Ambulance as a Bug Out Vehicle?

My BOV looks like this. Mostly self contained, no shower & porta-potti (folding) - but good ground clearance and lots of room for a daily driver.

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While my Eurovan camper is awesome, it is also 20 years old, hasn't been imported since 2003. A recent brake job has proven parts are hard to come by now, the future doesn't look good. The other down side, it very much looks like a camper.

So, now looking at a NV-200 from Nissan
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Conversion kits are on the market




and commercial conversions


So, giving this some serious consideration, a new rig, with warranty is on deck, just which one is the question. The FORD version of this is the Transit Connect. It falls short in several areas compared to the Nissan, but there are more Ford dealers than Nissan US wide....

With no side windows standard, and the option for just one rear window, which can be heavily tinted, the Nissan is just another van on the road.....

 

Yeah, it's probly been 30 years since I've seen a caboose on the Florida East Coast road. No need for a tail end crew. Now days the last car has a strobe tail light.

 

The wind mill on my shop trailer comes down for travel, not for being on the road .
I have plans for a second one eventually .. In the event I move to a place with better wind I want to be ready.

 

I still think a good used Sprinter is the hot ticket, ours got almost 25 miles per gallon, and easy to work on, plenty of power, and the cargo room is in a class all its own. Ours was the extended wheel base duel rear tire version, about 5500 pounds empty, and regularly carried 5000 more in gear and equipment! Wish I had kept it, but it was pretty beat up from all the use! Still, a great van to convert!

 

If price were no object, from what little I know about some of the new multi fuel military engines and cabs with built in EMP, hazmat air filtering, etc modern military would seem to be the way to go probably German, Swiss or Swede, with no real armor but off road and maybe even possible limited water crossing abilities. In my price range and skill set, I have never found anything more acceptable than the old WW2 jeeps, 6 bys, and weapon carriers, eg power wagons, from the military or the non electronic American and such diesel 4 wheel drive pickups, box trucks.

 

This guy turned an ambulance into a 4-wheel monster. 2004 Ford E-350 - Adventure-Ready E-350
I would never sink all that money into a vehicle to make it off-road ready. But there are some that have turned ambulances into camper type vehicles. They have a bigger engine so you could tow a trailer if needed.

Here is a recycled ambulance:



I do like the price of the military trucks but those things are too tall. I do not want to own a vehicle I have to struggle to get into.

 

I like the idea of an ambulance but they are very heavy.... I wonder if an off road trailer with a 4x4 would be better.

and like anything else it depends on what your intent is.

If intent is to get to a location, prolly dont need it, if intent is to live out of it for a few weeks or months its a great idea

 

This to show just how large the 5 ton Truck is.
The Barn cat is about 3/4 grown and the stick standing in front of the truck is 6 feet tall