trucks at the GL, and now I don't know which one I want. I'm still looking to buy my first one. I got to drive an m35a2c, and a m35a3. Wow the A3 will get you spoiled, drives nice. Now I think I want to hold off so I can get an A3. What are the pros and cons of an A3 compared to the A2, becides the obvious? As for reliability which is better? Any reason to stay away from an A3? Realy like that power steering, is it hydro or air? Do the self inflating tire system work pretty good? I'm diggin the A3


Anybody out there with an A3?

Thanks

Hmm start with the price, and lack of spare parts

 

[Hammer]

Wait, cat 3116 motor and Allison AT-545 transmission right?
If so, transmission parts are plenty common. And those trannies are everywhere out there.
I have two of those motors in my tow trucks. Not the greatest in the world, but they get the job done.

Still not a multifuel though. Love the sound of the whistler turbo on a multi!
Plus running 100% waste motor oil in the summer is sure nice

 

[rockman]

A3 are harder to repair, more modern, and have less charm..

 

[dittle]

Not sure of the tranny model but have been told by Army mechanics that they quit making new parts for the torque converters years ago (or the Army quit buying parts) and they had one go bad in an A3. They sent the converter out to a repair shop that usually did the repairs for that and the shop said that:

1. Couldn't get replacement parts for it
2. Could try to repair broken part
3. Wouldn't quarantee it at all
4. Would have cost bookoo bucks for a patch job (refer to #3)

Needless to say they didn't fix that converter and had to find another tranny altogether

 

[Rolling_Eudaimonia]

Hands down the A2... It's cheaper, it has more character , and it has a 5spd manual gearbox... The fact it doesn't have power steering isn't much of an issue, the truck turns rather well. I drive an A2 every where literally it is my daily driver! The only problem is the fact the truck has a 36ft turning radius, making turns in tight parking spaces interesting to say the least. However, with adroit use of the reverse gear in low range one can move out of any normal size parking area. If you don't like the steering system there is the air-o-matic power unit (just like the one on the A3) that you can buy for about 1799.00$ and poof you have power steering.

 

[ClarkeF]

I was looking at a M35A2 for sale today - wife walked by and said "i want one", so for the first time I started looking them over. It seems well maintained, no leaks, had a coolant based heater, hard cab, no top, and I'm told power steering. No winch. Spare tire, good tread on the other wheels.

Asking was 5K - way too high I'm guessing from reading the posts here - what's a better (reasonable) counter price?

Cheers,

Clarke