Very, very few tactical trucks ever got over 100K miles on them. The mileage and hour meters often don't correlate due to parts replacement but the mileage really does not matter anyway. The military maintenance system stress the doctrine of "fix it forward" which means, for instance, that line mechanics don't spend any time working on an engine if it can't be made to work correctly with minor adjustmenst. If it can't be fixed quickly the engine is pulled out, a fresh new or rebuilt one is dropped in and the vehicle is put back "on line". The engine goes into a shipping container and is sent off to a shop where they specialize in repairing engines. The system means that units don't have to wait for their truck while a major engine repair is done and that the unit mechanics don't have to try a major engine repair in field conditions. The end result is that you ca have a 1952 chassis with a 2010 engine, a 2007 transfer case, axles installed in 1989 and a 2002 paint job. Once again, age and mileage really should not be the sole factors any sane person uses to evaluate an MV.
Most MVs have had fair to great maintenance and had money spent on parts for them. 8-10 years ago it was much harder to get your hands on a running CUCV or, M809 (think M813) or M44 (think M35A2) series truck. Most that were sold out of the inventory were wrecks or had been heavily cannibalized. The general rule was that you had to buy at least two trucks and often three or more to piece together a runner. The best thing that ever happened to collecting these vehicles was the Global War On Terror which opened a fire hydrant of dollars for units that had previously been unable to get funding for even the most basic parts or maintenance hours.
Simply put, you will not consistently find any similar aged civilian truck of equal ability on road, and forget about off road, that has had the same kind of care and maintenance.
"I see prices on GL that seem over the top for 30 year old vehicles that have been God knows where." Everybody has their own way of thinking. Some of us think more of these trucks because they HAVE been "God knows where" I've 3 or 4 here with the shipping lables still on them from when they were shipped home from SW Asia. Those labels will stay there until they weather off. I'm proud of the things they stand for.
"How many different people have practiced working on these Steel Soldiers over their 30 years of work too? I say 'practiced', because I know many of our soldier mechanics learned how to work on vehicles in the military and had little knowledge before joining." This too, just does not matter. Regardless of prior experience all military maintenance personnel, operators or mechanics, go through standardized trailing. All maintenance functions are carried out using the same standardized procedures and under supervision. All parts used ore OEM or better quality, unlike many civilian parts. There have certainly been some issues with the maintenance of specific trucks or sub-systems but those are only remarkable because they are so uncommon. I think that a convincing argument could be made that due to the standardization and supervision, that the chances of a military vehicle being properly maintained are as high or significantly higher than that of any similar civilian vehicle.
"How much true life do these rigs have left in them or is it truly a crapshoot when buying?" Yes, it's a crapshoot but any time you buy any civilian vehicle that doesn't have a warranty it's a crapshoot, too. Why would you expect any difference from GL? GL is a liquidation contractor. Their job is to put the item up for sale. The buyer is the one responsible for the determination of the vehicle condition and fitness of purpose, not the seller. One of the things you agree to when you sign up to bid on GL is that you will not rely on the published description but that you will be responsible for making your own inspection. If you want a detailed description or warranty, pony up your $70-90K and go to a new off road truck dealer.
"So tell me, why did you buy yours and what do you use it for, other than yard decoration. " I buy MVs for a lot of reasons. Some are personal and some are business or farm related but I don't need a "reason" to justify them to anyone but my wife. Some folks collect barbed wire samples and some collect old fishing lures. I collect MVs and miltary shop and support equipment. I use mine for stuff around the farm, to haul large quantities of firewood out of the forest, for parades, for our construction business, to move out sized stuff and to move cargo into places off road that other folks can't get it to (including helping out government agencies). Even if I didn't have practicle uses for big trucks I'd probably still have one or two MVs.
As far as yard decorations, as I look out of my kitchen window there are an M1008 and M1009 in the kitchen door yard. There is an M813A1 W/W sitting a hundred yards away outside the big shop. On the far side of the shop is an M35A2 with single tires flipped hubs and an S-280 shelter. Lined up next to that is an M353 3-1/2 ton welding shop trailer, an M105A2 trailer, two M101A2s (one soft top, one hard top), an M116 pioneer tool trailer and a M103 generator trailer. Next to another barn sits an M915A1. In the big shop sits an M35A2 W/W, some 28V gen sets, a diesel engine driven fuel transfer pump etc. In another shop sits another M103A1 with a 300 gallon semi-automatic WMO centrifuge and filter set up and a jeep. The list goes on.... Some folks have gnomes or pink flamingos, I have MVs. They have their ideas as to appropriate yard decorations. I won't bother them over their choices and expect the same respect from them.
Lance
) and because it's preserving a piece of history for a future generation to see, feel, and hear
I've had 8-9 since then, and now that I just finished my first bobber, i'll be building more, and doing this from now on! It's a "Life-Style".... just my .02~!
to all who answer all above.