Best SHTF Vehicle (consumer-grade, within reason)?

[eldirector]

I suppose I have a bio-weapon defense vacuum cleaner, too.

Its all in the marketing!

 

[ArcadiaGP]

 

[cmr13]

Another person's input:

[video=youtube;JTJXaxROOuE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTJXaxROOuE[/video]

Basically comes down to "get something that will work but doesn't stand out".

 

[Bhart89]

http://youtu.be/USHGxDp10D0

 

[vitamink]

[video=youtube_share;vH3dkMQ8n2Y]http://youtu.be/vH3dkMQ8n2Y[/video]
bobbed duece. Better gas mileage than a Prius as you can run them on cooking oil, transmission fluid, used motor oil etc. bulletproof transmission and up to 40" tires for around $5,000

 

[BigMatt]

Last winter during 1 of the 2 heavy snows we got I was with a gf in hammond. The city was having a difficult time keeping up with snow removal so side streets were 2nd teer.

All it took to shut the road down and making it completely impassable was that leroy with dubs trying to go down the road and he would inevitably get very stuck. He was alone, improperly dressed for conditions and didn't travel with a snow shovel. He would rock the car when he could, push from the A pillar and sometimes even get a neighbor to help but to no avail. After 15 mins he would abandon his ride, right there in the middle of the street, a car being parked on each side most times.

Now that portion of the block has to reroute, including fire and ems. This happened everyday.

I doubt your Cherokee is gonna push a grand marquis out of the way under such conditions. Full size trucks might.

I would consider traveling down railway sidings before taking highways were you exfil-ling out of a large city. I've already pulled railway maps off the net for such contingencies.

My area doesn't see too many people get stuck. If they do, I can just go around.

 

[ghuns]

[video=youtube_share;vH3dkMQ8n2Y]http://youtu.be/vH3dkMQ8n2Y[/video]
bobbed duece. Better gas mileage than a Prius as you can run them on cooking oil, transmission fluid, used motor oil etc. bulletproof transmission and up to 40" tires for around $5,000

A bobbed, lifted deuce sportin 46in Michelins in on my bucket list of vehicles.

 

[vitamink]

I just got back from Wright Patterson AFB. I got to play with some 5tons. They make you feel like you're climbing into an 8 story building. I'd bob one of those in a heartbeat. No multifuel engine though

 

[indiucky]

I like these guys but then again I think a revolver in .357 magnum with a matching lever gun in the same caliber is a good SHTF system....

 

[vitamink]

 

[Bearclaw]

Anybody have a Nissan Xterra? They seem to be reasonable priced. The top of the line is right around $33k.

I just got an 06 and love it. I had a 99 Jeep Grand with a 2.5 inch lift and the Xterra can take larger tires and sit just a high as stock. It ride so much better. The cargo space is larger too. There a a lot of spaces to hide stuff too. The top cargo area can hold tool and the area under the inside cargo area is reat for a bug out bug and even an extra firearm or two.

 

[10mmfan]

Crew cab dodge ram 4x4 with cummins diesel engine or gmc or chevy suburban.

 

[SchwansManDan]

My F350 with a 7.3 will do 475 + miles on a tankfull, add the extra fuel tank/ toolbox in the back that holds 90 more gallons I can get to anyone in my family I need to get to.

I really like my F150 SuperCrew 4x4. Quieter than a diesel, lots of them on the road around here, and comfy seating for six plus cargo.

Driving range is about 600 miles on a full (36 gallons) tank, and it can run gas or E85. My last tank averaged 18+ mpg with a mix of 65 mph cruising on US30, stop and go traffic on Chicago streets, and 75-80 mph driving on the expressways in the Chicago area.

Consumer grade. Affordable, if you buy a used one in decent shape. Good 4WD capability for off road or bad weather driving.

 

[csaws]

Let's say you're ready to buy a new vehicle... what's the ideal consumer-level car/truck/etc for a SHTF-minded person? A big truck, some jeep, something else?

Asking for something within reason... a humvee isn't "consumer grade" in my mind. Something you'd pay no mind to if you saw it on the highway every day.

What do you consider a good SHTF vehicle, INGO?

None of the New stuff will be worth a crap come SHTF. You need old school with as much mechanical stuff as possible, no power, no computer crap, no frills. Simple is easy.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

I'm with 6mm on bugging in. I'm getting too old to take an ass whooping or being forced to run great distances kindly; not that it can't happen just not much interest in that sort of thing.

If forced to go I'm thinking something like my Class A RV (kitchen, bath, water, generator) towing my '79 CJ7 (packed with camping gear and supplies) with my Honda XR-650R (6.5gal safari tank) on the back. I could go a long way into nowhere where I can stop and then sit there with nothing.

Living like Tarzan doesn't have the same appeal as it did when I was 10. Especially in a land with winter.

Not having a "bug out plan" means that you either intend to survive in place - or die in place if circumstances make life untenable at your "bug in " location. Even if it's your Last Resort, you should have some sort of evacuation plan because: your house could be destroyed (fire/tornado/earthquake/artillery fire), you could experience a "1000 year" flood and have your home destroyed - or rendered unlivable - that way, your "neighbors" could make your home fortress untenable, the political situation (resource confiscation, forced relocation) could turn sour, you could run out of food/water.

As far as having a bug out vehicle, we should keep in mind the situation that obtained when Katrina was bearing down on the Gulf Coast. Evacuation was ordered and people left willingly, but a four-hour drive from the coast to Shreveport in northern Louisiana took 18 hours. If you aren't the first ones out of the urban area and into the country, you had probably better not count on the "475" miles a full tank will normally give you - extra fuel onboard will probably be a necessity.

Add to that, if you have to evacuate an area for whatever reason, you should probably have a backup plan - either another vehicle (bicycle/motorcycle/atv) or plan on continuing via "shanks mare" - and your bugout loads had better be arranged accordingly. If you have a breakdown, or if traffic gets irretrievably snarled, or if the road/bridge is impassible you MAY have to abandon your vehicle and proceed on foot (or via your backup). If you aren't prepared to do these things, you may end up "dying in place" anyway.

Or you MAY get lucky and sail through. Anyone like to count the odds of that happening?

 

[Blackhawk2001]

Great vehicles, but you'd better have plenty of spare fuel and oil; mileage sucks on those big trucks.

 

[Thor]

Not having a "bug out plan" means that you either intend to survive in place - or die in place if circumstances make life untenable at your "bug in " location. Even if it's your Last Resort, you should have some sort of evacuation plan because: your house could be destroyed (fire/tornado/earthquake/artillery fire), you could experience a "1000 year" flood and have your home destroyed - or rendered unlivable - that way, your "neighbors" could make your home fortress untenable, the political situation (resource confiscation, forced relocation) could turn sour, you could run out of food/water.

I am not unfamiliar with the possibilities, and I don't live in a large urban area. Home site selection for flood plain (outside the 500yr), defend-ability and survivability were part of our cross check when we built this place. So since I'm prepped in place the question becomes run to where and do what? By the time I'm done I'm pretty sure my neighbors will either be dead or part of my group...or I'll be dead.

If the flood is really that bad I'm going to have to use my boat to get out anyway and it's going to be a looong paddle to find dry land.

 

[Thor]

Great vehicles, but you'd better have plenty of spare fuel and oil; mileage sucks on those big trucks.

I doubt that's the kind of thing that sneaks up on you...

 

[ArcadiaGP]

None of the New stuff will be worth a crap come SHTF. You need old school with as much mechanical stuff as possible, no power, no computer crap, no frills. Simple is easy.

What would be the most modern, non-computer truck/SUV/jeep?

 

[eldirector]

I would daily-drive that beast. Wife thinks I'm nuts.

I suppose I have 2 BOV's. The little Jeep TJ doesn't have the storage space to take much, but would work well in many situations (much better in deep snow than most vehicles). The pickup truck is better suited for taking stuff with us. I could probably take all our gear, food, and clothes in one trip, if I had time to pack.

Lots of reasons to "bug out", too. Not just TEOTWAWKI. My wife and I "bugged out" during an ice storm that knocked out power to our apartment complex. Packed bags, and stayed with her parents for a couple of days. The 4x4 (an S-10 Blazer, at the time) was AWESOME to have that winter. Folks were trapped in (or out) of the complex, because a bridge was iced over. No one could make it up the grade, but the Blazer (in 4-lo) idled up and over. The city salt truck was sitting at the bottom, unable to drive up. I think they going to spread salt by shovels.

My only advice is to get something that can "get around" without too much trouble. Gas efficient, or extended range, is useful. Big enough to take at least SOME stuff with you. EMP-resistant is nice, but that narrows your choices exponentially (I guess that would be log [SUB]choices[/SUB]). There are tons of not-unlikely reason to get out (fire, flood, storm damage, chemical spills, riots, etc...), so have a plan to pack/grab your bags and get someone safer.