Are government issued Humvees for sale to the public?
- Thread starter chino1969
- Start date
You can buy them, but very tough to register to drive on road. I have a buddy that bought one, and it was going to cost him as much to register as it did to purchase! He sold it quickly
Here's an interesting article.. https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/this-texas-man-converts-military-trucks-to-road-warriors/
OP
I don't want one; just curious. I've seen the military version vs. the civilian one and there is a world of difference.
One thing wrong with that article is all the military HMMV I ever saw burned diesel fuel, and lots of it.
It's been so long that I don't remember the details but as far as I know Ohio doesn't allow them to be on the road unless it's owned by some (local, state, federal) government. As weird as that seems, it's even weirder that I have seen one, only one, several years ago on the road with Ohio plates.
There are at least a few reasons, maybe more.
Basically being the replacement for the original Jeep some people may want one to honor those that have served in one.
They use portal style axles for greater ground clearance and a central tire inflation system. If that stuff wasn't impressive nobody would add a lift and a compressor to their TJ.
They are built like a tank. OK I admit I'm stretching the truth there but they are closer to a tank than any other vehicle out there that most us could drive.
I missed the part where someone made an offer like that.
I don't know why the article mentions gas prices so I guess that very well could be the one thing wrong with the article. Otherwise it pretty much spells out exactly why he's doing what he's doing AND why anyone would want one.
They don't have emissions equipment, and they don't have any of the safety features. Seat belts are lap only(all this is going back to the mid 90's when I was in the Army so may not be the case on newer models)
If I remember correctly the top speed on them was about 55, maybe 60 if your going downhill with a good tailwind. And it literally takes all day to get there. Thanks to that 6.5l gm diesel that was horribly underpowered for the weight of vehical
The driving position in the military version is one of the worst I've experienced. The seat fore/aft adjustment is restricted by a bar running between the outer body and trans tunnel. If you have long legs and/or a portly physique then you're in a world of discomfort. It's like they copied the CJ5's driver's area dimensions and made everything around it over-sized.
Off topic, the first time I drove off road (using lockers and 4 wheel drive) was in a H1 at the factory course in Mishawaka, Indiana. It was a good time. Still took me 6 more years my buy my first Wrangler.
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I believe they are sold without titles and a notice that says it cannot be titled. So, you need to find a VIN that can be titled... Which is tough to do. This is just what I remember for talking with my buddy though, and he traded the Humvee a couple years ago.
Wow those are actually pretty cheap compared to what I was expecting. Would be fun to trailer it and wheel it.
My only experience with military Humvees... back in the 90s working Transient Alert at Ellington.. Gulf War is winding down so they started bringing all the equipment back. Ellington was a huge staging area so it became a huge parking lot again with row after row of Humvees dropped off waiting for their respective units to also return and pick them up. Then the oil fires started and we needed the ramp space to load up the fire fighting equipment... Humvees were in the way so we had to move them. All of them one by one. I must've driven a couple hundred and took one to Jack in the Box across the street but it wouldn't fit in the drive thru so they ran out and handed me my order.
OP
Those were my thoughts. I would be nice to have a vehicle that you can beat the hell out of without worrying about what is going to break and how much it will cost.
If you break something on one, and can find a replacement part, it will probably be expensive! JMHO