What's a good y2k vehicle to buy?

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Just read a post about someone driving around with a bunch of food or other supplies. This made me think a little ahead. Since I am not going to lease another car next summer but rather buy a cheap y2k vehicle for the duration, what would be the best vehicle type to consider? I have a motorcycle for quick runs around the neighborhood and other two passenger trips. O.K. for trying to move quick and light but not much else. We are in the burbs. A 4 wheeler is probably not going to be especially useful unless one is in a more rural area. Of course, the snow factor we contend with here is another factor calling for 4wd. If no plowing going on, still something to consider I quess.

Maybe a van would be the best deal? Large storage. Living quarters in a pinch. Is it even worth thinking about hardening?

How about a 12 ft. straight job or a small bus or (???)? Anything that was "acceptable" transporation for a short period during normal conditions but would turn into an asset, post y2k. And, what are the best vehicles and the conditions and situations in which they could shine?

TIA for the thoughts.

Me.

-- Floyd Baker (fbaker@wzrd.com), November 19, 1998

Answers

The trendy elite will be driving one vehicle and one only this TEOTWAWKI, namely the `99 model M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank. This luxury vehicle sits six in comparative comfort, although two entire squads (!!!!) may ride on the outside of the vehicle.

Technically a convertible, the M1A1 allows the vehicle commander and his driver to stand up and enjoy the sun and all the other warm pleasures of summer, such as molotov cocktails, flamethrowers, fire arrows and incendiary explosives.

As well as great handling and fuel economy (11 gallons to the mile!), the M1A1 makes its user the life of the party with a 120mm cannon capable of firing YOUR CHOICE of high explosive, antipersonnel, HESH, HEAT or armor-piercing rounds! As an added bonus, the manufacturers have included three 7.62mm heavy machine guns on the vehicle, allowing the whole family to join the fun. And, to make your TEOTWAWKI experience even more pleasurable, there is also a grenade launcher guaranteed to have those scavenging scumbags off your back in no time!

But the best is yet to come: despite being a luxury vehicle, the M1A1 will pay for itself! Yes, that is right, with this stylish organ of destruction YOU TOO will be able to attack survivalists and others with food, fuel, and ammunition! Immune to just about anything those puny weaklings can throw at it, the M1A1 is truly the vehicle of tomorrow! (And as an added bonus: the tracks are great for the compression of such things as food, medicine, and prisoners!)

So buy now for the discount price of only $2,999,999.95, before demand for these luxury vehicles runs out completely.

(n.b. Some people believe that there will not be a complete TEOTWAWKI and that your brand new M1A1 will be redundant after only a couple of years! This is not true; your M1A1 is great in urban traffic, and its top speed of 40 kph makes it an ideal contender in any racing circuit you could name- that weight exists for a 120mm reason!)

-- Leo (leo_champion@hotmail.com), November 20, 1998.


Would it be safe to assume, Leo, you had a G.I. Joe when you were growing up?

-- Johnny (imagine@givepeace.a.chance), November 20, 1998.

Thanks for the chuckle, Leo.

-- Bill S. (Bill_S3@juno.com), November 20, 1998.

Hunt around for a 198X or 199X toyota SR5 pickup truck, 4X4 probably best, with less than 50,000 or 75,000 miles on it. Acquire either one of the U-haul aluminum boxes for the back of the truck, or build a rear box. The mounting won't be a problem because if the vintage is right, the US made bed will have found its way elsewhere. Or the removal of same will be child's play. As far as the power train is concerned, the 20R or 22R engines are effective bomb proof (I have had 2, both ran upwards of 120,000 miles on about 6 oil changes, basically one every 18 months whether it needed it or not!)

The Toy truck can, however, with minor modifications be outfitted with the small block 8 from GM. Basically, a transverse pipe for mounting engine, grind the flywheel (I think!) flat faced and re- drill the tranny case plate. NOT a HUGE task but I'd want a qualified mechanic to help.

If you are REALLY adventurous, you can stretch the frame about 3 feet infront of the rear wheels and another foot or two behind them and build yourself a REAL box for the back. Of course, you'll have to stretch the drive train, but.....

(PS I actually have seen one of the 8 cyl conversions. he was towing a really impressive 5th wheel trailer with it. Had a Bulldog on the hood and delighted in blowing semi truck drivers minds by blowing their doors off!!) (OH YEAH You get to remove part of one front wheel interior cowl, and this is NOT a 4wd conversion)

CR

-- Chuck a Night Driver (rienzoo@en.com), November 20, 1998.


Friends, Leo's postings are all sarcastic. The best vehicle for y2k or any other year for that matter, anything Japanese, will not let you down. My Honda was made in the year of the emperor 7, in the year 2991 it may have a roll-over problem or sooner with my driving!

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 20, 1998.


Yeah right, Richard, I'm always sarcastic.

Whatever you say.

;)

--Leo

-- Leo (leo_champion@hotmail.com), November 20, 1998.


More seriously, I'd consider buying a dirt bike. The things are light, consume very little fuel, can go at high speed across rough terrain without making a lot of noise. I think the military uses them on some long-range recon missions (I read somewhere that they were used by the Scud-hunters in Desert Storm), so they can't be utterly useless. And they'll cover fifty times the ground per gallon as a big jeep would.

Maybe you could even consider a reliable pushbike? I get around locally on one of those (no hassle parking) and once rode from Sydney to Canberra and back just to prove it could be done; it can. They eat no fuel, they're silent and with the right tyres can handle any terrain except sand. Mechanically you can learn them inside-out in a course that takes less than 2 hours. If you're planning for a scenario that would last more than a year, buy a bike. Hell, buy one anyway, they're cheap and they're good exercise.

--Leo

(by the way, I *never* had a GI Joe as a kid. Did play with a lot of Lego, though.)

-- Leo (leo_champion@hotmail.com), November 20, 1998.


This may not be right to do, but I lifted an answer from another forum. It deals with the right kind of veicle to buy, another perspective:

A word of advice...to those covering a long distance to "vacation"(permanent)property. If possible, buy older truck, RV to make trip. Example: I will use 73 GMC 1 ton with 11' Dreamer camper..454..lots of spare gas cans on top of rig. Why? Older means easier to maintain, repair. Bigger motor means more power to haul..forget about milege, irrelevent if this is last time you'll drive this distance, just go down to store, KMART or WALMART etc and purchase many 5 gallon gas cans, cheap and on the fly. My camper has a 5,000lb load capacity on roof---plus a strong trailer hitch. If you have to, pull your fuel and supplies start out like you'll have minimumn fuel stops. Also, campers and RV'S offer excellent shelter along the way as well as substitute should your destination not pan out. If you have a pricey luxery car SELL IT and get something PRACTICAL. B-MERS and Lexus look great on those winding car commercials but they offer lousy shelter and they simply arent built to haul/tow. Go with a GM or Ford Utility chassis (commonality of parts will be at a premium). good luck all

-- Lurker (nubee@theschool.com), November 20, 1998.


Leo, where are your poems. We don't use the expression "yeah right" in the UK, don't know what it means, don't care. Anyway what are you doing to fix y2k.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 20, 1998.

Watch "The Road Warrior" and take your pick.

Get a small Jap 4x4 truck with low miles, they last forever. A mountian bike with some spare tubes would be good to have around. Maybe one of those ATV's, good on gas, go anywhere?

I like the tank idea. Be a good one to have parked in the driveway.

-- Bill (bill@microsoft.com), November 20, 1998.



Consider getting a snowmobile, used one, if you're in a heavy snow area. Even a 4x4 is in trouble after a snow blizzard.

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), November 20, 1998.

Floyd,

My little 'ole SAAB is over 300,000 miles and has seen some of the bumpiest dirt roads around. There was this adventure on Navajo land, with their permission ... (later story). That car has taken me everywhere!

My dream car would be some kind of 4x4 with a 2x2 capability and snow chains. Carry a mountain bike on a rack, tent, camping gear and remember you can only go so far a the gas holds out, and the parts keep working. Then you either make a base camp or continue with the bike. Little pull cart for bike? Get your maps -- road and topo -- early. Carry lot's of water, purifier and collapsable bucket. Later I'll share my "mobile" supplies wish list.

Does anyone know if a small portable generator would allow one to pump gas out of standars non-operational gas pumps?

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 20, 1998.


Oh, pay attention to the color -- not red! Blend in to the background. Close up and at a distance.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 20, 1998.

Diane:

Years ago I arrested a fellow who was stealing gasoline from a gas station underground tank. He used a 12 volt pump connected to his gas tank. He simply parked in idle over the inlet of the tank, lowered a weighted hose that went through a hole in the floor of his van and into his gas tank. The whole rig could not have cost $25.00. (maybe more now days) I would never have noticed him except that he had left his lights on. Even then, I did not notice he was stealing gas till I told him to "move on" and he pulled up the hose. I have done a little research on this gasoline thing. You must get a pump that will lift at least 15ft. Next time you are at a gas station, take a look at the real long stick that is used to measure the level of the gas storage tank.

PS: How did I know you drove an old Saab?

-- Bill Solorzano (notaclue@webtv.net), November 20, 1998.


Richard: Sorry if I offended you. That post was meant as a (bad) joke: I was BEING sarcastic. No offence intended at all.

--Leo

-- Leo (leo_champion@hotmail.com), November 20, 1998.



How 'bout and old VW beetle or bus. Low tech, runs forever, good on gas.

-- MVI (vtoc@aol.com), November 20, 1998.

if you've got somebody who knows something about diesel mechanics and such, there's a place called Coleman's http://www.colemans.com/ that carries used U.S. Army Deuce and a halves (that's your standard all wheel drive three axel army issue two and a half ton truck). Not pretty, and they ride like you'd expect an army truck to ride, but their rugged, they'll go more places than you'd probably want to, and they'll run on nearly anything from relatively uncontaminated diesel fuel up through JP4 (goes real fast, gets REAL hot - don't do that too much!)

I don't have any interest in coleman's but I thought I'd pass along the tip, anyway.

Arlin Adams

-- Arlin H. Adams (ahadams@ix.netcom.com), November 20, 1998.


i am looking at some mid 60's pickups. they run on anything, and you can keep them going with duct tape, and bailing wire. when you must move something, it it hard to beat a small truck. go with a ford, more parts around. good luck.

-- mainer (idont@thinkso.net), November 20, 1998.

The best y2k vehicle I know of is a diesel VW rabbit. There will be a lot of #2 fuel oil sitting useless in people's tanks in 2000 (can't pump it into the furnace or even start many furnaces without electricity) and a diesel engine will run on it just fine. Offer to trade a box of food for a tankful of oil and you'll have all the oil you can use to drive anywhere you wish.

-- cody varian (cody@y2ksurvive.com), November 20, 1998.

FWIW -- I recall in Bavaria in 1945 our platoon's jeep driver (an industrial-grade alcoholic) liberated several cases of Calvados from somebody's basement where he stayed for the night. Next day on the road again he ran out of gas. Still had 40 miles to go. The Calvados worked just fine. He said it made him feel bad, but he didn't want to be stranded, so he poured it in the tank. No problem.

Hope this helps.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), November 21, 1998.


Tom, Calvados? I get that it's some kind of industrial grade alcohol. Where is it found?

Like the idea of the hand pump and trading/bartering for gas.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 21, 1998.


I remember reading somewhere that you can power a car on ethanol, which you can get from harvesting wheat. Is there any truth to this?

(Of course, it's probably smarter to TRADE the wheat for fuel or just eat it..but if you had to?)

--Leo

-- Leo (leo_champion@hotmail.com), November 21, 1998.


Hey, listening to a radio talk show the other day (Jim Hightower) I caught this bit of incredible (to me) info: Diesel engines that run on "FAT" byproducts! Imagine if you will, having a diesel car (truck) and using leftover cooking oil.

Anyway, if interested, visit the web site of the young couple talking about this subject. You can find it at veggievan.org. Joe.

-- Joe (jbab@theri.com), November 23, 1998.


Forgive me if this is not appropriate for this forum, but we have a '78 Dodge Class C avail- able that would make a great "escape from the city" vehicle. It's small (18') yet has nice bathroom, frig, etc. More info if you write.

-- Joan Troth (troth@rof.net), November 24, 1998.

Floyd, A few years ago we bought a wagon (walking, hand pulled) for my husband's birthday. Now I see this as invaluable, better than a wheelbarro we are using it to haul wood from our shed to the house. I also can imagin using it to transfer things to my mothers house and father in laws if our car isn't working in 2000. Remember buy the best that you can afford while you can.

-- barb hittner (hittner@tznet.com), November 26, 1998.

Why isnt there any discussion about what kind of vehicles will START? What about embedded chips? Wouldnt an old car be better? And what about getting foreign parts??? Yes, I love my Toyota, but gary North just posted a page about Toyota having some major Y2k problems... sophia

-- sophia compton (scompton@athenians.com), November 26, 1998.

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