I have maintained a steady fascination with the Mercedes-Benz Unimog, for no other reason than I hope to someday have a sufficient spread of land that warrants owning a large, slow, overbuilt rig such as this. The seller actually seems like he had similar plans, acquiring property in Maine that the Unimog was destined to roam (and Maine is a great spot to own such a vehicle.) However, his plans changed and he moved out West, and the Unimog stayed stuck in New York. It’s now listed here on eBay for less than $10,000, which is a very reasonable number for one of these.
Now, the thing I know just enough about when it comes to Unimogs is that the engine and gearing make all the difference when it comes to how much enjoyment you’ll get out of it. To get the most out of the experience, you need to find a set of the elusive “Fast Axles” that enable a Unimog to cruise on the highway at speeds up to 70 miles per hour (give or take.) Unfortunately, when these do come up for sale, they are treated like the gold that they are, and the prices are exorbitant. But if you’re a Unimog fanatic, and want to use your truck in an environment outside of the farm, you’ll most likely pony up the cash and buy them. This Unimog is powered by the M180 II-U, a 2.2L gas six-cylinder.
With this engine, you’ll have about 82 b.h.p. to work with. That ain’t much in a truck this size. This is why the Unimog is often classified as a tractor when you find one of the Case models (which I desperately want) that typically did duty for highway departments and private farming operations. It really is a gigantic tractor in terms of the speed it provides, so buying one for driving on pavement makes next to no sense. That’s why despite their rarity and desirability, you often see them for sale just like this one – less than $10K, simply because the buyer’s pool is so limited.
The bed of the truck isn’t pretty, but it’s in good shape overall. The seller notes he “…went through it” a few years ago in in preparation for using it on the Maine property; now, it is ready to find a new owner with apparently just 16,000 kilometers on the clock. If it’s ex-military, that low mileage is hardly surprising. The clutch is said to be “newer” along with the bed and top; perhaps he means the wood in the bed is recently replaced. Overall, this looks like a solid value if you’ve got a place to use this Unimog, so long as you’re not going anywhere fast.
The perfect vehicle to complement my unibrow.
It’s been said, only a few things will survive a nucular[sic] blast,,,Roaches( not that kind, maybe), Twinkies, and Unimogs. It just looks tough. I read, Bundeswehr Unimogs used diesel motors, and this was probably just a civilian model, even though, the dash does look like military. Europeans used the Unimog like we used the Jeep. It was the one vehicle for everything. Now obviously, one has no business going 70 mph in one, but aside from a Power Wagon, not much could stop it off road.
Don’t forget Keith Richards.
How does your girl get into this thing if you’re going on a date?
Install an elevator!
We have 2 that roam our 4400 foot elevation valley here in Northern Nevada. An older one and one that looks like this one. Plenty of room to roam off-road here. It’s said that if you know where the gates are you can drive east all the way across Nevada and Utah and only have to cross a “hard road” 2 to 3 times. (and we are on the western edge of the Nevada/California line) I have been stuck behind each one on the highway. They seem to be cruising at about 45 mph. (Top end?) It’s just cool to see them rolling down the road.
I might hear some language I haven’t heard before. Then I could be surprised.
A Unimog with a gas pot? Has someone lost their mind? Unimogs don’t have gas engines; they run diesels. Smokey, noisy, underpowered diesels. I’ve worked on lots of them over the years and I don’t think I ever saw a gas engine other than the generator set in the bed that the driver was taking to a different site. Oh well, obviously there were some non-conformists out there.
The US Army had these as engineer vehicles in the 80s, supplied by Freightliner.
Yes, I would like to drive it, if only to pull up next to an appropriate vehicle, open the window in this classy Mercedes Benz and ask the other driver if he has any Grey Poupon.
All these 404 Unimogs used by the European military have 2.2 litre six cylinder Mercedes gas engines. In the 1960s and 70s when they were worried about a Russian invasion, it was thought that gasoline would be more widely available than diesel fuel. Later military and commercial Unimogs used diesel engines. But sell for much more money than this one.
AS Jeff says, these are really off road tractors capable of being driven on roads when required. But the so-called “fast” axles won’t get them to 70 mph with only the 80 Hp 2.2 litre engine – maybe on a downslope. They weigh 6000+ lbs and every hill requires a downshift.
Their real virtue is their off-road capability with the high clearance of portal axles, four-wheel drive, and locking differentials.