From: Steve Grammont (islander@midmaine.com)
Date: Sun Dec 05 2004 - 17:00:07 PST
Hi Kenny,
I don't know squat about the Vlap (303 or otherwise), so I can't be of
any help there. There used to be a guy on this list that owned one,
though I don't think I've seen him around lately.
The majority of Pinzgauers are 4x4 soft tops. That is the 710M model.
The numbers identify the model (710 = 4x4, 712 = 6x6), the letter defines
the function. There are primarily three different functions of the Pinz
in each of 4x4 and 6x6; troop (M), radio (K), ambulance (Y). The latter
two are hard top. Other highly specialized versions exist too, but they
are super rare and as far as I know none are kicking around the US.
The Pinz and Mog guys go on and on about which one is better. I think
most level headed, fair minded owners (i.e. the guys that own and love
both equally) would agree with the following statement:
If you are primarily looking for a vehicle to drive offroad, and don't
have far to go to get there, then the Unimog is a slightly better choice.
However, if you are primarily going to be driving on pavement or need to
drive a ways to get offroad, the Pinzgauer is better.
The reason is that the Pinzgauer has a higher top speed (roughly 60mph),
consumes less gas, and in general is easier to deal with because it is
smaller duty. Parts are generally available at NAPA and are cheap
because they interchange with VW. Unimogs are bears on the road (50 mph
tops) even with an axle upgrade kit. Parts can sometimes be quite pricey
because it is, afterall, a Mercedes. However, off road they can handle
some things a Pinz can't. And mind you... there is not much a Pinz can't
handle! The bigger Unimog can be more easily modified into a heavy duty
work horse, though size can be a downside depending on what you plan on
using it for.
The Pinz has on the fly 4 wheel drive and independent on the fly front
and rear differential locks. It has a high and low range as well. If
you can't get yourself out of a tough spot with all these options then
you probably shouldn't have done whatever you did :-)
Both the Pinz and Mog are very capable, reliable, and sturdy. Against
each other the differences are minor compared to other vehicles. The
Land Rover guys can't compare themselves to stock Pinz/Mogs unless they
have done extensive modifications.
OK, that's about all I can think of!
Steve
>Hey gang, all this talk about the pinz on the other thread prompted this
>question. Whats the big advantages to each of the listed? I like the
>looks of the
>little Laplander but now I'm curious about the capabilities of each,
>especially as an off road vehicle. Are all the Pinz hardtops? I'd kinda
>like to have
>the Volvo laplander radio truck or the mog radio truck configuration.
Forget
>the SUMB, they're a little funny looking for me.
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