2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee!

Looks like a crossover, so it would blend in well

How does it do offroad?

2000's 3/4ton Chevy trucks!

Where I live no one even bats a eyelash at a pickup...unless its all pimped out

I of course live in the sticks...

Bret

One of my first cars was a 1988 Buick Regal. It was ugly as sin, and pretty well beat to shit, but it took me everywhere I wanted to go. I slapped on some used studded tires for winter and navigated some pretty hairy dirt roads with it.

I think some heavy older sedans would work. I've seen videos with Volvo 200 series cars being used as battering rams and still being useable for transportation.

Make friends with someone at a rental place. Get a new/newer vehicle...a work van or even a uhaul. Instant shelter from eyes and elements.

I used to have a total gold POS, Dodge Colt, called it my Downtown LA car.  No way I would drive my beemer down there. Let's just say it kept me off the radar at a critical moment during the Rodney King riots. For that I am greatful. RIP POS Dodge Colt.

For that "stealth" kind of mentality, I went with an old secibd generation Honda CR-V. There's millions of them around, mostly used by soccer moms. Yet the car has a nice amount fo space, its as reliable as they come, uses moderate amounts of gas and the all-wheel drive gets me over sidewalks, bullevards, mud and snow. Spare parts are everywhere, has good enough ground clearance for curbs, debris and dealing with a bit of flooding, and it does it all without attracting much attention. Hell, it even has a picnic table.
FerFAL

My girlfriend has a 1993 jeep grand Cherokee

The thing is impossible to spot even when you're looking for it. My nomination goes to that

There's a fine line between looking like an easy target, a fat target, and a mess waiting to happen. Sometimes, looking like "the man" makes people think twice

+1 on the CRV. My wife has one as a daily driver. Impressive off road capabilities,  holds a ton of stuff, almost as much ground clearance as my 4x4 superduty , gets decent mileage on the cheapest gas. They are everywhere. Ours travels a 10 mile privately maintained dirt road in in the rockies and if it can clear an an obstacle,  it will just drive over it.I have has more than a few "oh crap, guess I'm walking home from here" moments when encountering bad snow and mud areas, but powered through with no issues every time.  Also has  impressive skid plating underneath.  The only shortfall is a zero selection of mud type tires.

I have a good friend that used to be a R&D mechanic for Honda North America. Basically, his job was to beat the everliving crap out of Hondas, take them apart and write a report on why they failed.  We were returning from a Mtn. bike ride years ago in an early CRV prototype,  then we came apon a group of 4×4s doing a hill climb. This was a nasty rutted muddy steep track that not all the trucks could clear.   As we drive by "bet We can make that hill." Before I can say let me out and let me get my bike off the roof we are hauling ass up the hill......I could hear the club cheering from the top after the Honda cleared it first pass. I imagine a few club wives got Hondas that year.

Sorry double post....thanks Hughes Net....you have a special place in my heart

What do you do for internet?

Hughes Net?

ETA, now I get it [I'm a little slow] Hughes net is your inet and they screwed up.

How is it vs Wildblue vs H-N?

Neighbors feedback= WB=HN with different rules on data restrictions.  Both Suck

Debadged tahoe z71 four wheel drive. Four wheel drive v8 jeep cherokee.

Expound, please.

Not even sure I fully understand the purpose of the truck but in general the main thing you want is it to start reliably so Toyota should be near the top of any list. I have a 2011 4Runner modded out with just about anything you can think of from suspension, full armor, duel battery, on board air, lights galore, lockers and even an on board hot shower system.  The 10K winch is pretty much hidden but even if some of the stuff can’t be hidden I would rather have a seeable winch than not have anything.

It’s a challenge keeping it looking ‘stock’ but doable.

Can you elaborate on the dual batteries?
Is it to handle extra electronics, or redundancy, etc?

I'm inclined to agree with this as well.  Though I'd go with Painter signs and maybe some paint spilled on the bumper to really layer on the camouflage.  Painters tend to have fewer expensive tools than electricians and plumbers.  Not sure a full-size work van fits the "daily-driver" niche, though.

Yes and yes and lots of etc.

I also carry an Arb fridge freezer that can run for days without starting the truck.

As I also stated...4Runner. Most think they are grocery getters. I am guessing he used a Bud Built hidden winch mount...just got mine. Also have the under carriage armor and working on a dual battery setup with on board air. Mine is an 08 and I came from a fully loaded 2012 Ram 1500....and I am loving my 4Runner so far. Gave it a modest lift and I'm happy.

Fact is when the time comes damn near anything moving will be a target. I have a roof basket rear hitch basket and a trailer depending on circumstances (will more than likely be using the trailer for my stuff). The difference is that I will be rolling numerous vehicles with plenty of manpower so the chance of being dicked with is nill. Difference between the panel van and my 4 runner is that I can go anywhere a wrangler can go, but with a better motor, reliability, and more room.

Right on all counts. Only the 2 door Wrangler is more capable off road but it comes at a cost of reliability, room and on pavement comfort.  Somebody mentioned the Jeep Grand Cherokee, they are nice no doubt but a quick look over at their owner’s forum will reveal many quality issues – which is a shame.

If one just wants to drive from town to town on pavement the options are limitless. But I’m thinking even in a mild SHTF situation most roads will be a nightmare. In that case the options start getting much smaller.  

My family would have a convoy heading to our bol between my dads 2002 F350 with the 7.3l Powerstroke and my 1995 12 valve Cummins we could pull anything and we have winches at our disposal, both are 4wd's with dana 60 front axles, with posi's in the rear axle so off road wouldn't be an issue. Granted not the best plans since i don't even have a bob but better to have some plan than none.

My first car was a 87 Regal, well sort of.  It a Grand National.  My father was absolutely insane when he agreed to me getting one for my first car.  Absolutely insane.  By the time I turned 17, I had a custom made exhaust system, custom turbo pipes, a hand programed chip, adjustable fuel pressure regulator, and was turning high 12's in the quarter mile on street tires.  What a stupid car for a teenager, its a miracle I survived.  
I used to race it instead of getting a job, one or two nights a month I would go into the city and win enough money to pay for gas, insurance and money for dates for the rest of the month.  Like I said, a miracle I survived.
That thing was a TANK though, something like 4100 lbs, each door weighed about as much as my honda civic does now.  

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As for something relevant to the thread, its been a super bittersweet week at the PATCH household.  PATCH6, who has been driving our Excursion for the last two years or so, decided it was time for a new car.  Since we couldn't afford to keep the excursion and buy a new car, the Excursion is gone.  
The price of diesel has gone up so much here (it's been steady at 10cents above premium for a solid year) that financially I couldn't justify the Excursion anymore either with the amount of miles we put on cars annually.  We both loved it, but it was just too expensive to drive, and we don't have anything to tow with so it was simply more than we needed.  Plus, it was 11 years old and was rapidly approaching the point where repairs were going to start to hit the pocketbook.

We replaced it with a new Outback, due largely to recommendations earlier in this thread.  I really didn't believe the ground clearance that they had until I saw it for myself, and the fuel is going to end up costing about half what diesel did each month with the increased mpg (26/30mpg vs the 16-20 we got with the Excursion) and the cheaper regular gas.  We've put less than 100 miles on it so far, so I can't really comment too much, but it is a comfortable vehicle with a surprising amount of room inside.
I still miss the Excursion though.

I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this thread, it has been the best one I have ever created and I am loving the input.

Thanlk you.

This thread keeps going on. I love it. Hell, I cant even remember if I posted here, and I cant even remember what I said. No, I aint skimming back through to see what I posted, but I will say that my thoughts right now are leaning toward the basic white work van. Easy to conceal in a crowd. Easy to sleep in. Powerful for hauling and towing.

Mount a receiver hitch both front and rear, and carry a winch mounted to a 2" square tube. Slap this rig into a receiver in either end of the vehicle and you can pull yourself out of some serious trouble. It negates the need for true 4WD for most of the states and most weather conditions, with some obvious exceptions. I'd probably add a locker to the rear diff.

I've had this fantasy about building one of these vans. I would use it a lot when its fishing season. Lots of my favorite areas are 4+ hours away. Having a van with a nice queen mattress in the back would be friggin awesome. I'd build in a pedestal to put the mattress on, but have roller slide drawers underneath for supplies and a drawer for rifles/guns as well.

I'd put a 12v vent fan in the roof, and add some closeable screened vents on the bottom of the side cargo door for air circulation. This would really ease the un-joy of sleeping when its hot and muggy.

Other than all this, it'd probably be a nonstop/never-ending  project. You could add 4-wheel disc, better handling mods, electronics, etc, but in my opinion, keeping a stock appearance is paramount to not be detected or singled-out.

Thanks for listening to my fantasy!

This.

 

Yep - Or green dodge caravan.

During the ice storms that knocked out power for days
people were shooting at utility workers and harassed the hell out of road crews. Just something to consider.

An e-350 van would work well

This is mine, 87 XJ with a 4.0L I-6 (very dependable) with a mild lift.
I can drive well in town or off road on terrain I didn't think it'd make
It is pretty blah looking as is and there are plenty on the road
You can fit an amazing amount of shit in them.

Wife's family had one of these...



Laugh if you will, but the damn thing could haul seven people and a pile of gear.  I dunno what engine it had in it, but when you punched the throttle it got up and went.  Could probably pull a plow.

Bmw x3

Why?  The wife has a 328 - that thing gets all kinds of attention, but the x3 holy shit just blends into the sea of crossover SUVs..  300hp, 400 mile range room for lots of stuff, and built solidly.

Been a couple decades since the article came out in one of the old survival mags or something.



There was a nice article about full frame rwd v8 powered vehicles.  Keep note of the time frame, 2 decades ago a v6 powered fullsize body on frame vehicle did not have much power.



The vehicles can generally handle some decent bumping and rubbing, serious wreck will kill it but pushing stuff around at low speeds and what not will generally just scratch the bumper and not really hurt anything.



The size as mentioned lets you sit more than a few people and gear still has room, the old station wagons are about like a 2wd suburban in my opinion.  Yeah you can get into games with how many rows of seats the thing had but some of the wagons of the 70s had a rear row of seats that faced backwards but that generally was used for hauling gear a lot of the time.



Lots of them had a limited slip differential in the rear axle so while not able to really compete with a serious off road vehicle they had some room for decent tires, reasonable traction, and power.  Lots of these older vehicles had the rear drum brakes that also acted as a parking brake.  Take out the spring on the brake release handle and you can pull the handle out and it stays out.  You can now press down on the parking brake pedal and activate the rear drums.  If you have a spinning rear tire but the other one is on something solid these full size drum brakes could handle you using them to slow the spinning wheel and transfer power to the wheel with traction.  This is what current vehicles automatically do if they have traction control using the brakes being applied.



I had a brake line rust out on me and it was a modern enough vehicle it took out just one front wheel and one rear wheel.  The other front wheel and the other rear wheel still had braking ability.  Using that parking brake meant I could also apply both rear brakes for times where I was sitting at a stop light or whatever.



Mine was a three speed automatic as well so I used the transmission to slow things down as well.



My brake line blew on the highway coming home from school and I limped it home at slow speeds on the back roads because I was poor and did not want to pay for a tow bill.  Yes it would have been nice having all 4 wheels working but I made due with what I had and made it on home.  Borrowed a vehicle to get to school the rest of the week while I replaced brake lines.



These days I really notice an older vehicle like what is pictured above.  I like them.  Generally around here someone has butchered the thing trying to repair it cheaply or just get a few more miles out of it.



I rank the old 60s and 70s v8 body on frame vehicles with a lot of the 2wd pickups from the 70s, 80s, and 90s.  Obviously the pickup has less room for passengers and what not but a lot of the basics are similar when messing with a body on frame rwd vehicle.



 

These are what you want.

http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php?topic=123948.0

I have an Avalanche and love it. The versatility and utility are unmatched from any other vehicle. Period.

My rig for when the zombies (aka government) decide to come. It has everything I need to either get to my X for supplies or get to my bug out location. It's of course always a work in progress but I'm happy with it for now.

V/r
DC

Nice! I really need to do something about the back of my jeep.

These are actually really good for off road they go surprisingly well even without lockers or a posi.

This. Bonus points for being able to run by pop starting in the event of an EMP blast and run on french fry juice.

Mine has surprised the hell out of me over the years, no lockers and a junkyard lift and still goes everywhere the rubicons go when trail riding.

That's Kate Gosselin...crazy mother of 8 from that TV show...stay away!

This setup would work in my van idea.

Do you drive with all this shit in your xterra daily? If the stickers on the back don't scream "raid me during apocalypse" the lack of privacy glass and reduced articulation from your taller tires will make it easy to see what's inside when you're stuck because of all the extra weight. Ever loaded up even close to half of the weight you want to carry and tested it out anywhere in Oregon that isn't paved and requires low range four wheel drive?

She's a beaut Clark!

That thing wouldn't even get me to work in the morning.  30 mile range?  No thanks.

Saturn wagon. 30+mpg. Carries a decent amount of stuff (but forget about anything really heavy), and with the added weight and FWD, plows through the snow pretty well.

It's what I'm stuck with until I get a real BOV.

Ding Ding Ding - We have a Winner!!!!
This is defiantly the best one yet and for all the afore mentioned reasons.
Seriously who is going to pay attention a garbage truck? No one!
With a few subtle modifications (off road wheels slightly beefed up suspension) you can drive around town with out attracting any suspicion.
Additionally the compactor compartment is 1/2 inch thick steel so it will stop shot gun, pistol and 5.56 rounds.

You Sir are a genius.

I have always wanted an El Camino '69-72 vintage.

Now I just can't see affording one.

In my original post, I think I also said it had to be a daily driver.

Unless you ARE a garbage collector, I don't see driving one to a regular job very......uh.....pleasant.