HILL AIR FORCE BASE — If you’re that rare individual who’s in the market for a military Humvee, you might be able to find one for sale at Hill Air Force Base.
On Dec. 17, a company called GovPlanet — an Internet-based marketplace for buying and selling used government assets — held an online auction that allowed customers to view and bid on High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, more commonly known as Humvees.
According to a report from the Army Times, the auction included 25 Humvees built between 1987 and the mid-1990s that are currently being stored at Hill. Approximately 4,000 of the troop transporting vehicles will be sold to the public as part of a Defense Logistics Agency plan to turn retired military vehicles into assets, rather than just scrap them, as has been the past procedure. Bids for the Humvees start at $10,000.
Humvees are produced by a company called AM General, an American heavy vehicle manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. The vehicles differ from the civilian “Hummer” that the company also manufactures and until know, have never been sold to the public.
GovPlanet says the Humvees featured on its website are not street-legal and only include cargo and troop carriers with model numbers M998, M998A1, M1038 and M1038A1. All are “soft sided,” or unarmored vehicles for off-road use only.
According to a press release posted on the website of GovPlanet’s parent company, IronPlanet, the company was awarded a DLA contract to manage and sell Department of Defense surplus assets in July. The contract has a base term of two years, with four one-year renewal options.
The company estimates it will get its hands on $50 million to $70 million worth of military surplus each year. The contract requires they give 75.29 percent of sales revenue to the DLA.
In another release posted to the company’s website, Randy Berry, senior vice president of operations and services for IronPlanet, said additional auctions, where customers can bid on Humvees and a host of other military vehicles and equipment, will be held throughout 2015.
“We will be offering military Humvees of various model years and configurations,” Berry said. “Our (online) marketplace ... is making it easier than ever for people to buy used government assets online confidently and conveniently.”
GovPlanet’s next auction is set for Jan. 7 and several military vehicles located at Hill are currently for sale. Winning bidders are responsible for picking up the vehicles. In addition to Humvees, military surplus items sold by GovPlanet include trucks, trailers, generators, wheel loaders, cranes, crawler tractors, and other equipment.
Items already listed for sale at Hill include several cargo trailers, cargo trucks, tractor trucks and wreckers. Currently, the most expensive item for bid other than the Humvees is an AM General Wrecker, which starts at $7,000.
To participate in the Jan. 7 auction, go to www.ironplanet.com.
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©2014 the Standard-Examiner (Ogden, Utah)
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