Sustainable "SHTF"/Self Reliance Utility 4WD Vehicle (1 Viewer)

[cruiserscout]

Expedition Builds seemed like a good place to ask for opinions on this.. What would you consider a sustainable utility vehicle considering the following :
reliability , durability, off-road capability, passengers / storage, logistics ( parts availability) , maintainability etc..??

My own biased answer for many years was a FJ60 or 62 , but after many years of owning them, I am leaning back towards Jeeps. ( I've had numerous models of jeeps too over the years). When you think of parts cost , availability, aftermarket options /upgrades, numerous parts donors driving around etc - the land cruisers don't seem as attractive anymore (in the US anyway).

Just wondering if any of you have thought about this and arrived at a solid answer.
Thanks.

 

[Hiace4wd]

Where is this going to be driven? If it is mostly North America, then your approach is fine I think.

 

[cruiserscout]

Sorry I did not specify location.. That would certainly make a difference in availability of parts .. Yes in North America /USA.

 

[joseywales]

FJ60= Expensive (er) parts, but you don’t need them often.

Jeep= Cheap (er) parts, but you’ll buy more of them, and more often.

I’ve owned plenty of both as well, and if I’m choosing something based on durability, reliability and maintainability, I’m going Land Cruiser or older Hilux every time. Once you have it dialed in, unless you are punting it on the Rubicon or similar hard trails, you will experience far less failures in these vehicles. My CJ, TJ and JK experiences have taught me that you can park a perfectly good Jeep, and come back to find a problem next time you drive it.

 

[cruiserscout]

Josey - Thanks for the reply. I currently have "1 and a half" Fj62 ( 1988 and89) Never had a 60, but I like them.. Do you think the 60 ( in the durability , maintainability )is worth switching over to? All my wrenching experience / knowledge is on the 3FE ( EFI and all that) .. Changing horses is always very tough for me ( why I have so many damn old vehicles I guess) . I read the 60's /2F parts are getting harder to get. A swap to a 3FE would be interesting but then the Chevy 350 engine topic comes up and here I go swirling in options. I have not owned a carborated vehicle since the early 80's and I was not doing any real work on the engine-side back then. All my real wrenching has been on EFI engines . Maybe I should just buckle down and get a FJ60 2F and "learn it" .

 

[GeologistFelix]

To echo the opinions so far,

FJ60: parts are hard to find/take time to be shipped to you, and they're expensive, but once you've gotten it 'finished,' you don't have to replace anything other than fluids, bulbs, and tires regularly (but, you can and will still break things if you take the thing wheeling). The few things which break that pattern and do go bad for no good reason are pretty well documented, like knuckle rebuilds, oil galley plugs, etc.

Jeep: things are just going to wear out regularly, no matter how religiously you keep up with maintenance, but, the silver lining is that the parts are all cheap, and you can usually pick them up right off the shelf of any part store, and for any problem you have, there are ten helpful threads about how to fix it, three videos, and two different aftermarket solutions to the underlying engineering flaw.

If you like having an always-a-project vehicle, I think a jeep would be the easier one to start out with, but if you want to get the build over with, have it be totally dependable, and go use the damn thing, I'd pick the cruiser any day of the week, and that's why I'm holding onto my 60 despite how expensive it's been to get to 'reliable enough.' I'd love to throw a bunch more upgrades at it, but so far I've been happiest with my cruiser when I've just finished a round of repairs/upgrades and can just have fun with it and not worry about some ongoing problem or planning how to upgrade something else.

 

[renago]

Did you notice that your horse is 30 years old ?
30 years in a car will make some wear .
If you really are in making a self reliance sustainable vehicle,
A, change your horse to something fresher .
B, I would stay with Toyota.
C, would go diesel

Just my 2 cents

Renago

 

[MANUCHAO]

Just wondering if any of you have thought about this and arrived at a solid answer

I have...
Well... almost there...

 

[lugueto]

These are always fun situations to contemplate. I'm no prepper, or anything, but I do have a sense for survivalism.

An older vehicle will not necessarilly be the best option. Sure, they'll be the easiest to perform field repairs on, but they will most likely be the first ones to break down. They're also thirsty, specially carbed gasoline engines. This will be a con for those vehicles.

You need a vehicle that's simple enough, reliable enough and efficient enough for the situation. Although I believe most of the vehicles you see on these forums made for overland travel will be suitable.

A few thoughts:

1) Spare parts should not be an issue, IMHO. The spare parts you'll need, you will want to have on you beforehand. Don't expect to shop or look for parts on this situation. If you have to, then you're already halfway screwed. A SHTF situation that lasts long enough so that parts aren't being manufactured will force you to use simpler means of travel.

2) As said, older vehicles (think 2F, 3F) have very, very thirsty engines. Mileage sucks. A SHTF vehicle will want to have a long range fuel tank. Long range tanks will bring a 60/62 to an acceptable range, but it will give a fuel efficient vehicle a very good advantage over most.

3) Solar charging will be a must. It'll keep your battery and accesories running.

Based on these facts and If I were in the states, I'd probably choose a 3RZ, 5 speed Tacoma. Super reliable engine, efficient enough, lightweight and durable. Easy to modify as well, with plenty of aftermarket parts to make it go anywhere for extended periods of time.

 

[scrapdaddy]

You need to think about rust, also. Can you buy replacement panels or find panels in salvage yards. Get the mechanical issues fixed and the body is shot. In my case with a FJ55 you just don't buy spare body parts real easy. In a true SHTF episode get a vehicle that runs on multifuels and doesn't have any computers running things.