A Rare, Virtually New 2003 Mercedes-Benz Unimog U500 Is Looking for a New Owner

Unimogs are the unicorns of heavy-duty trucks in the U.S. U500s are also rare, with only some 200 items ever distributed here between 2002 and 2007, through Freightliner dealers: this is one of them, and it also happens to be the only one sold in Pennsylvania, and probably the only one with such low mileage and in such an excellent condition.

Now for the bad news: this particular Unimog was listed for sale by a California dealer on Bring A Trailer. The listing was pulled on August 22, after it failed to meet the reserve: the bidding stopped at $104,999 after 33 bids.

While that’s a lot of money, it’s peanuts compared to what a U500 usually fetches. For instance, earlier this year, another Unimog sold for $369,000 and had 19,000 miles (30,557 km) on the odometer. This one has under 5,000 miles (8,046 km), of which only 400 (644 km) were put there under the current owner. The vehicle also comes with a clean title and Carfax history.

What this means is that, if you’re in the market for the perfect base for your overlander, there’s a Unimog U500 looking for a new owner and, while the first auction may have ended in failure, it’s bound to surface again on the market. You’ll recognize it for the subtle camouflage wrap over the orange paintjob and some custom, after-market additions like the front hydraulic winch, supplemental LED lighting, Federal signal siren and custom rollover bar.

Power comes from a 6.4-liter turbodiesel inline-six engine, factory-rated at 280 hp at 2,200 rpm, and mated to an eight-speed pre-selector manual transmission, a selectable transfer case, and portal axles. The wheels have central inflation system incorporated and are clad in Michelin X tires.

Due to changes in California Air Resources Board regulations, this Unimog cannot be made road-legal here. More details are included in the video presentation below.