Practicality and other questions

Hi everyone, I registered here a few months ago when looking into possibly buying an LMTV. The thought of it popped back up into my head, but first I wanted some questions answered. I would really love to buy one, but my main concerns are how practical it actually is to own one. More into specifics, how far and how often they can be driven and how often do they break down and run into other issues? Could you use it just normally like any regular vehicle? I ask this because later this year I plan on buying a new vehicle. No matter what I buy, I would keep what I have now, a 2003 Ford F150 because I don't ever want to sell it no matter how many more miles I get on it and how much more rusty it gets, It's not worth selling for me, it's never let me down and still has plenty of life left. So I was curious about if I could use a LMTV as a normal vehicle and use it frequently and just use my pickup for when I don't feel like using it, or if it breaks down, highway driving, etc. I've read some posts here but I still am a little confused on how everyone else uses them. I don't want to just jump in and buy one and it turns out to be much more than I bargained for because I thought it would be cool.

My other concern was the money. Buying one would be within my price range, however I was wondering what kind of repairs could be expensive, and how much they cost and how much it costs for upkeep. I remember reading here that transmissions are expensive to replace, but I never saw an actual price. I don't want to buy one without having at least a general idea of parts costs and such.

tl;dr, Would it be practical to have an LMTV used as a main vehicle, and what are some general prices for expensive stuff, for example a transmission I mentioned and upkeep, and if there's any restrictions where I live, Michigan. Would I just be better off buying a newer pickup like I originally planned to? I wasn't planning to buy something BRAND new, just something a few years newer than my 2003 ford but I don't exactly need to replace it, which is why I'd still keep it.

Yes, repairs are expensive. Yes repairs are more expensive than your 2003 F150. yes, they can be driven and used every day- if you dont mind driving a 17,000 lb pickup around. They get terrible mileage for a pickup, on par for other trucks of this size.

Are they practical... is anything practical?

The largest hindrance to driving one is the fuel economy, or lack there of. Other than that they are a great vehicle to drive around town. You can see over the roofs of the 20 cars in front of you and if you get tired of driving through traffic, you can always drive over it! Regarding repairs.. In many aspects things are much easier to work on than say a later model pickup truck. The transmission is easily removed (aside from it weighing as much as a Toyota Camry), and getting parts is as easy as a trip to Caterpillar or Allison. Some of the military specific stuff can be expensive, but this is why you buy two or three of them to have spares.

It makes a great second vehicle. Its not good for your primary vehicle unless you have a specific need for its capability. Like hauling 5000lb loads of ammo up and down dry dirt roads. Then yes its the daily driver for you.

Suprman said:

It makes a great second vehicle. Its not good for your primary vehicle unless you have a specific need for its capability. Like hauling 5000lb loads of ammo up and down dry dirt roads. Then yes its the daily driver for you.

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Am I the only one that has the need to do this almost daily?

Scottmandu, need any help with that task ? I LOOOOOOOOOVE haulin' Class 1 explosives over bumpy terrain.

Jake5150, (nice user name, are ya ? I am) Daily commute practical, F no. Daily commute level, EFFIN BOSS, heeeels yeah. Ya wanna play, yer gonna pay (universal law) If ya can turn a wrench and read TMs, there is NO reason ya con't do MOST repair stuff yerself. If ya cain't,. . . see if ya wanna play in the previous sentence. The "old" ones M800, M35, etc. are very basic beasts, the newer ones are more complicated (read electronic b.s.) and some things require readers, scanners, etc. and these are salty and not usually owned by the basic owner / operator. Please make your decision based on your skill level and willingness to do some things yourself. I ya can't, or won't then you might be setting yerself up for a bad time or some very expensive lawn art. If ya can and will, they are a freakin' blast. Kids wave, velvet ropes part, champagne -- well beer -- falls from the heavens. Good luck & Happy Motoring !

So you get a 20ish year old vehicle driven by kids who absolutely beat the heck out of it. Expect repairs to cost 5 times as much if you don't do it yourself. You will need tons of new tools. Don't bust your door handles!!!! If you want a/c $$$. Cat prices for parts... slow top speed.... noisy interior. Small payload for the size.

but overall I love my truck. Next to convince the wife I need a HET.

DiverDarrell said:

Don't bust your door handles!!!!

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I think I saw something about door handles mentioned before. What's the deal with them?

Rare as hens teeth, and priced to match.

Door handles are expensive to replace. Keep 'em well lubed, but not TOO much, attracts dust and grime. Redneck engineering to the rescue if ya need replacements.



KIDDING ! KIDDING !

Yes it's really no worse than a 4 door dually.
A 2 1/2 ton lmtv is great for in town tight traffic.
They have a great turning radius.
They are not that loud inside you can have a conversation with whoever is riding with you.
Not too bad to work on once you overcome your fear of touching it.
At least you can get to components. Unlike these new trucks or cars that they pour the body around the engine and not enough room for hand or wrench. I am on my 2nd one and love em.

Welcome bud. I have 3 M1088's and I love them. I'm in the process of wasting time and money to make one of them a work truck to replace the F-650 I built two years ago. The M1088 rides much smoother than the F-650 for some perspective. I have a couple F-250's, 3 F-350's and an F=450 that my crews use. My daily driver is a lifted F-250 on 36" tires so gas mileage and ride quality is not a big factor because what i have is not much better. I got mine because they are a lot of bang for the buck, i paid an average of $11,700 each, all of them have under 12,000 miles, and the capabilities for the cash were an easy choice. The real reason thought is for visibility for company promotion. I've had more conversations about the M1088 than I have about all my other vehicles combined.

With several vehicles available to drive, including an FJ Cruiser and Ram 2500 pickup, my LMTV wins every time as the truck to take. I really like it! That includes a 4500 mile camping trip out West last summer. Sure it costs more in mileage but Diesel is cheap right now. Some repairs can be expensive but most are not, especially if you do the work yourself. If engine and transmission are good then most other stuff is not bad at all. Other than the cab, which is Austrian Steyr (hence the rareness/price of cab components), the truck is built of parts from common 'big trucks'. The CAT engine and Allison transmission are on the road in the millions, probably. Service shops are plentiful.

Being retired, I don't have a 9 to 5 to worry about but would drive the LMTV if I did. I like the visibility, power, and even the aggressive transmission. An early modification to add sound abatement paid off and cut down heat in the cab. A heavy cab-ceiling headliner stopped heat caused by sitting in the sun. I don't care for air conditioning but that might be important for you (probably not in Michigan!)

You should find someone to take you for a ride and maybe even drive one. I would suggest paying a little more up front for a checked-out truck that you can drive before purchase.

Once any initial problems are worked out, these can be trouble-free trucks.

Like most MVs, acquisition is the least of the costs.

If you're paying someone to work on it, it gets expensive fast. If you're doing the work yourself it isn't that bad.

Learn to like the right lane....

In terms of awkwardness, it's a step up from a 1ton dually quad cab longbed. Not horrible, but not nimble.

As a toy they're great. As a daily driver, except in specialized circumstances, it's going to be a chore and lose the fun factor fast.

I drive mine every chance I get.
I guess the best advice I can tell you is find a member who has one and see if they will let you try it on for size.
But personally I say get one and don't look back.
But beware it's a dang disease.
Like lays potato chips you can't have just one.

True dat ! Don't even HAVE mine yet and Phase 2 is already in the planning stage.

Coffey1 said:

I guess the best advice I can tell you is find a member who has one and see if they will let you try it on for size.

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I wouldn't know where to start. I've never seen one up close before, only in pictures. The only actual military vehicle I've seen on the road is humvees. Anything else was just parked at the nearby national guard base. I guess if anyone here happens to live in or not too far away from Michigan I'd be happy to pay for a test drive to help me decide? Especially with the size. The biggest thing I've ever driven is an armored truck my friend owns, similar to the picture attached and it's not hard to control but I haven't gotten the chance to drive it much, he got it not too long ago. Not sure how the size compares because like I said, I've never seen an LMTV except in pictures.

You need to drive one. Your response will be extreme one way or the other.

MVs are an acquired taste. The LMTV platform is the friendliest and tamest of the small end of medium trucks. (As compared to M809, M939, M44, M39 etc)

I would say the biggest factor would be your willingness and ability to work on it yourself. Driving daily is secondary and certainly livable if your commute is short. I never had buyers remorse, but do have the sellers version of the same... I say get one if you like to tinker! I'm working out details for another one