One of the Subaru all wheel drive wagons/SUV for any weather on-road use and light off-road good weather use.

 

Go Jeep and you'll never look back.

 

Consider a deuce and a half. Averages less than $5k in most instances. Mpg is about 10 mpg. But you can carry at least 50 gals of diesel. Yeah, it's NOT for everyone. But it WILL go almost every where you need it to.

 

There was one of those in our local paper last week. Ran when parked: $800 obo.

 

Look for something low key (meaning it blends in) and low tech (meaning you can fix it). If you want something with alot of interior space GM has made some decent AWD mini vans (Astro) that can be upgraded with motor mods and interior mods to do anything you want in an urban setting. Best thing is they are totally invisible to the hoards.

Subaru makes good AWD wagons if you want something newer. While they are more high tech that could work for someone without mechanical abilities.

Nissan and Toyota both make super-reliable small SUVs. Buy one about 10 years old and save some $$$. The Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee is also a good platform.

DON'T paint it camo! Don't add a bunch of 'look at me' off road mods that attract attention. Good tires are a must (including a spare). Some maufactures make large capacity fuel tanks for some vehicles. May want to look into that. Roof racks can add alot of storage space in an emergency, just do't load anything onto it that makes you a target for hoardes or law enforcement.

Just some thoughts...

 

no dont get an astro they are junk.. you dont need 4x4 unless you plan on going off road even then you be suprized were you can go i took my 05 honda civic reverb (body kit so its lower) up a loging road and i past several people who got stuck in big jacked up 4x4 i kid you not i was laughing my ass off as i passed them in a low car 2 days off the lot.. the key is slow.. go slow go around the rocks approch the ruts at an angle.. now what i went up and what i could of done in the truck that they got stuck would be alot better but the thing is you have to know how to drive it even 2 wheel drive will get you up most things in a truck 4x4 is nice if you have hills you are climbing.. but it depends on what type of roads you are going to drive on.. in the city with gas price a car is way more econmical plus if you keep the tank full you can go about the same distance of a truck but instead of paying 80 a tank you pay 40 a tank.. my parents used to drive a nissan 04 pathfinder and they were paying 200 bucks a week easy to drive to work if you have a cabin you can always just park the truck there and use it for geting firewood i know a few people that do that.. depends on were you live and do you need the truck if your not going to use the bed or the off road with it doesnt really make sence to get it

i like gm trucks they last a long time i used to work in as a macanic for a while they are easy to fix and relable so are the toyota trundra if you going car the toyota crollola or even a honda civic is a good relalbe vechile my dad went from pathfinder the toyota prius got tired of it being so gut less and slow but its really relable and good 800km on a tank that costs 40 then he got the camery hybrid same range 800km just 50 a tank so its a bigger car bit more gas good millage and is rellable..

 

If it´s a suggestion, I´ll give my .2 euros.
1) Flat color: grey, green, dark blue, or some other "don´t look at me, I´m not even here" color
2) roof rack or box, only to use it in extreme need.
3) Not luxury, but a spartan interior: hand crank windows, leather seats, and alike. Maintenance issues.
4) forget alloy wheels, mud tires (just if you think you could have to go off road to avoid a potentially dangerous situation)
5) Radio (the choice is yours, go to the commo threads)
6) automatic transmission - A kid, woman, or an elder can drive it, and you could if your left ankle broke or got a shot, or...whatever, you got the idea.
7) Depending on your area, and the conditions of the road to your retreat: 4x4.
8) Brand? Toy, Mitsu or Nissan. I´m overcoming anything with Detroit scents on it.
9) Buy SUV before a Minivan. Off road behavior is QUITE different.
10) dark Tinted windows (avoid a super duper stereo, please. You are surviving in an urban environment)
11) Front (perhaps even rear) guards in case of a gang in a car next, or in front of you, trying to block.
12) A MEDIUM, powerful enough engine. Just in case you have to ride over an smaller car with some UZIs and pistols non friendly holders. Should be fun. If you have the chance to do it and survive, please send some pictures later.
13) Diesel if speed is not that important to you. You could convert it later, if things really gets fanned, to work with WVO. And are MUCH reliable than some gas engines out there. issues?...mm..noisy and smelly.
14) don´t get anything with stickers (or just peel it off), even if they´re pretty funny. If a police or soldier notes it, and funny enough, their will keep it in their minds and could go to surface in the less adequate moment.

 

jeep jeep jeep jeep jeep jeep jeep jeep, when you absolutly, posatively have to bug out, accept no substatutes.

 

How about an old AMC Eagle. They are very similar to the Subaru's in that they are AWD and a wagon, but they don't have all that high tech crap to break. I'd love to get one myself but my cars are all running just fine and I don't dump a running car.

 

thats true eagles are awsome you can still find them with very little rust even in the rust belt. there is a front end part, i forget which one, that goes bad and you cannot get, so be careful. and they never got good mileage mid teens if your lucky. my mommy had one when i was a kid it was cool.

 

Old american cars are just not good idea (IMHO) unless you´re a experienced mechanically skilled person. I´d get stuck to japanese suvs under 10 years old and basic spare parts with good, proven maintenance RECORD

 

Let me know if you all see an AMC javelin....

 

thats a BOV for mad max

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DUKW
this what i always dream of. it all wheel drive and you can drive on the water. you dont have to worry about rivers and lakes. you can fish out of it as well. i wont to turn into a camper. what a hunting vehical.

 

yeah the 4 mpg, 40 mph top speed, 600 ft turning radius, and 2.5 inches of ground clearance might hamper your travel a little.

 

go for a older toyota tacoma or a nissan hardbody, and you'll be set, its always good to have a truck, never know when you'll need to haul something. and 4 cyclinder trucks are cheaper on gas, easier to work on usually and those trucks you can find tons of parts for.

 

i would say get a manual tranny car cause if your battery dies you can push start it.
however like greg5791 said if your left ankle is shot shifting might be a problem. and the not knowing how to drive a manual thing thats why you teach them how to drive a manual. and if your talented enough you can still shift with only one foot by hit'n the gas to jump the revs while in neutral and then push the clutch in with your gas foot and shift all before the revs drop.its just about as had as heel toe'n your shifts to match rev but with a lil practice it can be done. course i'm not practicing what i preach cause kathy still doesn't know how to drive my honda accord 5 speed beater form hell "love that P.O.S. car"

 

Isuzu trooper, older model with diesel engine. Blends in well, decent offroad performance, the diesel is versatile and can burn improvised fuel when needed. (biodiesel, etc.) Also you can find small isuzu/nissan trucks with diesel motors, 200k miles and still kickin' My father in law has sold several in the past.

I would say that a dirtbike that is street legal would be ideal for deep urban environments for supreme mobility in heavy traffic/gridlock from evacuations, etc. Limited capacity is a trade-off though.

 

you have to make up your own mind, asking this question on here is like asking "what do you own?" everybody has a favorite BOV. somebody driving a KIA RIO will say its a great BOV. there are lots of factors. i like simple, plentiful, and capable. to me that means old, carbed, american iron. i like 4x4. jeeps are great, chevy dodge ford pickups and SUV's are great. maybe a carbed toyota. i dont like foriegn, that 4 cyl engine gets 15 MPG like the v-8's do and has no balls. they may break less, but when they do the part costs 5x as much. after tshtf, go into a junk yard and find some parts for your izuzu. my chevy, you can guess whats wrong as you drive it, and looking under the hood you can SEE whats wrong. simple effective. that is all.

 

I would have to agree with this. After working in the auto parts business for over 9 years, I'd have to say the cheapest vehicle to own is a late '70s and back Chevy pickup. Starter? $30 with trade in. Same with the alternator. Water pump? $20 the last time I checked. Buy $150 worth of spare parts and as long as you've got gas and some tools, you'll go forever. (Provided you don't break an axle or trans case)

 

I'd like one of these:

But I have a jeep and a couple full size vans.

 

oh you said urban, you wait at the bus stop like every other city slicker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahahahaha

 

 

Seriously, the best urban survival vehicle is one you don't care too much about. In a riot situation, it's going to get beat up. Which reminds me- It should be a sedan- a big one. 4 doors means everyone gets in and out safely and quickly. Heavy means it's going to take more people and more time to rock it over on it's roof. Big means that a quick stomp on the skinny pedal will give people in your way incentive to move.

My wife's Geo Tracker is dependable, good on gas, and has 4WD. but it's small and has a soft top. Not good in your average riot situation.

 

i used to drive a nissan hardbody .i got hit by a kid it was totaled .but oh wow what a great little truck .i added some good AT tires then later mud tires .never had any problems going where i wanted to go .. not to say i needed to go there lol ..was a really good little truck great 4x4 . also if any of you have drive a big truck you dont ussally shift useing the clutch after 1st gear ..you dont have to use the clutch if you dont want too. after putting it 1st ,same goes for a reg type pick up truck ..

 

Jeep Liberty with the off road and towing package. Nice and small with lots of potential, pig on gas though.

 

I would have to go with a manual shift transfer case, manual transmission, and a carb. Not the most fuel efficient or fastest but you can work on them with basic tools and scrounge parts at the junk yard. Oh, I like jeeps myself.

 

I'm seriously considering a VW vanagon. They can be found fairly cheap on Ebay and sometimes locally. They have (depending on year) a working stove,sink folding seat/bed, pop-up top for additional sleeping and much more. Its a really cool ride that some have upgraded to all terrain vehicles. Check the link below. Sadly they stopped making them (at least for the states).


http://www.vanagon.com/

Check some better pictures here
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/cat.php?id=55

 

I own one of these, and I think it is a great combination of economy and utility.

They are excellent vehicles with a little work. They are made for small displacement 4 cylinder engines, so the gas mileage is outstanding for a van (23ish). They actually make an awd version called a syncro, and all of them have a very stable off-road capable suspension/chasis. Syncros are not cheap though, so if you buy one, buy a fixer-upper.

The water cooled engines are not the greatest if improperly maintained, but there are lots of good engines that can easily be swapped in that are a bit more powerful/resilient. The best thing to do is buy a good strong running non-camper, and a camper that is not running, and use the mechanically sound vanagon as a parts donor.

You can expect to end up paying about 5-6 grand, and get a vehicle that is worth about 16 grand when restored (ritzy snowbirds like to buy fully restored vanagons). Plus you'll have a non-running engine as a rebuild core, and you can keep your van running for decades on the cheap. This is a mechanically very simple vehicle, that is very easy for one person to work on. Some of the parts can be a little steep if you do not look around enough, and that is a negative, but on the whole, it is a very useful/reliable/economical vehicle. I recommend it.

 

urban is the word

An "Urban" survival car should be a car wich once parked up at the side of the street in a city does not call your attention. No bumper stickers. No shiny wheels, not custom bright colors. Grey and sober. Ugly, if you want. tinted windows (paper will help if someone tries to brake the window). No fancy stereo. No expensive tires, unless you need it really. But make sure all the mechanics are good and the tank full. All fluids should have replacement in a little box in the trunk. Some water and high energy or canned foods for some 2-3 days, depends on your needs, and extra clothes, all this densely packaged because you don´t need someone asking "what´s that for?? (duh)" when sees inside the trunk. Make sure it´s a dead reliable engine and transmission. Second would be the electric sytem: some good arrangements for engine/trans are not good electrically speaking. I like mechanical pump in my cars, but mine´s electrical; because could not find such arrangement in a new car; and I´ve got one with a "chain" and sprocket instead of a "belt" drive timing, reason? reliability. This was preferrable to me than the gas pump. I can throw a brand new pump in the trunk and if needed can replace it in a hurry myself. Bad news is that if the pump goes bad car won´t start, but don´t care. Have a spare car, this is already in my plan and I´ll be the scout in my bike. Rigth now it´s more important reliability and low, cost affordable maintenance. I would say forget about performance. It´s better (to me) to be able to keep a low, safe pace, than run like a crazy in some V8 and be chased for some thugs.

 

I'd have to keep with the Jeep, Jeep, Jeep, Jeep, Jeep, Jeep....
My bro had a 88 Cherokee, and we beat that thing to hell and back! Someone mentioned a duck, and while that will work with a lake, crossing your average river can be done with some scouting before you drive in. His would run with water past the floorboards. We even ramped it over a dike once. The thing seriously wouldn't die. His had the 4.0L straight six. It would run all most anywhere, take it to the highway, and you could run to 100 MPH plus. This was totally stock too. No big tires, No lift.... just pure Jeep!

On a side note, I'm currently looking for a 4 door Cherokee with a GM 2.8 and a 5 speed, the motor need not be good....

 

A word to the wise, don't get the 2.8! To much emmisions junk and no power. I have owned and driven jeeps. You will get the same mpg, more power, easier to work on, and better reliability with the 4.0. Also better parts availability. If you don't belive me good luck first time you try to track down a vacume leak. I swear that 2.8 motor has more hoses then any other out there.

I currently drive a lifted grand cherokee. Might look at the grands, usually easier to find one that hasn't been 4 byed. Better comfort too. A little bit of a sleeper as most of these are soccer mom rigs. mine is damn near unstopable.

Good luck
Jeff