Wannabe soldiers take note: Ex-military Humvees are headed to civilian auction

By Alexander Kalogianni Published December 17, 2014

Attention, Soliders: For anyone who thought the civilian H1 Hummer was a bit too soft for their liking, I have good news. Due to changes in regulations, the Department of Defense is able to auction off authentic surplus Humvees to the public.

The DoD’s Defense Logistics Agency have cleared 25 stripped-out AM General High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs, aka ‘Humvees”) to go to auction on govplanet.com, an online auction organization that specializes in construction equipment and government surplus. There are no tanks (we checked), but, if you want to score an aircraft cargo loader for the price of a wide-screen TV, this is the spot.

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This is the first batch of roughly 4,000, according to a report in ArmyTimes, as the rest are still going through screening processes. Those that pass will first be offered up to local governments for usage in fire and police departments, in accordance to the 1033 program, a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act that sees decommissioned military vehicles put to civil department use. The rest of the approved vehicles can now be sold to anyone willing to bid on them, saving the mechanical veterans from getting sent to the scrap heap.

humvee — Image used with permission by copyright holder

These first sellable Humvees range in age from 1987 to 1995, some with as few as 1,361 miles clocked on them. All have been inspected for defects and cleaned out of any characteristic military features, like armor plating. Most seem to sport a 6.2-liter diesel 8-cylinder engine and a three-speed automatic transmission that are in working order, but don’t think prospective buyers can just drive one off the bidding floor.

Starting bids at $10,000, and these camoed behemoths are only cleared for off-road use only, so pick-up and delivery from Hill Air Force base in Utah is a problem to sort out, if a Chinook helicopter isn’t at your disposal. There are also a whole slew of agreements and stipulations bidders need to have in order before they can take one home.

The understandably large list of red tape for an ex-military vehicle makes sense, but for true military collectors, enthusiasts, and prospective militias, this is a great opportunity.

Alexander Kalogianni

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Alex K is an automotive writer based in New York. When not at his keyboard or behind the wheel of a car, Alex spends a lot of…

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