u1300l - Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite

pauld · 08-21-2009, 09:21

Ive just been offered 4 of these wonderfull beasts, ex US Army Europe, no photos yet but they were driven into the yard in the late 90's and have been there ever since, thebodya are getting tatty now but everythings there, the contract plates are still on them anybody in the UK interested pm me

jsalamon · 12-15-2009, 23:57

Are these unimog u1300l 's for sale?

Please email me at jsalamon@xplornet.com

Thanks

John

pauld · 01-03-2010, 19:40

they were for sale, but i beleive theyve been snapped up by a dealer here in the uk

jsalamon · 01-04-2010, 16:12

If you hear of anyother U1300L's come up for sale please let me know. I am interested in purchasing one for hunting. As soon as dealers get them the price more then doubles for these used trucks.

Thanks

John

gdict · 01-06-2010, 06:05

There's a reason why the price doubles. Ever try to buy and import a U1300L from Germany?

Sure, you can buy a truck from VEBEG for about 12-15K Euro, but good luck doing it on your own.

Do you speak, read, and write German? You'll need it.
Got a friend in Germany who can inspect it for you? You'll need one.
You got about $5K+ for shipping? You'll need it.
Know how to get it through customs? Not all U1300L's are DOT exempt.
When importing this stuff, everybody and their cousin has a hand out and wants their cut for their little part of the process.

After all that, what if you end up with a bad tranny or something else major? A transmission can cost as much or more than the truck!

My point is that Unimog and other foreign MV dealers get such a bad rap for supposed price gouging, when most folks have no clue how much work it takes to get these vehicle to the US and on the road.

As for a U1300L for a huinting truck, have you ever seen one in person? They are BIG and EXPENSIVE. A nice example will cost you $30K+. You can get one **** of a 4x4 domestic pickup for that kind of money.

Just my $.02

Cheers!

Greg

BKubu · 01-06-2010, 08:41

Greg is right on the money. I had a hankering for a U1300 at one point. I priced them domestically at between $25K-30K (this was a few years back). I also priced them in Europe. By the time you did all the legwork and paid all the fees, you were looking at near the same money, but with more headaches. The same goes for buying in Hawaii (unless you are in CA and even then it is a real hassle getting a truck out there)...you end up with **** near the same money in a truck as if you bought it in the US.

tennmogger · 01-06-2010, 10:45

Bruce, my reply is to your post simply because your post was last. I'm not picking on you.

I disagree with the comparison of a typical US (maybe) built pickup, say a 1 ton Ford/Chev/Dodge, with all options, Diesel engine, manual tranny, etc. versus a good quality U-1300 Unimog. What are we talking about in dollars, maybe $45k MINIMUM for that PU? Pay that for a Unimog and you get a like-new truck delivered to your door.

For much less than that price one can import (or commission it done) a very well maintained low mileage and hours U-1300 (or 1200, 1250, 1450, 1750, 2450, etc). For that price you get 3 ton or more capability, full offroad capability at rated load, Diesel engine that we mere backyard mechanics can still maintain (no electronics) that can still go hundreds of thousands of miles, a transmission with up to 16 forward and reverse gears, a chassis made for over 30 year life (not 10 years to the trash pile) then rebuild for another 30 years. Hydraulics for plows, backhoes, front loaders, 3 point hitch, power takeoff, hydraulic winch, are all common additions (which I use daily). Of course there's 4wd and fully locking differentials. And they are already single rear wheeled so you don't have to BOB them!!

With no electronic control on the engine or tranny, these trucks are even ready for the zombie apocalypse

European trucks, including Unimogs, are made for efficiency. No, you won't get 500 hp and you'll never smoke the tires. You get a truck that will get much more work done than just hauling a ton of stuff down the road.

Those of you who know me know I'm sort of fanatical about these trucks. I do all the servicing myself. If you have to take a Unimog to the dealer, or go through normal dealership channels for all your parts, there's no doubt a US made truck is easier and cheaper (but not simpler). But then many of us SS people drive big trucks that can't be taken to a dealer for service, parts are procured through 'alternate' channels, and we know how to turn a wrench. Unimogs fit that pattern. I have a '57 mog that still runs like a new one and every component is still available from various sources.

Submitted in defense of Unimogs, LOL

Bob

Quote:

Originally Posted by BKubu

Greg is right on the money. I had a hankering for a U1300 at one point. I priced them domestically at between $25K-30K (this was a few years back). I also priced them in Europe. By the time you did all the legwork and paid all the fees, you were looking at near the same money, but with more headaches. The same goes for buying in Hawaii (unless you are in CA and even then it is a real hassle getting a truck out there)...you end up with **** near the same money in a truck as if you bought it in the US.

jsalamon · 01-07-2010, 11:48

I have to agree with Bob. A unimog is a very different animal then a F350 truck. The unimogs were designed for hard military use and outstanding offroad ability. You simply can't get this in our domestic trucks.

As far as importation of a unimog, its really not that difficult.

Our Ministry of transportation runs a check of the VIN number and tells you if its admissable for registration. Customs allows importation of vehicles 15 years or older period. After 15 years most restrictions of importation are removed. I believe its to artifically drive up the prices of current vehicles in North America. This creates barriers to entry.

As far as the German language barrier, english is a requirement in this country. Taught as a second language. Most speak it as a second language.

Most dealers importing these trucks into north america offer no warrantee or guarantee. They recieve the vehicle, change the oils, make sure everything works on it and mark it up.

I can purchase two unimogs dirct from mil surplus for the price of one from a dealer. Shipping for two is the same as well and arrangements can be made to deliver it only a few miles from my house. I looked into this before.

All I need is the contact number for the military surplus operation in Germany that deals with their governemnt liquidation of surplus stock.

I regret that I didn't purchase one before Germany adopted the euro currency. Overnight this doubled the price of these trucks.

If anyone has the contact number/email for the German liquidation department of defence please let me know. I need to start somewere.

As long as these local trucks demand $40,000-$60,000 I will never be able to afford one.

John

gdict · 01-07-2010, 17:05

I think Bob missed my point a bit and as a certified Unimog fanatic, he went on the defense of the Unimog. Even though I have only ever owned one Unimog, I also consider myself a fanatic and I certainly am not dismissing the abilites of an Unimog in any way. My point was simply that an Unimog, especially a U1300L is a bit overkill for a "huntin' rig".

Now John, no offense intended, but you speak a lot of theory and little practice. First off, are you in MN as your profile implies or Canada as your reference to a "Ministry" implies. As far as I know, we have no ministries of anything in the US.

If Canada, yes, it is easier to import later Unimogs. In the US, not quite as easy. DOT exemption occrurs only at 25 years of age. Then you need to convince customs that you are going to convert it to a camper so you don;t get hit with ridiculous customs duties in place to protect the US truck manaufacturers. Then there are 50 different states with 50 different requirements as titling and registering the vehicle.

Yes, English is taught universally in Germany, but that means nothing when it comes to dealing with civil servants and other clerical type folks. Many are very hesitant to use their English or it is simply very poor from lack of use. I have experienced this first hand taking vehicles both to and from Germany and dealing with thing like car registration while living there.

Every dealer has different policies in regards to warranties. A blanket statement like that is simply wrong. At minimum, you can at least inspect and drive a vehicle that is already in country.

Sure, you can buy two trucks for half the price of one in country at a dealer. I agree with that. But the end cost will reflect a much smaller margin than you think.

The most amusing statement you make is about the Euro conversion. Price increases in Germany are attributable to one thing only and that is called INFLATION. You sound just like all the pissy Germans whining that the Euro made everything more expensive. The Euro was permanently tied to the Deutschmark at DM 1.93 to 1 Euro years before the introduction of the Euro. For an entire year, both currencies were in use simultaneously so the DM could be phased out smoothly. The reason the trucks are more expensive to us in the US is because our dollar is in the shi##er and worth very little against the Euro right now. This is the number one reason why I haven't imported anything recently.

I'd like to know what magical method you would use to ship two trucks for the price of one? Sure, a container cost a flat amount up to its weight limit, but I'm not sure if you can even get a 1300 into a container. I've heard of three 404's piggybacked into a forty forter and I have done two Iltis and Thing in a forty footer, but single vehicles are far more economical to ship via RoRo. RoRo is priced by cubic volume of the vehicle, so 1=1 and 2=2. No economies of scale with that one.

As for where to buy German surplus, here you go:

www.vebeg.de

Knock yourself out. I'd love to hear about your 1300L when you get it and what your final cost is.

Cheers!

Greg

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsalamon

I have to agree with Bob. A unimog is a very different animal then a F350 truck. The unimogs were designed for hard military use and outstanding offroad ability. You simply can't get this in our domestic trucks.

As far as importation of a unimog, its really not that difficult.

Our Ministry of transportation runs a check of the VIN number and tells you if its admissable for registration. Customs allows importation of vehicles 15 years or older period. After 15 years most restrictions of importation are removed. I believe its to artifically drive up the prices of current vehicles in North America. This creates barriers to entry.

As far as the German language barrier, english is a requirement in this country. Taught as a second language. Most speak it as a second language.

Most dealers importing these trucks into north america offer no warrantee or guarantee. They recieve the vehicle, change the oils, make sure everything works on it and mark it up.

I can purchase two unimogs dirct from mil surplus for the price of one from a dealer. Shipping for two is the same as well and arrangements can be made to deliver it only a few miles from my house. I looked into this before.

All I need is the contact number for the military surplus operation in Germany that deals with their governemnt liquidation of surplus stock.

I regret that I didn't purchase one before Germany adopted the euro currency. Overnight this doubled the price of these trucks.

If anyone has the contact number/email for the German liquidation department of defence please let me know. I need to start somewere.

As long as these local trucks demand $40,000-$60,000 I will never be able to afford one.

John

Snarky · 01-07-2010, 17:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by gdict

My point was simply that an Unimog, especially a U1300L is a bit overkill for a "huntin' rig".

No offense, as I have no idea what kind of hunting California offers, but here in Texas hunting usually involves multiple people going out into rugged remote terrain where the few roads can turn into mud rivers in a matter hours if they even exist. Most of the transport is through grassy or rocky areas, and the goal is to shoot and retrieve heavy animals to process for food either in the field after they are transported home depending on the animal.

If you do your hunting in Mexico then the environment is often even worse than Texas, with long tough rides that can and will destroy vehicles, and that's all in the pleasant south! I'm sure that in the cold north towards Canada or near the Rockies it's even worse than that, where you have to contend with possible snow, ice, and even more rugged terrain.

Not every hunter is bubba in the field with a .22.

I'da say bring the most durable vehicle you can.