How common are Unimogs?
 

Are they sold very much in the US? How hard is it to find decent used ones for sale?

I like the late seventies up post 404 cab ones, They come up regularly as municipal surplus-with snow plows/etc. but those ones often have some rust ussues.

Not very common but you can find them. Gasoline 404 models predominate with an occasional U series going up for sale. The 404s can be found for reasonable prices. U series are quite expensive by comparison and much harder to find. They sold new ones for a short while ago out of Freightliner dealers but only a few hundred were sold before they were pulled from the market (VERY expensive, even used)

Check ebay from time to time or these two sights.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mercedes-Benz-404S-404S-Original-Belgian-1967-Unimog-S-404-Pinzgauer-/230522579049?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item35ac376869
http://www.offroad-imports.com/
http://www.eurotruck-importers.com/


Overall definitely talk to Kartek at the PA meet next weekend. Guaranteed he knows a lot more then me.


http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/7689/pic073.jpg

U-Series
http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/6...naujpeg005.jpg

"New" Unimog

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/8075/pgallery7.jpg

I wish we had more unimogs here. They are a lot more useful than a regular pickup truck with 4 wheel drive

I will do that. I knew he had one.

There are quite a lot of them over here - but they are seriously expensive new and so the second hand prices are usually pretty high. They are more tractor like than 4X4-like though. If you want something to travel at normal road speeds then a Unimog isn't really for you. I once traveled in one from close to London all the way to Liverpool... it took forever - but then I wasn't on my own time.

They are well lush - the pick ups are strangely front heavy - the ones I was familiar with were for aircraft towing and had centrifugal clutches. Quite a strange sensation (for the first time anyway) seeing 3 pedals down below, being at a standstill, and yet still in gear.

For my next project I considered a Unimog figuring that the traffic here is often so bad that you may as well have something that actually can't go faster than 50km/h - I mean hey what is the difference anyway???

I'm guessing that it's a long way from London to Liverpool?

It's a little over 200 miles depending on where you are.

So first it was a post about gwagen pickups and their lack of a good sized bed....now you're onto Unimogs....planning on doing a bit a yard work? ;)

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/6...ogfirewood.jpg

Yes, now that I've moved from my 3/4 acre estate in Fairfax to my current postage stamp size pied d'terre in Arlington . . . What I really need is an old F150 to haul stuff around in for the next year or so, but hey, I can dream, can't I?

They've never been sold new by USA Mercedes dealers.

That is, they're all personal imports here.

Yes you can and so can I :D
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/5...s201019395.jpg



Some newer models were sold through Freightliner dealers from 2002 to 2005 or so but they only sold 184. I actually had the good fortune to see one driving down the highway in New Jersey once :)

YEEEAAAAHHHHH! That's what I'M talkin' 'bout!

Oh why didn't you say you were looking for a nice convenient little shopping car... flick it on a dime... great mileage... easy to park... although a bit intimidating to drive amongst all of those yuppies in their X5s...

There's a street I frequently have to drive to get from my house to the grocery store and back. It is littered with beat up, battered, filthy nothing-left-to-lose Hondas, Toyotas, minivans, etc. I would feel MUCH better driving one of those down Columbia Pike.

Did I mention a large per centage of the folks driving those wrecks were from areas of the world that apparently have no traffic laws or drive education programs?

India or China?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjrEQaG5jPM



There is an up armored model of the Actros if things really get bad :D

http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/1...ange200900.jpg

Got two rusting away down the street from me in some guy's yard. I see them when I walk the dogs each day.. I want them, but I don't have time, or place to start a new project that I'll likely lose interest in before it's completed anyways.

Hey, Truckinik. Haven't seen much of you on here lately. How are you?

Mostly from South of the border, I believe. Many Asians, too.

Unimogs in BC
 

Unimogs show up regularly for sale up here in BC. They tend to be used in the logging industry by private operators and are generally "well used" when they come up for sale.

They are seriously heavy duty machines but the older 1970s and 1960s models that come up for sale are best suited to REAL off-road use in tough country. Top road speed and operator comfort are low and fuel consumption is high. If you are used to a North American half ton 4X4 you'll get a shock driving one of these on an asphalt road.

There are several on the Vancouver Craigs List right now.

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/search/?areaID=16&subAreaID=&query=unimog&catAbb=sss

It would be fun to try, though . . .

Wow, one of those had 24 a speed tranny! It was $60,000, too. And it was 32 years old.

You might find that it is a 12 speed transmission that has the same number of gears going forwards and the same number going backwards... EEEEK. Now that's what I call fun

Yeah it depends on what transfer case is fitted but I think i've seen them with 36 different gear ratios. Throw in the locking diffs and you'll be very busy driving it off road :cool:

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/9...200fspix11.jpg

That seems like overkill, but then I don't really ever do any driving like that.

So, it's really a tractor dressed up like a truck? That's what it sounds like. One of those will probably go a lot of places I'd be scared to drive anyhow.

Yes, it's DNA is closer to that of a fast tractor than a slow 4X4 truck.

Check out this pic from the Craigslist ad I mentioned earlier. As a former David Brown tractor owner I could have fun with one of these!

http://s01060018f83eb380.pi.shawcable.net/mog/slides/img_4103.html

Not really...I would think that it's more comfortable and they can actually get up to speed on the highway (50mph....that's fast enough and a lot faster then a tractor can do) Also I would guess looking at it that there is a lot smaller chance that you could roll a Unimog.

The original design was intended to allow farmers to work there fields and bring their crops to market with one vehicle rather then two.

Well I can remember driving a Massey Ferguson tractor (diesel) about 40 MPH as a 12 yr old when I used to work on (mean) granny's farms. That mofo would absolutely haul ass! We also had tracks for it. Sometimes it would rain so much during the summer that we would have to put tracks on it to be able to drive it out into the fields.

Of course, it didn't have any amor plating . . .

Howdy Dee8go,
www.rockymountainmoggers.com

Hi, Frank. Thanks for the link.

Howdy Dee8go,
You're welcome. Go to the personel websites and find Christianson ? Falzon. That guy is crazy :-)

Doing okay.. My world was turned upside down a while back. Financial ruin, Depression, loss of most of my assets. I still have my 126 AMG, my Yenko Nova, 2 123 coupes (Both for sale), and 2001 GMC Jimmy. Aside from that, everything else is gone forever. Things are in bad shape financially now. I have a beautiful Fiance' now, who loves me to death, broke or not. She's young at only 19, with a lot to learn about life. I just showed my 123 diesel the other day and I think the guy wants to buy it... Hate to see it go, but I need the money right now.. I work for the J.T.T.F. but salary isn't what I wish it was and it's a long way up the ladder to the next pay rate. I'm at a GS-13, Which really isn't much to get by on in Connecticut, or Florida.
How have you been doing?

So what do you think after Kartek gave his rundown on Unimog ownership?

I found it interesting, but I don't feel the need to own one. It would be fun to have one to drive in the DC traffic every now and then, though.

Just do like me with the G-Class and from time to time tell yourself

"One day." :)