Best stock off road vehicle?

[FantWriter]

A character in a story I'm writing has to go about 150 miles where there are no roads. It's in American Midwest landscape (woods, hills, streams, and I feel like there might be an incident with a marsh), approx. 52,000 B.C.E..

The vehicle has to be absolutely civilian stock but can have any/all factory options. (One of his suppliers adds it as a "better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it" thing.)

It has to be absolutely, perfectly reliable -- if it breaks down, he'll be stranded on that world.

Diesel would be better than gasoline, but I could gloss over the problems with gas.

Should be able to carry an ATV as an emergency back-up (he can't ride a trail bike).

Any suggestions?

 

[JayTater]

Ford SVT Raptor, with a Yamaha Raptor in the bed. Raptor squared!!!

Mine, neither are Raptors, but my F150 is close..

 

[Intervap]

I like the Raptor idea.
Or some sort of chopped buggy, you could explain who made it (maybe a family member or whatever).

 

[Jzaelke]

How about a civilian hummer with the diesel option? You can definitely jimmy rig a 4 wheeler on there. Alot harder to work on but you can run those things off of rubbing alcohol.

 

[Birddog]

I'd imagine that if the character must have an ATV as a back up, it's gonna have to be some sort of pick up.

If you'd say SUV, then Toyota FJ Cruiser, no doubt.

 

[JayTater]

Use my truck and quad, and I will prepay via PayPal immediately!! First edition on my shelf would be excellent

I can arrange a photo shoot and secure payment when I recieve the confirmation. Thank you!

I'm totally joking of course, unless you're interested

 

[FantWriter]

Ford SVT Raptor, with a Yamaha Raptor in the bed. Raptor squared!!!
Mine, neither are Raptors, but my F150 is close..

Neat dual Raptor idea!

The thing is . . . um . . . a Fix Or Repair Daily?

I'm really not comfortable with it being a 4x4 pickup. I sometimes used a regular pickup when hunting, and there were a lot of places I couldn't go -- left a lot of bumper imprints on slopes and scraped a lot of bark off trees trying to thread my way through.

 

[FantWriter]

I like the Raptor idea.
Or some sort of chopped buggy, you could explain who made it (maybe a family member or whatever).

I like the Raptor idea, too.

Everything has to be stock. His supplies come from industrialists who hide their involvement by having shell companies order things from distributors who routinely ship things in standard shipping containers, and then the containers get relabeled en route. If an item is in any way special, someone might check to see if it arrived properly or that the new owner is happy with it, and that would create a world of problems.

 

[FantWriter]

How about a civilian hummer with the diesel option? You can definitely jimmy rig a 4 wheeler on there. Alot harder to work on but you can run those things off of rubbing alcohol.

That's what I was originally thinking, but it's my understanding that Hummers aren't made anymore. I was hoping something else has been introduced to replace them, but I haven't found anything similar.

 

[StarsAndBars]

I guess it depends on the character. Is he wealthy? If so, yeah Raptor.

Does he mind get stranded? If not, Chevy.

I kid I kid

 

[FantWriter]

I'd imagine that if the character must have an ATV as a back up, it's gonna have to be some sort of pick up.

If you'd say SUV, then Toyota FJ Cruiser, no doubt.

I've looked at those. I wonder if you could fit an ATV in the back, along with a week's worth of supplies. If they made a pickup version of that, it'd be darn near perfect.

 

[FantWriter]

Use my truck and quad, and I will prepay via PayPal immediately!! First edition on my shelf would be excellent

Nice offer, but I don't use actual brand or model names because they date a story. I don't make up such things from whole cloth, either, because readers can call you on it (such and such a transmission was never offered in a vehicle with such and such accessories, etc.).

I do hope the story is finished someday, and dream that it'll be published (so far, only my short fiction has sold), but having a book in print (as opposed to being an e-book) is a real stretch of the imagination.

 

[JayTater]

Hummer, maybe Army surplus?!

 

[FantWriter]

I guess it depends on the character. Is he wealthy? If so, yeah Raptor.
Does he mind get stranded? If so, Chevy.
I kid I kid

Cost is not an object -- his backers are billionaire industrialists, and he's their only hope of acquiring priceless pieces for their collections.

I'm glad you added the "I kid" - I'm a GM man through and through, as was my father before me and his father before him.

 

[StarsAndBars]

Cost is not an object -- his backers are billionaire industrialists, and he's their only hope of acquiring priceless pieces for their collections.

I'm glad you added the "I kid" - I'm a GM man through and through, as was my father before me and his father before him.

Lol, my first truck (vehicle matter of fact) was a Chevy. It was better to me than I was to it. I'd have to jump on the Raptor wagon though. It's kinda hard to suggest a truck for a character I don't know anything about. I guess what I'm really doing is telling you which truck I would like.

 

[FantWriter]

Hummer, maybe Army surplus?!

It has to be new, something that can be ordered online by a faceless corporation and the seller has no motivation to follow up after the item ships. It's deep backstory, but I'd be really uncomfortable if there was any chance there might be someone, somewhere, wondering what happened to the vehicle.

This all has to be done below sonar level because if the authorities catch even a whiff of what he's doing, they'll give him some camping gear, a bag of vegetable seeds, and a one-way trip to 90,000 B.C.E..

 

[FantWriter]

Lol, my first truck (vehicle matter of fact) was a Chevy. It was better to me than I was to it. I'd have to jump on the Raptor wagon though. It's kinda hard to suggest a truck for a character I don't know anything about. I guess what I'm really doing is telling you which truck I would like.

My first pickup was a shortbed Chevy (old utility company truck). Misused it horribly, put 40,000 miles on it in 10 years, and sold it for more than I paid for it.

I'm just not seeing a pickup for this situation. They're too long, have too much overhand on the front, and just don't give off the true "roads? I don't need no steenking road" vibe.

It'd be so much easier if they still made Hummers!

 

[JayTater]

My first pickup was a shortbed Chevy (old utility company truck). Misused it horribly, put 40,000 miles on it in 10 years, and sold it for more than I paid for it.

I'm just not seeing a pickup for this situation. They're too long, have too much overhand on the front, and just don't give off the true "roads? I don't need no steenking road" vibe.

It'd be so much easier if they still made Hummers!

Sounds like he needs a Raptor... Check some YouTube vids of the stock Raptor. Its at home off the road.

No, I'm not a fanboy either, if I said raptor and Provari, then yes, fanboy

 

[BardicDruid]

Land Rover Defender 110 with a pick up bed, and it comes in diesel, just about any ATV will fit and work.

 

[Hypnophone]

My '96 F-250LD (it looks like the 150) has been on trails in CO,NM,TX, and OK that'll make you pucker.

I like the dual Raptor option! Can't go wrong with a Ford 4X4.