WHERE YA GOING WITH THAT BIG GREEN THING, BOY?
Y'ALL'S IN A HEAP 'A TROUBLE, BUBBA...

OWNING AN OLD MILITARY VEHICLE

You’ve been to a parade, or the museum, or looked through your relative’s scrap book. Those old military vehicles are really cool! Wouldn’t it be neat to own one? And even better, to drive one around town on holidays? Yeah, that’s what I’ll do; find an old military (fill in the blank – truck, jeep, etc.) to fix up!

You’ve been bitten by the “big green thing” bug. There isn’t a really effective antidote, other than your “significant other”. Frequently your partner, after hearing you blabber incoherently about “gotta find a Jeep” will seriously question your sanity and put an immediate end to your quest. Those are the unfortunate ones. The rest of us who manage to press on through this first obstacle know only too well the “slippery slope of old military vehicle ownership”.

So, for the uninitiated, here is some advice from one who was bitten by the bug, infected, and somehow survived, at least until now. Remember these words of wisdom come from someone who has had years of practice getting old cars and motorcycles, so getting a “big green thing” was not a particularly new experience. Or was it?

Steps to Old MV Ownership

Establish a budget. Not one that figures out how much you would LIKE to spend, but one that is practical and considers how much you can AFFORD to spend. If you do not take this very first step you will be in trouble from the very beginning, and will not only be very disappointed in the long run, but also may never really achieve your goal of ownership.

Decide what your overall goal/objective will be in owning an old MV. Will it be something you will drive frequently on the public roadways? Or will it be loaded on a trailer for events and not “street driven” except for parades and the like. There are a lot of really cool old MVs out there but many are not especially practical for most of us. You can easily buy a Chieftain tank, but where are you going to be able to enjoy it? Virtually all the tracked MVs can not be driven on public roads. The state and local laws prohibit you from digging up the pavement at every turn.

Do your homework. Join the Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA) as a start. You’ll receive valuable publications as a member, with lots of advertisements for MVs for sale. Keep notes on what they cost. You will find that there will be quite a range of asking prices for the same model of vehicle. This can be due to either the condition, or the profit motive of the seller. You MUST be an informed consumer when you go looking for your “baby”.

Can you obtain parts for your vehicle of choice? You will not be a happy camper if your vehicle is sitting up on blocks awaiting parts from some remote and very expensive supplier. One thing the collectors of old MVs have found is that the sheer numbers of military vehicles built pretty much assures that there are parts out there somewhere, even for those 60 years old from WWII. Again, search around for a user’s group, or club with someone who owns one of what you want to buy. The Internet gives today’s collector a huge advantage over the collectors of yesterday, so take advantage of it.

If your MV is going to be used on the roads frequently, does your state allow it to be driven with the equipment it was provided with? In other words, will it meet the safety and equipment standards imposed by law? You won’t be able to insure a vehicle that does not meet the criteria, and will not be able to legally operate it on public roadways. Fortunately most of the old MVs were used on public roadways at some time or other, so they have the required “hardware”. To make sure, look up the equipment requirements for your state (use the Internet) and list out what you should have.

Will you be able to comfortably drive your MV when you want to? It’s easy to fire up a little Jeep and buzz out to the local 7-11. What about a big 6x6 truck? This is another story! They are not exactly a sports car. No power steering, they are big and wide, and real WORK to wheel around.

Where ya gonna park it? Here size is a big factor! If you are going for a Jeep, then a corner of a big garage will work. Even my Ferret armored car fits in the garage (it’s the same size as a Bronco). Make sure you physically measure the available space you intend to use to park your old MV, and pay special attention to the clearance to your garage door and ceiling.

If your new toy has to be parked outside, a whole new set of problems arise. Starting with local ordinances that prohibit “big ugly things” from parking locations visible from the street, you’ll have to work these out in advance. How severe are your winters? Do you have any kind of protection to offer your MV (big blue tarp, etc.)? Will it be safe from neighborhood “hoods” that may want to climb over and into your pride and joy?

If you think you’ll build a shed or building to house your toy, what about local zoning, set-back codes, and the cost of such a structure? You can easily spend many times the cost of your old MV on the facility to put it in!

And last, how well do you get along with your neighbors? Will Bubba from next door complain and complain every time you start up your noisy M35 turbo? It’s something to consider.

Taking delivery of your MV. How are you going to get it home (or wherever you will park it)? If it’s already licensed, you could drive it if the distance is not too great and its condition allows road time. Some road licensed MVs (like my Ferret) could be driven, but at the expense of wear and tear on both the vehicle and driver. Besides, you probably don’t want your first road trip to be marred by a breakdown. Strongly consider using an auto transport company if the MV is a big one, or a trailer if that’s an option. You should have someone in your “MV support group” to help out here. Transporting a “normal” sized MV (my Ferret) from Seattle to Columbus, Ohio was about $1,500, in an enclosed trailer. An open trailer would be less, but bear in mind the potential of people tinkering with your vehicle while the transporter is parked.

If you decide to drive it home, you can obtain a “trip permit” in most states that will allow you a certain number of days to operate an unlicensed vehicle over the roadways of that state. Some states offer reciprocity so the permit could be used all the way home, but check the state laws on this FIRST. You could end up with your MV impounded and you on foot if things go badly because you did not check first.

Remember the last time you drove a new car home. You didn’t know which knob or button did what (of course you didn’t read the Owners Manual first). It’s worse in an old MV. They use old technology like a floorboard starter button, choke, and vacuum wipers. Trying to drive home in traffic is no time to be trying to figure out how to do everything. I spent hours going over the procedure for driving my Ferret armoured car before it arrived. It paid off, believe me. With some old MVs, improper driving can cause serious damage to the vehicle. Think about driving home, a couple of hundred miles, using a transfer case in low range, or having the hobs locked in. You can easily ruin things without knowing it.

Try to have the seller give you some “lessons” on how to do the basic things with your new toy. This includes not only driving skills, but simple preventative maintenance. Anyone who has an interest in seeing these great old MVs continue their service will be willing to help you out. Besides, they want to see that MV going away from their place, with your money in their pocket! There’s the incentive!

Title and licensing. This can be an experience in bureaucracy, believe me. If you find an MV that’s already titled and licensed, preferably in your own state, that’s a plus. All you have to do is transfer the ownership and you are home free. The problems arise when you get an out of state vehicle, or one without a license, or worse yet, no title.

You can buy something on a bill of sale, but you are going to have to go through a number of bureaucratic levels before you are “street legal”. There are some very important things to remember when you go to your local licensing bureau.

A) NEVER USE THE TERM “MILITARY”. Avoid this word at all costs. Most license clerks will blink and not know what to do with your vehicle, and that starts a long process of education and overcoming just plain dumbness.

B) NEVER USE THE TERM “ARMORED”. You can buy street legal armored vehicles but if the license clerk hears that dreaded word, you will be in for a lot of questions. In these post 9-11 days anyone who wants to drive something with armor is immediately suspect. Believe me, I know!

C) DON’T SHOW, OR EVEN BRING A PICTURE TO THE LICENSE BUREAU. You will be tempted, just as any proud parent, to show a picture of your “baby”. Once the clerk gets a look at your “big green thing” you’ll be in for more questions and potential roadblocks to getting licensed.

Most states have a category of vehicles which are older than the normal. Sometimes called “historic” or “collector” vehicles, they must be 25 years old, and perhaps have some significant value as a motor vehicle worth collecting. You will have to read the motor vehicle code in your state to see what it states about these classifications. One important thing to consider is that these categories do not allow your “big green thing” to be used as a daily driver. Usually there is language that limits the use of these special categories to vehicle displays, parades, club meetings and similar situations.

I strongly suggest that you contact another owner of a licensed “big green thing” before you head to the licensing office with your paperwork. With a little advice you should be able to accomplish your licensing with a minimum of difficulty. Some of the licensing agents are not at all familiar with the special categories and will end up asking both you and their supervisor a lot of questions, some of which might be problematic to answer! Remember what I said about the words “military” and “armor”. An exception to this rule would be if your state allows historic collector vehicles that were originally used as military vehicles to come under yet a more special category. Ohio, for example, allows the owner of a:

A) 25 year old or older

B) collector vehicle – has to meet the criteria

C) that was used as a vehicle by the military of any country, law does not specify the US only

D) otherwise meets all the requirements for equipment and safety

to operate such a vehicle without having to display the license plates issued by the state so long as there are identifying numbers on both the front and back that can be used for identification. This is great for those interested in “authentic” vehicles.

Another thing to remember is that in most states if you own a MV such as a 6x6 and want to haul stuff to the dump, or help a neighbor clear out a lot, or haul dirt for your wife’s garden, you might be in violation. You can’t use a collector licensed vehicle for any of that. That means you would have to license your big rig in the same way any other truck would be tagged. This would involve strict safety and equipment checks, and tonnage permits. The license would be very expensive in comparison to the use you want to have your vehicle for. I would examine these options and problems very carefully before getting involved in the licensing process.