Unimog fire engine that served in the French Alps is available in the U.S.

By Bruce Brown Published November 17, 2017

File this under interesting one-off vehicles you could own. A 1987 Mercedes-Benz Unimog Doka U1300L with under 28,000 miles didn’t sell in an online auction, according to the listing on Bring A Trailer.

“Doka” refers to the double-cab model, although in the vehicle in question there are two jump seats you can’t stretch out in. This Unimog spent most of its service life as a fire engine in the French Alps, according to the listing. Now it has a clean Massachusetts title with full paperwork including maintenance records.

Recommended Videos

More: Get to da Unimog! Schwarzenegger’s military-grade Mercedes U1300 is up for sale

The odometer reads 44,915 kilometers or about 27,908 miles. A 5.6-liter diesel six-cylinder motor has had recent service by the seller. The truck bed is 102 inches long and 91 inches wide.

You’ll have to provide your own fire hose and the secondary 1.4-liter Renault engine for the water pump needs a tune-up. All maintenance needs are disclosed and detailed in the listing, which is still online at Bring a Trailer.

The seller changed all fluids and filters and replaced portal axle oil. The clutch master cylinder has a leak and the seller noted there’s some sediment in the fuel tank. A new fuel tank is included in the sale. Generally, however, the Unimog appears good to go.

The front fenders, which the seller says are bolt-on, have some rust-through and there are some dings and bends on the right front bumper and the right fuel tank and step. The interior has brown cloth upholstery in front and black vinyl jump seats in the back.

The online auction ended March 30, 2017. The high bid of $24,000 didn’t meet the reserve so it wasn’t sold. The seller replied to comments on the listing.

If you’ve always wanted your own fire truck or a Unimog for rugged back-country service, this double-cab truck might be just what you’ve been looking for. There are loads of photos on the original listing.

Former Contributing Editor

Bruce Brown Contributing Editor As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…

Topics

Cars

Plug-in hybrids are becoming more popular. Why? And will it continue?

Kia Niro EV Charging Port

There's a lot of talk about the idea that the growth in electric car sales has kind of slowed a little. It's not all that surprising -- EVs are still expensive, early adopters all have one by now, and they're still new enough to where there aren't too many ultra-affordable used EVs available. But plenty of people still want a greener vehicle, and that has given rise to an explosion in hybrid vehicle sales.

That's especially true of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be charged like an EV and driven in all-electric mode for short distances, and have a gas engine as a backup for longer distances or to be used in combination with electric mode for more efficient driving.

Cars

EV drivers are not going back to gas cars, global survey says

ev drivers are not going back to gas cars global survey says screenshot

Nearly all current owners of electric vehicles (EVs) are either satisfied or very satisfied with the experience, and 92% of them plan to buy another EV, according to a survey by the Global EV Drivers Alliance.

The survey of 23,000 EV drivers worldwide found that only 1% would return to a petrol or diesel car, while 4% would opt for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) if they had to replace their car.

Cars

Trump team in sync with Tesla on ending crash-reporting requirements, report says

Beta of Tesla's FSD in a car.

The transition team of President-elect Donald Trump is planning to end existing car-crash reporting requirements to safety regulators, according to a Reuters report.

The report cites a document obtained by Reuters that lays out the transition team’s 100-day strategy for automotive policy. In the document, the team says the crash-reporting requirement leads to “excessive” data collection, Reuters says.