Considering Buying an '84 M1009

[TankGrl]

Hi all.

I'm considering buying an '84 M1009. I'm brand spanking new to diesels and military vehicles, and I'm looking for info on what to expect with this type of vehicle. Should I be prepared for a lot of work and maintenance? What I'm looking for is a sturdy, reliable vehicle that I can use as my daily driver and also to take camping and road trips. Below is the ad for the one I'm going to check out tomorrow. The body and interior look to be in really nice shape. He's asking $5,000 for it. The guy is offering a 3 month warranty, and he offered to install an A/C unit. I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks!

1984 Chevy K5 Blazer, Military CUCV M1009 3/4 Ton with 6.2L Detroit Diesel
Built for the US Navy as a radio communications vehicle.

*** Owner willing to offer a limited warranty period to serious buyers! ***

- New tires w/spare and many new/replaced parts when I purchased it.
- 2 New batteries (24V under hood) and new stereo/speakers added by current owner.
- This truck is perfect for the "prepper" in you, no computers (extra glow plugs included)!
- 6.2L Detroit Diesel V8 with 3 speed TH400 transmission and NP208 transfer case.
- Engine, 4x4 transfer case and transmission all in Great Condition!
- Corporate 10 bolt axles front and rear.
- Gov-Lok in the rear differential, manually locking hubs in the front.
- Locking drop tailgate and rear window rolls down perfectly.
- Factory folding rear seat.
- Aftermarket Kenwood stereo added by the current owner.
- Stump pulling torque.
- Great fuel mileage, up to 20mpg city/26mpg highway.

 

[cucvrus]

26 MPG on highway seems high. But this is hard to make an accurate estimate of value with out even picture to look at. Many things come into play when buying a 30 year old vehicle. You say he is offering to add A/C. is this included in the $5K price. You must feel that this is what you want to drive everyday. Personally i would not want one as a daily driver. But I do end up driving one daily on most days. But the ability to do the repairs myself is a big plus factor in owning a CUCV. If I had to pay and knew nothing of how or why this work the way they do. I would have never drove one of these. It will give you minor problems. It will leak and on some days you will hate it. But for most parts they are all over the counter stock inexpensive Chevrolet 1/2 ton truck parts. You can buy parts anywhere auto parts are sold. But I still could not give you an accurate estimate of value without seeing at least pictures and knowing that it is mechanically sound. So if I were you and had no knowledge of diesels I would pass and get something newer and with factory A/C and stereo. Stump pulling torque. ???? Not likely in an M1009 with 3:08 gears. That would be a description for any of the pick up truck, cab chassis CUCV's. OK this is MHO. Others may vary. My vote is pass on the deal. Have a great day.

 

[dougco1]

So if I were you and had no knowledge of diesels I would pass and get something newer and with factory A/C and stereo

Rick; Your going soft on us; Let the gal have some fun. But being in Arizona she may want AC installed.

 

[Tinstar]

First ......Welcome to the site.

A picture is is worth a thousand words.
Impossible to tell much without a look.

These trucks do require work and maintenance.
If done right and good parts, it will be fairly dependable.
Dependable as a new truck or car? No.
It's a old vehicle and that brings with it a different set of problems. Old wiring, corrosion, etc.

As mentioned, the M1009 does NOT have stump pulling torque.
It has lower gearing for mostly highway use.
That's either good or bad depending on what your looking for it to do.

The mileage claim? Who knows.
A lot of variables like how much cargo you have and driving habits, etc.
I get 20 in my M1008 and I'm sure others will say BS but it is what it is.

Read up on it in the TM (Technical Manual) section.
Also read the old threads. Tons of valuable information will be there.
You will find answers to questions you haven't even thought of asking yet.

Let us know what you decide and ........post pics!!!

 

[TankGrl]

I appreciate the feedback. Here are pictures from the ad. I'm heading out to test drive it and check it out today. I don't care to be pulling any stumps, so I'm not concerned about that. I'm looking for a vehicle I can invest myself in and have some fun with. Something I can take camping and use to tow my bike. I like older vehicles and am not afraid to do the work on them myself. And yeah, I have read that the MPG can really vary depending on a variety of items. But I can see making this a fun project for myself.

 

[TankGrl]

I appreciate your input. Yes, the added A/C is included int he price. I also don't know how he knows what the highway MPG is because he's never taken it on the highway. he mostly drove it around town and took camping/hunting. So it sounds like getting parts won't be a problem and it's something I could work on reasonably easily.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Looks like a nice ride! Kip said he got 28mpg from his so I believe the 26 claim. Lots of members use 1009s with an M101 trailer, so hauling a (motor?)bike should be fine. The truck should be a good match for what your wanting to use it for.

 

[cucvrus]

After seeing the pictures it has lost a bit of the appeal. The Drings , pintle hook and brush guard are missing. And it has a rally wheel for a spare. Are the other wheels matching that one? If so it appears someone has robbed most of the uniqueness from the vehicle. You should be able to deal a bit. You are looking at finding a few hard to find parts that are missing. But they are available. Good Luck.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Why?

She isn't looking for a truck to restore, shes looking for a vehicle to take her on adventures. Seems like it fits the bill perfectly as long as she is ok with the price.

 

[Tinstar]

I appreciate your input. Yes, the added A/C is included int he price. I also don't know how he knows what the highway MPG is because he's never taken it on the highway. he mostly drove it around town and took camping/hunting. So it sounds like getting parts won't be a problem and it's something I could work on reasonably easily.

Looks like a nice truck.
Good to hear your not afraid of some work.

Is it worth 5k?
I personally do not think so, but only you can answer that.

The unique features of the truck have been removed as mentioned.
The brushguard, shackles and hitch are the things that make it stand out as a military truck.
Its personality per say.
If you really don't care about that and are happy with the price then get it.

Good luck

 

[TankGrl]

Looks like a nice truck.
Good to hear your not afraid of some work.

Is is it worth 5k?
I personally do not, but only you can answer that.

The unique features of the truck have been removed as mentioned.
The brushguard, shackles and hitch are the things that make it stand out as a military truck.
Its personality per say.
If you really don't care about that and are happy with the price then get it.

Good luck

Good to know about those features. I will try negtioating the price with him.

 

[TankGrl]

After seeing the pictures it has lost a bit of the appeal. The Drings , pintle hook and brush guard are missing. And it has a rally wheel for a spare. Are the other wheels matching that one? If so it appears someone has robbed most of the uniqueness from the vehicle. You should be able to deal a bit. You are looking at finding a few hard to find parts that are missing. But they are available. Good Luck.[/QUOTE

Are the hard to find parts some that affect how the vehicle runs? I can see how it would be less appealing if I wanted the restoration project, but that's not what I'm going for here.

 

[dependable]

All the parts are easy to get. Welcome to the site.

Your avatar is from one of my family's favorite movies! (have the printed graphic novels too).

 

[porkysplace]

Looks like a nice truck.
Good to hear your not afraid of some work.

Is is it worth 5k?
I personally do not, but only you can answer that.

The unique features of the truck have been removed as mentioned.
The brushguard, shackles and hitch are the things that make it stand out as a military truck.
Its personality per say.
If you really don't care about that and are happy with the price then get it.

Good luck

Arizona is too close to the left coast and the stupid high prices out there compared to the mid-west and east coast.

 

[98G]

If I was selling it, I'd be asking $5k and expecting to get $4k.

If i were buying, I'd be thinking maybe $3k.

I drove one as a daily driver. Expect better than 20mpg.

If you get it, and want the front brush guard and pintle hitch I'll put you in contact with a buddy in phx that has them.

Porkysplace, I've seen 2 pretty decent M1009s sell for under $3k in southern AZ, so the left coast badness hasn't metastasized that far yet....

 

[dependable]

Of course rust free from mid west and east coast start to command a price premium also. I used to live in Michigan, cars turned to swiss cheese up there even faster than they do here by the ocean.

 

[Tinstar]

After seeing the pictures it has lost a bit of the appeal. The Drings , pintle hook and brush guard are missing. And it has a rally wheel for a spare. Are the other wheels matching that one? If so it appears someone has robbed most of the uniqueness from the vehicle. You should be able to deal a bit. You are looking at finding a few hard to find parts that are missing. But they are available. Good Luck.[/QUOTE

Are the hard to find parts some that affect how the vehicle runs? I can see how it would be less appealing if I wanted the restoration project, but that's not what I'm going for here.

No
None of those things affect the running or drivability.
However......
The tie down shackles are VERY handy if you get it stuck and need somewhere to attach a recover strap.

Same for the pintle hitch.
Yes you can use the 2" receiver on it but the more options the better.

 

[firefox]

How hard is it to instal a 2" receiver? Would think it would be easier to instal the pintel hitch.

 

[porkysplace]

How hard is it to instal a 2" receiver? Would think it would be easier to instal the pintel hitch.

It has a 2" receiver shown in the last picture in post #5 .

 

[NovacaineFix]

Can't really help you on if it's worth it or not, it looks nice from the pics. IMHO, if it runs as nice as it looks and drives as well, then it's worth at least $2500 just for that. I would look for items that may be in question and use that as you bargaining chip from the $5K asking price. What's the worse he can say, No?

The A/C would be nice, but I would be concerned on how nice of an install he is going to be doing and if it is going to affect anything else that is already in the truck. If it's not a kit, then he is most likely just using civi parts, which isn't a bad thing as long as he doesn't start removing other vital parts just to make room for that.

CUCVRUS is correct about the missing parts taking away it's character, but you can always get those parts later if you so choose, the frame extensions may be a bit hard to find.

Using it for camping/off-roading isn;t a bad thing, I do that to mine as well as use it for a daily driver, only got stuck once, but those D-rings come in handy just for that. Just saying. Luckily for me, I usually carry around a Deuce or 2 to get e out.





26 mpg? That may be a little bit exaggerated, but if not, good for you. My 1009 gets about 20 mpg, 26 if going downhill with the wind behind me as I draft a tractor trailer.

Stump pulling torque, maybe if they are 4-6" stumps, good way to remove the pintle hitch from the truck, but you don't have one anyway. That hitch though is probably better suited for that anyway.

There used to be a way, maybe there still is but I couldn't figure it out. A way to check to see what vehicles sold and for what price on Gov Planet and other sites. The 1009's that I have seen have been going for about $1600 -$2500, most were non runners, not to say that they were shot but non runners at time of auction.
Maybe this will help you decide if the final price is good or not.

Good Luck and lets us know.