Waiting for the truck

For nearly a week Luke and Karla have been pounding the pavement, traveling with a heavy trailer all the way to Ohio in pursuit of a truck. An Internet search turned up a Unimog, a tough very industrial-strength, very off-road truck made by Mercedes-Benz, that we need to make our operation in the High Sierra viable into the future. We have had another Unimog for several years, and rely heavily on it. But if it breaks, we need a backup.

We found a chiropractor in Ohio who had the ideal machine for us, and at a good price. This particular model starts out at $130,000 new. We waited 40 years and got it for a bit less. But this vehicle isn’t worn out after a mere 40 years of relatively light use, so we’re looking at adding another 40 years to its useful life. Imagine: 24 speed transmission, both forward and reverse. Air brakes. A dump bed that not only dumps out the back, but to either side. Diesel engine. Heated leather seats, iPod connector to the 1,200-watt stereo and 10 cupholders. Okay, I lied about that last.

We have relied on military trucks from the Second World War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, all of them Dodges. Super trucks for sure, but really old trucks. Buying parts for them requires dealing with antique collectors and their inflated prices. Mercedes still makes parts for their old Unimogs, and even though they’re expensive, they’re readily available. And you don’t need them too often.

The truck is coming home tonight. But it will stop at a neighbor’s first to be fitted out with a new muffler. Not a Mercedes muffler, but a generic American muffler. There—we already saved some money!