The first-ever sale of United States military Humvees to the public has kicked off, with the 25 trucks up for bidding on IronPlanet's GovPlanet.com on Wednesday going for between $21,500 and $41,000 each.
As first reported by the Army Times, the military is auctioning off certain Humvee models starting at $10,000 to the public for off-road use. The sale is a result of lifted restrictions since the Humvees previously would have been scrapped when no longer needed by the military.
Around 4,000 more Humvees are being reviewed by the Defense Logistics Agency, and the next auction featuring the military vehicles is planned for Jan. 7.
The Humvees must be examined for defects and can only be sold at auction if they don't have "military characteristics," such as being armored. They can reportedly be made street legal in certain states after modifications.
"We know that there are thousands going through the screening process now, and some will be claimed by states and local governments, and anything not claimed will go through for public sale, through our marketplace," Randy Berry, IronPlanet's senior vice president for operations and services, told the Army Times. "We expect to have a steady stream of those available over time."
Of the revenue brought in by the Humvees, the federal government gets 75.29 percent, according to a Fox News report.
While Berry described the big Humvee sale as "a win for the taxpayers and everybody involved," not everyone was so enthusiastic. Even after regulations were changed so Humvees could be sold, manufacturer AM General continues to object to the sale of military Humvees to the general public. The South Bend, Ind.-based company "opposes any use of these military vehicles by individuals or entities outside of the military context for which the vehicles are designed."
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