Purchase Private vs. GovLiq or other

[blisters13]

Thanks very much to all who have replied. I have a decent feel for the situation (it is as I guessed).

Great group of guys, thanks!!

 

[Stan Leschert]

If you get a lemon from GL, it's your problem. It's a gamble.
There are several very reputable sellers in your area who advertise in the classifieds here.

If they sell something sub par, they get hounded mercilessly.

You may spend a bit more initially, but with a good inspection,
you have a much better chance.

Get a 3rd party who knows the type that you want to purchase to help inspect.

As was said before, No Title .... NO WAY!

 

[jpinst]

I did not read all the other posts but I have done it both ways. On GL, you take what you can get. It might not be exactly what you want, and the thing you really want will be for sale two weeks later. You also have no idea what is wrong with it, so you are taking a big risk. If the Allison transmission is shot you are talking thousands to replace/fix it, especially on the newer trucks. Personally, if you buy from a private seller, you know what you are getting, and if what you get is not what he promised, then you still have some recourse. With GL, you agree that if what you get is crap, you can accept it. If its a rare one off vehicle, then maybe take your chances, but I would be willing to pay a little more to know exactly what i am getting when I enter into the transaction. To rephrase all of that, when you buy off GL, it could cost you another $3-5K just to get it running. For all those who are about to Chinese in on my numbers, i am not talking about the el cheap M35a2's Go ahead and buy an LMTV sight unseen and find out how much that will cost you to get her running….which means that when it is sold privately, it will be in perfect working order, but cost a heck of a lot more.

 

[blisters13]

Thanks!

Focusing on the now apparently scarce M35A2's, the average price at surplus seems to be $1800 to $2200, while the average price for a titled PP sale is over $4500 closer to $5200.

$3,000 is worth it to me to go surplus.

I've been avoiding the 5 ton trucks because Caterpillar parts are the most expensive, older Cummins are a pain to tune up, and Allisons (as noted) are expensive to fix.

The only real "must have" feature for me is it must be equipped with a winch.

 

[Dixmotorpool]

gl or private

I was at fort knox today, was told by the G&L guy that all the M939's and M35a3's are supposed to be turned in to DRMO... I think the m35a2's are history, probably a few exceptions will turn up.... but there are rows of the new FLMV's on base and ready to go... uncle sam has been spending money.

 

[lawdog1623]

i suggest reading as many of the tm's as humanly possible and find one from a private seller. They are usually ok with you crawling about the truck and inspecting everything. Dealing with a private seller is definitely much easier.