So Lohnes wants to compare apples to oranges by going after a nice, clean SJ Wagoneer with…of all things…an M35A2 Deuce that has been chopped and converted into a bright yellow oversized pickup truck. Right. Faster than you can say “Dammit, Ms. Frizzle” I was digging through eBay, looking for anything to get the sight of the Magic School Bus out of my head. If you are going to get a military truck, why on Earth would you paint it Lemon Twist Yellow? It’s not that the M35 isn’t cool…by far and wide, it is, even when compared to other military trucks. And most of the modifications to the truck I could get behind. But for me, something was lost where the paint was concerned.
While I’ve said before that if I could have kept any of the vehicles from my military days it would have been an LMTV-based vehicle, this M934 was calling my name the second I saw it. In service this would have been a command vehicle, a headquarters office, or a radio vehicle, but on the outside this could be an awesome rolling workshop or, with a little bit of elbow grease, a killer RV. The doors have been fitted with key locks, a keyed ignition has been installed, as well as reverse lighting, a backup camera system and the hard top. The Cummins NHC-250 and Allison five-speed automatic will get you there and back on whatever you can pour into the tank and burn. If you can get this thing stuck, you’re a better man than I, because I’ve tried like hell and failed numerous times. About the only thing I’d suggest modifying are the seats…or, at least, the driver’s seat, as that is certainly a weak point.
So, let’s see…$130,000 for a showpiece truck, or $18,000 for one that you would unabashedly use, abuse, and scare your neighbors with? I suspect you will make the right decision here.
eBay Link: 1980 AM General M934
Jesus, there’s only one option for 99 percent of us here – on a good day. Who wants a show truck, anyway? Too much to clean.$180k for something that doesn’t work sounds more like an ex-wife than a truck.
Thrre’s one just like ths, but unmoded, at Jax Sporting Goods in Fort Collins, CO fot $14.9k.
Sign me up for an un-modded Deuce-and-a-Half any day.
The 5-Ton contact truck is the better choice of the two for sure but if I’m choosing from all military vehicles then it has to be HEMTT based PLS Maintenance contact truck. 10 wheel drive, CAT diesel, Flat-rack loading system, a shelter loaded with tool boxes and power outlets, a built in hydraulic crane, and on board generator. The most capable all around vehicle ever. Just imagine how much you could get done with one of those.
I plan on getting two of these for my wife’s and mine Rock crawling team. 1 for command and one for a mobile shop. Both will tow our rigs as well.
“$180k for something that doesn’t work sounds more like an ex-wife than a truck.”
Great sentence ! I salute you ! and nevermind Mother’s Day. . .
What Bullshit.
When I can go to any one of the “gov” auction sites and find these going for half that price, why would I want to go to eBay and pay more?