Surplus Humvees
 

Hello, my name is Luke and I just signed up. I have been wanting an H1 for most of my life, but I always have my money wrapped up in so many toys at a time that it's never really been a achievable dream until they recently began selling them from military surplus. Upon looking at them something that I have noticed is that they're being sold for "off road use only", which has been a major bummer to me.

Anyway, after a bit I began to think, "Heck, if I built one myself out of spare parts I could legally register it is a kit car." From what research I've done, the thing that is generally required regardless of state is pictures of the build (and I don't mind stripping the thing to the frame and putting it back together again, taking pictures in the process if I need to) and a state police safety inspection, although I am skeptical that it would be that easy.

Has anybody been able to register an Army surplus Humvee for street use?

I believe that in a number of states people have registered some of the Government Liquidation Humvees for on road use.

Thank you! Any further information regarding the legal hoops that were jumped through would be appreciated.

You need to obtain the SF97 form from the seller to register and title the military HMMWV's. But don't think owning and maintaining a Hummer is cheap once you make the initial purchase. Keep in mind it's about $1/mile to maintain if you follow all the recommended maintenance schedules. And there's usually always some unforseen costly repair you'll need to do. I recommend you browse the forums more before making a purchase to see if you'll be ready. Don't get me wrong, they're awesome vehicles to own, but make sure you are capable of doing most if not all of the work yourself, because if you are lucky enough to find someone to take it to for maintenance, it will cost a pretty penny.

Thanks Wiretap! I'm aware of the SF97 form and the surplus Humvees haven't been coming with them, therefore they were for "off road use only". After doing a quick Google search I discovered in the below article that this literally just changed, so I guess my problems are solved (hopefully that doesn't increase demand). The ones I see for auction on the website still say "For off road use only". Maybe they just haven't updated the site yet?

It Just Got A Lot Easier To Own A Surplus Military Hummer

Anyway, I didn't know that they were high maintenance, but that doesn't bother me any. I do all of my own repairs, maintenance, and modifications on everything from fluid changes, to head porting, to engine and gearbox rebuilds, etc. etc. I even do some of my own machine work here and there. I have a 12 valve inline 6 5.9 Cummins that I really like and it is my intention to put it in place of the 6.2/6.5 Detroit V8 that will be in there when I get it.

Sounds like plan. You'll love driving it and maintaining it. It's a totally different experience than any other vehicle.

I think your $1/mile is way off base. That would mean if you drove your H1 12,000 miles a year that you would expect to spend $12,000 for routine maintenance. Several of my H1s were daily drivers and even paying a dealership to do the 12K C service would only be $1200-1400/12K miles. I do mine and they only cost a few hundred each.