Advice on Local DUKW for sale

[john29]

Hi All from a new member,
Thanks for all of information here at SteelSoldiers.com, it has been a tremendous resource.
I looked at this DUKW for sale today. It is down the street from me here in California and the owner is firm on his $25k price.
l
It runs, the brakes are soft so stopping power is minimal, rust penetrated around the fenders you can see in the photos.
I would love to drive this on our beach here and do some resto on her.

Next week I will be in Washington in the same town as this restored DUKW for $89k:l

This would be my first MV. Based on my past restoration projects, I suspect that the $89k DUKW is a much better deal.
But I was looking for a daily driver, not a museum candidate and not sure I would enjoy taking this beautiful DUKW on a drive in the sand dunes here.

Any thoughts and advice are appreciated.
Sincerely,

John

 

[hndrsonj]

You can't post active CL links, so it is edited. Fixing that first one will be expensive....

 

[silverstate55]

I thought one of our members around Costa Mesa (CA) had one for sale recently...

 

[SCSG-G4]

DUKW is really bad as a daily driver. Why, glad you asked! Sitting at the driver's position, you cannot see a compact car that is closer than 25 feet in front of the bow, and even then you may not be able to see the brake or turn signal lights. Even if you are the first vehicle at a light, how do you know there are no short pedestrians that walked in front just as the light changed and you thought you could go. Stock lights in the back are not much better. You really need an escort vehicle in front and behind the DUKW while on the road and even more so in city driving.

On the less expensive DUKW, are all the drive shaft tunnels present? The brake lines should all be replaced, with care given to all the valves to make sure they work. Does it have the air pump? How is the driving compartment wood (floor and walls)? How is the glass? Lots of other questions come to mind. Portrayal Press has all the books you will need to care and maintain it. HTH.

 

[Wolfen]

Following

 

[Terra1936]

Did the Duck Sell?