Here is the lowdown on buying CUCV’s at government auctions.

Most will have issues. Right now the Army has decreed no more money is to be spend on parts for these without special command authorization. Thus, units are keeping them running by hook and crook, and cannibalizing them as they go. Don’t expect one to run right out the door.

You cannot test drive them. Most have sat for 6+ months before sale, and that means dead batteries, so if they did have a key you still may not be able to start them.
They all used the same key, and I can get you the code and any GM dealer of good locksmith can have it cut for you. Of course, this is also a security issue- I have a key on my ring that will start and open them all, so if you get one swap the locks and ignition.

Go ahead and figure on buying a driveshaft. The Government Liquidation and DRMO employees are lazy bums, and move these with forklifts, and the bend the driveshafts while doing it. They know they are damaging them, and don’t care. If you see one with damage to the side of the bed and the door, you can bet that was from the same forklift that also mangled the driveshaft. Go ahead and figure on having a new one built or your bent one retubed, the supply of used ones dried up long ago due to demand.

If you get lucky enough to buy a running one, some posts will let you drive them off, some will not. But you cannot even apply for the title until it is picked up and then that costs $60 and takes 3-6 weeks, so you won’t be legal to drive it home anyway.

If you are not a current bidder, you will have to fill out an end use certificate. It is essentially a background/citizenship check, but it can take 40-60 days for your first ever one to be approved, and you can’t pick your truck up until it is. You will have to pay for it within 3 days of auction close, however. If the government monkeys don’t get it done in 60 days, you get a refund.

All that said- if you get a good running one, an M1008 or M1009 is the ultimate SHTF vehicle. Utter simplicity means less to break and easier to fix. No computer means no EMP risk. 6.2 diesels are no powerhouse, but they are reliable and parts are plentiful and far cheaper than any other diesels out there. Diesel means you can run lots of things as fuel. The rest of teh parts for an 80's GM truck are easy to scrounge. The only thing one needs to do is swap it to 12V.

But, if you have never purchased from a government auction, I would buy from a private individual unless you have time and money and want a side project.

I have a M1010 CUCV ambulance and have loved it since the day I bought it.  I bought it off a private individual who had it a number of years and had converted it to 12V.  My dentist has two M1009's, his dad has an old Weasel and the members in our FFL have a combined 12 or so 2 1/2 ton Deuces.  I would like to get a 1009 and a Deuce but my wife says that the M1010 would have to go before either of those happen...hate to lose a great woman!

Close.  The following is a paraphrase from the OIC of CTARNG's maintenance shops:

After a certain cost threshold of repairs the Army says it's not worth it to repair.  Now the repair the vehicle needs may be an engine overhaul, or it can be a rather small repair (windshield replacement for example), but once the cost threshold is reached the vehicle is sold.  Kinda strange in my book, but I guess from an 'fleet' perspecitve it makes sense.

Some of those gov surpluses will be good (or great) deals for the consumer.  But know what you are getting, and how you will get spare parts because it could have major issues.

Nice, very nice!  

Yepo.

It is called a maximum expendature limit or MEL.

A formula is followed where as the equipment ages, less and less of the purchase price can be spent to maintain something.

When it is new, you can sometimes go up to 95% of the purchase cost.

As it ages, that goes lower and lower until you hit zero- or a set bottom limit on items like armor that just go to rebuild.

But, if there is a critical shortage, the MEL and be raised up. For example for a while we had huge issues with a shortage of gensets, and they raised the MEL on all gensets to 150%.

Once the MEL on something hits 10% or 5%, something like tires will go over, and it should be turned in. At that point you can also manipulate it, for example if you need 4 tires and that will put it over- if you do not want the truck, you put all 4 on one job order. If you want to keep it, you do 4 job orders for 1 tire each.