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Looking to buy a good post SHTF vehicle.

4K views 23 replies 20 participants last post by  Survival_Joe 
#1 ·
As of right now, my wife has her Nissan Sentra (good on gas, not for any terrain besides hard and flat) and I have my Jeep Wrangler (bad on gas, I can take it anywhere). I am leaving active duty in about eight months and we will be looking to buy a new vehicle sometime within the next 14-18 months. We are going to buy a pickup truck.

We need something that is reasonable on gas, but we aren't getting rid of her Sentra, so it's not as high a priority as other factors. For instance, we need the largest size cab for kids or other family. Crew Cab? King Cab? Whatever it's called.

So what do you guys think, brand-wise? Ford? Dodge? Chevy? Foreign? So far we are thinking Ford F-150. Father in law has one and it's done great by him. I also like that Ford didn't take the bailout.

I need something that will work it's ass off, chew up most terrain (I know I'm not climbing rocks like a Jeep) and have plenty of room in the cab and the bed.
 
#4 ·
Several considerations but with 4x4 and large cab needs, you might as well get something with a diesel. Extra tank in the bed and you have range as well as durability.

Of course that all depends on budget, thats why I still rely on my 12year old wrangler for my get it done vehicle. If money didn't factor in to the equation then I would spring for a F-250 4x4 crew cab diesel. (this option is a lot of money) It also depends on what you will use it for day to day because it's a beast of a vehicle and you can expect 14 mpg (give or take). The platform has to be heavy enough to haul what you need but as light as possible for fuel mileage. With a diesel, the mileage stays roughly the same no matter the load and with a 3/4 ton or larger truck you can extend your range easily with the bed tank, not so with a gas engine. Since you already have a wrangler you already know the limitations on range and storage on board.:eek:

I would choose diesel for the longe term storage of fuel (much easier than gasoline and safer) and the potential for changing to bio-diesel if needed when the supplies run thin. (you did say post shtf vehicle) It's all about money in the end I suppose. Good luck.
 
#5 ·
I am running a 97 Landover been fixing it disco 1's have an all steel body and a generally simple electric system. I modified the front sunroof to open on hinges to the front so you can stand up in it. It is a beast I lined the battery compartment with kevlar I had lying around and am working on armoring the radiator. I paid 2500 and it only had 1k on it
 
#6 ·
OP im with you on the Ford. I used to drive a E-350 diesel van for work and loved it. Drove it hard (city deliveries) 10 hours a day, 5 days a week and fully loaded with cargo. Only problem was the CEL light kept turning on because of carbon fouling on a sensor and it also went through brakes pretty fast due to the stop/go nature of delivery driving.

Id probably buy a Ford truck before all others but Ive had my eye on the Toyota and Nissans too. I used to own a 94 Pathfinder and that little 4x4 gave me new respect for Japanese trucks.
 
#12 ·
The thread title indicates that you are looking for a vehicle independent of industrial infrastructure. That means that you should be considering the best type of horse-drawn wagon or another vehicle that requires only basic tools for repair and needs fuel available without industry. I
suggest that you consider the Chinese wheelbarrow Which can use both wind and animal power. Wood gas vehicles are practical as well, but I advise a vehicle with as low a compression rate as you can find. A Ford Model A or equivalent would be ideal.

A modern car or truck is useless for your purpose. You can have fashionable or you can have postapocalyptic, but you cannot have both in the same vehicle. There should be food for thought in the following to articles.

http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2011/12/the-chinese-wheelbarrow.html

http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2010/01/wood-gas-cars.html
 
#16 ·
Find a vehicle that can be fixed locally and you can find parts locally.
Everyone is probably tired of me saying this, but square body Chevys are the way go IMO. Cheap to buy, parts are cheap, easy to fix, and no computers. Basically everything is interchangeable, from engines to axles to body panels, and there are tons on the road and in parts yards. They are obviously a bit rough around the edges compared to a $50k new truck, and if that bothers you a new SUV might the way to go. But for low cost, off road performance, simplicity and reliability there is no question.

Over 100 million Chevy small blocks have been produced to date, and IMO it is one of the best engines ever designed. I get ~14mpg out of mine, but it is tired and desperately in need of a rebuild and my truck has a huge spare tire tied to the roof. You know, for better aerodynamics.

Some were also sold with diesels in the early 80s, if that's your thing. Less power but better mileage than the gas motors.


Of course if it's a post grid down shtf event any gas or diesel run vehicle will be useless or at least have very limited use .
Also this. Have enough gas to get where you're going and wait for everything to calm down. If it doesn't, then dont plan on driving for too much longer.
 
#14 ·
Not extremely difficult. Find something old enough to have a carburetor and manual transmission. Post normal you likely won't worry much about annual vehicle inspection so a wiring harness isn't the top priority. We would all like to have the biggest baddest 4x4 but I think transportation will be the most desirable thing. Old VW beetle, old pickup, maybe an old wrecker or school bus. Motorcycle is also good. Work the mechanicals over and get a few spares of critical parts. Everything is a trade off, you have to decide. An old duece and a half with a hydraulic winch and multi fuel capable would be a great choice, they can run used oils as fuel.
 
#17 ·
Doesn't it depend on what type of SHTF event you are planning for ? If general society / financial system collapse, major geologic trauma (earthquake, giant meteor impact, tsunami) or some extreme weather event then conventional vehicles be they diesel or gas would be on the list of options. But if solar flare (coronal mass ejection) or man-made EMP - nothing made after about 1973 is going to run according to what I've read. If anyone has some hard data on EMP effects on modern vehicle electronics systems, I'd love to hear about that.
 
#18 ·
I have had many fords and many chevy trucks. I've never had to replace an engine or transmission in the Chevys. I have only had one ford outlive any of my chevys in terms of mileage, but that one was used as a commuter and only driven by a 50 year old female. No towing or off road ever for that ford, and it had the 5.4. It lasted 400k but went through 2 transmissions.

We've had a total of four half ton chevys with the 5.3L, and one 90s chevy with the 5.7L. The 2001 suburban has 350k miles on it and ALL of it has been towing a 7,000lb boat, a 10,000lb trailer full of wood, and a 29' camper. Same original engine and transmission. No major work other than getting the brake lines repaired after they rusted through. Just tires, brakes, and oil. Wheel bearings once. The rest is all as-assembled.

We've had 4 fords so far. 2 of them had the 4.6 2v (F150 4x4s). One had the 5.4 2v. The other was a mustang cobra with a 4.6 4v. They all died well before 200k except the 5.4L truck driven by grandma every day long trips on the highway and never towing. Cracked pistons in one, blown transmission one, and the cobra developed a knock at 110k but that doesn't count since it was designed for speed not durability.

My advice, don't get an Ecoboost truck if you want long term durability. They might work well for the first 100k miles, but so does pretty much anything. Those trucks are blowing up at rates never seen before in this industry. Its retarded. The point of a truck is to have a big overbuilt V8 and a transmission that will never die.

**** gas mileage. 2 extra MPG doesn't save you a dime if you have to replace the engine as often as the ecoboost guys do. That's a city slicker's truck.

If this is purely a SHTF vehicle, heres a list of what you need to look at:
- Army Duck (amphibious and big enough to live inside of if you have to be on the water a while)
- Deuce-and-a-half (multi-fuel engine means you can burn pretty much anything that is made of oil, and they're indestructible)
- Bicycle (won't run out of fuel, navigates obstacles that would stop a vehicle, quiet, sneaky, easy to fix, 7x faster than walking, can still outrun bad guys who are on-foot or in a vehicle that can't pass the same obstacles as you, again they're sneaky too)

- Any old GM truck that has a V8. Even the 90s TBI trucks can be converted to carburetor really easily. No electronic control of transmission or any **** like that. They're durable and not vulnerable to EMP, but require less upkeep than the really old old vehicles that have points-ignition and burn through alternators and brakes and have archaic fussy carbs with evap vacuum tubes running everywhere.
 
#19 ·
I've had the opposite experience. Anything with 700R4 has given up the transmission ghost at about 125k miles every time. Never had a towing problem with my Fords. 5.4 liter and 3.5 Eco. The Ecoboost would run off and hide from my 5.4l. Faster, better mileage and towed much better. Granted nothing over 70k on it but up to that point it was fantastic with up to 9000 lbs even in the Texas summer.

My next NEW truck will be a Dodge Cummins 3500, the next day I'll buy momma a new F150 3.5l Ecoboost. It'll pull anything I need a half ton to pull and more.

But back to the 3yo OP. SHTF truck... get a UNIMOG. Next, a 2.5 from the goverment. Next, any 4x4 v8 pickup with carb.

NGH
 
#23 ·
If your looking at a ford you should look into there known problem of the supports under the bed rotting. Some years are also known for spark plugs blowinf out or getting stuck in the head.
Landrover? Cmon i think he wants a reliable vehicle and said a pickup.
Toyota pickups are prety good but your going to pay. But they also have high resale value.
As far as good post SHTF nothing beats a 95-98 dodge cummins. Not because its a dodge (they suck) its because there all mechanical.
 
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