Unimog u500 For Sale

[dan johnson]

For Sale 2004 Unimog U500. I purchased this unimog new from a dealer in the midwest. It is the long wheel base model with all the options. The new list price was $153,000. I added a 25,000lb hydraulic winch, a couple of tool boxes under the bed and a stereo system. I used the truck to haul a large boat to Alaska. I have been working for years on building a camper that mounts on the back in place of the 3 way tipper bed. The camper is about 90% finished but I have not make much progress in the last year or so. The truck has under 18,000 miles on it. The truck runs and rides great. I has lived a pampered life. I have never had a bit of trouble with it. The camper is liveable at the present time but needs the ceiling finished, the table made, the plumbing hooked up and all sorts of little things. There is a 2 way fridge, propane heater, propane stove, outback inverter and a couple of deep cell batteries. I have a solar controller but used the panel on another project. The propane has been plumbed and pressure tested. The camper is about 10 ft long 7 feet wide and 6.5 feet tall. There is a mount on the back of the camper for the spare tire but no lifting system is installed. The camper has four lifting hooks one on each corner. I use a car lift to mount and unmount the camper but I have a set of camper jacks that will probably work. I drove the truck about 1000 miles last year and have lost interest in the project. It needs a new home. I would like $95,000 for everything or $85,000 just for the truck. The truck and camper are located in Fairbanks Alaska. I have a shop available if you want to get it a little more liveable. Alaska is always great place to tour in the summer.
Dan drj@networkscompany.com 907 978 5044.

[haven]

Welcome to ExPo, Dan.

Your ad would be improved with photos of the truck and camper.
If you are having difficulty posting the photos, send them to me
an I'll add them to this thread. The email address is
haven at muchomail dotcom (say it out loud).

Chip Haven

[mhiscox]

For the information of those with an interest in this truck . . .

Dan Johnson, Dr. Dan, is one of the country's premier Moggers--experienced, knowledgeable and a very nice guy. Since selling my Mog last year, I haven't kept track of Mog events, but for the six years I had my 416, Dan Johnson was the sort of Mogger all of us duffers wished we could be.

Dan's had several trucks, the most "special" of which was probably his giant U2450/L38 with a near-unique Twin Disc automatic transmission. With 240 horsepower and magic shifting, I enjoyed my drive in this truck immensely.




Among other accomplishments, Dan was a member of the Mog group that annually visited the Altar Desert in Mexico, the sort of adventure travel that always struck me as highest-and-best use of their Unimogs. This is a picture of Dan's 1550 from one of the trips.




(By the way, going to http://billcaid.com/ will get you some of the best Mog-related adventure travel reports and photography available anywhere. Well worth checking out.)

And Dan's closest-to-home project is the heavy-duty trailer he made from the cabin shown mounted on the 2450. My Mog buddy George Reiswig and I bought this from Dan a couple years ago. It's an amazing piece of work, with a lifting roof and a very clever layout. We're in the process of building it out for George's use with his family.




The point of all of this is that, while I have no specific information about this U500, Dan knows his business and is a good person to deal with. Additionally, it's likely that the truck was well chosen and that whatever work he's done in designing and building the camper is probably well worth the money. In any event, consider this a high recommendation.

[haven]

Here are photos of the U500 provided by Dan Johnson







(The height of the conventional trailer hitch gives you a sense of how large the U500 is!)

[mhiscox]

On either a switch-per-dollar or warning label-per-dollar basis, this truck appears to be one helluva bargain.

[kerry]

Any pictures of the camper?

[adventureduo]

Insert here.

[LandCruiserPhil]

With the newer models are you still limited to a 55-65 top speed?

Not a buyer just interested...

[dan johnson]

This model is the long week base model 3900 (153") and has the high speed option. It can go 70 mph. That being said at 65 mph the road noise gets pretty loud with the XZL tires. On a 4000 mile trip I found that 55-60 mph was very comfortable. It has cruise control so you set it and sit back and enjoy the view out the picture window. You can carry on a normal conversation. The more you are carrying the better the ride.

I stated the truck was a 2004 but I was mistaken it is a 2005.

Dan

[mhiscox]

Dan's sent some camper pictures for your consideration. FWIW, if you've ever tried to figure out what a camper cabin cost to build out, it sure seems like the $10K that he's asking as an increment for tossing in the cabin is a massive deal.