Hi Mike,
I'm afraid the time of buying $50 jeeps is over, here in Holland
the Goverment is selling M-38-A1's for about $4000 (You have to make
an offer, and for $4000 you will get one most of the time).They are
doing this for about 7 years now and the price has not changed.
The M-38-A1's are in very good condition mostly runners, very complete
some have new engines, you can't test-drive them, so you have to
check everything very carefully and hope the engine runs well.They
also sell Land-Rovers LWB and SWB also "88 cut-away 1/2 ton" but they
mostly go for $5000 or more, and there are also the bigger DAF trucks.
The trucks aren't that expensive you can get a very nice 3-ton DAF for
$900, but they usually don't fit in the garage. The M-38-A1 is a very
popular jeep overhere at the moment they are for sale at every dump-
dealer in the country, and the British are also very busy hauling
them across the channel. Beside the Dutch-Goverment sales there are
also very many ex-East-German and Russian vehicles being sold.
You can get a very nice and complete GAZ-UAZ-69 for $1200, it comes
with all the tools etc.etc. The WW2 MB and GPW jeeps are more expensive
and you have to take an expert with you if you want to check one out,
because more and more Hotchkiss or Phillipine-Replica's are being sold
as being original WW2 jeeps (It is sometimes very hard to see the
difference) I don't mind Hotchkiss or Replica jeeps as long as they
tell what it is. I asume the prices in The States are about
the same as in Europe, so I wish you luck, a very cheap jeep isn't
always the best buy!!
Auke Dijkstra