I've been in the military for 20 some years. I've driven my share of 2.5 and 5 ton trucks across the country and I cannot imagine why anyone would want or need one of these. The end usage does not seem to get discussed much.
I did a couple of roof projects last year and having a dump truck would have been nice (military or civilian). But that was a one time deal. Not a lot of use otherwise for me... I see some guys build campers out of these. That's cool. I'm not sure what the convenience factor would be driving a MV like this across the country at 50 mph would be though.
From what I've read here, some trucks are used to bring more trucks home (and then???) The above mentioned campers....looks like some guys use them for delivery vehicles...but that is about all I've seen.
I'm not knocking anyone for buying these trucks. I actually have some fond memories of the time I spent going across the plains of South Dakota (and further) in M35A2s and various 5 ton trucks. I'm just wondering what you actually do with them once you have them.
Heck...I wouldn't even mind having some sort of 6x6 with a huge plow on it about right now. It would sure beat using my 3/4t Ford with the 9' plow for one lot that I currently do.
Just curious....
Mike
1. If you want a truck to use around the house, they're incredibly cheap.
For instance, what would a good condition, say 100K mile, used Dodge 2500 4wd with a Cummins cost? If all you need is something to go to Home Depot, help friends move, occasionally haul a lawnmower, etc., then a deuce is literally cheaper than pretty much anything, even when you factor in the short tire life/poor fuel mileage. When I sold my F-150, that left me with a Honda Civic-and a deuce. I think I am pretty well covered.
2. If you need a truck for personal (non commercial) use, they're waaaay handier than a used 1/2-1 ton pickup. See:
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?15325-Working-the-Deuce-Vol-12-385
3. I like the history aspect of it.
Like an art collector who wants a real Henri Matisse, I like owning something that has such a rich and colorful past. As a teenager, seeing all the Deuces on CNN during Desert Storm made an impression on me.
4. I like the honesty aspect of it.
So many things in our society are either fake or dishonest. Think of the Chevy Z71 and Ford FX4 pickups. People pay a lot for those stickers, which keep getting bigger and bigger and what do they signify? Skid plates and some longer shocks? Musclecars and performance cars are even worse-how many Sixties musclecars had fake hoodscoops?
MV's are the polar opposite-there are no "trail rated" emblems on them. In fact, nothing is on them that doesn't serve a real, genuine purpose. There's no ergonomics, no marketing, no "brand image"-it's a tool. An honest, hardworking tool.
5. So far as mechanical hobbies go, they're about the cheapest.
So I like cars.......... and airplanes, helicopters, boats, construction equipment, etc. Always liked machines. I used to have musclecars (Mopars) and I was in the hobby for years. It got to the point where I couldn't afford it and I ended up here because I can't afford a Huey.
Most "toys" really serve no purpose other than to empty wallets-I mean, what the heck can you really do with:
A boat? Go fishing? Hang out on the lake and drink? All fun things to do, but man, it costs a lot.
A plane? Yeah, you can go places. Really fast and without a lot of hassle. And it makes boats seem cheap.
A motorcycle? If you aren't getting run over by inattentive motorists, you can go to the grocery store and buy 3 cans of soup.
A restored classic car? Sure, you can go to the grocery store, but you're afraid to leave it parked anywhere. You can drive it to work but are paranoid about accidents in 5pm traffic. And you can do this while getting 10mpg, likely without a/c and at 60 instead of 80 since you probably don't have overdrive.
All toys are ultimately pointless and derive their value only from the enjoyment of using them-thus making it hard to justify to anyone who wouldn't enjoy using it.
All that being said, you should buy a deuce.