M1008/9

[JeffStaff]

I'm 15 and I'm getting my permit soon, I've been looking for a nice starter vehicle and off-roader . Can anyone tell me how the M1008/9s run and such and usual price range?

 

[ARMYMAN30YearsPlus]

My 18 yearold son is driving a 1984 M1009 that I bought for him and it starts and runs very reliably. We paid just under $2000 for it with 50K miles and a little body rust.

 

[JeffStaff]

My parents want me to buy a car that is from the 1990s or onwards. They feel I would spend much more money fixing it then I paid for it. How much do spare parts cost? And also do these trucks break down a lot? Finally thanks for the reply, please post more.

 

[builder77]

These type of trucks are very easy to work on, but the military versions have an electrical design that makes it rather confusing as they have a 12v/24v system. The parts are very cheap and easily obtained except for some military specific parts that can be problems. It really comes down to how much ability you and your help have on working on vehicles though. These type vehicles are not overly complex though, so would be great to learn on. I personally would suggest the civilian version if you can get a good deal on it. They have better mileage as most have a overdrive transmission, there is no screwy electrical system and any garage out there can work on it. These can be great fun teenage fun vehicles. The Blazer might be better as you have an all weather backseat

 

[Zinlu]

If you look at one, make sure to check the front end, where the u-joints are at the front wheels, look for leaks in the seals there, the front ends and Injection pumps on these are two of the most expensive components to repair/replace. The injection pump is on top of the engine in front of the air cleaner, and they are bad about leaking at the throttle shaft seals.
I got lucky on my 1008, paid 1500 for it with 49k miles a little over a year ago. I've spent a little here and there, had to put a new starter on it, which was 125, and went ahead then and converted it over to total 12v. My injection pump had a bad leak, but a friend here at steelsoldiers sold me a used one for a VERY good deal. All in all with filter changes and everything I've probably spent less than 2000 dollars for mine, have had a lot of fun with it, and it's never left me stranded.
If you don't mind spinning your own wrenches, they are generally inexpensive to repair and operate. I'm sure some other folks will pipe up with other things to look for but these have been my experiences.

The Blazer might be better as you have an all weather backseat

Great point!

 

[JeffStaff]

Thanks again for the replies, are they better purchased through government auction or private sellers? Also does anyone know of any near West Tennessee more specific Memphis and/or outlaying cities?

 

[gt1009]

I'm sixteen, and I bought my m1009 for 2500 dollars as a first vehicle. It was already converted to 12 volt starting, and had a few of the more common parts fixed. It is pretty reliable, but you have to remember that it is over 20 years old, so things will go wrong. However, it is a very easy engine to work on, and you can do lots of fun modifications to it very easily. I put air horns on mine. If you live in a colder area, I suggest changing your glow plugs to a manual switch, which is a simple, 1 hour job at maximum. That will give you more control over the heating system. The m1009 seems to do pretty good off road. I haven't done any rock crawling yet, but it never has gotten stuck, even in fresh mud. Usually I don't even need four wheel drive if i'm just messing around in some mud or something. It is deffinately a better off roader than my friend's jeep wrangler. I think the m1008s would do better off road because of the detroit locker in the rear axle, but they can only do about 55 miles per hour. The m1009 can do about 85 but has a gov-lock rear differential and weaker axles than the m1008 However, if you were to put the 36 or 37 inch humvee tires on an m1008, which you can get for about 250 a set with rims, you should be able to gain a good amount of top speed. You could also regear the axles with a lower ratio. In terms of buying it, I think as a first time buyer you should try to find one privately. That way you have a better idea of what you are getting. With the government auctions you might not have a chance to start the truck before you buy it. A lot of places also sell m1009s or m1008s that have been completely re-finished and repaired for around 5-6000 if you want to shell out that much money for one. So thats about as much as I can tell you from what you asked.

 

[JeffStaff]

Alright, thanks all for the replies. Now I have to wait till I'm 16 to get a job and save up for this. Too bad no one around here will hire at 15, plus I won't be accepting any help from my parents they had to buy all their cars so I want to as well. Might sound strange in this day in age...

 

[CCATLETT1984]

the 1009 would be a great first vehicle, and a good selling point to the folks is that you are much safer in a blazer than a car in the event of a crash.

 

[gt1009]

Jeff, I had to buy the truck myself too. I am the only person I know that didn't get help from there parents. Just look around, you'll find a job. I had 3 last year. Good luck with finding an m1009. Trust me, you'll be the coolest kid at your school

 

[JeffStaff]

I doubt it, most kids at my school want super-rich cars, I don't see what the difference between a 2007 car or a 1987 car is. All their supposed to do is get you to point A to point B in one piece.

But then again I want the best looking off-roader ever

 

[gt1009]

I'm not sure. Once people see it they might change their mind. After all, just tell them that you can drive over their bmw or mercedes or whatever they want.

 

[CCATLETT1984]

another nice thing about older, bigger vehicles is that the bmw's and the like park further away from you.

 

[J2H]

Lol, I had an '89 Mustang in High School, my bro had an '89 MR2.... most kids had the beater Toyotas and stuff, a few Porsches, some trucks, and one kid had an Orange CJ7. I wanted a Deuce soooo bad back then!

 

[gt1009]

another nice thing about older, bigger vehicles is that the bmw's and the like park further away from you.

Hehe
I always like to be the one to park next to the 911 or corvette that parks in the back of the parking lot so nobody makes his car look bad. Imagine what he thinks when he sees the m1009 parked next to his brand new supercar

 

[J2H]

i used to do that with my Volvo

 

[Mike_Pop]

If you really want to scare the crap out of your classmates, buy a Unimog! I always try to park mine next to the Hummers at the ritzy malls. It makes them look like Matchbox cars.

By the way, I love my M1009!

 

[gt1009]

If you really want to scare the crap out of your classmates, buy a Unimog! I always try to park mine next to the Hummers at the ritzy malls. It makes them look like Matchbox cars.

for the m1009, hummers are close, its about the same height as an h2. But you can mess with the wranglers all day long.

 

[Mike_Pop]

The roof line of an H1 is the same level as the hood on my Mog.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Unless you can find a premo condition civy truck strongly consider the military trucks. It's a fact of life now that the newest years of these trucks (91 for the Blazers) are now over 16 years old and in civilian terms that's a lot of daily use and daily commutes. Finding one with under 100k is rare. Also remember these things have at best '80's technology power windows, door locks, rear windows, etc so most don't work by now.
The military trucks are far more common with less than 100k and have no power options to break down on you. Trust me, having your rear window stuck half way down in 50 degree weather sucks...I know...
...or your driver's side window not want to go down in 70 degree weather...
The military trucks also have trained (mostly...pretty much...) mechanics working on them to some sort of a maintenance schedule...I've seen civilian trucks with 200k and the original gear lube in the axles that looks like sludge and turpentine...


DON'T BUY A TRUCK FROM ALFA HEAVEN IN WISCONSIN! Do a search and you'll find out why.


My first vehicle in 1997 was an eleven year old 1986 K5 Blazer. A big rusty POS that had been ridden hard and put away wet. I loved it. They're good vehicles and between here and www.ColoradoK5.com you can get just about any question you could ever come up with answered.
I just got back into the 73-87(91) GM fullsizes and am enjoying every minute of it...mostly...