My first purchase

[SinVit]

Morning all!

I am currently going through the motions to purchase a Zil-131 (box variant), I would appreciate a couple pointers and some general input as to where I should focus my efforts and what kind of price I should be paying. I have contacted a few companies and received a wide variety of quotes.

My first stop was Russian Military (http://www.russianmilitary.co.uk/) and the Zil shown on the website. I phoned them about the advertised one for £9950, however the chappy who answered didn't seem to know anything about that one and instead offered me a different, partially converted one for about £12,000, no pictures. This seemed a bit pricey to me and I also don't really want to pick up someone else's project. I made polite mention I would think it over and get back to them, but have not said anything more.

My second stop was Military Technics (http://militarytechnics.com/) the Zil's they have on their website have been sold, but they do have others instock, they kindly sent me photos of them, they looked like they have been sat around outside for a while, but I was assured they are all in running/driving order. I was quoted a price here of €8000.00 (not including shipping, they didn't answer my request for a shipping quote, but said they would be happy to arrange it)


My third stop was DS Trading (https://www.dst.lt/) At first glance their website makes no mention of Zil 131's but a quick email exchange later revealed they have several in stock, the roadworthy one they had is priced at €5500.00 (not including shipping, again no response to my request of an approx shipping cost, but they would be happy to handle it), I was also sent some pictures, this one has been kept under a shelter but appears to have a broken window at the back or something missing based on what I've seen on other examples.


My fourth stop was mortar investments (https://mortarinvestments.eu/) I admittedly have not contacted them about how much a running Zil would cost (their website shows the 4 they have in stock and that they are priced from €4000.00 upwards) or shipping.

My fifth and final stop is TDM Military (http://www.tdm-military.com/) Their Zil's seem to be the cheapest and the shipping is labelled at €1/KM which seems quite reasonable and gives me a price to work with. The trucks shown also are the nicest that I have seen overall, however I cannot seem to get a hold of them for love nor money. I have sent them an email and pinged both of their Facebook pages. Does anyone know if they're they currently closed due to COVID-19? Their Facebook page mentioned being back in on the 17th August. Or are they no longer trading/have no stock? It probably doesn't help I sent my message in English, I cannot speak Polish unfortunately.

Out of all of them I am the most interested in the offerings by TDM Military, both from a price and condition standpoint. Would anyone be able to weigh in on how much I should be looking to pay for a Zil and which company I should pursue my inquiries with?

Cheers in advance!
Jade

[portamurda1]

I’d still go and view

[Potemkin]

TDM are close to Warsaw and easy to get to if you get a nice cheap easyjet flight. They welcome visitors and speak English. If you look on the forums / Russian truck facebook there is a chap that has recently had a Zil 131 delivered from them smoothly. Their vehicles tend to be the ones that have just left military storage / service rather than sat in fields for years or meddled with.

I am nothing to do with them by the way but I have been there and have friends who have bought vehicles from them.

Having seen the others on your list these are the ones to go with

[Abrs]

Hi. I'm afraid I can't offer any advice on which suppliers to go with except any in the UK will likely be placing a fairly high mark up on what they have so buying from the continent will most likely get you a better deal. However as mentioned going to see it first and perhaps haggling for a better deal in person is usually the best option if you have the time to go gallivanting

Also worth a mentioning is that appearances can be deceiving, especially if just dealing over the net with photos. Some of the trucks will have been 'freshened up' with a quick blow over of some cheap crappy paint that will start to flake and fall off after a year or two, you can also bet no prep work will have been done before painting and some of them are just done with a brush which always looks nice a few years down the line Even while they're in the military it doesn't stop such abuses happening, so some of the recently released stock can be much rougher once you get up close and personal. TBH the thing you have to remember is that these trucks are very often 30 to 40 odd years old so regardless of what the paint looks like there can and will be issues that will need dealing with, for instance very often many of the rubber components will have deteriorated such as; the rear suspension ball joint dust covers, brake chamber diaphragms, hub seals, window rubbers etc etc (not to mention the tyres). I think to be honest in some ways buying one cheap that needs a paint job etc is a better bet as long as it's complete and not too badly rotten, as you will have to do all the same jobs on it eventually anyway, and you have the chance to go though it properly and make sure when it does get some paint it will look how you want and you can ensure the paint job is done competently.

Mechanically there won't be much to choose between any of them as they have all virtually never done any mileage! I don't think they liked putting fuel in them much Most will have covered a lot less than 20 thousand kilometres, & some only a few hundred kilometres from new! So still not fully broken in yet However the same rule applies, there will be parts that need changing due to age and climate on all of them, seals gaskets etc.

Bodywork and chassis. Most Zils have excellent chassis, they just don't seem to corrode, however the cab is another story. If the truck has been stored under cover then generally the cab and interior will be ok, however if it's been living outside for many years as a lot have there will be issues, UV attacks many of the fittings & material in the cab interior, it also causes paint coatings to breakdown on the outside allowing corrosion to eventually take hold. There are also a few places on the Zil cab that are prone to corrosion anyway due to them being moisture traps etc; the seam on the visor above the windscreen, the front edge of the bonnet, the door pillars below the bottom hinge, the front grill along the bottom, the front wings along the joins, the door bottoms to name but a few I can think of off hand.

Tee box bodied versions I can't really comment on as I don't own one, however I have seen how they are constructed and noting that they are riveted outer panels with timber inner components obviously damp is something to be aware of, I think you would have to go around the interior looking for rot and wet patches, like most bodies that are under tension checking along the seams and in the corners is advisable. Alternatively if you have the time and expertise building a body with modern materials is another option? It would be lighter and better insulated if a camper was your intention?
Buying a Zil chassis cab would be considerably cheaper, and you would be more likely to find something already in the UK.

Sorry this has been a bit of a rambling post I hope you find something that suits your needs anyway. ;) Regards.

[Zbig Kolacz]

If you buying from TDM you have to go and see with your own eyes.
i have been there few times, bought some stuff, and pictures and reality are two different things.
At list you will know what you buying if you go there. If you get a Polish translator you should try to get friendly with yard mechanics. The office staff are hopeless.
I hope this helps

[duncan]

Stay away from Mortar Investments unless you know what you're doing: They seem to specialize in "export paint". Looks good on photo, but fails a proper inspection and falls apart fast. Have experience with multiple vehicles from there, cannot advise. Especially don't buy unseen.

The Russian boxes on Zil/Ural/Gaz are very good. If they're not rotten/moldy, you'll have a great base, likely better and for sure cheaper than anything you will build yourself. Be aware though that (except the even smaller Gaz one) they're only 1.8m high inside.

[SinVit]

Thank you for the replies all,

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No need to apologize, that is very helpful and thank you for your advice/input. Especially with buying ones that look 'fresh/clean' compared to the more weathered ones. It had been something that crossed my mind but I hadn't really considered too much until both you and Duncan pointed out that some places will just tart them up a bit for pictures. I also hadn't considered the rubber joints but it makes perfect sense, still I am looking for a project and by the sounds of it, I am setting myself up for one!

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It does, a lot! After sending a few messages to TDM they finally got back to me and unfortunately do not have any in at the moment, but at least that gives HMPO to get my passport application returned to me so I can actuallyu make a quick 2 day trip across to have a nosey at them when they do replenish their stock, assuming I don't find something else that catches my eye before then!

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Thanks for the heads up about Mortar Investments, I think I will stay away, as I am quite fresh faced to all this, I'd rather pay a bit more and get something slightly better condition! The 1.8 meter height is a bit naff, especially as I am 6ft, but I'm still more than eager to go ahead with it because the amount of standing up I would do in the finished product would probably be quite minimal and it's a cool piece of history to waltz around in (albeit not everyday due to fuel costs!)


I don't suppose anyone knows of any other yards/sites with Zil's available? As much as it potentially limits my options, I'd rather stick with actual companies rather than private sales at the moment due to my aforementioned fresh facedness with all of this, I'd like to have the safety net you usually have when buying from a company as well as the ability to pay them to organize and handle shipping.

Cheers guys for all your help so far, y'all are wonderful!