# Is the Gaz-69 the most durable/reliable vehicle ever made? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [March 31, 2025, 11:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-the-gaz-69-the-most-durable-reliable-vehicle-ever-made/199696 "2025-03-31T11:51:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2025, 11:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-the-gaz-69-the-most-durable-reliable-vehicle-ever-made/199696/1 "2025-03-31T11:51:42Z")
Now that Russia is relying on these **minimum** 50 year old vehicles for its war on Ukraine, they should also try to recruit as many old mechanics as possible, because their younger mechanics have probably never worked on carbureted engines. > **[Russia’s Latest Combat Vehicle Is A Truck From 1952](https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2025/03/29/russias-latest-combat-vehicle-is-a-truck-from-1952/)** > > GAZ-69s appear along the front line. ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2025, 1:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-the-gaz-69-the-most-durable-reliable-vehicle-ever-made/199696/2 "2025-03-31T13:41:24Z")
I thought Russia was building NEW models using the design from 1952. The last one built was in 1972. WHERE are they storing 50 yr old trucks? Or getting parts? You might think they scrapped all the old models. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2025, 2:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-the-gaz-69-the-most-durable-reliable-vehicle-ever-made/199696/3 "2025-03-31T14:50:47Z")
_Kto znayet?_ 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2025, 2:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-the-gaz-69-the-most-durable-reliable-vehicle-ever-made/199696/4 "2025-03-31T14:51:04Z")
The US military stores surplus vehicles in Arizona. There are deserts in Russia too. I’m not sure that any parts are too old to store in Russia. A childhood friend of my father in law owned a tractor supply business in their hometown in Northern Germany. A Romanian tractor manufacturer went out of business. He submitted the lone bid for all the parts together and won. This was in about 2000. His son ran the business when we saw them and said that many of the parts were 50 years old. The tractors were very popular with people that didn’t want to spend oodles of money on equipment from Deere or Kubota. The tractors were so sturdy that they lasted forever. ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2025, 4:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-the-gaz-69-the-most-durable-reliable-vehicle-ever-made/199696/5 "2025-03-31T16:12:36Z")
I think the truck storage yard is in Pripyat, lots of good stuff there. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2025, 7:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-the-gaz-69-the-most-durable-reliable-vehicle-ever-made/199696/6 "2025-03-31T19:49:28Z")
Pripyat is in Ukraine. The yard might be somewhere else. I’m guessing Siberia. ---
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 4:02am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-the-gaz-69-the-most-durable-reliable-vehicle-ever-made/199696/7 "2025-04-02T04:02:34Z")
> [@VDCdriver](#): > > they should also try to recruit as many old mechanics as possible, because their younger mechanics have probably never worked on carbureted engines. Aren’t they easier to work on - not just to learn but more tolerant of imprecision? A number of stories about the war have mentioned Russians using old weapons and vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 10:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-the-gaz-69-the-most-durable-reliable-vehicle-ever-made/199696/8 "2025-04-02T10:34:00Z")
A young mechanic who needs to rebuild a carb could have difficulty with that job. The next thing he knows, he might “accidently” fall from a high window. ---
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 12:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-the-gaz-69-the-most-durable-reliable-vehicle-ever-made/199696/9 "2025-04-02T12:59:58Z")
> [@VDCdriver](#): > > A young mechanic who needs to rebuild a carb could have difficulty with that job. I rebuilt my carb. I was slow but I got it right. I didn’t need special equipment or a sophisticated understanding of mechanics. > [@VDCdriver](#): > > The next thing he knows, he might “accidently” fall from a high window. The Russians don’t mind incompetence, just dissent.