People's opinions on this one:

[kerry]

Found this one on mobile.de. Curious as to what people think of it. Seems well made from the pictures and the price seems pretty good. My German is very rusty, so I'm relying on Babelfish, but I think the vehicle is currently in Gambia. How good a choice is Magirus for a multi-continent expedition camper? Are parts mainly only available in Europe?

http://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/s...RED&customerIdsAsString=&lang=en&pageNumber=4

 

[haven]

Magirus

Magirus is best known as a producer of fire fighting apparatus. Magirus also made trucks for civilian and military use. The company joined with other truck manufacturers to form IVECO in the 1970s.

Deutz is an old and well-respected German engine manufacturer. The company is still in business.

I think you should be able to find parts to rebuild this truck, although it won't be as convenient as acquiring parts for Mercedes or other European manufacturers.

There are no major traveler warnings for Gambia. The official language is English. Gambia was a British colony for 200 years.

Dakar, Senegal is about 120 miles away from Banjul, capital of Gambia. Grimaldi offers RORO service to South America and Europe from the port of Dakar. So there is a reasonable avenue to ship this camper out of Africa instead of driving north through West Africa. The Dakar rally was canceled due to the threat of insurgent/bandit activity in this area.

Chip Haven

 

[MB309basket]

Is that a storage pod or RTT above the camper? Seems like that's a lot of truck to push around for the oppportunity to sleep in a tent...

Mighty cool rig.

 

[haven]

translation

Here's my translation of the ad, plus a few notes
Chip Haven

Hymer Magirus M 130 FAL 7
$23,500
154,000 miles

From Unimog.net: Magirus Deutz developed the M130 FAL 7 as a competitor to the Unimog U1300 L for a new German Army contract in the 1970s. The vehicle has a 6-cylinder air cooled diesel engine, 114 in. wheel base, 19 inches of ground clearance and a maximum weight of 17,000 lbs. The German Army judged the Magirus Deutz and Unimog to be equally well qualified, but awarded the contract to Mercedes when MBZ reduced the price of the U 1300 L.

6.0L, 6- cylinder turbodiesel, 24 valves, air cooled

fuel consumption 12-13 MPG

permanent all wheel drive with low range
portal axles

200 gallon Diesel fuel capacity
2 40 gallon water tanks
4.5 gallon black waste water tank
8 gallon grey waste tank

onboard air compressor for tire inflation
Michelin XL 15.5 X 80 R 20
(also called 365 85 R 20, 46.6 inches tall x 15.5 inches wide)
65% tread left

Two 100 AH batteries for vehicle chassis
Two 100 AH batteries for living area
600 watt solar panel

12 gallon natural gas storage tank
2.5 gallon Truma (Dometic) hot water heater
Truma 3002 electric hot air heater
Shower

Not sure what this translates to: Kramer Kocher, Spuele
One interior photo shows a dishwasher (!)

cabin sleeps four adults

Magiolina rooftop tent

16 cu ft storage box above the cab

12x12 ft tent included

manual hoist to lift spare tire

Stronger (new replacements?) leaf springs front and rear

New front and rear brake shoes, and brake cylinders overhauled.

The vehicle is located the Gambia, with proper local insurance.
No taxes due on sale. We will store the vehicle for up to two years free of charge. The truck was imported to Gambia with a valid Carnet de Passage.
Please contact by telephone. Don't contact via this ad.

The truck is IVECO, not Hymer. (Maybe Hymer built the camper?)

My comment: The vehicle has several electric appliances (hot water, hot air furnace, dishwasher), yet there is no mention of a generator?

 

[kerry]

Thanks for that translation. It is much better than Babelfish.
I too thought that was a dishwasher initially. Upon refelction, I decided it was a set of sliding storage racks. Perhaps it is a dishwasher. I took it to mean that the camper on the back was built by Hymer.

 

[egn]

This rig looks very good and complete on the images, because it is based on a ready build camper. Of course, the space is limited.

Magirus with Deutz engine is very reliable. A lot of people here in germany have bought old ones from fire brigades. But beware, it is not the fastest one.

If it is worth the money - I really don't know. I am not a Magirus specialist. But I wouldn't buy blind. Who knows when the images were made.

The camper may have structural defects if it wasn't build with a 3 or 4 point connection to the frame. One would also have to look whether there was water intrusion because the camper frame was probably build with wood.

The case above the drivers cabin is a storage box.

 

[kerry]

Thanks for those comments. When you say it is slow, how slow? What do you estimate to be its cruising speed and top speed?

 

[egn]

Top speed is probably about 55 mph and comfortable cruising speed of about 45-50 mph. Of course, it depends on the transmission and wheel size. This rig has only 133 PS and a weight of about 7 t. You should ask the seller about this and how high the rpms are at 50 mph (80 km/h).

Only one of the boxes is a storage box, the other one is a tent. Sleeping is at the convertable dinette and in the tent.

This rig is comparable in size to a U1300, just no so offroad capable.