Military surplus vehicle for off road camping

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My lower back would be gone in this,,,lol Im sure 10s of thousands will be sold for camping/off road can't wait to see them in the state parks this summer--would look good in my yard..lol
 
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I don't have one but have seen many in western Canada. Funny thing is, I never really see them anywhere seriously off road. Maybe if you hate to see a Mercedes Benz Van on a soggy gravel road, this is way to go.

SF
 
I've always been tempted but I've also seen a LOT of Army surplus M35 trucks for sale by private owners, which to me seems to indicate that owning a multi-ton vehicle isn't cheap or easy.

They won't be comfortable to ride, they won't be convenient to use, they won't be cheap to repair or upgrade, and they take up a lot of space. They're good for driving in rough and tough places and carrying a lot of weight..and not much else by design.

I have, however, had my eye on buying one of these if I can find one with AC and a hydraulic bed.

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Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Many of them are not civilian street legal and can not be registered by civilians.


Most are street legal with no modifications and don't require a special license for private use.

There's an M1070 8X8 tank retriever in our area that has a Detroit diesel and is capable of towing 250K pounds. Its original purpose is to retrieve Abrams tanks and return them to a repair depot over rough terrain. He drives it all over the place. Same with those S&S M1078 cab-overs that are converted into campers. In town, there is an Oshkosh MK48 8x8. I've talked with the owners and none of them have had any trouble getting them licensed and insured and this is California.

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Lived in one of these in London for maybe a year. Might even be this one, since it was stolen (long story) and I don't remember the reg.

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550 cc. When I called Honda for parts I'd get put through to the motorcycle dept. and sneered at. Surprisiingly roomy.

Then one of these, (but a bigger civilian version) which was also stolen.

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The Honda was a lot less trouble.
 
Ever since I was a kid I always wanted a BTR 70 for a fishing rig. Drive there, and without slowing down just go to the spot in the lake where you want to fish. They are not all that expensive, but transport and customs to US I imagine would eat me alive.
 
Originally Posted By: Ducked
Lived in one of these in London for maybe a year. Might even be this one, since it was stolen (long story) and I don't remember the reg.

Then one of these, (but a bigger civilian version) which was also stolen.

Are you sure they weren't just towed? Sorry, couldn't resist.
 
Originally Posted By: ecotourist
Originally Posted By: Ducked
Lived in one of these in London for maybe a year. Might even be this one, since it was stolen (long story) and I don't remember the reg.

Then one of these, (but a bigger civilian version) which was also stolen.

Are you sure they weren't just towed? Sorry, couldn't resist.


That was my initial assumption, but 'twas not so. Insurance paid out on the Dodge as theft, which I found quite surprising, since I wouldn't have believed me either.
 
Originally Posted By: Kira
Conspicuous vehicles like that being stolen? Must be for parts, no?


The guy who did the Dodges MOT's said they often went to Africa. Dunno details but there used to be a fairly unrestricted vehicle market in Mauritania.

Apparently lots of old Mercs went there.

Anyway, that's the romantic notion. Given that the UK is an island it does seem fairly unlikely, but I'd like to think its serving as a POLISARIO technical. It was in pretty good condition. (Cue Lawrence of Arabia theme)
 
I saw a couple unimogs decked out for expedition camping this summer in northern Ontario, with EU license plates. They seemed to tall and wide to go offroading here as there are trees everywhere here... I assume they were going around the world, so maybe in Siberia they will become useful with less maintained roads and river crossings, etc.
I think an off road capable SUV would make more sense in N.A. atleast, maybe with a light off road tent trailer depending on how tough a trail you want to do.
 
My wife has an M1009 (gasser conversion) that's being slowly made into an off-road fun vehicle. Intended for family camping on large tracts of land that friends own, not really extreme four wheeling. So far it just has new tires and suspension, not much to look at. It was dirt cheap, as are most parts, and easy to work on:



(not sure why the photo is sideways)

Her first vehicle was an M1008 when she was 16:

 
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