From: GOTAM35 (gotam35@sc.rr.com)
Date: Tue Sep 17 2002 - 20:21:42 PDT
I have been resisting a lot replies lately, but I just gotta hop in on this
one.
You get what you pay for. If your like me you always find a better deal
right after you buy something. Do your homework, which is part of what this
list is for, and learn as much as possible about what your getting into.
I bought my truck from a dealer because I was impatient and wanted to avoid
getting one on it's last leg. I did not get a perfect truck, but that has
more to do with fate than where I bought it. If something has been sitting
for a while you can't be certain what you are getting. You can only make a
educated guess.
If you think $5,000 is a lot of money, try to buy a running 3 axle diesel
truck with all wheel drive for less. Your not talking about a "pickup". I
don't care what anybody says, a deuce is a commercial truck. Even so many
of the guys on this list have found "deals" for much less.
After driving my truck for a few months now I think some important things to
consider are:
Brakes. Mine suck and that's bad. These brakes are going to be allot of
work to get in good order. I'm not looking forward to that.
Fluid leaks. My truck doesn't leak anything (except water in the rain).
That ALMOST makes a bad breaks worth dealing with. Leaking oil as always a
pain.
Electrical problems. These things are 24 volt. That makes trouble shooting
problems alittle more tricky. Parts are harder to come by too. This also
complicates things like pulling civilian trailer with electric brakes.
Diesel engine. Mine runs good. Cranks easy. If you have never had a
diesel before, you better makes friends with someone who has. They are
great when they are working properly, but they're a real headache when they
don't.
Things I think are not a big deal:
Tires. I have found you can, depending on where you live, buy old used
tires cheap. Keep your best ones on the front.
Batteries. You can replace them in 10 minuets. Try to replace a wheel seal
in 10 minuets.
Paint. They're supposed to be ugly.
Don't buy one you can't drive unless you like surprises (some surprises are
good).
Don't expect these trucks to be quiet.
Don't expect to drive fast.
Just my opinions. Any of you that disagree please say so. I'm learning as
I go. Maybe you already know.
Joe Trapp
67 Kaiser M35
From: "Kris Kirby" <kris@catonic.net>
>
> What does it cost to acquire an M35 (Deuce) in running condition?
> Everything I've been seeing points at around $5,000 but if I put that much
> into a vehicle, I'd almost expect to be able to start it up and drive
> off....
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