Living with a HMMWV

[riderdan]

Hi all,

I've toyed on and off with the idea of purchasing a HMMWV since I got out of the service. For part of the time I was in I was assigned to HHQ 3/325 of the 82nd and did some time as unit armorer and part-time driver. My favorite humvee memory is driving like a madman chasing camels off an improvised range we had for testing repaired weapons in the sandbox. Turns out that camels are about as herdable as cats

What I generally remember about my experience driving a humvee is that it was fairly loud, not especially water-tight, and wide as the day is long. I only ever did the PMCS, but I'm a car nut (currently in Kansas working on a degree in automotive restoration--essentially a bachelor's in hotrods) and am a dab hand with a wrench, welder, etc. So general maintenance shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Anyway, I have a line on one of the vehicles that the marines "accidentally" released into the wild way back when. I believe this means that it's street legal and should be able to be registered, titled, and insured here in Kansas. I'm in a tiny town with a "DMV" that's very accommodating, so I wouldn't expect any hiccups.

The point of this post (finally!) is to ask what your experience is "living with" a humvee. For me, the truck wouldn't necessarily be a daily driver, but I'd like to drive it as much as possible. So from all you who are experienced civilian owners, what are the pitfalls, joys, loves and hates of having one of these critters in your garage? If you have a choice, do you choose the humvee when it's time to go to the grocery store? Do you only take it out on hunting weekends? Do your wife and kids like it, hate it, or are they indifferent? Any regrets?

Thanks,
Dan

 

[Bravojmc]

Well my first was a usmc unit about ten years ago. I liked driving it around town for odds and ends. I drove it prob 2-3 days out of the week. Honestly I think I'll enjoy my next more because I live in the country now and I shouldn't get as much attention driving around. The older I get the less I like people

 

[NormB]

I've always been partial to buying broke-d**k cars, motorcycles, guns and refurbing/bringing up to speed and selling - often at a loss, but it's a labor of love, I learn something from each project and move along to the next.

45 years ago it was English Ford Cortinas, a basket case Yamaha twin jet 100 my brother gave to me in two orange crates with wheels and a frame for my birthday - all I had to do was buy a Clymer manual and bark my knuckles every night for about six months and I had a motorcyle. 40 years ago it was a ten year old Austin-Healey Sprite that was a joy until the engine blew up, then it was a foru year old Norton Commando, and so on. I even got several thousand hours into constructing a Cozy Mk IV airplane many years ago - project got WAY ahead of me but is the reason we're living in the home we have now - I needed a double-wide garage to finish the project but wound up selling after I found out I had contracted AIDS (Airplane-Induced Divorce Syndrome) the only cure for which was selling the project.

I haven't had a basket case anything for a while and as I get closer to retirement again (21 years active duty Army first time, practicing physician for another 20, I considered a Humvee for some of the reasons you mention and alluded to. I like tinkering, applying hand-skills, having something big, relatively unique, rare, customizable, "there's something you don't see every day Jonesey" kind of a ride. I drove one of these several times many decades ago and myhead whipped around every time I'd pass a neighbor's house not far from me when I saw his Hmvee in the driveway. I got "the wantsies" real bad after a while.

I spend most days with sick people, no longer doing full-time Family Practice medicine or surgery, I like having "projects".

My wife's first comment was "good, it'll p*ss off the neighbors" (with whom we've had "issues") then, once I actually brought it home her next question was "why?"

I mentioned several of those things to her I'd just run through here and then the coup-de-gras: I said you know all those months, years of horseback riding lessons we paid for for our daughter? The boxes full of boots, saddles, crops, blankets, the weekend trips to stables and states and the rentals, etc? And the drum lessons for our son? Drum kits? Studio time? How about Karate lessons? Medical bills for the dogs (one has a seizure disorder and bad hips, the other eats stuff, has had three surgeries in three years, parrot has a virus, eats up abot $120/month in medicine).

And I bought a Humvee. What's the difference?

So I'm spending money for me, for a hobby, for now and hopefully, when we retire in a few years to the farm in Tennessee, I'll have something to ride around on, drag logs, haul a trailer, ride in local parades, etc. And you'll know where I'm at most evenings, poking around in the garage on the Humvee, at the mill, or in the ham shack.

You'll have your dogs and parrot.

As to the other part, I'd like it a LOT of I had a heated indoor garage to keep the truck. We're building a 30x50 garage on our farm in TN, the Humvee will be right at home. There's some frustrations, locating parts, getting answers to arcane questions, learning to use the manuals, but it's all good, all fun.

You should get one when you can.

 

[ryanruck]

What I generally remember about my experience driving a humvee is that it was fairly loud, not especially water-tight, and wide as the day is long.

Ahhhh... Yes to all of the above!

The point of this post (finally!) is to ask what your experience is "living with" a humvee. For me, the truck wouldn't necessarily be a daily driver, but I'd like to drive it as much as possible. So from all you who are experienced civilian owners, what are the pitfalls, joys, loves and hates of having one of these critters in your garage? If you have a choice, do you choose the humvee when it's time to go to the grocery store? Do you only take it out on hunting weekends? Do your wife and kids like it, hate it, or are they indifferent? Any regrets?

First and foremost, unless your truck was babied by the previous owner, be prepared to replace a lot of standard things you'd find wrong with a 20+ year old truck like hoses, belts, seals, and various other rubber and wear components.

It took me doing a lot of the above after dealing with things like a coolant hose blow out to a broken throttle cable 2 hours from home, where I felt confident taking the truck out regularly and not feel like I'm walking on eggs. Now I'm very confident in my truck's reliability and have no problem driving it my normal style, which isn't all that gentle!

(And now that I've said that I've cursed myself!)

It may have needed and still need some wrenching but, as much as I may curse it when I'm doing some of it, I do actually like spending time on it. It gets me out from sitting around watching TV and sitting on the computer!

If it's a soft top, try to garage it unless you like finding puddles not just on top the roof but inside after a rainstorm. If it's a 4 door soft top, the seals around the soft doors and seam where the cargo cover meet the cab top are the biggest culprits.

I tend to do my shopping on 2 occasions, 1) when I'm on the way home from work in my company van or 2) on the weekend when I need something. If it's weekend driving I will, without hesitation, take the truck. Mostly to get it out and about once a week just to keep the fluids flowing, batteries charged, and everything moving but, also because I really love driving it. Especially when the weather is warm enough to take off the top and doors. I took it to pick up some fence posts this weekend with it in fact.

No wife or kids but the young niece and nephew do love riding in it.

Only "pitfall" I can think of is all the attention you'll get. Questions when stopping to fuel up, people wanting to look it over and take pictures when you're out, etc. It's all good to me though! I don't mind humoring folks who are curious about it. So funny though that a truck that's been around almost as long as I've been on this Earth is still such a curiosity to people.

I've wanted one of these trucks for more than 20 years, long before I could even drive (actually almost since the year my truck was built!) so, it's basically been me being able to own my dream car.

 

[Wire Fox]

Ahhhh... Yes to all of the above!


First and foremost, unless your truck was babied by the previous owner, be prepared to replace a lot of standard things you'd find wrong with a 20+ year old truck like hoses, belts, seals, and various other rubber and wear components.

It took me doing a lot of the above after dealing with things like a coolant hose blow out to a broken throttle cable 2 hours from home, where I felt confident taking the truck out regularly and not feel like I'm walking on eggs. Now I'm very confident in my truck's reliability and have no problem driving it my normal style, which isn't all that gentle!

(And now that I've said that I've cursed myself!)

It may have needed and still need some wrenching but, as much as I may curse it when I'm doing some of it, I do actually like spending time on it. It gets me out from sitting around watching TV and sitting on the computer!

If it's a soft top, try to garage it unless you like finding puddles not just on top the roof but inside after a rainstorm. If it's a 4 door soft top, the seals around the soft doors and seam where the cargo cover meet the cab top are the biggest culprits.

I tend to do my shopping on 2 occasions, 1) when I'm on the way home from work in my company van or 2) on the weekend when I need something. If it's weekend driving I will, without hesitation, take the truck. Mostly to get it out and about once a week just to keep the fluids flowing, batteries charged, and everything moving but, also because I really love driving it. Especially when the weather is warm enough to take off the top and doors. I took it to pick up some fence posts this weekend with it in fact.

No wife or kids but the young niece and nephew do love riding in it.

Only "pitfall" I can think of is all the attention you'll get. Questions when stopping to fuel up, people wanting to look it over and take pictures when you're out, etc. It's all good to me though! I don't mind humoring folks who are curious about it. So funny though that a truck that's been around almost as long as I've been on this Earth is still such a curiosity to people.

I've wanted one of these trucks for more than 20 years, long before I could even drive (actually almost since the year my truck was built!) so, it's basically been me being able to own my dream car.

I've got to add that you're living the same dream as me. Mine's still in the non-stop wrenching phase to get it going, but it's closer and closer every day. Mine's pretty much going to be driven every time I'm going out to do something enjoyable, or requiring hauling... My little 32 MPG Dart is still going to be my main commuter and long-distance car, because I really don't think I'd enjoy covering 700 miles in one day in a HMMWV...but I may be wrong!

 

[riderdan]

Thanks for the responses so far, guys. I'm definitely leaning towards buying one, obviously--and your answers seem to match what I expect.

For a good number of years I had a 1931 Model A Ford coupe that I loved driving. I actually commuted to work in it (in California, no less) three days a week. It was definitely "different": non-synchro transmission, top speed 55 mph, no heater, AC or radio, noisy, etc. But it was a complete blast to own and drive, despite those drawbacks. And I got a lot of "what's that?" and "cool car" comments everywhere from the donut shop to the gas station. I expect owning a humvee to be similar.

If anyone has anything else to add, please chime in.

 

[MWMULES]

Dan get the title info from the seller before you pay and take it to the local DMV and if it is from out of state find out in your county were the Hwy Patrol does inspection (if it does not have a KS title it will need the inspection) and have them check the info before you buy, also if the paper work has it as a HUMMER that is a big red flag. In Kansas it is not the DMV but the HP inspection that can cause problems and if the paper work is out of state it has to go through them first.

 

[Jakob1944]

Mine is a Big Ask Toy...something different...I did not want an average vehicle with power windows/door locks and such....I wanted a primitive "bring em back alive" machine....the real jeep and Land Rover that an average person can aquire are gone on to history

I just wanted to drive this ugly, noisy, wide unusual machine once or twice a month.......I sit in this "thing" that has a teeny steering wheel, canvas doors and top....it has long wide flat windows with a mirror out there some where....nearest person sits way across the other side next to the other canvas door (try that on a date)......this machine has no imediate access to storage, no 'glove box'....your feet are placed in a tiny aluminun well and you ride next to the engine and transmission which becomes an oven in the summer....the wind and rain blows through it wishing one had windshield wipers on the inside also....it also has a little horn that has a WW2 'beep' sound that is barely audiable over the ever roar of the engine.....
all in all it's just a toy.............my toy

.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Mine is a Big Ask Toy...something different...I did not want an average vehicle with power windows/door locks and such....I wanted a primitive "bring em back alive" machine....the real jeep and Land Rover that an average person can aquire are gone on to history

I just wanted to drive this ugly, noisy, wide unusual machine once or twice a month.......I sit in this "thing" that has a teeny steering wheel, canvas doors and top....it has long wide flat windows with a mirror out there some where....nearest person sits way across the other side next to the other canvas door (try that on a date)......this machine has no imediate access to storage, no 'glove box'....your feet are placed in a tiny aluminun well and you ride next to the engine and transmission which becomes an oven in the summer....the wind and rain blows through it wishing one had windshield wipers on the inside also....it also has a little horn that has a WW2 'beep' sound that is barely audiable over the ever roar of the engine.....
all in all it's just a toy.............my toy

.

This is exactly the draw of military trucks for me. A purpose built machine that the lowest possible consideration was the comfort of it's operator. My only gripe with most of them is a lack of effective windshield wipers.............................on the inside.

 

[JAGWAH]

If you've got the spot to keep it, the tools and desire to work on it, realistic expectations of owning an older vehicle, owning one of these is a ton of fun! Parts seem to be plentiful, plus expertise and assistance from this forum is immense.

I drive mine as much as I can, but do try to avoid freeways at all costs and limit trips which are less than an hour (the seats and noise see to that!). It does provide a good way to meditate, as driving a max of 55 without a radio or conversation is a completely different driving experience than any other vehicle. When you are constantly passed by Prius's and crappy little pick-up trucks with trailers, you just succumb to the fact it is what it is. No road rage develops.

I love it. Plus, the horn is probably one of my favorite things! I chuckle every time I use it.

 

[MaverickH1]

1 ) You will be "the Humvee guy". Any identity you had prior will be gone. People will feel compelled to make some kind of judgment about you as a person. Good and bad.
2 ) It will be rare that people ask questions about it, most will TELL you about it. Most of the time incorrectly. They'll tell you how it floats, how hard it is to find parts, how it is bullet proof, how it flips over too easy, etc. Sometimes you’ll get funny stories about what people used to do with it.
3 ) I feel a certain amount of anxiety any time I have stopped and am trying to do a work task around the vehicle. If you're at the gas station just trying to fill up gas cans, it gives people a lot of opportunities to try to talk about it.
4 ) You can never pick your nose in your car again. Everyone is watching.
5 ) Water will pool on the top when it rains, and one side of the interior is about to have a waterfall when you first move it. It's coming through the door, brace yourself.
6 ) It's loud, obviously. Have hearing protection in the cab. Develop hand signals to communicate with your regular passengers.
7 ) You're going to go slower than them. If the speed limit is 45 mph and below, I'll be in the fast lane. If it is 50 or above, I'm in the slow lane. If there are traffic lights, you'll be in the slow lane.
8 ) Nobody will want to touch your tires to change them. Nobody. If someone is willing to, do not let them touch them.
9 ) Do not leave the truck by itself with a mechanic you don't completely trust.
10 ) People will be very cautious around it like a show car, and some will think it is their own personal jungle gym. I had a guy climb on the seat to show me how he had to stand/sit to get through 5’ of mud/water once. “Dude… get off the seat.”
11 ) You will quickly learn to park facing uphill so you don't have a wet "center console". You will also learn that you can't put anything on the "center console".
12 ) Your dogs will be convinced that you have installed a heated seat for them on the "center console". And they will smugly look at you in complete comfort in 15 degree weather while you are freezing. But your right knee will be sweating.
13 ) Simultaneously, your dogs will be angry at you for not turning off their seat warmer in summer time and will stand just behind you to remind you.
14 ) You'll need to have a towel in the vehicle at all times to wipe off the windows. Water will condense on both the inside and outside of them.
15 ) Your wife will find creative ways to fall asleep in the passenger seat. This may or may not include the dogs.
16 ) Your dogs will not fully trust jumping into the back. Our German Shepherd makes it just fine. Our lab mix has hit the tailgate with his nose 3 times trying to make the leap. Now he runs up to it like he's going to jump and at the last minute stops and stares at it in fear.
17 ) When you widen the trails on your property so it can fit, it won't fit.
18 ) As soon as you think you've fixed everything, something else will break just to spite you.
19 ) The defroster does a decent job of defrosting a 4" diameter circle on the windshield. This will cause uncomfortable driving positions.
20 ) When you drain the coolant with the tap at the bottom of the lower radiator hose, it's not completely empty. Tapping out a block plug to install a block heater will drench you completely in coolant, and you'll have a nasty taste in your mouth, you'll have to wipe off your safety glasses, and then you'll have to finish the job in a puddle of coolant. In 20 degree weather in my case. It was so cold I found myself talking to Rose.

I have plenty more... but I'll leave it there for now.

I love this POS.

 

[Bravojmc]

Did you ever have a flux-capacitor?

 

[3jacks]

Thanks Maverick for that post. I won an auction on GP a month ago, paid for it and awaiting EUC approval...I've wanted this thing since I first saw it over 20 years ago. To the OP's post...get one, your ready!

 

[riderdan]

Dan get the title info from the seller before you pay and take it to the local DMV and if it is from out of state find out in your county were the Hwy Patrol does inspection (if it does not have a KS title it will need the inspection) and have them check the info before you buy, also if the paper work has it as a HUMMER that is a big red flag. In Kansas it is not the DMV but the HP inspection that can cause problems and if the paper work is out of state it has to go through them first.

Good point. I read the Kansas code and we have a special category for registering military vehicles... but obviously I've never tried to have one inspected. I bought an out-of-state vehicle since I moved here and it only needed the VIN inspection, which is done by a very friendly, helpful retired Highway Patrol guy. I was thinking that since it already has an out of state title and registration (like the Chevy truck I bought), the humvee would work the same. In other words, VIN inspection only. Of course, I'm in a tiny town where things are pretty laid back.

Did you have trouble with registration/titling?

 

[Bulldogger]

1 ) You will be "the Humvee guy". Any identity you had prior will be gone. People will feel compelled to make some kind of judgment about you as a person. Good and bad.
4 ) You can never pick your nose in your car again. Everyone is watching.
10 ) People will be very cautious around it like a show car, and some will think it is their own personal jungle gym.
11 ) You will quickly learn to park facing uphill so you don't have a wet "center console". You will also learn that you can't put anything on the "center console".
14 ) You'll need to have a towel in the vehicle at all times to wipe off the windows. Water will condense on both the inside and outside of them.
18 ) As soon as you think you've fixed everything, something else will break just to spite you.
19 ) The defroster does a decent job of defrosting a 4" diameter circle on the windshield. This will cause uncomfortable driving positions.
I love this POS.

+1 to the above items in particular, but all are true.

My favorite thing to say to people when they are walking up close to look inside is "Careful! Don't scratch the paint!" This is just to mess with them, obviously, since the paint is terrible... But it gets a laugh.

Most common question: "Where did you get it?" Second most common: "What kind of mileage do you get?"

If you can, buy one, it's fun. Just like any other collectible or antique fun toy, eventually you might sell it, but until then care for it and enjoy it. It's less an investment and more something to do, and have fun doing it.

Bulldogger

 

[JAGWAH]

"I love this POS", MaverickH1

Couldn't have said it better.

 

[MWMULES]

Good point. I read the Kansas code and we have a special category for registering military vehicles... but obviously I've never tried to have one inspected. I bought an out-of-state vehicle since I moved here and it only needed the VIN inspection, which is done by a very friendly, helpful retired Highway Patrol guy. I was thinking that since it already has an out of state title and registration (like the Chevy truck I bought), the humvee would work the same. In other words, VIN inspection only. Of course, I'm in a tiny town where things are pretty laid back.

Did you have trouble with registration/titling?

Check your notifications in box , I sent you a PM.

 

[riderdan]

Check your notifications in box , I sent you a PM.

Thanks for that additional info.

 

[erasedhammer]

I'll just give my two cents, which is mostly good.

First thing, put in some nice MRAP seats. They make a lot of difference. I took mine on 500 mile trip in one day and my mrap seats were a major plus, comfortable all 10 hours of the drive.

Try to seal things... fail... try again... fail some more. I've done a lot of work with the windshield seal, A frame seals, door seals, rear curtain/cargo door seals, and sealing the cowls. The work you put in pays off at like 60%, I still get a little wet, just not as much as in the beginning.

Insulation. I have 1" thick foam insulation surround the entire outside body panels. Keeps heat in, and road noise (some of it) out. I also have a 2" rubber and lead pad on the tunnel in the cab. Keeps exhaust heat out and minimizes drive train noise. Also if possible get a full undercoating, it will severely dampen road noise and some engine noise (depending on where you put it).

For me, my truck was in good condition from the start so for a commuter car, it works decently well. The only places water comes in through is the driver side cowl (just a drip) and the window weatherstripping (doesn't really affect anything, doesn't get me wet). So for driving in the rain I am completely dry, except for my left foot.

For winter, my stock heater keeps the cab at around 80 degrees if its 20+ degrees outside. Most of my insulation jobs have made it that way. And honestly, most of your heat in a snow/cold climate area is going to come from the engine heating the surrounding metal and just radiating off. My dash gets too hot to touch sometimes.
In summer... well it gets hot especially when you're on the freeway for a long time. Engine and exhaust has a lot of radiant heat that's just going right into the cab.

What Maverick said about the water pooling is very correct. I have a 4 man soft top and if its parked outside for a while in rain, as soon as I move its a huge waterfall of water over the doors and windshield.

If you get one in good condition, they are really tough vehicles. I honestly didn't expect my 6.2 to make it 10 hours at 3200 rpm, but it's still runnin strong!

 

[JAGWAH]

erasedhammer: Any pictures of your seats? Certainly on the short list of to-do's.