A Pinzgauer 710M showed up at a local Jeep dealer near me, and I am friends with one of the salesman there.
I live in West Virginia, USA and this is the only one I have ever seen locally.
I have always loved the military type vehicles, and the Pinzg 710M is one of my favorite ones.
They are small enough to fit on all the local trails around here. (I am in a Jeep club and also own an 05 Jeep Rubicon)
I need some opinions on this, if you think its in good condition, and what I should look out for.
I hope to go look at it in person in the next couple days, and want to know what all I should be looking over.
I did a bit of searching on the net, and it seems that parts are relatively easy to come by for these?
Is there anything in particular that would be expensive or hard to come by to repair?
I plan to drive it around town for fun, use it for extended camping trips, and some offroading.
It is a 1975 Pinzgauer 710M with 20K miles on it. They are asking $9000 for it.
Wow, it looks really nice in the pics. That's a great price if it indeed is that nice.
I went from a really built 2003 Rubicon to my 712M. I'm still amazed at what it will do!
Parts are not that hard to get. Kind of like any other imported vehicle, some things are pricey others not so bad. They are very durable trucks and very easy to work on for the most part. BUY THE MANUALS!
Be prepared for lots of gear and engine noise. Be prepared for lots of stares and lots of questions!
Very good looking Pinz! The price seems really reasonable. It appears to have a few upgrades/add-ons done to it - new siderails, newer tires, tail/stop/turn lights.
I've got a 710M that I wouldn't part with, just too much fun to drive!
Like Todd said, buy the manuals.
Good luck!
Paul
Paul C.
_________
'73 Swiss 710M SOLD
'89 Puch 230GE
Visually looks like a solid unit. Check the fluids and if possible have them change them out so you can inspect the magnets on the drain plugs for metallic debries.
The front door gaps look good, thats a good sign.
The soft top looks good with the vinyl windows looking like they were recently replaced. Only thing is that it is a little saggy, could be that it is not hooked up tight. Saggy is floppy and at speed noisy.
I would remove the metal cage/hood structure around the diff levers, thats a accident waiting to happen.
See a little rust here and there, but if you get on it most or what I found on my Pinz was just surface and easily fixed.
Be sure to check the fuel filter. Remove it and back blow the filter to check for red flakes, aka...Red Death.
Get under her and look for leaks, also look for leaks in the engine bay. Smell for gasoline @ the carbs and fuel pump, a light smell is okay but strong odor means problems.
Other than that, the normal stuff you would check on a used vehical.
I agree with everyone's comments. It looks like a solid unit at a reasonable price.
Without overstating it, taking advantage of this forum and the many experts and experienced Pinz owners who weigh in with opinions and perspective will become a terrific resource for you as a new Pinzgauer owner.
Spending $9000 on a Pinzgauer is probably the best and most fun you can have for the money.
Looking for next new (for me) toy
1974 712M - sold
1973 710M - sold
Its in pretty good condition, some surface rust here and there, but I dont think any of it was structural. The steel used is pretty thick.
Few seeps here and there on the drivetrain, but I dont think its anything major.
No dents or anything at I saw, I think it has all the original equipment, except the inner door linings.
12V reducer installed with a radio and CB.
Driving it,,,, heh, what an adventure in itself.
The best way I can describe it... ever driven a huge industrial farm tractor? Yep, thats pretty much it.
Its not what I would call, easy. But, this is the case with almost every old military vehicle, so that was to be expected.
A big part about it for me, is I just think military vehicles are awesome. I just think it would be really neat to own one, sorta a piece of history.
but I also want to actually use it, offroad it, camp with it, etc.
Now, while its perfectly capable of all those things, there are the downsides.
On the trail, I am sure its insanely capable, but you will get a workout driving it. Is that part of the fun? Sure, but its not your casual cruise like with my Jeep.
The limited highways speeds are a big killer for me also, I really want to use it for camping, it would be perfect for that, can haul ANYthing you could want.
But, long trips might be all but out of the question, unless you want to take your time getting there.
Again, not really what you would buy this sorta thing for, but again, for me personally, these are things that matter, and would make the ownership more enjoyable.
What do you guys think about these concerns?
What are the real world usable top speeds for these things on the highway?
There are a few place I like to go camping, and things like going to Lowes, that will require highway/interstate travel.
The rest are windy back roads at 25 to 50 mph.
Is the Pizgauer usable for this type of thing?
I understand its not exactly going to handle great, etc. But is it actually usable for this type of thing?
Or will I just be reving the death out of the engine and causing harm?
It boils down to how long you will drive it on the highway and how much comfort you expect from the truck (well, having test driven it you have a rough idea by now).
There was a similar question some time ago about comfort in the back during *long* highway trips, and quite a few issues were covered:
I actually posed the question recently about how fast should one drive a Pinz at highway speeds and got the answers I expected. Which was....they work just fine at "higher" speeds but service intervals will be more frequent. Nothing prohibitive but more frequent.
I suspect all of us drive them at highway speeds (55 to 60 mph) regularly and some owners have taken some epic road trips with them but you would never confuse a Pinz on the highway with someother vehicle that's better suited to long distance higway road trips. If most of your local roads are posted at under 50 mph, you shouldn't have any issues. They are comfortable...enough.
If you plan to go to Yellowknife every summer and drive your Pinz, well good luck with that!
As Jan said, good luck with making the right decision for you.
Looking for next new (for me) toy
1974 712M - sold
1973 710M - sold
About the furthest place I would want to take the Pinzgauer camping is about 2 hours drive, in my Jeep.
For the most part the main camping I do is within an hours drive, by Jeep.
A big thing that keeps weighing on me, is will I enjoy driving it.
Driving it around the parking lot and back road for just a bit doesnt really give you a feel if you are going to like it in the long run.
I found it quite hard to drive in many ways. The clutch was very sensitive, and seemed like it was fully engaged after lifting your foot just an inch or so.
The shifter, eh, floppy and loose, with no distinct gear slots, but that I can get used to.
The steering though, wow, sure could use power steering. Seemed ok once you were moving, but I have my worries with it offroad.
Do you guys ever get used to driving it?
I wasnt expecting it to be great, its a military vehicle, but still, I dont want driving it to be a total challenge all the time.
LOL, I know I have seen you guys post that alot.
And dont get me wrong, it was FUN, but mainly cuz I couldnt get the stupid grin off my face, just cuz its so odd and different.
but, in the long run, are they at least somewhat practical to drive?
Mine will spend alot of time on back roads and fairly hardcore offroading, so I was worried about the lack of power steering, especially offroad.
It was all but impossible to turn the wheel when I was stopped, you HAD to be moving alittle to be able to turn the wheel.
I have seen power steering mods for things like the Power Wagons, are there ones for the Pinzg also?
I assume they are quite high priced if they do exist?
I do a 2 hour drive once or twice a month to a mountain bothy. No problems at all comfortwise. The fun factor seems to overide any hint of discomfort!
Your biceps will improve the more you drive the Pinz ! ha.ha. I went from a 710m WITH power steering to a bog standard 712m without. Mmmm.. that was fun. However, now I'm looking more like Popeye everyday !!
It's one of the best "Get away from it all" camping vehicles you could lay your hands on.
They are more maintenance intensive than "normal" 4x4's but to me, most of the work you put into it comes under the "enjoyable pottering" category.
