Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 21:46:21 -0500
Reply-To: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: Ford Excursion is DEAD - Off topic
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I was just hoping to keep some jobs in America.
I had a 75 Toyota land cruiser, a very harsh vehicle that could and did
out perform every CJ Jeep product in rough terrain, mud, snow. When my
friends with Jeeps got stuck they calld me to come get them and their
Jeeps out of mud bogs, beach sand dunes, river beds etc.
I put about 27K on mine in three years and my back is just now
recovering.
The price of a 75 Land Cruiser was less than $5000.00 US but it didn't
have A/C, power brakes, any radio, it was just a bare bones *lets go to
war* design.
I had zero maintenance in those three years other than a 25K full
lubrication change in all the gearboxes and drives.
My thinking of the bullet proof Excursion was simply that it will support
the 2200 pounds of glass, tempered aluminum plate and steel plate, where
as that would max out the Toyota.
Just a thought though.
Stan Wilder
83 Westfalia Air Cooled
On Wed, 31 Jul 2002 21:17:42 -0500 Reid Anderson
<cruisermantis@home.off-road.com> writes:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
>
> > Wouldn't it be more wonderful to see all of those UN terrorism
> > investigation teams riding around in Bullet Proof White Excursion
> units
> > than those tinny little Toyota vehicles.
>
> Yes Stan, it would. But only if you *like* terrorism.
>
> Firstly, those UN personnel will actually be subjecting the vehicle
> to
> harsh, unforgiving environments. No, I don't think rush hour in
> Pasadena
> qualifies as a harsh, unforgiving environment. However, that is
> what the
> Excursion is built for. Not that there's anything wrong with that,
> but give
> credit where credit is due. It's an American market play-thing, and
> would
> be terribly out of place in the third world.
>
> In stark contrast, the Toyota Land Cruiser is rather out of place
> in
> America. Until recently, it's utilitarian nature guaranteed it
> right-lane-only status on the Foothill Freeway. Now days, it's
> "Americanized" with a V-8 and Independent Front Suspension - but
> that's only
> the North American models. The rest of the world - including the
> UN,
> continues to receive vehicles more at home traveling across a rutted
> 2 track
> at 25 kph than on a 100 kph roadway.
>
> Second, you neglect to consider that all the bulletproofing and
> armor in the
> world doesn't effectively protect the occupants of a stationary,
> broken down
> vehicle for any length of time. This alone eliminates any Ford
> product from
> serious consideration by the UN, even if their mission was only to
> leave
> their own driveway.
>
> I think maybe it's best we let the UN continue to choose their
> vehicles, and
> let Ford discontinue theirs.
>
> Regards,
> Reid
>
>
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