This vehicle is on sale by the Owner. Photo attached.
Before I go and talk to him about it, was hoping someone here could give me a few pointers so I'm not totally looking like a complete noob. I'm by no means a mechanic, but know the basics....thats about it.
Not a lot to go on by the photo, there is no make or model I could see printed on the vehicle. It had a black label adjacent the license plat that said BCC 223 on it I believe. About the same size as a License plate. The vehicle looks like it would have the potential to move large quantities of material over rough terrain which interests me. If anyone is "in the know" could you give me some ideas/questions I should be looking at to make an informed purchase. Heavy duty vehicles like this are definitely not my specialty. Is this vehicle familiar to anyone? Anything I should be watching out for? Can you bring somethign like this to your local mechanic too or is it specialized?
https://www.internationalpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=7738
probably British, could be Belgium or French as well. All parts imported from overseas so make sure you take this to a heavy duty diesel mechanic. (even if it is gas! they know trucks) make sure the 4x4 system is functioning flawlessly!
This was designed for moving military Ammunitions or POL (various fuels) this is to short to be a full time troop carrier (from the look of the fuzzy pic with little reference). Tarp will need repairs, check for rust inside the cargo area as well as underneath. Make sure there are no electrical problems, you find out if it is 12v - 6v - 24v or 36v charging and operating systems. Military does not allways conform to Civie stuff. If they have a spare tire, make sure you get that thrown in as well. Is this a right hand drive vehicle, then it is British, if our left hand drive then it is Belguim or French et all smaller countries.
Get full history, import papers, where does he buy the parts etc, this you need to know in advance. Each one of those tires will set you back about 350+shipping to replace. Is there run flat mixtures in the tires now? Need to know before servicing the tires, especially on a back road.
If the price is good, even with the 4x4 not working and it is only running in rear wheel mode, this is a good vehicle if the price is right. Some parts could be interchanged with North American Civie or Military so there is some cost savings there, luckily for you.
From this fuzzy pic, it looks like the tarp is the cab over version, make sure it is functional and they show you how to remove, modify and adjust this before you go away with it.
Lastly make sure you know what fuel it runs on best. Most European military models are Gas only or Diesel only and some of the diesel and gas are military grade which might mean adding in extras to the fuel. Doubtful this is a multi-fueler, only the Americans make those.
good luck, let us know how it goes.
It is disturbing how much you two know from one fuzzy pic! 😀
Thanks for the information. I really appreciate it. I will go and ask about the vehicle shortly and maybe have some more questions for ya. but the info. provided on one photo is simply amazing.
https://www.internationalpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=7738
As WildernessReturn said. Check... check.. check. Make sure you can get it licensed for road use. Check with the MTO. Parts availability could be virtually non existant. I bought a surplus Jeep in the mid '80s and it was fun but I couldn't get replacement parts for it without paying 3 -4 times what civvy parts would cost. You can jury rig some things but others you have to go with the original IF you can find them. Even simple things like some gaskets had to be custom made. The failure of one tiny part that you can't get could take you off the road permanently. My advice would be that if you have deep pockets and lots of time and patience then go for it. From Wikipidia here is a link to a club in the UK that exists for owners of these vehicles. They track vehicles worldwide, provide information and help source parts.
http://www.101club.org/
Hope that helps.
JAB
A friend of mine worked for an aid agency in Liberia for a while and they had these. He couldn't get over what a beating these things could take and still run. Unfortunately, that's all I've got.
Can I ride shotgun some time if you get it? 😀