Forget whatever off-roader you were about to buy and get a Unimog instead

Yeah, forget your $85k Prado Kakadu, get one of these military surplus Unimogs for $20k instead.

Sure, it ain't as gentle on the road for everyday usage, but nobody will ever doubt your ability to invade a small nation once they see you rolling around in one of these Mercedes-Benz monsters.

The surplus pieces of literal military hardware are put to auction roughly once a month by Australian Frontline Machinery.

Are you a tradie? Need to move a pallet or two? No worries, buy one with a goddamn crane. Be the hero your worksite needs, but doesn't deserve, all clad in camo.

You'll be able to scoff at HiLuxes when prices for a Cargo or Flatbed range from $20,000 - $50,000, and the price for the incredible Cargo + Crane ranges from $28,000 - $60,000.

What's under the hood of the Unimog? A 5.7-litre inline-six turbo-diesel producing a sad-sounding 125kW, 560Nm - when you consider the 6.8-tonne weight. Still, off-road prowess and utility are the key here, not speed.

Fancy the good old days when military chaps rolled around in icon-of-the-Commonwealth Land Rover Defenders?

No worries, the ADF has you covered, too. The bespoke-for-Australia Defender 6x6s are still routinely for sale.

Why do you need three driven axles? Stupid question, because almost nobody else does... Duh. Seriously though - still a tradie? Pack seven of your esteemed colleagues in a 6x6 Defender 110 Cargo troopie for around $10k (plus some 'minor modifications' needed to register them for the road).

What we're holding out for on these auctions, though, is the recent addition to the ADF's arsenal, the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. Which, incidentally, will also be available with a particularly mean looking 6x6 layout.

We expect to have to wait a few years to see these for sale.

What bad-ass military surplus vehicle would you like to take camping/to the worksite? Tell us about it in the comments.