To Pinz or not to Pinz

[Bushman]

Hello, I have fancied Pinzgauers for quite some time, almost 10 years. I have owned Series IIA Land Rovers and repaired them myself for even longer. I now am so sick of working on my Land Rover that I am ready to bail and buy a Pinzgauer. I do this because of the belief that a Pinzgauer will be inheritly less prone to break down due to better engineering and less time actually wearing out. My bane is an Ex-Mod Series IIA that is getting close to being a new truck mechanically thanks to all the new parts I have put into it. I am a decent wrench and owe this to having to fix my land Rover myself out of economic necessity, it just had to be. I bought my Land Rover third hand and only know that it was a military Land Rover imported by British Pacific in the early 1990s, not much else.

I have a nice Pinzgauer in mind to buy but am almost reluctant to buy one because, really for all of the screwing around I have had to do on my Series IIA it has been cheap to buy parts for and anything I have needed is available in abundance. Any Ex Land Rover Pinzgauer owners out there have any thoughts on this?

I am from Northern Michigan and only run my trucks in nice weather and don`t ask much from them off road, just sandy two tracks.

Bushman

[M Wehrman]

Vintage British vehicles are not known for their reliability ,I've owned a few(Austin Healey,MG,Jaguars). It would seem a badge of Lucas was not a plus,and metalurgy(sp?) was weak also. A Pinzgauer,once properly prepped (flush hydraulics,change lubes,proper tune) is MILES above same year Brit products. Wearable parts are available thru this forum's sponsor or SAV,and are comparably priced to any "unique" vehicle. I've had 3 and aside from driver error,no major problems but body repairand a clutch.
I am sure you will notice more mechanical noises from a Pinz over a Rover,but that is the sound of reliability!
I will now return to my Fat Tire and good night.......
Mark

[pinzinator]

I've owed 3 different Pinzgauers over the last 10 years. My advice to you is to get one now, you will never regret it. I've owned 50 different cars since I was 16, the Pinzgauer ranks in the top 3 for fun and reliability. Parts are easy to get and it's not that difficult to work on. I will own a Pinzgauer as long as I hold a driver's license, period.
You will have to stay ahead of the potential rust problem in Michigan, that could be your biggest challenge.

[lindenengineering]

Bushman
Quote:-Parts in abundance for old Landrovers--yes you have hit the nail on the head---for the most part!
Unfortunately, you won't find the same for the Pinzgauer and there is a sadly a price premium to go with the parts as well by as much as 500% in some cases. So you have to be a dedicated owner to own a Pinzgauer. Period.
Great truck and fun to drive--but so is the Series Landrover and it has heat as standard!
As for reliability they add up to be about the same! Equally I have customers with both marques; the LR owners seem to be confident about doing large distances whereas most Pinzgauer owners I have encountered are nervous about long distance travel--judging by past forum dialogues on this board!. Dunno why!
I have had several customers who have entrusted their Pinzguers to long trips--Jerry up in the Yukon is one and another who (with three guys and a Lab) drove down to Tucaman only using a ferry to get from Panema to the Equadorian coast.--Estupendo!
My suggestion is to do your homework and buy a well maintained unit with a service history. Many have gone before you and bought off of Fleabay etc only to be disapointed after having emptied their budget and pi$$ed off the missus!
Best of luck
Dennis

[Bushman]

Thanks for the opinions. I have been kicking this Pinzgauer thing around alot lately, expecially since guy I know up here who has plenty of Land Rovers told me that he was done with them while sitting behind the steering wheel of a Pinzgauer. I can also admit that it just might be time to look a something different in my garage instead of the Series IIA.

My big thing is to go to the beach at Sturgeon Bay which is about 15 miles below the Mackinaw Bridge and have the coolest vehicle. There was some guy there this summer from Harbor Springs in an old Willys CJ2a Universal 1949 or so with original paint and it was neat. I arrived in my Safari truck and we passed the Jeep guy I sneered to my self " Amateur " . Classic cars are big up here in the summer and while I don`t even notice anything that is not 4 wheel drive part of my fun is having a Unique rig. Since my friend has a Pinzgauer it might behoove me to get a 404 Unimog, especially considering I have 5 kids and dogs.

Bushman

[Kirby]

If your friend has a 710 (4 wheel).... get the 712 (6 wheel).... than it's still a pinz, but different than his

and of course that works the other way as well...712 ~ 710

[texas pinzgauer]

I'm neither encouraging nor endorsing neglecting your future Pinzgauer but my previous 710 and my current 712 have been bullet proof. Do the basics, change fluids regularly, clean it after "serious" off road use and you find this to be an extremely reliable and entertaining vehicle.

I'd also encourage you to buy the nicest Pinz you can afford. I've never used the "I'll buy one cheap and fix it up later" approach. I try to buy good, clean and well maintained vehicles and tend to get what I pay for. Plan accordingly if you're serious about getting and enjoying a Pinzgauer.

Last tip....many of us started with 710s and then decided to go with 712s. If you have the opportunity, try both before you pull the trigger.

David

[undysworld]

Ditto what David wrote. My truck's been very reliable and WAY fun, even fixing it is satisfying!! ???? A few extra thousand bucks spent buying the right truck will be infinitely the better buy than getting a fixer-upper. Always. If you want a more outstanding looking vehicle, get the 712.

Dennis is very knowledgeable about both Pinzes and Rovers. Good advice there.

If you have another vehicle to rely on, and are mainly interested in vehicular bling, you won't be disappointed in a nice 712, IMHO.

[texas pinzgauer]

We in the "712 brotherhood" (any women Pinz owners out there?) have a saying, "go big or go home".

The 712 is not much bigger than a 710. It is slower but you're not going to set any speed records in either truck.

[krick3tt]

Bushman,

I had a 404...get the pinz.

I now have a pinz and although I suffered a lot of Mog separation when I sold it, I would not sell the pinz and go back to the Mog. If I could pull it off I might have both but only if there was room and I won the Colorado lottery.

The Mog was slow, noisy, ate gas like crazy and although I fixed it up rather than get therapy it was still not really what I was looking for.
Unless you get a Doka (hard to find) your family won't fit in it, only two seats in the cab. Only two seats in the Pinz as well, but with the seats in the back the family, dog, camping supplies and what else you want to bring you will all be within reach of each other.

Now keep in mind that this is only one opinion.

Good luck with your search. Drive one of each first and then make an informed choice.

[Jerbearyukon]

I LOVE MY PINZ - there is a price you pay though. The pinz is not a comfort machine but that's what I love about it. You can hose it out and if you get a good heater they can be much more comfortable.

Mine is a 710K - I got it in Wisconsin and I couldn't be happier with it but I am trying to sell it to get the 6 wheeled version. My was very well maintianed but it needs so TLC to keep her right.

They are LOUD - they are SLOW - they are SIMPLE - but they are the ultimate OFF ROAD machine.

Jer Bear

[jrcotner]

As a recovering Land Rover owner (1978 SIII Ex-MOD, 1994 Range Rover County), I can supply some advise. I, too, spent most of my waking hours working on these trucks, most of which was spent just trying to pry the old parts out from rust and the British equivalent of rust proofing, Waxoyl. I enjoyed driving the SIII and Rangie around town and trail, but the tinkering became a burden. I loved the SIII, but finally came to the conclusion that the effort wasn't worth the return and sold them off.

A friend in town had a Pinz 710M, and I was impressed with the way the truck drove and it's mechanical construction. I finally bought a 1971 710M from Scott at Expedition Imports, and the decision has been better than I ever dreamed. The truck is in excellent shape, easy to work on (not necessary yet), fun to drive, easy on gas, and there is no rust anywhere on the truck.

For perspective, I paid $15,000 for the SIII from custom prep shop in the UK, and in the first year had to sink $3000 on the thing. That was just the start. I probably dumped $15,000 over the five years I had the SIII. I paid $11,500 for the Pinz, and it needs nothing, with no necessary repairs in sight.

Unless you have an emotional attachment to the Rover (which is what most people site as to their affection), sell it and get a Pinz. I really doubt you'd regret it.

Regards,