Guys who spend days on forums arguing the merits of survival rifle calibers often have little to say about their bug out vehicle (BOV). Part of this is that a BOV is literally where the rubber hits the road. It's clearly the most expensive item you'll have in your survival arsenal. If you don't have a lot of money, it's an easy thing to keep off your mind. The other reason is there's arguments about the importance of a BOV.
On one hand, people have pointed out that during many emergencies, like natural disasters, the population tends to shelter in place and the roads are clear. This happens in Florida every year during hurricane season. Bugging out in your vehicle, in these cases, is just your average drive. If you're in this camp, the best bug out vehicle is just a reliable vehicle that will get you there, most likely the family car. So they go back to arguing caliber knowing the Camry or the F150 will do the job just fine.
As a car guy, someone who loves various vehicles and all the possibilities, I will admit that this argument is sound. However, in my own bug out scenario, I feel the need for a bit more. For example, heading to the mountains may require snow chains during winter, something my very reliable, commuter vehicle can't even take (VW GTI). There are also scenarios where ground clearance and possibly four wheel drive might be necessary, even if it's to get around cars blocking two lane roads. Again, my car is not up tot the challenge. Finally, there is the scenario where things are clearly way messed up, and we might be living in the car for a while, or headed even further out than expected, or needing to hunt further out from our wilderness location. My sporty, on road only, hatchback might not be the answer. So what vehicle would be?
With the understanding that I think I'm probably wrong in needing this, lets take a look. First, it should have four wheel drive. In a pinch it could just have two wheel drive and good ground clearance, like a lot of SUVs and trucks, but lets go with a top rated 4x4 system. Why mess around if I don't already own one. In one scenario getting into my BOL, I need to go off road for a mile or two through some very difficult terrain, like through gulleys and down and up hills.
There are three classic SUV makes I would consider world class: Jeep, Land Rover and Toyota (Land Cruiser, 4 Runner). The Land Cruiser crowd likes to joke that Land Cruiser drivers love to tell their friends about all the beautiful places they've taken their cruisers, while the Land Rover crowd likes to talk about all the wonderful places their Land Rovers have broken down. There is a certain masochism about owning Land Rovers that I find appealing, but I don't think it's a prudent choice. I think they're beautiful and amazing when they work, but they often don't.
Jeep, likewise, has pretty good (not great), four wheel drive systems, at least in stock configuration, but like the Land Rover, tends to break down often. A Jeep, however, is far easier to fix than a Land Rover (from experience). The advantage to a jeep is you can get a raised XJ in good condition for a song. They're everywhere and they're probably reliable enough, but they're probably not the best choice. They are a good choice and a budget choice, but not the best choice.
Objectively, if you have the money, a Land Cruiser of any variety is clearly the best 4x4 out there. It's more what people would describe as an "expedition" vehicle, meaning it's big. I've seen a Suzuki Samurai do amazing things, like drive over sand dunes where a Jeep can't make it, so big can be a detriment. A 4 Runner is always an option for something slightly smaller, or even a new FJ Cruiser. So which Land Cruiser? Like firearms, the best one is the one you have
right now.
If my BOV is sitting in my driveway, gathering dust, it's no good to me if there's an emergency and I'm at work. It's also likely my BOV will be older, especially with a Land Cruiser, since they're pretty expensive (new, they're like $75,000 nowadays). So to be serious about a BOV, it should be my daily driver. That might mean something new like an FJ Cruiser, but there's one problem, efficiency.
Now follow my logic here. If it's my daily driver, it should be efficient. Most of the vehicles we've looked at, even a new FJ, get 15-18 MPG. I put 20,000 miles a year on my vehicles, mostly from commuting. The cost of driving one of these BOV's is very high. Which brings us to the very narrow category of vehicles I intend to purchase, the diesel import.
My pick is the
Land Cruiser BJ61 which gets about 25 MPG on the highway. It's got good enough mileage and comfort to be a daily driver. It's not fast, by any means, but it's efficient and reliable. The problem with diesel imports, however, is they need to be 25 years old to be imported, so the BJ61 needs to be a mid-80's vehicle (I've been looking at 85's). The 3B motor in the BJ61 has the advantage of being incredibly durable. It's a Hino commercial truck engine with durability and reliability well into 300,000 or so miles. It's also relatively electronic free, for those who worry about EMP attacks (I don't). As a diesel, it's fairly easy to do a bio diesel conversion to make it even more flexible and most diesel mechanics would find it familiar. I envision Mad Max trips to McDonald's for their used fry oil.
As a Toyota, most parts are everywhere, although the diesel engine ads some complications. I'm told a starter motor takes weeks to get, if you need one. That's an example of a part you keep with you. The electrical system is 24 volt, so that requires some consideration for all my gadgetry. Generally though, if it's a daily driver and you keep it up to spec, I think the BJ61 is the perfect vehicle and in a couple years, the 70 series Land Cruisers will be available in the US, and they're even better (albeit more complicated mechanically and electronically, but also more comfortable).
At the moment, the BJ61 is my next car, or a 70 series if it's two years from now.
