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Long time lurker looking to buy
- Thread starter Goomer214
- Start date
coachgeo
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it is the same nightmare of buying any ol' beat on 20+yr old truck. How much of a nightmare will be based on how much it seems to have been road hard and put up wet. This won't matter if it is a 6wheel truck or a 4wheel truck.
smalllllll advantage to 6wheel truck cause of less driveline vibration issues formed over the years*..... but higher maintenance cost once you got her all working well. *Same if you got bookoo bucks and get an A1 (newer) 4wheel truck with the extra high rear pinion box
if your a wrencher but not much of a love for electronics.... then an A0 truck with mechanical engine. If your good with electronics.... your options are broader.
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- Portland, OR
FMTV's won awards from the military for their outstanding reliability. They are one of the most reliable military vehicles the US has ever purchased.
That said. Most that are available are 20+ years old, some approaching 30 years old, and the newest ones out there are at least a decade old.
How reliable they are depends on a lot of factors but low mileage trucks have often been neglected because they weren't being used and thus not maintained. Higher mileage trucks have had more "maintenance" but at the same time each time it got touched by PVT Snuffy there's opportunity for it to be done wrong. And there's usually zero consequences for screwing up and only moderate motivation to fix things correctly. They throw parts at problems, don't replace fasteners correctly, overtighten the crap out of everything, don't clean and lube components correctly, and the list goes on and on and on. My truck is a 2008 that the military put a total of about 1500 miles on and they STILL screwed up quite a number things in that short amount of use. There was also zero evidence of any maintenance. All the filters were original from when the truck rolled out of BAE in Texas. And it spent time in Kuwait......
My recommendation for your FIRST truck is to get the newest truck you can afford with a preference for a private party purchase of something that you can inspect and have a conversation about with the seller.
That said. Most that are available are 20+ years old, some approaching 30 years old, and the newest ones out there are at least a decade old.
How reliable they are depends on a lot of factors but low mileage trucks have often been neglected because they weren't being used and thus not maintained. Higher mileage trucks have had more "maintenance" but at the same time each time it got touched by PVT Snuffy there's opportunity for it to be done wrong. And there's usually zero consequences for screwing up and only moderate motivation to fix things correctly. They throw parts at problems, don't replace fasteners correctly, overtighten the crap out of everything, don't clean and lube components correctly, and the list goes on and on and on. My truck is a 2008 that the military put a total of about 1500 miles on and they STILL screwed up quite a number things in that short amount of use. There was also zero evidence of any maintenance. All the filters were original from when the truck rolled out of BAE in Texas. And it spent time in Kuwait......
My recommendation for your FIRST truck is to get the newest truck you can afford with a preference for a private party purchase of something that you can inspect and have a conversation about with the seller.
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Depending on your motivation and skill level you can also take a chance like i did 1997 1078 with 3900 miles all fluids drained did not know if it runs but really studied the pictures and had it shipped from tex to Ohio and turned into a pretty good truck that just needs parts changed due to weather. Coach Geo and the other gave good advise and said plan on spending 500 a month for a while just getting the truck right. lots of little stuff adds up, but if it is something that interest you why not go ahead. Had mine since April still working towards making it more reliable for a long trip, but its fun, frustrating, expensive, cool and quite a piece of driveway art most of the time.
Green Mountain Boys
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I have had my 1998 M1078 for 5 years now. Bought it at auction (govplanet). It was in really nice condition. It came from a National Guard unit. I have not had any problems with mine other than some normal age related stuff. If you buy from an auction site I would suggest trying to find a truck from a guard unit if possible. They seem to be in better condition from my experience. Like others have said, it is a 20 to 30 year old truck and maintenance costs are going to be higher than on your Toyota Tacoma.
RRaulston
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- Sahuarita, Arizona
Ive owned mine now for a couple of months and would suggest this. After you get the truck, have 5k of expendable income for basic sorting. This includes all filters and fluids, driveline rebuilding, fan clutch upgrade (if older unit), tires (if no good) and maybe batteries. Then leak fixing, Your 5k is already gone and now basic upgrading for comfort and usability begin.... I'm having a blast playing/fixing on mine. My wallet is not....