possible M715 project (truck with pics)

[Barrman]

Don't forget the newest one:

"Do you know how much scrap is selling for these days? That truck is worth two or three thousand scrapped out."

Mr. Positive told me that just about daily when I picked up my two Gassers M35's from him.

Then I got a call last Tuesday night at 2230 from an unknown number. The guy who I had never met or heard of before was calling to know what I would give for an "old military truck" in a field. I asked what it was? "one of those 6x6 trucks." I asked what shape it was in? "I supposedly ran when they parked it." Gas or diesel? "Has to be diesel because it has a round fuel tank like diesel trucks do." Then it isn't stock because they didn't have round fuel tanks "I don't know what it is. you want it or not?" How much do you want for it? "I was going to just scrap it, but I heard about you and thought you might want it." Ok, how much? "Well, I was going to scrap it out." I understand that, how much money do you want for it? "I don't know, I just want scrap value. I can send you some pictures" Great. I hang up.

5 minutes later as I was almost to sleep my phone dings. He had texted me 2 pictures of what looks like a 1951 or 1952 M35 or maybe M34 because it has no bed and the hubs are flipped. It has the M34 rims though singled. Both pictures are exactly side shots. All the tires are flat, hard top, no huge rust holes and the bumper is extended out but I can't see a winch because of the angle. Sure enough, it has a round fuel tank. He didn't send any text or price.

I wrote back that I had already bought 2 trucks of about the same vintage and condition. Since he hadn't given me a price, I offered $100 and that I could have the truck removed the next day. I sent the text. 30 seconds later he had written back a pretty angry reply to my low offer.

I wrote back that I had asked many times for a price. He didn't give me one and I was not a charity group that throws money around. How much do you want for it? (I was thinking of the speech in Joe Dirt when I wrote that to him.)

He wrote an even angrier reply back that he didn't need my money, he would get 10 to 20 times my offer from scrapping the truck out.

I wrote back that the truck might have a total weight of 9500 pounds as it looked in the pictures so even if he cut it all into little pieces, he wouldn't get more than $600 or so, aluminum was not used on that truck. Plus, he had to pay to cut it up, spend the time doing it and then take it to the scrap yard. He might make a few hundred profit more than my offer in a weeks time. He wrote back "leave me alone, I don't need you." I went to sleep.

Last night at our Scout meeting one of the adults came up to me and asked if I had bought the truck a guy they had given my number to owned. I just said no. Turns out the guy had bid and then paid cash up front to a ranch owner to clear all the scrap out of the place. The last the parent knew, he thought the guy had paid double scrap value for all the stuff and needed cash bad. I told him to tell the guy $101. I have been chuckling about it ever since.

The point here is nothing is as rare as people think. figure out what you can pay. If it isn't taken, just go play somewhere else.

[Roy]

I run into those types every day. It seems like the less informed someone is the more opinionated and dug in they become.

[randyscycle]

So true, Roy.

The really sad part to me, is that they won't let it go for anywhere near a reasonable and market value price, but are contented to hold on to it until it returns to the earth slowly. I've watched a number of very decent vehicles do that over the years at various places.

Oh,and my standard offer when someone says make an offer is $50-100. They may get insulted, but they said make an offer, so I do.

[rboltz]

Been to those places. Getting the owner to unload their stuff is usually an exercise in futility because: (insert proper answer here)

It is so true in both the military radio market and the trucks. The guy who I wanted to by an 715 from had 4 in running condition but bad shape otherwise. He wants/wanted $9,000 each. He is near 70 years old and in bad health. He also has tons of M-715 parts, won't sell any, and I hope when thay have the estate sale, I find out about it. Same for radio stuff. These people think their ship is coming in but somehow did not notice it sailed years ago.

Every now and then a good deal will come about, like the shelter I just got, but even there the price asked was 3 times what I eventually paid.

[Roy]

There was a local "collector" who had 175 M-trucks in an old Greyhound bus garage. He was in his late 70s, 150 lbs overweight, major previous health issues, etc. He called me with an invitation to sell me some trucks.
I arrived and made a list. There were 3 Gamma Goats, 15 Dueces, 35 M37s and variations including Dumps and duallys. Numerous tracked vehicles, Ducks, PT Boats, etc.
Every single vehicle I wanted the answer was the same, I'm gonna restore and drive that one".......
After 2 hours of this I had had enough. I said, "John, no disrepect but this stuff has been here at least 25 years and never been touched, The pigeon poo is an inch thick at least. You are at least 70, even if you had 3 clones and an umlimited budget you would never get to these trucks."
'What are you willing to sell?" Turned out that all he would part with was the nastiest, most incomplete, trashed trucks....AND he wanted 10 times what a complete rig in excellent shape was worth.
I tried for 5 years, same results.
John died owing the IRS crazy amounts of money. The Feds came in, confiscated EVERYTHING. THe hired a crew to come in and SCRAP every thing in sight. They had a 10-man crew with torches cut everything up and haul it away. I tried everything I could(the new owner of the building was trying to help me), but the powers that be seemed to take some enjoyment out of the ruination of the trucks. Gave an attitude like "Look what happens when you dont pay your taxes." I tried to tell them that the trucks could be sold for more than scrap, I offered them 3 times the scrap value, but to no avail. It was a depressing situation. They would not even let me get small stuff like blackout lights or paperwork or anything.

[brooksy]

Roy, that is depressing. If it is old, people think it is worth money. Like someday they will go on antique roadshow and be told that rusty M715 they have is worth $100k.

[militarytrux]

Same thing happened here, a guy had a yard full of stuff and owed uncle sam some back taxes so when he did'nt pony up the cash they sent a crew in and dragged everything out and sold it to an IRS approved "recycler" who then wanted 3 times what the stuff was worth, he had a few unimogs, M37's and deuce's couldn't make a deal with them once the recycler was involved.

[randygar]

A friend has a friend like that... the washing machines that have sunk halfway into the ground (or new ground has formed around them from all the leaf duff) are worth hundreds. So is the rotting lumber that can no longer be used for much of anything. So are the pier blocks with no centers. etc, etc, etc... all of it might have been worth a few dollars (but no more) at some point in history, but it's all trash now, yet he still thinks it's worth far more than it ever was.

--Randy

[randyscycle]

This is very timely:

Just a few minutes ago, my wife and I just returned from picking up two '69 BSA Rocket 3's from a horse stable. The owner, (or new owner now) just purchased them in an estate auction and wants to get them restored so he called us to extract them and give an estimate. We literally had to extract them.

I knew these bikes from about 15 years ago, and tried my darndest then to buy them when they were still in better condition. The owner refused to budge, and swore he'd restore them, they were valuable, etc, etc. He was foreclosed on last year and disappeared, and the rest of the remaining stuff was auctioned on the property. Fast forward to this morning, when the new owner and I were pulling these bikes out of the dirt floor horse stable where they'd been since I last saw them with no attention. The wheels are now so rusty where they sank into the floor, and one has sat with no spark plugs in it for who knows how long. The carbs to one bike were on the dirt floor partially buried in the hay, horse poop and who knows what else. There were various plastic tubs with the removed parts from both bikes scattered around inside the barn. The last inspection sticker on one bike was 1989, the other was unreadable.

Between the two, there could be one nice bike but now it will cost twice as much and diminish any idea of a return on them, simply because they have deteriorated so badly. The really sad part is that these first year bikes are pretty rare and desireable too. They were literally neglected out of stubborness, or the thought they'd be worth a ton someday. Now they are worth little in the present condition, but at least one may get saved now.

[Mikel]

Same thing happened here, a guy had a yard full of stuff and owed uncle sam some back taxes so when he did'nt pony up the cash they sent a crew in and dragged everything out and sold it to an IRS approved "recycler" who then wanted 3 times what the stuff was worth, he had a few unimogs, M37's and deuce's couldn't make a deal with them once the recycler was involved.

Usually when people have "a lot of stuff" is because they don't get rid of anything.

I have four old vehicles and I have reached my limit. I know I could not care for more, so I've had to pass on quite a few juicy deals. Maybe I still have some sense...