At $25,000, Would You Climb Every Mountain In This 1975 Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer 710M?
The ad for today's Nice Price or No Dice Pinzgauer 710M describes the beast as "The Swiss Army knife of off-road vehicles." We'll have to decide if its price tag imposes any limits on that assertion.
Driven by some weird machinations of our pop culture zeitgeist and a particularly hilarious episode of "South Park," we all share a common understanding that the mysterious alien invaders who have probably travelled thousands of light-years to study us are inexplicably into butt stuff. While directly dismissed by UFO experts such as Brad Lueder in his 2012 book "A UFO Hunter's Guide," the alien rectum probe is a trope that will not go away. Even today, it represents the greatest fear of most people (and for some, the eagerly awaited high point) of the expected alien abduction experience.
This is a potential reason why Ford has not chosen to resurrect the Probe nameplate in the nearly 30 years since the original model's demise. Especially not, I would imagine, if it were applied to a "Deuce" coupe. It's questionable whether alien fetishes had anything to do with the results on the 1989 Ford Probe GT we looked at yesterday, but few of you were willing to drop the $8,750 the seller was asking to find out. That resulted in a 64% "No Dice" loss, thus ending our probe.
Military grade
Hey, have you ever entertained the idea of entering the Dakar Rally? Maybe you need to extract an evil villain from a remote mountain hideaway lair, or just ford a swollen stretch of LA freeway after a heavy storm. Regardless of the task, this 1975 Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer 710M 4X4 is the vehicle to get the job done.
First introduced in 1971 as a personnel and materials carrier for the military sector, the Pinzgauer gained fame in both municipal and civilian use for its go-anywhere capability. So successful was the model that it enjoyed a more than three-decade production run. Featuring a stout central tube backbone chassis, portal axles, and short overhangs, the Pinzgauer was designed for exceptional ground clearance and aggressive approach, break-over, and departure angles. A forward-control design, with the engine between the front seats, is also extremely space-efficient. This one is an M edition, which means a soft top covers both the two-seat cab and the versatile load area behind it, making it a fun-in-the-sun convertible as well!
Bring your friends
As currently configured, this 710's load area has four inward-facing seats on either side of the shared footwell. These are accessed through a swinging door that also serves as the spare tire mount. The two additional seats in the cab ahead of the dog screen make this a 10-seater, allowing the whole family to enjoy the off-road experience.
According to the seller, all components on the truck are functioning as expected, except the odometer, which appears to have stopped at 1,074. That's likely in kilometers and possibly died after going around the horn at least once.
On the plus side, the seller notes a recent oil change, new filters throughout, and a set of relatively new, extremely large Cooper tires. Aesthetically, this 710 appears to be in solid shape, with a slight patina of surface rust in places, but nothing significant appears wrong or at risk of falling off. Also notable, the high ground clearance and tall bodywork allow for ample storage under the bed, just in case the next owner has a number of Amples in need of storing.
Slow going
Power for the Pinzgauer comes from a purpose-built 2.5-liter air-cooled inline four. Fed by dual carburetors and featuring multiple oil pumps to prevent starvation at extreme angles, the stout, 105-horsepower engine is paired with a five-speed manual gearbox that feeds a two-speed transfer case to all four wheels. Engine access is via a plastic cover in the cab, and removing that requires the seats to be extracted as well. That leaves plenty of room for monkeying around when the need arises. The drivetrain makes for extraordinary off-road prowess, but limits the on-road fun owing to the noise level and the barely-above-a-kindergartner's-tricycle top speed.
According to the ad, the truck has a clean title, current registration, and "will out wheel any Jeep, Dodge, Chevy, Ford, or Toyota. For the serious off-roader, or even someone just looking for a quirky collectable that would be fun for parades or a weekend car gathering, there's a lot to like with this Pinzgauer.
C'mon, you know you want it
It's been said that anything worth doing is worth doing right. In a similar vein, anything desirable comes at a cost. One of the first things they teach you in Econ 101, after all, is the law of supply and demand. There aren't a ton of Pinzgauers on the market, and, naturally, they are pretty appealing for a certain crowd, so they aren't exactly being given away. This very nice example asks a substantial $25,000, which, in off-roader money, can buy a ton of alternatives.
What's your take on this Pinzgauer and that $25K price tag? Does its reputation precede it, making that a fair deal? Or does that asking price feel like a 'Puch' in the gut?
You decide!
Nice Price or No Dice:
Monterey, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to DieselOx for the hookup!
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