Volksron Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 (edited) Hello There...I am thinking of buying a Volkswagen Iltis, - is there anybody out there that can tell me the particular pitfalls of buying such a vehicle - ALL information would be gratefully received...Cheers Edited March 12, 2009 by Volksron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Great little vehicle, lot easier to drive day to day than a landrover, and slightly smaller too. Side doors come off easily when you want them to, tilt comes down easily. Built with VW reliability in mind. Spares are available from Canada, Germany and ebay but they do command a high price, especially for any suspension items as it is early Quattro running gear. If you are interested in one PM me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewroberts.1953 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 As other poster, I enjoy driving mine. Fast (130KPH), simple drive,superb off road, even a working heater! But somethings are a bit complex, like gearbox, diffs, ignition. But if you get a good one, and keep on top of the work you can't go wrong. Some bits are common to many VW Audi cars. Beetle bits, polo bits, golf bits, etc, so you can get most things once you have the part numbers. body parts are hard to come by, but with luck you will not need. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Hi Volksron, Firstly, welcome to the Friendly Forum, please post up in the intros and welcome board so you can introduce yourself properly. On the Iltis, I have to agree with everything said. I loved mine, but Rick persuaded me he would look after it better and this is the case. Definitely PM him. The Iltis is refined, great to drive and a real head turner. It has practical seats with belts so kids can travel safely. The hood is good for keeping the weather out. I found it and the doors a bit of a fiddle to fit, but I live in a road with a very accute camber and it made it difficult. The Audi Quattro pedigree is great, but as Rick says,means certain bits can empty your wallet. But what MV doesn't do that? Get one! MB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewroberts.1953 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 A warning! An Iltis is being sold on Ebay. It claims to be tax exempt, and has been chanded to from petrol. VW did not start serial production of the VW183 Iltis until 1978, so no vehicles can be exempt taxing. The way it's worded, the chap knows something is not right and wants to shift it. It's also been turned over to 12 volt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreadavide Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 I've driven a Belgian one during the Kosovo crisis ten years ago and it was a really nice miniaturPanzer (as they called it). There was one for sale for two thousand quid on this forum some weeks ago, but being it diesel converted I couldnt get it, because here in Italy an Iltis would be tax extempt, but it need to be original or it cannot even be registered. On the topic of cheapness of MV, the only one that satisfies this requisite is the good old Alluminium bucket filled with rust (aka Land Rover)... Andrea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 A warning!An Iltis is being sold on Ebay. It claims to be tax exempt, and has been chanded to from petrol. VW did not start serial production of the VW183 Iltis until 1978, so no vehicles can be exempt taxing. The way it's worded, the chap knows something is not right and wants to shift it. It's also been turned over to 12 volt. Oi!!:argh:Thats mine you are talking about! Its tax exempt as its registered as an agricultural vehicle- get your facts right! There is nothing wrong with the vehicle at all, Ive got a Champ recently and need to park it on the drive, I also took it out on Sunday and it was fine. So "the chap " knows for a fact there is nothing wrong with it!!!:argh::argh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 :shocked: .................:sweat: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Hi Rick, if the Iltis is taxed as an agricultural vehicle it is only allowed to be used on the road to travel between areas of agricultural land held by you and the maximum distance allowed on the road is 1.5 kms. Since I don't know your personal circumstances you may fall into these criteria but if not you could be in a certain amount of trouble. A number of farmers of my acquaintance use vehicles under these rules but have to be careful about where and how far they travel. I know of one person locally who owned a small amount of land and taxed a nearly new 4x4 in this way only to be caught and prosecuted, he was of course also using red (rebated) fuel and the vehicle was confiscated and was only returned on payment of a large penalty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 I know of its limited mileage Degsy, never used red fuel and never questioned about it when taxing vehicle. It has only been local since Ive had it and Im sure Snapper never had any problems-stand to be corrected! Was he more in trouble with the local rozzers for using red diesel though. I know they have been clamping down on it especially at the vintage shows etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volksron Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Thanks for the input, - looks like the usual things then. A good one would be worth buying. I am arranging to visit the prospective sale, and coaxed my local VW fitter (with the promise of crossing his palms with silver) to have a good look. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Hi Rick, it was the full monty, they threw the book at him including no insurance, fortunately for him it was before they brought in the legislation about crushing uninsured vehicles but the whole thing cost him a fortune plus very substantial legal fees as he chose to fight and also a lot of points on the licence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewroberts.1953 Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Sorry if I got it wrong. This looked like something that was on Ebay a few years ago, and WAS a scam. I just wanted to make sure people knew to check. My brush with DVLA about tax exemption got this reply "Vehicles used solely for the purpose of agriculture, horticulture and forestry are exempt from vehicle tax". Again, sorry if i have it all wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I feel I was either misinformed or misunderstood when I bought the old lass. Because I was under the impression that it was a set amount of mileage I could do per annum - sorry to be vague - the old thing was rarely outside the city walls of Westcliff. I certainly never had any red diesel and never got any problems because I assumed I was acting within the law. No one ever so much as looked at her road fund licensing situation. M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I know of a dealer in this country who has taxed vehicles in this way before selling them on to unsuspecting customers. They could have been taxed as historic and therefor free but would have required an MOT, by taxing them as agricultural he was avoiding work which would have been required to pass an MOT test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 It's a moot point, but if the system of a rolling date change for tax exempt vehicles had continued, 1978 would be well inside the requirement by now. This is not a way of starting anything political against the current HMG - so please don't bite :-D - just me making an observation. M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Interesting, i didnt consider that a vehicle classed as agri could be MOT free as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Interesting, i didnt consider that a vehicle classed as agri could be MOT free as well. Presumably the reasoning behind this is the limitation on road milage, no more than 1.5 kms and only between two lots of land in own occupation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volksron Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 Update on possible Iltis purchase... Viewed my first Iltis at Penrith on Saturday - got to admit, it didn't get my juices flowing. It wasn't a diesel, but it sounded like one. The MOT/tax was there for another 3 weeks, and would require a new screen and wipers working to pass. The steering was heavy, bodywork required a little welding and there was a couple of stress cracks at the front of the bonnet. Interior was okay, but came with that damp/mould smell. It was the grinding sound coming from the rear drive shafts that finally put me off - it could be the brakes from standing, or bearings, or something more expensive. To cap it all, the £1200 price tag I was told it was going for, almost doubled. As I am beetle orientated, I might have a look at a 181 Trekker, - or maybe build myself a Kubel replica. It's just about using the right parts and getting the proportions right, - even though it would be frowned on by purists. A little downhearted, but not giving up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashley Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 As I am beetle orientated, I might have a look at a 181 Trekker, - or maybe build myself a Kubel replica. It's just about using the right parts and getting the proportions right, - even though it would be frowned on by purists. A little downhearted, but not giving up. Try a company called "Kooble car" (US based) as they sell the bodies as well as other part. The body should fit on a more recent chassis. Ashley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volksron Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 Yes, I've heard of them. I think I'll take another look. I believe they are fibreglass based. I have drawn up plans before, based on my early beetle, and found that making panels and rolling in swage lines wouldn't be a big problem. But it is the mudguards and details that would make or break this sort of project. I wouldn't like it to look cobbled together - but I'm up for this sort of thing, Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 They aint cheap though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volksron Posted March 18, 2009 Author Share Posted March 18, 2009 I've had a look at a few replica Kubels on the web, and changed my mind about attempting to build my own. Sounds like a great idea at first, but it would have to be 'blooming' good to pass for a real one, - and after all that effort (and cash) I would be continually apologising for it. If I'm going to have a warwagon, it will have to be the real thing - might have to be a Trekker, or...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abn deuce Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 found this listing for N.O.S. Iltis parts . I have no connection to the outfit Niagara Military Parts in Canada fax 1-905-732-9264 or call ralph cell 1-289-213-9939 not sure what you need to add when calling from oversea's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 That Canada dealer is the only other main dealer for the parts other than the one in Germany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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