Emergency Vehicle--SUV vs Hybrid Sedan?

[Moparmike]

Ok, ultimately I want a HMMWV with a few creature comforts. Or a Unimog. Lets see you get that bastard stuck. Just dont high center over an Escort.


Realistically, if you want sedan comfort and fuel compatilbilty (ie run in a McDonalds and load up on fryer oil), get an old Mercedes diesel that has been serviced regularly for about $2000-4000. I am not kidding. Get an old 240d or 300d, with about 250k-300k miles, as it will have just been broken in. MB diesels routinely go for 1M miles, especially the older ones from the late 70's & early 80's. Get some overload springs and load'er up with supplies. Note this only works if you dont have to travel over BAD dirt roads or curb hopping.

 

[JamisJockey]

Lets see you get that bastard stuck

In my past as a recreational Four-Wheeler, I've seen both stuck. And both were rescued by full size older American 4x4's (I know....hummers are American ). And let me see you find spare Unimog parts in the pick-and-pull in some little town in Arizona.....or the backwoods of Tennesse....good luck!
My next vehicle will be an early eighties 3/4 ton Suburban.
Oh, and in the price range you described, you can find an old suburban 6.2L disel....it'll run off the same 'biodisel' you're describing...

 

[Gordon]

Well a pre 95 Ford 7.3 Diesel can't be stopped by a emp pulse. Pretty easy for me to fix and a well maintained one sees 300000miles. The 91-94 Superduties with rear disc brakes and Dana 80 axels can have a Dana 60 put in the front and a transfercase added!. Gear it with 5.38 gears with detroit lockers, set of 37in Good year MTRs (6 of them) with a 12000 lb winch on front and a nice flatbed with roll bar. Add a Gear Vendors overdrive. Stay away from the E4OD trans junk, go 5speed ZF or better bolt in the later 6 speed with a cooler. My partner and I both have our own versions of these to pull our rock buggies. BTW we have new Dura max and powerstroke and cummins service trucks in our company, but these are our SHTF choice

 

[Harry Tuttle]

better get a Landmaster:

 

[Sean Cloherty]

Definitely been pining for a Pinzgauer. The diesel version would probably be the most flexible for fuel. The 4x4 can carry 1.5 tons and the 6x6 can carry 2.5 tons IIRC.

 

[T.Stahl]

SHTF hasn't exactly been an aspect when I chose my next car. But 78 mpg means that a 10L jerry can would be enough for the 300k drive home.

 

[Bravo11]

The SUV would have to be 4WD and V-8. It would be better to have the power and not need it than not have it and need it.
Most vehicles are designed to go around 300 miles on a tank its just that gas guzzlers need bigger tanks. The scenario would dicate gas availability you might have to commandeer fuel if it got real bad. Siphoning from abandoned vehicles etc. If it was rapture feel free to get gas from my rides.

 

[FPrice]

Harry Tuttle...

"better get a Landmaster:"

What WAS that movie? Jan Michael Vincent and George Peppard, right?

 

[JamisJockey]

Here's one

Check this out
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2452953549&category=6251
Looks like this one would be a project, but you get the idea. Van's have alot of cargo room, and a 4x4 conversion like this would be a great outdoors lifestyle vehicle, doubling as transportation after SHTF for the whole familia.

"better get a Landmaster:" What WAS that movie?

Damnation Alley
A quick net search for Landmaster coughed up a couple hits.
http://users.snowcrest.net/fox/landmaster/
and Damnation Alley
http://www.stomptokyo.com/badmoviereport/damnation_alley.html

 

[JamisJockey]

Biodiesel

Looks like a good resource for anyone with a diesel, or thinking about a diesel.

http://www.joshuatickell.com/products/publications/
If I understand the preface right, you can run straight veggie oil....which can be found in large quantities in any fast food joint, or resturant supply store. In a pinch, you roll into the abandonded Micky-dees, and fill your tank.....

 

[Vic303]

Save some money & buy a GOOD mountain bike, as in non-motorized. Easy maint, low profile, makes you LOOK like a treehugger, quiet, durable....gas will run out, but as long as you are alive (and not horribly injured, ok?) you can RIDE.

 

[hso]

Uhhh, Skunk, with a 15.3 gal fuel tank in your CRV and 22 mpg fuel efficiency all you need to do to get a 500 mile range is carry another 7 gal of gas with you.

A Ford F250 with the optional 38 gal tank and a 12 mpg fuel efficiency will just about get 500 miles on a single tank. Modify with a 55 gal tank and you get 600 miles. Add an auxilary tank and your up even more. Of course you need 38 to 50 gal to get that far compared to a piddly 22 gal in the CRV.

The hybrids are carrying 10 gal tanks and getting 50 mpg so you're looking at 500 mile ranges, but the Prius has the only carrying capacity to be practical for any purpose but commuting. If any time off the pavement is needed you'd have poor chances. That said, my wife's Prius climbs the upaved, hummocky excuse for a gravel driveway every day with little to no problem, but I wouldn't take it onto anything rougher than that.

EMPs aren't worth considering while unrest detours and earthquaked/flooded/mudded out roads are so I'd be looking at good mileage and good unpaved road capability.

Add a bike and trailer to the motorized vehicle and you're good to go.

 

[Dionysusigma]

Another vote for the horse(s).

 

[larry_minn]

Yep once I get family home I don't plan to go anywhere. Once wife gets back to MN that won't be a worry. I actually looked at possibility of being able to retrive wife if SHTF. Realized it is impossible if true SHTF. I can't carry enough fuel/time to realisticly make the round trip if roads/situation bad. Wife agreed that unless we had some comm. so she maybe could make it 500+miles to meet (how unlikely is that) I will have to trust she is safer with Air Force.
As was said unless you have a site set up you are SOL or will have to likely become a looter.

 

[Soap]

I'd want a top notch quarterhorse or an old Toyota Land Cruiser.

 

[R127]

The way I've always looked at it, except under particular conditions, it's better to offroad on 2wd, that way if you get stuck you can 4wd out of it. If you get stuck in 4wd, you're really stuck, in which case you probably need a winch. So, why not have a 2wd and a winch?

I've been kicking around the idea of Ford Ranger with a V8 shoehorned in, raised a bit, with a light/roll bar in the back along with bench seating and lvl IIIA panels afixed to the rollbar in the bed and a few key places around the cabin and engine bay, with a winch up front and a winch in the back. In FL mud is the real problem, and it seems lighter vehicles handle the mud better.

Hmmm..... sandrail.... OH YEAH!!!

 

[JamisJockey]

R127:
Sounds like you haven't offroaded much. The point is not getting stuck in the first place

Winches are pretty much a necessity for real wheeling, although a comealong and a snatch block can be lifesavers for those without. Nobody should venture offroad without a minimum of a comealong, shovel, snatch block, and snatch strap.

 

[R127]

I'll admit I haven't offroaded much. I used to a bit in my Bronco II which had a torquey 6cyl in it and some considerable ground clearance, but it was 2wd and I didn't have a winch so I never got too adventurous with it, just enough to know what its general capabilities were. Now I have a 17 year old Toyota, which does well on unpaved surfaces, I guess because it's so light, but I wouldn't dare take it through anything that looked chalenging at all. Some semi-loose dirt or grass is one thing, mud holes and palmettos is another!

Just the same, things get stuck a lot down here, because, well, we're a swamp. Even where the land has been drained to make room for retiring yankees that ground still wants to go back to being swamp any time it rains. It's one thing to handle rough terrain, it's another when you're sunk in to your bumper! There are vehicles that can handle it, however.

I kinda like this sandrail thing, might be what my Toyota turns into one day... they have 4-seat chasis for them. Oh yeah, I'm not sure if you could ever legally take it on the road, but a hovercraft would certainly be useful around here, given the, dare I say "diversity," of the terrain.

 

[Jim March]

THIS is the answer:

I'm not kidding. Easy motor to wrench on, lots of parts around, good milage, no water to freeze in winter or boil away in summer. In *both* the Russian and North African campaigns, the last German military vehicles that still ran were the Kubelwagons(sp?), which was basically the German military version of the same thing.

A proper Baja Bug with a mild engine can be set up for about $8k. That includes suspension mods and a modified tranny with the equivelent of "posi-traction" - one wheel spins out, it'll transfer power to the other.

These critters can go places. I had one years ago...33gal extended fuel tank up front, it had LONG legs.

Other issues: pull the back seats and you have monster cargo space back there. When camping, haul the passenger seat out, put boards down and a light camp matress and you've got a long bed-sized space inside the car, with room for two if they're friendly .

Things to have:

* Add-on oil filter mod and 2nd oil cooler, using screw-on aircraft-hose fittings (NOT hoseclamps - trust me!).

* Set of adapters allowing Chevy 5-bolt rims to work on VW hubs. Seriously expands your rim/tire options.

* 33Gal or more aftermarket gas tank .

* Cylinder head temp gauge connected to inner left (as you look forward) spark plug base.

* Off-road lights!!!

* If it's old enough, make sure it's converted to 12v.

* Extra coil, distributor, fuel pump.

* Put in a good inline fuel filter that can be taken apart and cleaned.

* Consider putting in an electric fuel pump in addition to the stock mechanical type. If the fuel filter clogs, hit the electric and boost pressure until you can clean it. Also bring a close-off plate to allow elimination of the mechanical pump and close off the engine block hole, although this can be fabricated in a pinch easily enough out of aluminum or even micarta plate.

 

[sm]

Jim forgot the part about the sealed bottom.

Lets just say there is some truth to the fact a stock VW will float across a body of water...yeah well the creek had risen and getting worse and we were on the wrong side... "Steve are you thinking what I'm afraid your are thinking"? grab another gear, "Hold on babe!...." aim, upstream splash...75 yds downsteam later we were on the side we needed to be on. Ok maybe the creek was a bit wider than I thought...

Jim them critters were great...still a bunch puttering around...

 

[Evil_Ed]

Go with a Hybrid Gas/Electric SUV. Ford has a new SUV due out later this year that will get around 40MPGon a hybrid platform. I think it's built on the escape or explorer frame. I would get one of those and a heavy duty rear rack for a dirtbike as a secondary vehicle.

 

[JamisJockey]

Go with a Hybrid Gas/Electric SUV.

Good luck repairing it on your own on the side of the road
For a standard, natural disaster or civil unrest Bug out, sure. Of course, I'll be curious to know how much water one could ford. My old cherokee, modified as it was, could go into the door handles as long as I kept moving

 

[JamisJockey]

See attached pic

 

[Frank5]

I think I would go with diesel power. I would be able to use heating oil and/or kerosene....& would be able to scavange fuel from abandoned/unsecured big rigs,buses, heavy equipment & locomotives.
There are lots of sources of diesel fuel/heating oil/kerosene. In a pinch you could use jet fuel. A kero heater would also be a good portable heat source that could be used indoors.

Railroad right of ways would be a good alternate escape route. You can actually buy maps of the RR. Check out railfan sites.

If however the government is still operating there's a good chance some trains might be running. A scanner would be a good idea (for more reasons than this) so you can listen for oncoming rail traffic. Your F 250 is no match for a train. Some knowledge of RR topics would be good.

 

[George Hill]

This has been a fun thread to follow. The VW Bug came out of nowhere... Nice rally car there... Love it. Would want to buy it, but I'd take it for a spin any time.

The XJ is a wonderful platform.... But let's no forget the other Jeep platforms... CJ5 on up. The new Liberty is nice, but doesn't impress me as being all that rugged. I think the ideal Jeep is a CJ-8 Scrambler with a hard top. I've seen a couple and they are just insane. It's like an XJ on crack, but not as good looking. The Grand Cherokees are like "The Dream" Jeep. Very nice, plush, and can be modded for extreme off-roading.

I've seen Denny's F250, and have to give it a nod... hard to argue with it. I watched it pack around 5 grinning SWAT shooters with all the gear and goodies... Lot's of capacity there. And the new Ford Super Duty trucks are even better.

Right now I have 2 Jeeps in the driveway, both XJ's. One is a 2.5 and the other is a V-6 - not the Jeep V-6 but a V-6 out of a Chevy S-10.