Bustoff - I just went through the process of buying Deuce at SANG, I'll give you my details & you can go from there. The GL rep at SANG is OK, good person to talk to, but I don't believe that trucks are his strong point so don't expect any more information from him than what is listed in the posting.
Won my auction for a on 2/21/06, my EUC went through unusually quickly, drove it off the base under it's own power on 3/21/06. SANG can be a PITA to get INTO, make sure you call the GL rep and he puts your name on the visitor list whenever you go to inspect or pick up a vehicle. As for getting it off the base, you can trailer, tow or drive it, they don't give a crap about anything LEAVING the base. I think you could taxi a F-16 off the base and no one would give you a second look!
Due to high demand and limited vehicles available, prices have been running high at SANG. Recent sales prices at SANG:
1971 AM General M35A2, running condition, hard top, no troop seats, no SF-97 went for $4350 on 3/22/06
my truck, Kaiser Jeep M35A2, soft top, year unknown, running condition unknown, with troop seats, no SF-97, went for $2485 on 2/22/06
1971 AM General M35A2, running condition, hard top, no troop seats, no SF-97 went for $3750 on 1/25/06
Kaiser Jeep M813 with winch, hard top, year unknown, running condition, with troop seats and bows, no SF-97, went for $6075 on 1/25/06
1970 Kaiser Jeep M813 with winch, hard top, does not run, no SF-97, went for $4300 on 1/25/06
1971 M109A3, make and year unknown, running condition, hard top, no SF-97 went for $1905 on 1/25/06
Under Michigan law, you can drive your vehicle without a plate for 3 days after taking posession IF you have insurance. That is what I did, got insurance (more on that later), went to SANG, drove it 230 miles home, then went after plates & title (more on that later too!). Just make sure the GL rep signs and dates YOUR copy of the invoice before you leave!
When you pick up your truck, expect: 1, dead batteries; 2, no fuel; 3, instruments, guages, lights etc. may or may not work. If you expect to drive it home bring at least tools, diesel fuel, engine oil, gear oil, two batteries and two sets of jumper cables and a stick to dip the tank to check fuel level. Check out the stickey "GREAT LIST" at the beginning of the Deuce Forum for more ideas.
When I picked my truck up, I checked the fluids, put in my diesel fuel, jumped the batteries (jump each battery individually, do not try to series connect the batteries you are using to jump the truck with), started it up and drove off. At the first gas station I found I stopped and aired up the tires, most of them were low. At each rest stop along the way, I dipped the tank again and added more diesel as needed. My intention was to get the truck home with as little fuel as possible remaining so I could drain and clean the tank after I got home. However, as I discovered about 100' up my 125' driveway, you WILL run out of fuel with about 2" (roughly 10 gallons) of fuel still in the tank. Other people have told me this is common, I guess the intent is to leave a resevoir for water or other crud to collect in during tactical conditions and still be able to operate the truck.
INSURANCE:
Be VERY careful what you get. Most of the "Collector" insurance companies listed on the net are very restrictive in thier coverage. Most require a locked garage, limit your mileage, do not allow daily driving or running "errands", etc. It seems they expect you will only be driving to/from parades and display events. One place I talked to said I could not carry any cargo of any type, I could not even go to the lumber yard to pick up a sheet of plywood!
I started with insurance from the company that I currently have my auto and homeowner's insurance with. Over the phone they quoted me $320/yr for "Classic Vehicle" insurance, which seemed reasonable. When I went to get my policy and showed them a picture of the truck, they said I could NOT get "Classic Vehicle" insurance, that was only for cars and pickups up to one ton. I had to get a commercial policy for $814/yr.
Since I was planning to pick up my truck in 4 days I had no choice but to get the commercial policy. I am still shopping around for cheaper insurance, so far Gulfway has quoted me $340/yr for PL/PD plus $5000 collision and comprehensive (Chuck Graham has his Deuce insured through Gulfway for $250/yr, don't know why his is cheaper, rates may be lower in his part of MI or he may have different coverage). State Farm and Allstate have been mentioned in other posts as having reasonable collector vehicle coverage, I haven't been to them for quotes yet.
LICENSE PLATES AND TITLE:
This is where things get dicey. You have three choices on plates; regular license plates, Historical Vehicle Plate, or Authentic (Vintage) Plate. If you are going to be driving your truck daily or using it for business/commercial use, you must get regular plates and commercal insurance and pay the big bucks.
To qualify for either a Historical or Authentic Plate, your vehicle must be at least 26 years old, owned solely as a collector's item, and can NOT be used for "routine" transportation. There is no mileage limitation stated for a Historical/Authentic Plate.
A Historical Plate is the standard Blue & White Michigan Historical Plate and costs $25 for a 5 year registration. An Authentic Plate is an original Michigan license plate from the same year as your vehicle, and is $35 for a lifetime registration. I bought an unusued, original set of 1970 Michigan plates on Ebay for $24 including shipping, paid my $35 and now have a plate that I never have to renew!
Theoretically, you can get a Historical or Authentic Plate without a title, but it ain't going to happen! I downloaded the necessary forms from the SOS website, filled them all in, attached a photo copy of my Authentic plate and mailed to the SOS on 4/18/06. About a week later, I got a letter back from the SOS saying I needed a title. I called the SOS, told the lady that the application stated all I needed was proof of ownership, did not say a title was not required, and that I had included copies of the paperwork when I purchased the truck from GL. She replied that proof of purchase was NOT proof of ownership! I told her I wasn't going to play semantics with her and asked to speak to a supervisor.
The supervisor was a very nice lady. She pulled my paperwork, saw everything was correct, and then told me I still needed a title. I started whining about the surity bond (if you don't have an original title or SF-97 and your vehicle is over $2500 you have to post a surity bond to get a title in your name), she told I me don't need the bond, just send in the title application along with the $15 fee and a vehicle inspection and they would handle it. So I got a LEO to do the vehicle inspection, sent in the paperwork and finally got my registration and title on 5/18/06!
I still haven't figured out why the state form says they will accept proof of ownership without a title and then still require a title anyhow, but after a month of waiting I am finally street legal!
Hope this helps, got to end it now and go reinstall my troop seats so I can get my new bows and 3 color camo vinyl cover on my Deuce! Good luck in your efforts, let me know if I can be of any more help!
