One thousand miles...one thousand dollars

[kdaniels]

I watched a program this past Sunday on AHC (old military channel) titled "MILITARY COLLECTORS". The gentleman that was the subject of this episode is a long time restorer of vehicles. The HMMWV came up in the discussion and he stated, "that you'll spend a thousand dollars on maintenance for every thousand miles of operation".

I've owned my USMC M998 since 2002 and I've logged a whopping 8k miles, (zero miles off roading), and while I have made some minor repairs, those 8k miles have cost me about $350-$400 in repairs, (I do my own repairs). I've noticed that I have a rear hub seal that is starting to seep a little now but based off his statement I feel I have neglected my truck for a long time now....OR is he off with his assessment?????



SEMPER FI !!

keith

 

[DatGuyC]

Bought mine with 30k miles, it now just hit 40k. I did spend some money when I first got it to get it in shape, but since then its been great with no problems. I'm thinking they guy might be referring to spending 10k in all the cool mods you want to get, not just maintenance haha.

 

[clinto]

I don't own a HMMWV so my opinion here.................. I'm an internet commenter so take it all with a bucket of salt.

HMMWVs, military vehicles in general are just part of the antique car hobby.

In the hobby, you'll encounter a phenomena like this:

I have a customer who bought a pretty darned nice M38A1. Looked good, ran good. Motor pool, maybe a little better. And he probably put a thousand miles on it with no issues until............... we found out the oil pan had 2" of sludge in it and the pickup was partially blocked. Now, he's gonna' be out thousands because the #4 rod tried to weld itself to the crank.

Your HMMWV........... yeah, you've driven it 8K miles with very little maintenance. And at some point........... it might be tomorrow, or years from now, something really expensive is going to fail. And if you repair it correctly, it won't be cheap. Once you've had a couple big failures............. and you average out what the repair cost over the mileage...... it might be higher than you think.

 

[kdaniels]

I have a selection of antique type vehicles....M37's..WC 52/51's and I understand "something" is always going to need to be repaired at some point, but to put a mileage and cost per mile is kinda matter of fact for a item that has so many variables . And I sure as heck don't want to be reminded what it cost to play with my toys in absolutes. That knowledge is classified where my wife is concerned.

SEMPER FI !


keith

 

[MaverickH1]

I guess you could say I've spent $25,000 for zero miles at this point.

When I get the vehicle, I'll likely spend $1000 for 3 miles.

And then after that... who knows? I will say this... I've started tracking this with my current vehicles. I have finally started a maintenance spreadsheet that includes costs, dates of service, mileage, and any other comments I can add. I always work on my own vehicles, so this information usually gets lost when I finish a service item and am too tired to log it.

My 1995 4Runner is my winter / farm / dog truck. My M1123 HMMWV will replace it. In the last year:

Mileage driven - right at 1000 miles. Maybe less.
Cost over the last year for parts alone - $700
Parts included in this - new parts including the cat. converter all the way to the tailpipe, spark plugs and wires, window to replace the non-Toyota one that broke, CV joint, adding coolant, oil change, windshield wipers.

This does not include the things I did myself at no cost:
- spending a week locating proper vacuum hose routing and replumbing the system with existing hoses that were in the wrong order
- spending a day finding sunroof drains and unclogging them after getting water dumped on me

This also does not include:
- Gas - Likely an additional $130
- Registration - ~$50/year
- Inspection - $16/year
- The $1000 set of tires it got 12,000 miles ago, as well as all other parts I had to replace at that time.

I could do a similar thing with my 1982 Suburban.

It seems reasonable that a Humvee would be $1000 for 1000 miles. The cost per mile of vehicles increases when you use them less. Certain parts also deteriorate when not used at the same rate as when they are used, certain parts deteriorate when they aren't used quicker than they do when they are used... it's a complicated thing.

At some point I will have good data to show what the cost of ownership of a HMMWV is. Still waiting for the EUC to clear.... /foot tapping

 

[Storm 51]

I have an M-37 / M-42 that I have had for 36 years. I've put about 25 K miles on it in that time with about 1/3 to 1/2 of them off road. I've restored it twice.

If my cost is only $5 per mile (and it is probably more with all the accessories, radios and trailer) I'd consider myself lucky. It is probably more likely closer to $10 per mile.

That's a lot of money at either $5 or $10 per mile or anywhere in between.

It is also just the cost of playing with these toys.....

Only Colt has ever gone bankrupt on a government contract.

 

[springbok]

Boys and their toys. We used to quail hunt all the time and one day my dad figured out that over 10 years it was about $600 a pound for quail meat.
It is more than just the miles or the amount of meat. The fun in both hunting or driving and fixing up an old MV is priceless...

 

[Gunzy]

If you are so concerned about "Cost per mile" you may want to move to another hobby. I have MVs and classic cars as well as a 2014 F150 and if I start figuring this I will only make myself crazy. I feel a bit happier just feeding them and enjoying them by staying clueless as to the actual cost. JMO

 

[avlon01]

Anyone who owns a classic or collectible car will tell you to never do the math on how much you spend owning one. From parts/paint/accessories/repair/fuel/storage/insurance it adds up fast.

But saving money is not why I own my vehicles!

 

[2w091]

We've put over 3000 miles on ours, I've done most of the maintenance at home in my driveway. It's just been small minor stuff, but it's still maintenance intensive.
It's funny, I was at an event near an Army reserve center, one of the full time guys asked me how long we've had it. When I answered 3 years, he laughed and said "I can't believe you've kept it running for that long".

 

[Tinwoodsman]

If you are satisfied with your vehicle it really does not matter. Wanting is half the fun of having!!!

 

[Gunzy]

Vehicle cost $24000 divided by miles driven 521 comes to over $46 per mile at this point. That dose NOT factor in fuel, a frt seal repair, oil, oil filter, insurance and license. So, this is exactly why I don't want to know.

 

[Thecaptain]

Considering the gsa standard rate is .54/mile, a thousand miles would be $540 - it makes sense that $1/mile is not crazy for vehicles like these.

Shaun

 

[kdaniels]

There is a book out, no longer in print, "THE M37 RESTORATION GUIDE". In that book the author lists the "cost" of owning a M37 and includes the cost of a new garage addition. That is not MAINTENANCE. I'm pretty sure the guy said 1000 miles would require $1000 in maintenance. I got to hand pick my truck from about 200 in Augusta, Georgia...so maybe my experience has been a little better than most, but I sure haven't spent 8k on "repairs" for those 8k miles.

And as some on here have stated, they don't want to know what kind of money they have spent on the ownership of a vehicle. I can echo that with every vehicle I have to play with. I understand that some folks will lump every expense in with operating cost and come up with a per mile cost, but I don't figure my money spent like that. If my truck was breaking every 1000 miles to the tune of a grand in repairs I would leave it parked in my shop. I know that private ownership of the M998 is a little different than "PFC Who gives a **** the g'ment will fix it" so there will be trucks that are going to need a lot of work within the first few years of ownership. But after that, as long as you take care of it, using it within it's limitations I think most owners will enjoy owning it, no matter what the s#i& bird Pvt at the guard says about them.


SEMPER FI !!

keith

 

[dmetalmiki]

Sit down folks...'READY?'..One of , and my oldest in possession ((1958!)) 1942 Ford Jeep..has to date done..errr..let me calculate..All over Blighty..El Cajon, Fallbrook, Riverside..(base) Camp Pendleton...Lip of the Grand Canyon..Through Death valley, (parked at the "720" feet below sign!)....Ayers Rock! I have NEVER been towed OR walked home..Cost Phenominall!!..(another err..lets see)..Tires...Oil and grease..Bulbs..Paint...MORE than 6 gallons of fuel (both U.S. Ausi, and British.....I reckon, That comes to around...????? a little more than...5 Miles or so?!.
BEAT THAT. I still Have the jeep. Drives great still on 6volts (I forgot I think it has had a new battery! or two..or three...or...) It was fitted with a radio generator drive and A Garwood underfloor winch in 1943. NO I am NOT selling it. Never will.
As an aside SO MANY comments.."that is one noisy gearbox isn't it?" on the overun, 2nd Gear growl growl growl, like LOUD! "that's going to let you down any day now"
Lets see.....THAT (those) comments..were..in..about.......1970!!

 

[Jakob1944]

We've put over 3000 miles on ours, I've done most of the maintenance at home in my driveway. It's just been small minor stuff, but it's still maintenance intensive.
It's funny, I was at an event near an Army reserve center, one of the full time guys asked me how long we've had it. When I answered 3 years, he laughed and said "I can't believe you've kept it running for that long".

LOL.....that's a good one......and they have a repair crew and a parts warehouse following them around...

 

[79f250guy]

I've had my M998 a few months put a few thousand miles on it. I've had a few problems with it. Just got done fighting with power steering and fuel leaks today and was getting real pissed about it. WHY DID I BUY THIS THING?!... Then I backed it out of the shop today walked in front of it looked at it and said man that is one badass looking front end. I'll take the knuckle bustin' frustrating work on her anyday. Nothing says badass like a HMMWV!

 

[Dallas911]

If you are going to include the purchase price in the cost of ownership, then you also need to net out money received when you sell it. Or the current value if you plan to keep it (market value or whatever it's really worth to you).

No HMMWV yet, but soon!

 

[teletech]

I can't speak to the HMMWV specifically, but I did sit down a few months ago and do some budget math. In a bit over a half-dozen vehicles with built-on dates from about 1965 to 1993 the aggregate is sufficient that I could save thousands of dollars a year by giving them all away and making payments on a new pickup. Even if you exclude the tracked armor it's thousands a year I could save. $1/mile... hard to say but I'm not at all surprised if it's that much or more.
I know a fellow who did the math on just consumables and maintenance and came up with $6/mile for his armor.

 

[sully199]

I drive my truck every day and have put 14k on her in the last year. I have spent close to double in upgrades than I did in the initial purchase. I use my hmmwv to help market my auto repair shop and I live about 25 miles from my shop. Having my hmmwv hanging out in front of mu shop have been great for business. I am hanging hummer H1 one doors on it currently, and had to spend $1200 on the pass door, my wife inquired how much and she flipped out a little bit, then I said, but it helps to market the business.....then she was ok!!!! I have not had any issue at all with the truck.