I don't know about this particular case, but I know two people here in
Europe who own a ex-military Hummer. One bought it in running condition, the
other rebuilt one from several wrecks he bought at surplus auctions. It is
all supposed to be legal, but they have some problems with US officials.
Apparently these officials stick to the guideline that any Hummer in
civilian hands was obtained illegally. (There are even rumours that they pay
people for useful hints about Hummers in civilian ownership.) As far as I
know, Hummers are supposed to be mutilated upon disposal, assuming that they
cannot be used as a complete vehicle again. Well, as we all know, there are
people out there that can do magic with metal or simply buy a new body (a
Dutch MV dealer had a number of BRAND NEW M151A2 bodies a decade ago) or
chassis, as is the case with the second Hummer I mentioned. Ok, most of us
will know an example of the M151-series running around in perfect condition,
obviously never having been mutilated. But not all are illegal, as for
example the Danish Army sold them in complete condition. My question is why
the US is going through so much trouble to ensure that certain vehicles are
never are operated in public hands after disposal? Is it only a matter of
liability? (Okay, that's a big thing in US law, where people are apparently
supposed not to have their own responsibility.) Then there's only one way to
make sure, and that is to never auction anything. But it all seems just a
waste of tax-payers money to me. Why not 'procure' vehicles that can be sold
off later for a reasonable amount of money to minimise the loss? (Like the
series of Jeeps built around the world in the 1950s and 1960. These fetch
good prices at auctions.)
These are just my 2 cents worth. Now, where do I get in line for one of them
Hummers?
Hanno Spoelstra <H.L.Spoelstra@WbMt.TUDelft.NL>
Bloemendaal, The Netherlands