For Sale: 1972 Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer 710M

justfred

Adventurer
1972 Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer 710M

I've had the vehicle for about 12 years, I've been the only owner since it was surplus'd by the Swiss army in 1997. I've driven it round-trip from San Diego to Reno (Burning Man) several times, lots of desert and mountain camping trips, and a fair amount of puttering around town.

As noted below I've spent all my effort (and money!) on keeping the vehicle in top shape mechanically. Cosmetically I haven't bothered, since it's a working/camping truck. They can be restored - all parts you need are available - and in restored condition it would be worth more than double what I'm asking.

Why am I selling? I recently got the Pinzgauer's "little brother", a Haflinger, and I don't have room/time for both!

Plusses:
-Refurbished and balanced main driveshaft. There's a common issue here with the main internal driveshaft where it gets unbalanced; it has been replaced by a solid one and most of the highway-speed vibrations went away. This was not cheap, but most of the seals and bearings in the driveline were replaced at the same time. The truck drives really really nicely, especially if you've compared to other 710Ms. It has the stock engine and transmission, so highway speed tops out at around 60mph, it seems to be a little happier at around 55.
-4 new BFG Mud Terrain tires, I'll have to go look up the size, but they're a good size.
-Recent service by Jim Laguardia/Goatwerks (www.goatwerks.com), who can also vouch for the condition of the vehicle.
-Carbs just rebuilt/rebalanced and running great.
-Civilian ignition system from Expedition imports, including Pertronix.
-Good compression on all cylinders, recently checked.
-Gas tank protector ("roll cage" around the tank)
-Tow bar allowing the vehicle to be flat-towed.
-Most everything else is stock and intact.
-Service manual included.

Issues:
-Speedo is dead. Was working, replaced the cable, worked for a while longer, cable went out again. May be cable or head. Most likely you'll want to replace this with an aftermarket speedo.
-Door bottoms are a bit rusty, replaceable.
-Canvas top is pretty rough, especially the back part.
-Front seats are original, and pretty rough, but they're still comfortable enough. Aftermarket seats are available.
-It's no beauty queen - as is typical, different areas were painted by the military as needed, so they're different colors. Pinzgauers look great in white, black, yellow, red - your choice! I prefer the original green.
-No radio. It's possible to put one in but there isn't a standard radio slot.

50,000-some kilometers (see note about speedo, above)
Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justfred/sets/72157623260512385/
Location: Carlsbad, CA
Price: $10,000. You will not find a less expensive Pinzgauer in this mechanical condition!
Email or call 760-420-4672 Fred

(general Pinzgauer info:)
Forums: real4x4forums.com and pinzgauer@yahoogroups.com and Calpinzclub@yahoogroups.com Parts suppliers: www.expedition-imports.com, coldwarremarketing.com, www.swissarmyvehicles.com, www.goatwerks.com, and others. They're fairly easy to work on, engine-wise they're not much different from Volkswagens or light planes - air-cooled, simple and dependable. Around town they get a lot of attention. This 710M (4-wheel, soft top) model seats ten adults, and has a cargo area larger than a queen sized bed. It will haul its own weight in cargo. It's better on the freeway than a Unimog, people say it drives a lot like a Vanagon. It gets around 15 miles per gallon of standard unleaded. Offroad, they have eleven inches of clearance (portal axles!), three locking differentials and are nearly unstoppable. I've been on off-road club trips on terrain where I've been amazed with the capability of the vehicle - it easily keeps up with heavily modified Land Rovers. You may be able to find a local mechanic in your area; there are specialists, or your local VW or Porsche mechanic will be able to figure it out - but it's a lot better to learn to do it yourself.
 
Last edited:

Rovertrader

Supporting Sponsor
how about a '93 LWB RRC w/ 94k on it, coil conversion, and no lights on the dash, 2 NC owners from new? I've thought many times about a Pinz, and saw the Kalahari in your avatar. PM if remotely interested- several other Rovers like a Tdi XD to choose from as well :sombrero:
 

RBSIMMERS

New member
Technical Question for Mr. justfred

Mr. justfred - I know it has been awhile since you have been on here, and perhaps you have gotten your Pinzgauer sold, as you wanted to do. But I really appreciated some of your comments about the mechanical work you had done to the vehicle. Of course, we can read different places these vehicles are easy to work on, and parts will be available, &c - which is somewhat believable because this is an armed forces vehicle that some mechanic may have to tear down and repair out in the boondocks. But you said an unbalanced main driveshaft was a common problem on these vehicles - at least in '72 - and one you definitely wanted to fix. I'm sure you paid big $$$ to get it fixed. Do you have any idea if the design was eventually changed to eliminate this problem on later Pinzgauers ? They seem to be great vehicles, very versatile, and potentially a lot of fun. But I don't want to fork over $12,000-$17,000 for a vehicle like that; and the first thing I have to do is spend $5000 more getting the main driveshaft balanced. Other than my griping about it, my question is whether this problem was corrected in later models by factory design; and if so, do you happen to know what year the vehicles would have had this problem corrected ? Thank you. If you have yours still available, and down to $8K, then I know yours is fixed; but I'm 2000+ miles from you. Some things just ain't worth doing. Bob.
 

justfred

Adventurer
It's still for sale. $8000.

I don't know whether the design was changed, I assume it was when the newer diesel models came out.
 

justfred

Adventurer
It sold too! Still got the Rover, tho I'd really like something a little bigger, like a Sprinter - but for the moment paying off debt is priority #1.
 

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