Would you buy an LLV?

[Kurtatron]

I bought a car from the rust free west. It is to become my daily driver in the rust belt. I know it will inevitably succumb to rust, despite annual rustproofing. I saw some post office trucks and pondered why they have not become rust buckets after nearly 30 years of daily abuse.

the USPS vehicles are Long Life Vehicles. Made in the 90s by GM and a company called Northrop Grumman. They were made strictly to service excessive abuse and corrosive environments. Comfort was an afterthought.
Just wondering, if the market offered cars where the main selling point was longevity, serviceability, and simplicity, would you buy one?

expected lifespan was 30 years, instead of 10 years, like a lot of modern cars.

 

[2EHA]

it’s just a shortened pickup with an iron duke

go take a drive and more often than not you’ll see an old LLV burning down at the side of the road

 

[daves87rs]

Nope-too many other shortcomings that would not make it worthwhile….

 

[slacktide_bitog]

If it has the 2.2L 122 and not the iron duke

 

[Leo99]

No. I've not had any rust issues in NJ. Only rusty vehicles I mainly see are the fenders on pick-up trucks.

 

[spasm3]

I'm trying to think of a use for it. Too small for a mobile home repair business, auto repair, no room for ladders for a paint business. Not much it will do that a small pickup/van wont do better. It really is suited for mail.

 

[supton]

If I was younger, maybe. Longevity would sound good.

But now? I kinda like getting a different vehicle every so often. And I'm getting soft in my old age, NVH and comfort are starting to become more important to me.

 

[supton]

I'm trying to think of a use for it. Too small for a mobile home repair business, auto repair, no room for ladders for a paint business. Not much it will do that a small pickup/van wont do better. It really is suited for mail.

Just wondering, if the market offered cars where the main selling point was longevity, serviceability, and simplicity, would you buy one?

I read it as the age old "would you trade comfort and features for longevity and price"? Not that the OP thinks we'd buy the same thing the the USPS is using to deliver mail, but rather that we'd buy something in that vein.

 

[walterjay]

No

 

[Nick1994]

Wait, did you buy a mail van as a daily driver?

 

[1uz_4me]

My GS400 meets the criteria & has comfort thrown in the mix

 

[Snagglefoot]

If I was younger, maybe. Longevity would sound good.

But now? I kinda like getting a different vehicle every so often. And I'm getting soft in my old age, NVH and comfort are starting to become more important to me.

Only a lifetime warranty? You think they would stand behind their products!

 

[exranger06]

I bought a car from the rust free west. It is to become my daily driver in the rust belt. I know it will inevitably succumb to rust, despite annual rustproofing. I saw some post office trucks and pondered why they have not become rust buckets after nearly 30 years of daily abuse.

the USPS vehicles are Long Life Vehicles. Made in the 90s by GM and a company called Northrop Grumman. They were made strictly to service excessive abuse and corrosive environments. Comfort was an afterthought.
Just wondering, if the market offered cars where the main selling point was longevity, serviceability, and simplicity, would you buy one?

expected lifespan was 30 years, instead of 10 years, like a lot of modern cars.

The reason why LLVs aren't total rust buckets is because they're made of aluminum, not steel. The chassis is steel though, and they DO rust out. Frame replacements are a common thing on LLVs. The engine is just a run-of-the-mill GM 4 cylinder with a TH180 3-speed automatic. No different than what you'd get in an S10 in the early 90s. There's nothing super special or "long life" about it. Any vehicle can run forever if you keep replacing parts over and over. LLVs get engine replacements and transmission replacements all the time. My point is, if you want to keep a car for 30+ years, you don't need to buy a "long life" vehicle, you just need to be willing to fix it when it breaks instead of replacing it with a different car.

A lot of people value longevity and reliability above all else. That's why so many people here love Crown Vics.

And who said modern cars have an expected lifespan of only 10 years? 20 years is a more realistic number. The average age of vehicles on the road right now is 12 years, which is a record high. Cars are lasting longer than they ever have before.

 

[oggb]

So I think you're asking if I'd buy something that was built to last a long time but without a lot of modern creature comforts, not if I'd buy an ex mail truck?

It depends. I don't want something that takes a mile to get to 70 MPH, I can live without A/C but would prefer it, etc. Give me something like an extended cab Tacoma with a 2JZ-GE, 5 speed manual, hand crank windows, basic interior... yeah, I'd probably buy that.

 

[diyjake]

If I was younger, maybe. Longevity would sound good.

But now? I kinda like getting a different vehicle every so often. And I'm getting soft in my old age, NVH and comfort are starting to become more important to me.

Says a guy that has a 1999 Camry

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I bought a car from the rust free west. It is to become my daily driver in the rust belt. I know it will inevitably succumb to rust, despite annual rustproofing. I saw some post office trucks and pondered why they have not become rust buckets after nearly 30 years of daily abuse.

the USPS vehicles are Long Life Vehicles. Made in the 90s by GM and a company called Northrop Grumman. They were made strictly to service excessive abuse and corrosive environments. Comfort was an afterthought.
Just wondering, if the market offered cars where the main selling point was longevity, serviceability, and simplicity, would you buy one?

expected lifespan was 30 years, instead of 10 years, like a lot of modern cars.

Probably not because it would cost some multiple ( 2x-5x??) higher than a similar model made to current standards.

 

[ls1mike]

 

[Jason2007]

I had to train on one when I was a carrier. Worst vehicle I ever drove in my life. Bad thing is it had just come out of the shop that morning. You couldn't give me one. USPS loses several per week due to fire. No air, Ray Charles has better visibility than the LLV. Pretty close to a death trap.

 

[2EHA]

If it has the 2.2L 122 and not the iron duke

they have both

 

[slacktide_bitog]

they have both

Yes, I know. My answer to the topic question is that I'd buy one if it has the 2.2, but I wouldn't buy one with an iron duke