Mustang as an overlander?
- Thread starter Mrmoustache
- Start date
underdrive
jackwagon
Seems to me the OP is some kind of special too... Especially with attitude like the quite below:
Now what I think they doesn't realize is that yes their 4x4 truck buddy will likely have their back and drag their sorry butt out, once. And that will be the end of any and all recovery assistance from that person. I've dealt with that mess, someone gets in way over their head and then calls for rescue and expects us to drop everything and go help them out. Which admittedly is often doable, but not always. And when you do get there and see the mess, you realize if there's even a remote hope for saving their vehicle you need to be extra extra careful in how you do things. And so you end up burning up most of your day on that job, and despite your best efforts something ends up damaged anyways. And here's where things get interesting - a friend who admits they screwed up bad but is just thankful for your assistance despite the damages is someone I will go and bail out times and again, rain or shine. On the other hand someone who starts whining about how they weren't stuck so bad, and how you were too rough and broke their vehicle, and so on and so forth - them folks get the proverbial finger, I collect all my gear and I'm headed back, they can hitch a ride with me or they can stay with their vehicle and either try to get it out on their own or look for someone else who'd be willing to give it a shot. I can't help but wonder which of the two scenarios would play out with the OP and their Mustang...
underdrive
jackwagon
To heck with his vehicle's career, that's on him and his judgement (or lack thereof). What is concerning about his ideas is the impact he'll be having on wherever he tries to pull those stunts - Korben hit the nail on the head there, it's very easy for the OP to think how they will tackle some obstacle or whatever, but what about the folks behind them? They gotta deal with the mess the OP made, and if they get to stop and clean up after the OP they won't be very appreciative...
And yes, there are so many great places in this country one can visit without ever leaving graded roads, I fail to see what the appeal is in destroying one's vehicle in terrain that it was clearly not meant to traverse. Especially if that is one's only vehicle, as is the case with the OP. But then again, it's vehicle that was apparently given to them, not something they actually bought, so maybe that has something to do with it?
Mrmoustache
New member
So many assumptions and judgements being made by know it all's on here. Why are you so sure I'm leaving a mess on trails? I'll have you know I carry a spill kit, and pick up ALL debris left behind. I've been out twice already on easy dirt trails and yes I got stuck, yes I made it out both times with minimal damage. Dented both rockers and cracked the front bumper. I had a lot of fun and left no junk on the trail. Newsflash, you don't know everything.
ihatemybike
Explorer
Please tell me you will be posting video.
Eaglefreek
Eagleless
When I was in high school, I had a 68 Dodge Coronet. I took that thing places a car shouldn't have gone. However it was a full frame vehicle. Your rusted unibody vehicle, might not last very long.
RockyMtnFamily
Explorer
I think soft roading is the operative term here. I had a 1979 Mustang that I took all over Arizona, Utah and Wyoming when I was the OP's age. I was at the Grand Canyon North Rim when I was approached by someone who needed a ride to push or jump start his truck. I was available to help and it was on a seldom used fire road just outside the park. It was a rough road and I had to take some detours to get around swampy sections and fallen trees. I was able to get within 50 yards of him before I did not want to continue any further. So, it is doable, but that said, the Mustang did not live beyond 130,000 miles.
I had a lowered 2wd Chevy truck that I took everywhere possible when I out of high school. Be courteous, take friends who can pull you out, and a the good sense to learn some recovery technique before you head out.
I'm not sure if anyone posted this either. Despite the manufactured drama, they still drove the cars on those trails...
I'm not sure if anyone posted this either. Despite the manufactured drama, they still drove the cars on those trails...
underdrive
jackwagon
It's based on experience with others who have shown attitude similar to yours. When people do stupid things, screw up, then bail and leave others to sort out the mess, it tends to leave said others a bit bitter about the whole ordeal. Good to hear you're owning up to your mistakes though, hopefully you can soon upgrade from the Mustang to something more capable that leaves less debris for you to pick up - if you think you're having fun now just wait till you no longer have to worry about shearing the oil plug off the engine pan and stuff like that.
Retired Tanker
Explorer
Mrmoustache, is your undercarriage still good enough to weld a set of subframe connectors on? That will help keep from killing your floor under your seats from busting up. There are a lot of them available. Ia there a way you can trim the bottoms of your front and rear bumpers to keep from ripping them off? A roll bar is also a good idea in your case. Get out and have fun. Post pictures.
OutbacKamper
Supporting Sponsor
I just watched an episode of Top Gear last night. They took a Porsche 928 GT, Lotus Esprit and '71 Mustang Mach I on some pretty rough roads and tracks in Pantagonia:
OutbacKamper
Supporting Sponsor
I was surprised that of the 3, the Lotus proved to be the most reliable. I loved the acronym they mentioned though: Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious. I had not heard that before.