SHTF vehicle... non-buffalo.

[greycobra_03]

So, since people are posting about massive armored trucks as SHTF rig, what are your opinions for a good rig?

My personal choice is a 1988 Subaru GL wagon. I call it "rusty-ru". It cost me $300, runs like a champ, gets 28 MPG and has 4wd not AWD. The engine is a 1.8L and has been known to last over 500k miles.

My thoughts are that fuel economy, ease of maintenance and part availability trump the ability of a truck to haul large quantities of supplies, more people etc. I have modified the front end with a push bar, and am in the process of upgrading the tires. I am planning on building a still to produce ethanol, which would mean that as long as I have access to cellulose I will have fuel.

Thoughts?

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[Nwcid]

Depends on your version of SHTF and how thick your foil hat is it needs to be 2 things.

First is a given, it has to be easy enough to work on with basic tool which = older rigs

Second if you are worried about EMP, nothing with electronics in it again = mid 80's and older.

I use to love my '75 Jimmy Blazer for off roading because it was easy to work on and repair if needed. Problem was fuel milage though.

 

[greycobra_03]

Yeah, Blazers are awesome!

Am converting my rustyru to carb, and eliminating most electronics. Shouldn't have too much effect on the fuel economy, especially when driving like a granny Plus, getting rid of the stupid efi system eliminates so many things that can go wrong! Just need to figure out fuel pump...

 

[knuckle Head]

Another thing to consider is a surplus army blazer late 80's with a diesel engine, i know a guy who put in a second tank in the rear ran coolant lines back through the tank and burns veggie oil once the vehicles to operating temp. and switches back a few mile before shut down. That way oil is purged from the system when it cools.

Lots of way to approach this, as noted above. easy of wroking on, parts availability andif you are worried about emp's or such no modern computer stuff unless you have spares put away and wrapped in foil

 

[borrowedsig]

First let me say that even older vehicles will still be taken out. The EMP will destroy anything electronic with power to it including fuses and such which all the older cars have, they all have electronics in them (distributor, coil etc.). So if that happens i would choose a horse lol. For that type of scenario i would use my 91 jeep cherokee. it doesnt get super gas milage but it will go anywhere and is very tough and reliable and has pretty good storage.

 

[knuckle Head]

Yeah, I am looking at selling or trading my newer truck, not happy with it and other reasons. But when i do i am going to turn around in a few months and buy an older 4x4 Truck or SUV and my new vehicle would most likely be a Honda CRV 4x4, gets good fuel economy and has 4x4 for winter.

But the oldler 4x4 would be one where parts are readily available, easy to work on, and if I really felt threatened by EMP type stuff I would go out and buy spare fuses, coils, distributor components and such and pack it away with oxygen absorbers, and wrap the item with aluminum foil and forget about it.

I do not believe the true immediate and eminant threats are emp's rather i believe the more immediate threats is our liberal, big "O" sucking media morons and the idiots in dc who vote on stuff just trying to look good for the next electiona nd have no idea what they are voting for or scarier yet do know and working with traitors to detroy america from -within, by bamrupting, making people dependant on the big nipple in the sky, greece type scenario is what we will be facing if we do not wake-up and stand for what we believe in.

back to topic, you idea of a good bug out vehicle that is 4x4, can carry lots of goodies with good fuel economy is a good one to get out of town, you may consider a way of carrying extra fuel cans and replenishing whenever the opportunity presents itself. ie abondoned vehicles, gas pumps,under ground tanks, a hand crank pump with plenty of hose.

 

[MarkAd]

A good mule will out last all your fancy cars, out distance your horse with less feed and water and makes a better companion.
Now I just need to make sure my wife agrees.

 

[Triplebuckshot]

I will use my 2008 1/2 ton Silverado. In a real SHTF scenario, cars will be worthless within a very short amount of time. No use spending money on something that will be worthless very fast. I just need to get to my BOL and then it will be foot travel or horses.

 

[spikedzombies]

Imho a nice dirt bike style motorcycle. Fast, maneuverability is awesome, and you can probably concoct some wierd mini trailer.

Sent vs Mytouch 4G

 

[doubletap007]

im gonna steal someones prius,paint a #3 on the door and write"we dont like yer kind here michelle obama!"on the back window then im heading to talledaga speedway to do some laps.but imagonna mount a barrett 50cal on the passinger side where the seat used to be and if your suburbans try to stop me youre getting a 50cal doubletap.

seriously if i had a rig i wanted to use for shtf i would keep the battery disconnected incase emp was the cause of the s.hitting the fan.

 

[derrickd95]

I have a surplus military blazer it runs just fine off of WMO and the diesel motors get great mileage but they are the most powerful diesel on the road. On the plus side I have 2 m-16 racks behind the driver seat

 

[knuckle Head]

Yeah, whatever you decide to do, be realistic this may or may ever happen. chances are you may need it for other uses betweeen now and then, unless you just have extra cash laying around to build sucha vehicle, but you have to ask yourself are you really likely to be where the vehicle is when it happens. I f you are great, but you may be way away from when shtf, so whatever you drive on a regular basis, you should have the basics in it and as in my case I live near work so when my gas guzzler gets down to 3/4 full I top it off. That it does hurt so much when I put fuel in it and I always have plenty, I will be set for fuel in the beginning of shtf.

To original poster what you are proposing is ok, if you can use it for hunting, fishing or other purposes or have the extra cash to fork out.

Remember dual purpose, stuff you purchase for shtf should be stuff that has another practical purpose now, everything I purchased I can either eat, consume or will help in the face of natural and man made disasters.

 

[greycobra_03]

Hell, I drive the rusty-ru every day. It's ugly, but I get more thumbs up than I do in my Cobra. Pretty funny.

Dual purpose is the only way to go. Gotta make sure it stays in tip top condition. Now to add another fuel tank...

 

[Burt Gummer]

Except for getting 12 mpg, the Toyota FJ-60 and FJ-62 are probably the best built SUVs ever made. Rock solid reliable. A lot of people know this, hence the high price tag for 20+ year old trucks. Does not draw attention.

 

[Rix]

Off road capability topped my list of desireable traits.
Overland trend are likely to be necessary in a real shtf event.
In my opinion, of course.

 

[rcbro]

1980 Toyota, locked front and rear, dual cases to climb anything, new efi engine with better fuel economy, built to take abuse and will run forever.

On Board air, full of tools, easy to work on and plenty of storage.

 

[Both Eyes Open]

Don't underestimate the value of a good mountain bike. Yes the kind with pedels. Its not fast but can go just about anywhere. If you have saddle bags for it then you can carry a good amount of gear. It will NEVER run out of gas. Parts are cheap and durable. Easy to have spares on hand. Best of all, it is very quite. If things get really ugly anything that takes gas will not be getting very far, then you are stuck. Also, you can pick them up for fairly cheap at Walmart. Just my 2 cents.

 

[greycobra_03]

Good call, BEO, but I would recommend shopping Craigslist or yard sales rather than WallyWorld... Walmart stuff breaks!

 

[Both Eyes Open]

I agree with that greycobra. Good idea on craigslist and the sort.

 

[VW_Factor]

Second if you are worried about EMP, nothing with electronics in it again = mid 80's and older.

Lets not keep spreading this myth around please. Vehicle electronics are not nearly as susceptible to EMP burn-outs as most people believe.

The summary of the tests conclude that traffic light controllers will begin to malfunction following exposure to EMP fields as low as a few kV/m, thereby causing traffic congestion.

For automobiles, approximately 10% of the vehicles on the road will stop, at least temporarily, thereby possibly triggering accidents, as well as congestion, at field levels above 25 kV/m. For vehicles that were turned off during the testing, none suffered serious effects and were able to be started.

Recent studies done in the past 10 years, by numerous commissions and scientists have shown that levels of EMP radiation sufficient enough to "kill a car" are quite high. If you are caught in such an area, your SHTF vehicle is going to be the least of your concern.

Do some reading about it.