Yes, You Can Buy an MRAP Military Vehicle on eBay

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell 

                               

 

Military vehicles have been a hot topic lately. Just last month, the U.S. Army and Marine Corps announced a $6.7 billion contract with Oshkosh Defense over its Humvee-replacing JLTV tactical vehicle. Like the design? You’re not alone, then again, you can’t really go out and buy one. This vehicle however, is a different story. 

 

This is a 2008 Protector I. It was designed to be a durable yet lightweight alternative to the mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle (MRAP), and was built by South Carolina’s Mobile Armored Vehicles (MAV). The military contractor has since fallen by the wayside, though their heavily armored product still exists…and it recently appeared on eBay.

And you thought owning a decommissioned Humvee was overkill. The MAV Protector I stands over seven feet tall, weighs in the region of 15,000 pounds, and can be air-lifted inside of a C-130 airplane…not that many civilians have access to such machinery.

 

This Protector is claimed to be fully armored as well, sporting a shielded weapons turret topside, along with exterior storage compartments, extra jerry cans for fuel, and seating for seven within the reinforced body.

 

Beneath the skin, the mini MRAP sports a V-shaped hull to deflect underside explosions away from occupants, and rides atop two heavy duty solid axles, which are suspended by leaf springs and sport run-flat tires. A Cummins 6.7-liter turbodiesel engine sends 730 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels through an Allison 3000 series transmission.

So how did a late-model MRAP ever show up in civilian hands? According to the owner, it was originally purchased by a film production company, after which it starred in Iron Man 3, Lone Survivor, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Now it resides in Iowa. The asking price? Brace yourself. A cool $179,850.