The Safest Volvo You Can Buy Right Now Is Probably This Spartan Military Off-Roader

Who needs lane keep assist when you have armor plating?

byCaleb Jacobs|
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If you want, we can forget for a second that the world is currently in an unfamiliar state of pandemic-induced fear. Just throw everything you know about that coronavirus out the window. Voof! Ah, it's still here? Well, sorry, guess you better read this and imagine yourself traversing the great outdoors in style. Luckily, this Volvo army truck should do the trick.

Aleksander Sur via Facebook Marketplace

Military vehicle nomenclature is a little tricky to pin down but according to the for-sale listing, this is a Volvo RLTGB 1312 AMT. It has what you need as far as living quarters go, with the option for two separate rooms divvying up you and your apocalypse partner if things go sideways on one hell-bent day or another. For now, the wall has been torn down to make one large room with three seats, two beds, a desk, and a wood stove for heat.

There's a 20-liter tank for drinking water, another 5.5-gallon tank for gray water, and a 220-volt electric system with an inverter should you need to power your laptop or electric chainsaw. An engine-driven mechanical generator makes this possible, ensuring you'll have electricity even when far off the grid. You'll also have the fuel capacity to make long-distance trips as there's a 65-gallon tank, along with spots to mount a pair of additional canisters on the exterior.

You'll surely need all of that to live a comfortable life post-society, but perhaps more importantly, you'll want to get from point A to point B no matter what's between the two. That's where this Volvo's off-roading equipment comes into play, with six driven wheels and vacuum-locking differentials on each axle. They're all portal axles, too, which is what you'll want given their ample amount of ground clearance.

ASuur via Expedition Portal

The engine is a 300TDI Land Rover lump that makes modest power—111 horsepower and 195 pound-feet from the factory. That's nothing to worry about thanks to the truck's incredibly low gearing which, in combination with the five-speed manual, can propel it up and over almost any obstacle at a slow crawl. Of course, 37-inch mud-terrain tires also play a hand in its massive capabilities, and a roof-mounted intake keeps water out of the totally mechanical power plant unless you get in over your head.

An engine heater is fitted as well, making sure the compression-ignition unit will start right up in the dead of winter—that'll come in handy regardless of if the world crumbles.

Lastly, there's the required CB radio to communicate with people during your cross-continental trips. That reminds me...to take possession of this truck, you'll either need to have it shipped or pack up and leave your normal life to drive it in its homeland of Northern Europe. Estonia, to be more specific. Even with all this going on in the world, cargo ships are still operating and can have it delivered to your nearest port in a matter of weeks, which isn't really that unusual in the space of globe-trotting overlanders.

ASuur via Expedition Portal

The Volvo itself will set you back $14,000, which is incredibly cheap considering all the upfitting that's been done to it. Factor in a few extra grand for transport and you're still in it for less than a bone-stock, decade-old Toyota Land Cruiser.

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