1st Vehicle, what do I need?

[Frazer]

Hey Guys, been a while!

I just acquired a 2000 Pontiac Montana with the V6 engine and only 110k KMs on it.  It's my first vehicle and I'm really excited for the new opportunities that it gives me.  For example I can now finally get my HAM License since I can get to the club meetings in Fonthill, to far to catch a ride...also it allows me to go to Costco and buy in bulk.  I will also be able to get out and enjoy the city I live in since the bus system sucks!  And it will also allow me to get a job I might not have applied for knowing I'd need a ride to get to the job.

My question for you guys is...thinking outside the box, what prepping should I do with this vehicle?

My plans so far are as follows.  I want to get a set of Gerry can mounts with locks on the back, this will allow me to store some extra fuel since I live in an apartment and don't have anywhere to store fuel.  What I'll do is fill up from these cans and then refill to rotate my fuel.  This will allow me to get an extra 10 gallons of gas if I have to bug out or I get stranded.

I also want to get some CB and HAM radio equipment installed, along with an inverter. 

I want to add a luggage rack for extra cargo space, I want to add 2 1 million lumen fog lights for if the gird is down or I'm driving through a pitch black area.  I'm also thinking of getting some of those police spot lights to mount on the door for some extra long distance light.  That or I might just get a good quality waterproof hand held spot light that is rechargeable.

Now as for my question when I say think outside the box, what I mean is keep in mind that I will have a GHB (Get Home Bag), roadside emergency kit, flashlight in the glove box, small tool kit, tow rope, jumper cables and so forth, water, extra oil and windshield washer fluid etc.  So thinking outside the norm, what would you guys do to prep or add a level of readiness to my new vehicle?

Oh and I will be getting CAA today!!!

[CdnGuy]

If you are making payments on the truck, then part of your preps will be to:
1. Save up enough money to have a repair fund, say $1000 or $1500 dollars.
2. Once you have your emergency fund, if you are making payments on this truck then you'll want to increase your payments to pay it off as soon as possible.
3. Once the truck is paid off, start saving for another one. Sooner or later the truck will die. I'd say you could get 10 years or more out of it with great maintenance. In that time, you can easily save enough for another vehicle.

All the other stuff mentioned is great as well.

[Frazer]

If you are making payments on the truck, then part of your preps will be to:
1. Save up enough money to have a repair fund, say $1000 or $1500 dollars.
2. Once you have your emergency fund, if you are making payments on this truck then you'll want to increase your payments to pay it off as soon as possible.
3. Once the truck is paid off, start saving for another one. Sooner or later the truck will die. I'd say you could get 10 years or more out of it with great maintenance. In that time, you can easily save enough for another vehicle.

All the other stuff mentioned is great as well.

The Van was given to me so there are no payments thank God! I've got $500 set aside for repairs/emergency fund, working on adding to that to get it up to $2000 asap, I've been putting some extra cash away for buying a new vehicle, that was an excellent suggestion Guy!  Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I don't know what happened but my Canadaprepared.com emails were going into my junk folder when I switched to gmail....

That problem has been rectified!