In the early 90s I and a few friends bought usps mail jeeps that were right hand drive when these LLVs were being phased in and the old jeeps decommissioned. They were sold at auction for about 200-400 dollars depending on condition. We had a lot of fun with them and even flipped one on its side accidentally. After righting the jeep manually (three teenagers worth of effort) it drove as usual. Memories!
@@SaleProofCarReviews It may be the Carcass guys from powernation, yes, but they are really building a monster jeep. Not a restoration, perhaps more interesting is Thunderhead289's restoration or more accurately a "revival".
I wonder if you have considered doing an episode on a turbo beetle or beetle from the early 2000s or so. My GF has one and it is called "Blue steel". Zoolander of course!! Haha!
I think the LLV would make a unique camper van. A cot and camping equipment and a fishing pole would make for a fun weekend at the lake or river in it.
I have no idea how people continually come up with stupid shit like this. Buy an RV to begin with if that's what you're going to do. A class C motorhome can be had for less than $5 grand. You can get Class A for even $1,500.
Yes, that is the reason for right hand drive, to make it easier to reach out to, and put mail into, roadside mailboxes while traveling in the direction of the rest of the traffic. The belts helped with this too. If the shoulder belt limited your reach, you could disconnect it from the lap belt, and still be wearing the lap belt, but have more upper body range of motion.
I want one. Just because. If anyone thinks these little gems are "ugly" - Wait til you see the OshKosh NGDV that will finally be phasing these out. oof.
@Jay idk why I saw so many of them, but as a mechanic in Texas, I saw many many many right hand drive jeep Cherokees. Retired mail trucks from mountainous arrears like Colorado
They definitely don't have a Lexus ride quality. The windshields leak when it rains and the heater is a joke in winter. These preform awful in snow. These are OK for Florida but not up north in 24" of snow. The ground clearance is like 5"
@@SaleProofCarReviews that high mileage for a LLV .the post office will put rebuilt motors and transmission in them alot .I only had 1 LLV that had over 100K mileage
@@garymathews4042Most postal vehicles have well over 100,000 miles, but until the last couple years they only had 5 digit odometers. So if it says 86,000 miles it probably has at LEAST 186k miles, if not 286k.
I’m a substitute mail carrier and I drive these things a few times a week. I try to pick up hours at other rural post offices but often they don’t use these. They require people to operate their own personal vehicles and I don’t have one that can be used to deliver mail. I would love to get my hands on one of these for delivering out of rural offices
Always wanted to see this little cute thing in my own eyes, thanks for reviewing every feature of this car in detail, i learned a lot today. wish i had one, kind of.
And delivering rural mail to street mounted mailboxes without getting out of the truck, The ones used in my area have a sliding window on the drivers side so the door can remain closed while delivering to road mounted mail boxes.
I have a 1967 Dodge p200 postal van. It is powered by 110 horsepower 225 + 6 engine I have a 4-speed overdrive standard transmission in it. It travels at about 80 Mi an hour and gets between 12 in 15 Mi per gallon. It is an awesome vehicle.
Wow, didn't even know the LLV was based on the 1982 Chevy S10 Blazer chassis! The 4 cylinder S10 engine has such a unique sound, I'm able to recognize it even if I hear it drive by in my house! I've always wondered what kind of truck chassis this vehicle was based off of and what engine it had, now I know! Thank you so much for this awesome review! Did the 2.5L 4 cylinders in the earlier versions have a turbo? I remember one of the LLV's I used to hear when I was younger had a much louder engine/exhaust sound than the one that comes by now (think it's a later model). I might need to follow and film the mailman making his rounds through my neighborhood sometime!
Neither the Iron Duke, nor the later 2.2 liter, had a turbocharger. Both were normally aspirated. Yes, the combination of the Iron Duke and the exhaust system used produced a distinct sound. I drive one of these every Sunday for USPS while delivering Amazon packages.
@@gregorymalchuk272 All LLV Iron Dukes had the throttle body injection, and with this were referred to as the "Tech 4" by GM. They never received port injection, and earlier pre-TBI models were carbureted.
@@BillC518 Ah, I see. Do you happen to know any part numbers for the fuel pressure diaphragm in the throttle body of the TBI versions? Are there any OEM or good aftermarket ones available?
I used to have a 91 S-10. Thing ran amazing but the body fell off. The 2.5 Iron Duke was a great engine, especially bolted to a five speed. Always wanted a look at a mail truck but, didn't want to be a creep haunting around one in the neighborhood. Thanks!
@@RavenStorm332 My intent is to put a truck topper on top of it, replace the sliding rear door (the rails are in the way), remove the separating panels (cab to cargo), convert it into an RV then paint it.
I really like driving the LLV at work as a carrier. It's super hot because we are in Texas and it's a large oven, but I still have fun and love my job.
Yeah you get use to it! Overall pretty fun to drive in colder month but in the Texas heat it’s just brutal us like sitting in a sauna! The gentleman had a very nice one … I have a 1989 model and it’s stalling out mostly after 3pm and that’s when stuff gets a bit difficult but also you learn your tricks and also getting use to it
From 1994 to 2014 I never saw a mail truck Because the community I live then use their own personal cars. 2014 to now I see what it look like because I live in a city now
If they just duplicated this vehicle in electric and added A/C .....I would buy it! This truck is beautiful the boxiness is it's best point, the only better vehicle in this regard would be the 1963 Studebaker-Westinghouse Pickup Truck.
I own a 1967 Dodge p200 postal van. It has a 225 slant 6 I put a 4-speed overdrive standard shift Transmission in it it gets between 12 and 15 MPG. It goes approximately 80 mph with great power and I love it. There was only 3500 made in 1967 and there are only two left in the United States that I know of mine any gentleman that calls his Laurie. It is an awesome vehicle in every way
It has right hand drive for a specific reason. Mailboxes are on the right, and the mail person can deliver mail without getting out of the vehicle. It is the opposite in countries that drive on the left side of the road. < They would have left hand drive.
Great review, really enjoyed it! Thanks for no music, what a joy. I was thinking it would make a nice RV conversion, but... cannot use it on freeway and gas mileage sucks, and the 4 cylinder means it cannot carry much weight. But its an interesting vehicle and would make a cheap and compact moving truck for hauling stuff from Home Depot to house or moving furniture, etc. Loved your review. Couple of things: Speak slowly, don't race. Say less. This is a volley of words and most are unnecessary. Your speech has some areas of improvement. Don't end on a question note - this is what kids do today and it is annoying to hear. Sometimes you also end sentences on a robotic low tone. Just end normally. Since you do a lot of presenting, this will help you. Try Toastmasters for practice. I joined them and they are wonderful at making you aware of your own speech habits, perfect for those that need to fine tune their presentation skills.
Now I always thought the original ones were powered by rubber bands and the upgraded models were clockwork. The only problem was the key was 4 foot long and it took 2 to wind it.😅🤣😂😅🤣😂
Since the chassis it used was a derivation of the Chevrolet S-10 truck chassis, I wonder if it could have been fitted with the 4.3L V-6 engine for greater power?
The USPS trucks don't have a license plate. The USPS version obviously doesn't have a passenger seat. The tray for holding the mail goes there. The seat swivels for servicing the cluster boxes that some routes have. Maintenance is covered by the USPS and they don't want carriers doing anything to maintain them.
Yup ,my friends shop was always fixing these for the USPS, I ended up with one of those jacks that they gave us for working on them, the USPS would have the body parts shipped right to the shop for repair, from aluminum panels to entire shortened S10 Blazer frames that came from GM with a unique part # for GM /Grumman
Love the overall review of this awesome truck! But revisiting it nearly a year later, it's clear the investment advice was way off. These things have been shooting up in value lately, with the most recent one on GovDeals selling for $16,650, and the one before that for $12,150. I so wish I'd had the chance to get one before the prices skyrocketed. I still want one desperately (got outbid on that most recent auction), but who knows whether that will be a possibility at this point?
For a vehicle like this, I would think either a more powerful V6 engine similar to that of what was available in the Chevy S10, or possibly a Duramax 2.8 4 cyl. engine. You want something that's well built, while also giving you enough power to carry whatever you happen to carry in the cargo area, while also getting better than 20 mpgs.
I drove these trucks from '88-'15 and Jeeps and K-cars for 3 yrs. prior to the LLV. The milage was/is south of 10 mpg. Rattletraps, awful in snow, the drive wheel is on the right side where the snow is the deepest. The blind spot, on the left side, is big enough to park a semi in. I guess the design was the results were a necessary evil.
Given that these vehicles were used mostly in stop and go driving, from mailbox to mailbox on so-called "mounted" routes, while carrying 300 to 500 pounds or more of mail and packages, it's not surprising that 9-10 mpg was what they tended to get. The boxy body structure was what probably limited them to 18 mpg on the highway. Definitely not the most aerodynamic of vehicles.
My rural carrier was driving one the other day. I asked her if her regular vehicle broke down. She said yep. So then I asked her did she liked using the LLV? She simply said, and I quote, "F^%k, no way!" 😂
I believe Jimmy Carter was president and George H.W. Bush won the 1988 election. Do you remember what that election was like, even though you couldn't vote yet?
@@SaleProofCarReviews I was 21 yrs old by the time this particular Grumman LLV was first used, and when I first voted for a US President. Bill Clinton delivered his first State of the Union address. Scary, huh? 🤣
I want one of these so damn bad. I so badly want to shove a boosted Nissan SR20DE/T. Sub 3,000lbs weight, rear-wheel drive, AND right hand drive. I NEED ITTTT
These are the only American motor vehicle you could import into Australia weather it is 10 years old or 20 years old because it is right hand drive there are restrictions on left hand drive cars depending on there age any right hand drive cars can be imported into Australia particularly N.S.W we have plenty of right hand drive Ford Mustangs and JDM cars from Japan but who would want to import these ex postal vehickes into Australia they look very slow the postal services use and have used various types of vehicles over the years for postal deliveries motorcycles push bikes and now our postman uses an electric tricycle when l was much younger would have been 50 years ago l was on foot there were push bikes and small motor bikes l also did telegram deliveries and used push bikes and Honda CT 90s ag bikes
When an aircraft manufacturer known for making reliable sea planes makes a car called the Long Life Vehicle, you know damn well it’ll outlast any 2UZ Toyota Pickup Truck.
WheelieYellow's grand pappy!!! when it's good... 2 questions: MPG? did I miss that info? and repairability - engine, glass, and body parts availability and degree of difficulty...
They don't go for sale often, in fact it's believed USPS destroys them once they're decommissioned.. Your best bet would probably be a government surplus auction to buy a decommissioned one that wasn't necessarily a USPS truck. Otherwise you might be able to find one as a copart or junkyard find that may require some repairs..
Is the LLV a good investment? Probably not. But could it be an entertaining and fun vehicle? Absolutely! What would do with one of these is as follows. 1) change the wheels! Maybe some white steelies with dog dish hubcaps or reverse chrome wheels with whitewalls. Maybe even some sort of retro style Crager wheels. 2) spruce up the paint job. Maybe paint the lower half of the van post office blue with a red wide stripe between the blue and white. And paint rhe geill and around the headlights silver. 3) put more comfortable front seats in it. And clean and paint the dash. 4) since it’s an Chevrolet S-10 driveline, swap in a more powerful engine and newer 4 or 5 speed automatic. Maybe even a small block Chevy V8. Just to get that v8 sound and torque.
If I had one of these, and was going to repaint it, I would be careful to not choose a color scheme that would in any way resemble the USPS red/white/blue, because I wouldn't want to be charged with impersonating a postal employee!
As a Mailman Id say it would be a perfectly good vehicle for a wide variety of niches. The thing turns on a dime. Although it would need a little work the heater and ability to defrost/defog the windows and heater sucks and is non existent. So that would have to be fixed. The washer fluid resovware needs to be moved ( it sits right above the fuse box). The dash display needs to be tweeked for better visibility at night. But all and all its not bad.
Lol. Mail carrier here. You missed a handful of features. They don’t fucking work anymore tho cause they’re so old lol and especially the mirror features (There are 7 cause of all the damn blindspots 😂) That’s the BIGGEST part about them, besides the fact that they’re right hand drive.
Dangerously slow by today's standards. Breaks are weak at best! Drafty is an understatement...some have decent heaters. But, most don't! No A/C makes them darn near unbearable in the heat of summer! Easily 5-10 degrees hotter than outside temps. The whole driving with doors open is a HUGE no no if not actually delivering house to house on a mounted route. Never have the left side door open during any kind of driving. That'll catch you some serious heat from management!
Given that the last one I saw sell on Govdeals went for nearly 10 grand, I think your sellability assessment is way off. I expect these to go way up in value and never come down.
I am so buying one of these if the chance comes along ! .........want to drop a V8 & better tranny in it & turn it into a sleeper ...& make it a spoof US Snail truck 🐌, fixed so many of these before
You couldn't give me one of those Tin Cans. Too light. Won't go in Snow without Chains. Like a Microwave Oven in the Summer and like a Feeezer in the Winter. They are always in the Shop since they are so old.
I love this review but please stop saying "Grooman," it's "Gruh-man." There's no "ooh" in it, just "uhhhh." I drive one of these on a daily basis. PostalDog was very kind to let you review his truck, lol.
Thanks again to Sale Proof Car Reviews for taking the time to review my Grumman LLV, I had a blast 😃👍
Had been driving one since 1994 (model year 1987-1994, and anywhere in between), I'm not sure if I want to own one.
Do anyone willing to sell to his Grumman llv ?
@@sings. I thought they all had Iron Dukes? Did yours?
In the early 90s I and a few friends bought usps mail jeeps that were right hand drive when these LLVs were being phased in and the old jeeps decommissioned. They were sold at auction for about 200-400 dollars depending on condition. We had a lot of fun with them and even flipped one on its side accidentally. After righting the jeep manually (three teenagers worth of effort) it drove as usual. Memories!
Amazing! I wonder if there are still any of those old mail jeeps around! They have to have some sort of collectibility!
@@SaleProofCarReviews There are a few youtube channels doing revivals with them, Thunderhead 289, and I think powernation
That's gotta be an interesting restoration!
@@SaleProofCarReviews It may be the Carcass guys from powernation, yes, but they are really building a monster jeep. Not a restoration, perhaps more interesting is Thunderhead289's restoration or more accurately a "revival".
I wonder if you have considered doing an episode on a turbo beetle or beetle from the early 2000s or so. My GF has one and it is called "Blue steel". Zoolander of course!! Haha!
GRUH-MAN!!!!!!! great vid btw.
Thanks, and so I've heard regarding the pronunciation..
I think the LLV would make a unique camper van. A cot and camping equipment and a fishing pole would make for a fun weekend at the lake or river in it.
I have no idea how people continually come up with stupid shit like this. Buy an RV to begin with if that's what you're going to do. A class C motorhome can be had for less than $5 grand. You can get Class A for even $1,500.
@@MrWolfSnack Now, do you feel superior, safe behind your keyboard? Prick.
@@MrWolfSnack because only idiots would want a bus to call a RV, when a cool mail truck will do. I WANT TO CONVERT ONE OF THESE BABIES INTO A RV!
@@MrWolfSnack bro getting mad for no reason
I thought about that too but it's virtually impossible to get and LLV
the LLV is not turned off at every mail box .you only shut the LLV off if you get out for a pkg .
Yeah the driver seat is on the right side. I always thought that's because they can put the mail in the mailbox without getting out of the truck.
Yes, that is the reason for right hand drive, to make it easier to reach out to, and put mail into, roadside mailboxes while traveling in the direction of the rest of the traffic. The belts helped with this too. If the shoulder belt limited your reach, you could disconnect it from the lap belt, and still be wearing the lap belt, but have more upper body range of motion.
That’s. Um. Correct. That’s exactly why.
I want one. Just because. If anyone thinks these little gems are "ugly" - Wait til you see the OshKosh NGDV that will finally be phasing these out. oof.
Ewwww I just saw it they look worse than Nissan Cubes
I just googled them. You've got to be kidding! lmao. they look like out of a cartoon
@@nofurtherwest3474 Coming to a street near *you* very soon! =P
It's a right-hand drive, so mail delivery can be faster.
They didn't think of oneway streets
@@lucascunha5879 because those are extremely rare in comparison to typical roads
@Jay idk why I saw so many of them, but as a mechanic in Texas, I saw many many many right hand drive jeep Cherokees. Retired mail trucks from mountainous arrears like Colorado
I want one. I'm going to covert it into a mini RV.
The driver's seat is on the right side because it was made specifically for delivering mail
They definitely don't have a Lexus ride quality. The windshields leak when it rains and the heater is a joke in winter. These preform awful in snow. These are OK for Florida but not up north in 24" of snow. The ground clearance is like 5"
They wouldn't do well in Florida either, they don't have AC at all. In Las Vegas, they use bikes because it gets that hot in them
I'm so glad this video showed up in my search. I'm about to convert my 1994 LLV into an RV. 245K and still delivering.
245K? That's low for these!
@@SaleProofCarReviews that high mileage for a LLV .the post office will put rebuilt motors and transmission in them alot .I only had 1 LLV that had over 100K mileage
How is the RV conversion going? Seems like a lot of work. Is the back long enough to lay down?
@@garymathews4042Most postal vehicles have well over 100,000 miles, but until the last couple years they only had 5 digit odometers. So if it says 86,000 miles it probably has at LEAST 186k miles, if not 286k.
I’m a substitute mail carrier and I drive these things a few times a week. I try to pick up hours at other rural post offices but often they don’t use these. They require people to operate their own personal vehicles and I don’t have one that can be used to deliver mail. I would love to get my hands on one of these for delivering out of rural offices
That's amazing work you're doing! It's too bad your local post offices aren't providing vehicles
@@SaleProofCarReviews some do and some don’t I don’t know why. Most do have them for the city carriers at least
@@artisteric it’s probably just local treasurers not really caring about the post office. It’s a damn shame.
Rumor has it that we’ll be getting new ones
One of my friends bought a old mail Jeep for his rural mail route years ago, he still got the Jeep
I get a chance I’ll buy a Grumman. Just always wanted one to do a v8 swap and install a bed to make it a small fast little camper.
could you sleep in the back? is it long enough?
This could make a banging mini food truck or ice cream truck
Yes!
great idea
I kinda want one of these just to take to car shows and drive around a cool right-hand-drive vehicle
That's pretty much what the owner of this one does. It definitely garners attention!
Great review. Loved it. Thanks for showing the world about this vehicle.
Our pleasure!
Always wanted to see this little cute thing in my own eyes, thanks for reviewing every feature of this car in detail, i learned a lot today. wish i had one, kind of.
Anytime!
9:09 its right hand drive so you can slide the mail right into the mailbox. I'm assuming you know this.
For real how did he not know this?
The location of the driver's seat makes it an awesome ice-cream truck! 🍦
And delivering rural mail to street mounted mailboxes without getting out of the truck, The ones used in my area have a sliding window on the drivers side so the door can remain closed while delivering to road mounted mail boxes.
This was hilarious!!! I'm a mailman that drives this and your final comment sums it all up!
The verdict???? NAH!!!! LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have a 1967 Dodge p200 postal van. It is powered by 110 horsepower 225 + 6 engine I have a 4-speed overdrive standard transmission in it. It travels at about 80 Mi an hour and gets between 12 in 15 Mi per gallon. It is an awesome vehicle.
Wow, didn't even know the LLV was based on the 1982 Chevy S10 Blazer chassis! The 4 cylinder S10 engine has such a unique sound, I'm able to recognize it even if I hear it drive by in my house! I've always wondered what kind of truck chassis this vehicle was based off of and what engine it had, now I know! Thank you so much for this awesome review! Did the 2.5L 4 cylinders in the earlier versions have a turbo? I remember one of the LLV's I used to hear when I was younger had a much louder engine/exhaust sound than the one that comes by now (think it's a later model). I might need to follow and film the mailman making his rounds through my neighborhood sometime!
Thank you and it was my pleasure to film! To my knowledge the 2.5L in the LLV did not have any sort of forced induction, I could be wrong though.
Neither the Iron Duke, nor the later 2.2 liter, had a turbocharger. Both were normally aspirated. Yes, the combination of the Iron Duke and the exhaust system used produced a distinct sound. I drive one of these every Sunday for USPS while delivering Amazon packages.
@@BillC518Do you know if the Iron Duke in the mail LLVs ever got multiport fuel injection or if they had the GM throttle body injection?
@@gregorymalchuk272 All LLV Iron Dukes had the throttle body injection, and with this were referred to as the "Tech 4" by GM. They never received port injection, and earlier pre-TBI models were carbureted.
@@BillC518 Ah, I see. Do you happen to know any part numbers for the fuel pressure diaphragm in the throttle body of the TBI versions? Are there any OEM or good aftermarket ones available?
I used to have a 91 S-10. Thing ran amazing but the body fell off. The 2.5 Iron Duke was a great engine, especially bolted to a five speed. Always wanted a look at a mail truck but, didn't want to be a creep haunting around one in the neighborhood. Thanks!
That really puts the long life in LLV. This would make a great stealth camper
That's what I plan on doing with my 94 LLV once I retire.
@@APDaneGL That's something I want to see but can't seem to find any conversions of an LLV to a camper
@@RavenStorm332 My intent is to put a truck topper on top of it, replace the sliding rear door (the rails are in the way), remove the separating panels (cab to cargo), convert it into an RV then paint it.
Is the cargo space long enough for an avg height male to lay down? It looks to be not quite 6' long
@@nofurtherwest3474 probably but if not you'd have to modify it to be liveable anyways.
This thing is way nicer than even the one I’m driving right now 😂
Tell me about it! Lol!
Mine is a 1988 🤣
@@sinx2200
Mine is also an '88!!!!
8205365
Mine is the oldest at our office! Lol!
@@snarfkat1 all of ours are 1988s
I really like driving the LLV at work as a carrier. It's super hot because we are in Texas and it's a large oven, but I still have fun and love my job.
I have never heard Grumman pronounced the way this guy does.
The mis-pronounciation is hard to listen to.
Yeah you get use to it! Overall pretty fun to drive in colder month but in the Texas heat it’s just brutal us like sitting in a sauna!
The gentleman had a very nice one … I have a 1989 model and it’s stalling out mostly after 3pm and that’s when stuff gets a bit difficult but also you learn your tricks and also getting use to it
From 1994 to 2014
I never saw a mail truck
Because the community I live then use their own personal cars.
2014 to now I see what it look like because I live in a city now
If they just duplicated this vehicle in electric and added A/C .....I would buy it! This truck is beautiful the boxiness is it's best point, the only better vehicle in this regard would be the 1963 Studebaker-Westinghouse Pickup Truck.
Same! I'm seriously looking at getting an LLV and doing just that once they start showing up on gov deals near me.
I own a 1967 Dodge p200 postal van. It has a 225 slant 6 I put a 4-speed overdrive standard shift Transmission in it it gets between 12 and 15 MPG. It goes approximately 80 mph with great power and I love it. There was only 3500 made in 1967 and there are only two left in the United States that I know of mine any gentleman that calls his Laurie. It is an awesome vehicle in every way
This channel is criminally underrated. Glad I discovered it! :)
Thank you! Comments like this keep me going!
Only 1K subs? Highly underrated channel if you ask me
Thank you!
It has right hand drive for a specific reason. Mailboxes are on the right, and the mail person can deliver mail without getting out of the vehicle. It is the opposite in countries that drive on the left side of the road. < They would have left hand drive.
I have wanted one for years I would love to own one
Buddy of mine got me thinking about these long ago. I wanna convert one into a camper
I would love the buy one of these pre 1997. Do you know where I could possibly get one?
I SO want one!
I don't blame you!
Great review, really enjoyed it! Thanks for no music, what a joy. I was thinking it would make a nice RV conversion, but... cannot use it on freeway and gas mileage sucks, and the 4 cylinder means it cannot carry much weight. But its an interesting vehicle and would make a cheap and compact moving truck for hauling stuff from Home Depot to house or moving furniture, etc. Loved your review.
Couple of things:
Speak slowly, don't race. Say less. This is a volley of words and most are unnecessary.
Your speech has some areas of improvement. Don't end on a question note - this is what kids do today and it is annoying to hear. Sometimes you also end sentences on a robotic low tone. Just end normally. Since you do a lot of presenting, this will help you. Try Toastmasters for practice. I joined them and they are wonderful at making you aware of your own speech habits, perfect for those that need to fine tune their presentation skills.
What is the silver circular thing on the back of the car?
Now I always thought the original ones were powered by rubber bands and the upgraded models were clockwork. The only problem was the key was 4 foot long and it took 2 to wind it.😅🤣😂😅🤣😂
Nice review. How can I find one for purchase??
Since the chassis it used was a derivation of the Chevrolet S-10 truck chassis, I wonder if it could have been fitted with the 4.3L V-6 engine for greater power?
And greater thirst..
How do I go about getting one? Looks super cool!!!
Itching to get one and start designing mini campers out of them.
The Lakewood Wa water district have/had those in their fleet for their meter readers. Is that where you bought your LLV from?
The short answer is yes. It was purchased through a government surplus auction, but the vehicle was a service vehicle for Lakewood water
The grey stripe on sides is how I can tell where it may of been from.
Thank you, Sale Proof Car Reviews, for this thorough summation of this mail truck's pros and cons.
Anytime!
The USPS trucks don't have a license plate. The USPS version obviously doesn't have a passenger seat. The tray for holding the mail goes there. The seat swivels for servicing the cluster boxes that some routes have. Maintenance is covered by the USPS and they don't want carriers doing anything to maintain them.
Yup ,my friends shop was always fixing these for the USPS, I ended up with one of those jacks that they gave us for working on them, the USPS would have the body parts shipped right to the shop for repair, from aluminum panels to entire shortened S10 Blazer frames that came from GM with a unique part # for GM /Grumman
Morgan Olson who makes UPS trucks and FedEx trucks are made in Sturgis Michigan USA
They also made a LLV
ua-cam.com/channels/CKtJ3mIdF_tpWhukGWKG-w.html
Sounds like I have a new destination to hit!
my dream camper
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Love the overall review of this awesome truck! But revisiting it nearly a year later, it's clear the investment advice was way off. These things have been shooting up in value lately, with the most recent one on GovDeals selling for $16,650, and the one before that for $12,150. I so wish I'd had the chance to get one before the prices skyrocketed. I still want one desperately (got outbid on that most recent auction), but who knows whether that will be a possibility at this point?
Turning off the car at each mail box? I've never seen that and they deliver to my house, the floor it to put put to the next house.
For a vehicle like this, I would think either a more powerful V6 engine similar to that of what was available in the Chevy S10, or possibly a Duramax 2.8 4 cyl. engine. You want something that's well built, while also giving you enough power to carry whatever you happen to carry in the cargo area, while also getting better than 20 mpgs.
When these first came out. I thought they would of made cute looking ice cream trucks. But unfortunately they are not tall enough in the cargo area.
Why do I want to buy one of these just for the heck of it, I love this little thing… I want one and have a little store in it
I drove these trucks from '88-'15 and Jeeps and K-cars for 3 yrs. prior to the LLV. The milage was/is south of 10 mpg. Rattletraps, awful in snow, the drive wheel is on the right side where the snow is the deepest. The blind spot, on the left side, is big enough to park a semi in. I guess the design was the results were a necessary evil.
Always been curious about these! Cant believe how bad the gas mileage is LOL
Oh by today's standards, it's hilariously bad. A hybrid gas/electric powertrain would actually be quite effective for a mail route application
Totally worth it though 😜
MPG is 9 empty.
@@MrWolfSnack I've been averaging 16mpg in this one consistently
Given that these vehicles were used mostly in stop and go driving, from mailbox to mailbox on so-called "mounted" routes, while carrying 300 to 500 pounds or more of mail and packages, it's not surprising that 9-10 mpg was what they tended to get. The boxy body structure was what probably limited them to 18 mpg on the highway. Definitely not the most aerodynamic of vehicles.
I want one I think the rivets look cool
They do look cool
Good Investment!
My rural carrier was driving one the other day. I asked her if her regular vehicle broke down. She said yep. So then I asked her did she liked using the LLV? She simply said, and I quote, "F^%k, no way!" 😂
I remember when they were first introduced.
What was the world like?
@@SaleProofCarReviews We didn't have the internet, nor did we have UA-cam. I was too young at the time to drive a car, or vote.
I believe Jimmy Carter was president and George H.W. Bush won the 1988 election. Do you remember what that election was like, even though you couldn't vote yet?
@@SaleProofCarReviews I was 21 yrs old by the time this particular Grumman LLV was first used, and when I first voted for a US President. Bill Clinton delivered his first State of the Union address. Scary, huh? 🤣
He didn’t curve his wheels😂😂😂 my inner mailman is talking 😂
I'm so fired..
I want one of these so damn bad. I so badly want to shove a boosted Nissan SR20DE/T. Sub 3,000lbs weight, rear-wheel drive, AND right hand drive. I NEED ITTTT
I mean, I drive mine down the HWY to and from my route at about 75mph daily.
yeap... don't know why they think it can't be done...
These are the only American motor vehicle you could import into Australia weather it is 10 years old or 20 years old because it is right hand drive there are restrictions on left hand drive cars depending on there age any right hand drive cars can be imported into Australia particularly N.S.W we have plenty of right hand drive Ford Mustangs and JDM cars from Japan but who would want to import these ex postal vehickes into Australia they look very slow the postal services use and have used various types of vehicles over the years for postal deliveries motorcycles push bikes and now our postman uses an electric tricycle when l was much younger would have been 50 years ago l was on foot there were push bikes and small motor bikes l also did telegram deliveries and used push bikes and Honda CT 90s ag bikes
When an aircraft manufacturer known for making reliable sea planes makes a car called the Long Life Vehicle, you know damn well it’ll outlast any 2UZ Toyota Pickup Truck.
Also, it’s Gruh Mun, not Groom In
the fact this is the same manufacturer as the F14 tomcat, moon lander, B-2, and YF23 is kind of the only thing swag about that poor lorry.
You don’t need a back up camera for that. Those mirrors are better than a back up camera in my opinion.
WheelieYellow's grand pappy!!! when it's good...
2 questions: MPG? did I miss that info? and repairability - engine, glass, and body parts availability and degree of difficulty...
It’s designed that way because mailboxes are on that side.
I'm looking to buy one but can't find them. Any help would be appreciated
They don't go for sale often, in fact it's believed USPS destroys them once they're decommissioned.. Your best bet would probably be a government surplus auction to buy a decommissioned one that wasn't necessarily a USPS truck. Otherwise you might be able to find one as a copart or junkyard find that may require some repairs..
You should review my 1998 e300 turbodiesel before I sell it but I am 1000 miles from portland
Is the LLV a good investment? Probably not. But could it be an entertaining and fun vehicle? Absolutely! What would do with one of these is as follows.
1) change the wheels! Maybe some white steelies with dog dish hubcaps or reverse chrome wheels with whitewalls. Maybe even some sort of retro style Crager wheels.
2) spruce up the paint job. Maybe paint the lower half of the van post office blue with a red wide stripe between the blue and white. And paint rhe geill and around the headlights silver.
3) put more comfortable front seats in it. And clean and paint the dash.
4) since it’s an Chevrolet S-10 driveline, swap in a more powerful engine and newer 4 or 5 speed automatic. Maybe even a small block Chevy V8. Just to get that v8 sound and torque.
If I had one of these, and was going to repaint it, I would be careful to not choose a color scheme that would in any way resemble the USPS red/white/blue, because I wouldn't want to be charged with impersonating a postal employee!
How To purchase a mail truck?
9:25
My jeep's right-hand-drive and it's a 2016
As a Mailman Id say it would be a perfectly good vehicle for a wide variety of niches. The thing turns on a dime.
Although it would need a little work the heater and ability to defrost/defog the windows and heater sucks and is non existent. So that would have to be fixed. The washer fluid resovware needs to be moved ( it sits right above the fuse box).
The dash display needs to be tweeked for better visibility at night.
But all and all its not bad.
Sucks in the snow though 🥺
@@Rockstopmotion lol I'd imagine, I'm a Mailman down here in Florida though so snow isn't a problem.
@grunyonthoughtsfromagrunt8264 lol yea lucky you illinois sucks I bet the new trucks will be worse lol
It’s United States Postal Service.
UPS had these???
Delivering mail to people that live in the park.. 😆
It IS Seattle after all...
Lol. Mail carrier here. You missed a handful of features. They don’t fucking work anymore tho cause they’re so old lol and especially the mirror features (There are 7 cause of all the damn blindspots 😂) That’s the BIGGEST part about them, besides the fact that they’re right hand drive.
Dangerously slow by today's standards. Breaks are weak at best! Drafty is an understatement...some have decent heaters. But, most don't! No A/C makes them darn near unbearable in the heat of summer! Easily 5-10 degrees hotter than outside temps. The whole driving with doors open is a HUGE no no if not actually delivering house to house on a mounted route. Never have the left side door open during any kind of driving. That'll catch you some serious heat from management!
So they took out the table and pur another seat in the front.
Grumman also built the engines for the F-14 Tomcat
They didn't build the engines; they built the F-14! The engines were made by Pratt & Whitney, and later GE.
Can I register one in California??
Possibly! This one is registered as a Chevy S-10 in Washington, and we don't have emissions testing
Please tell me you understand why these are RH drive ..
Given that the last one I saw sell on Govdeals went for nearly 10 grand, I think your sellability assessment is way off. I expect these to go way up in value and never come down.
I am so buying one of these if the chance comes along ! .........want to drop a V8 & better tranny in it & turn it into a sleeper ...& make it a spoof US Snail truck 🐌, fixed so many of these before
God I want one so bad
Just got extended 10 more years...... So I have been told..... 😅
What a shocker..
does it have four wheel drive?
only in our imagination
We got 700r4 in ours in nc
Where in nc? I’m in nc. Can you do freeway speed with that trans? You should do a video on yours. You got me curious now.
Gr-UH-mman. Not Gr-OO-man. Not being mean. Just making a statement.
I want one with a 1000cc in it
I think this is the same one Mr.Regular AKA Brian reviewed.
You couldn't give me one of those Tin Cans. Too light. Won't go in Snow without Chains. Like a Microwave Oven in the Summer and like a Feeezer in the Winter. They are always in the Shop since they are so old.
I don't mean to brag, but my LLV gets about 4 miles per gallon.
I love this review but please stop saying "Grooman," it's "Gruh-man." There's no "ooh" in it, just "uhhhh." I drive one of these on a daily basis.
PostalDog was very kind to let you review his truck, lol.
If I got a LLV I would add a more powerful motor