I was recently on a trip through a local state park with my wife when we saw little signs on garden stakes that said “Willy’s” with a directional arrow pointed neatly below.

Perplexed by what of “Willy’s” we were being directed to, (his funeral, wedding, what?), I followed the arrows obediently and came to this ancient, WWII era Willys truck. It was accompanied by several dozen other Willys vehicles and was in fact, part of a show of these old and restored vehicles that were so prevalent in helping the Allied forces win the last great war. I was excited to see that there was even a demonstration of various Willys vehicles planned; however, I soon lost that excitement somewhat as my wife made it clear that she had no intention of attending such a show, (interest in military surplus equipment doesn’t necessarily run in the family, you see)?

And so, here are four great reasons to invest in a military surplus vehicle and equipment:

1. It is rugged and well built. Understand that these vehicles were designed to drive through the mud and brambles of unsettled Europe and Asia in order to sneak up on German and Japanese soldiers and subsequently bust their ass “good n proper”. They were designed of hard rubber and tempered steel that can last a long time and take a lot of abuse.
2. It is simply made. Many modifications were made in the field with nothing more than a good, hot fire, some tongs formed from old crescent wrenches, and parts hammered out on a piece of rusty railroad track. They were made simply so that they could be repaired simply. No computer chips, metric bolts, or JIS screws will be found in these things.
3. They are well designed. Every nook and cranny on a military surplus vehicle is there for a reason. They were made strictly for utility and not for aesthetics, though many of us warmonger types do find them to be aesthetically pleasing.
4.  They hold their value. As I mentioned earlier, these vehicles seem to maintain a following for some reason, and as long as they are available, there will always be a group of aficionados who are going to want to purchase and own them.