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.
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