Jeez, I think you're talking about my 1971 VW Westfalia camper! That expands the range quite a bit, but I think you're better off with a 40-year-old American van, since parts would be almost impossible to track down. (At least the VWs shared a lot of parts over the years, and since so many of them are still on the road, there are suppliers who are able to provide any necessary parts, at least if you have the money.) Or better yet, one of those old Bluebird school buses. A lot of the smaller ones were converted into campers, and parts for them are non-existent. And that might give your characters some points for going out on their own.
A blown head gasket would not permanently disable a vehicle. It would cause the vehicle to go through coolant and/or oil in large quantities.
Many are familiar with the Kelley Blue Book of car values. Reading through the thread it appears that your permanently disabled definition is more accurately described as the Black Book value of the vehicle. The Black Book describes the price point where the cost of the repair exceeds the value of the vehicle as a whole. Depending on the age and mileage of the vehicle in question that could be as low as the scrap value.
Yes, this is what happened to me, but I was thinking that based on the OPs scenario it wouldn't be practical or possible to continue adding coolant or water. When it happened to me, I couldn't drive it maybe a mile or so and it would start to overheat and empty the coolant. I guess overheating might not be as big a problem with a much older vehicle but I was thinking the overheating would cause other issues very quickly if they continued to drive it.
well no but it would be an uneconomic repair for an old clunker... more so if the head couldn't be skimmed, the same 's true of nearly every other cause short of a major collision or fire... i mean a thrown rod doesn't permanently disable the vehicle if you replace the engine virtually nothing does unless you actually destroy it... what most people mean by 'off the road permanently' is that it would cost more to fix than the vehicle is worth
Actually, them frequently stopping and topping up the water would be entirely doable. They're not on the run or anything like that. The purpose the vehicle breaking down serves isn't a matter of mortal peril or anything like that, it's a case of "crap, our home/mode of transport is a goner, what do we do now?"
