As a 29+ year USPS mail carrier, I can say with confidence that if the guy who owns this one actually got it up to 90, he should get the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Grumman missed a brilliant opportunity by not calling this the Mailcat.

For me it's the unique sound of the LLV, I can listen for when the mail is coming, the short bursts of near full throttle for 2-3 seconds before hitting the brakes for the next mailbox.

I started as a carrier in 1993, I drove a jeep for 2 years before they finally gave me an LLV it was a brand new one that only had 12 miles on the odometer. I drove that vehicle for over 20 years and put over 400,000 miles on it before it finally died. I drove a city route and don't remember ever going over 50 miles an hour in it. I'm retired now and every once in a while I catch myself trying to get into my personnel truck on the passenger side. Anyway, I loved my LLV and our Postmaster even sprang for shelves in the back, not too many offices had those. I also caught my finger in the door more times than I like to remember. My feet would freezer in the winter because the heater sucked and in the summer the fan on the dash just blew hot air around the cab but I could make a U-turn on a narrow city street. I knew everyone on my route including their children and grandchildren nowadays you get a different carrier everyweek and they don't care about delivering the mail like my generation. The Postal Service will never be what it once was, unfortunately.

"It is exactly 7 feet by 7 feet by 14 feet and meets minimum federal requirements" This vehicle really is the physical manifestation of government regulations

Thank y'all so much for coming out and reviewing my LLV, I had a blast. I've been smiling all morning since seeing the video's release :D

90 mph in a LLV?!!! You deserve a trophy for sure. Once I got about 45 MPH on the freeway I got a bit nervous. On strong windy days that thing would shift about 2 feet over. Fun part though during the winter they can drift easily. Congrats on securing this vehicle!

Damn this turned from a review of an LLV to an unsettlingly deep essay on nostalgia and the past.

Driving this at 90 MPH must feel like your re-entering from orbit.

I'm a mail carrier so I drive these all the time and love them. There is no better vehicle in existence for carrying mail, and no worse vehicle for driving

“Owning a Grumman LLV light sound like a blast. But it might be half an afternoon of enjoyment at most before your wondering why you wanted to drive one at all”. I felt that especially since I bought 3 72 passenger school busses a few summers ago 🤣😂🤣

I went to a taco truck last night and there was a small emblem on the side that said Grumman Olson. It was funny because I immediately thought of this video. The taco truck looked like one of those bare bones basic 80s/90s box trucks/step vans. It looked like a llv that got blown up with air. I really like the simple, bare bones, practical utility of vehicles like this.

The fact that any citizen can buy military surplus vehicles up to and including a tank but not a surplus mail truck is baffling.

I've driven one everyday for 15 years. Mine was built in 1989. The motor pool guys can swap a new long block from Jasper into them in about 1.5 hours. It's like driving a storage unit. The frames are rusting apart now but the usps found a source for fully boxed chevy s10 reproductions.

As a 29 year postal employee I drove one of these every day. I had also driven its predecessor the Jeep CJ. The LLV was a much more practical vehicle that carried a much larger volume of mail than the CJ. My LLV also had two shelves in the rear which made it very convenient for staging parcels. Out of all the postal vehicles I had driven (Jeep, LLV, CRV) the LLV was my favorite.

As a Technician in a VMF (Vehicle Repair Facility) for over 33 years, I am glad that the LLV has coincided with my career. It is the last of the simple vehicles to work on. On the original parts they were also very reliable. Except for maybe starters (now gear reduction) and brake pads, the replacement parts are hit or miss. The Iron Duke blocks are about shot after so many rebuilds, the 180 transmissions (Chevette part, linkage on the left side) have proven to be the best suited. 700's were swapped in for a while (no OD though) but most have switched back to 180's now. Even body panels are easy to replace on LLVs. We were replacing frames on them for while, but now they are being scrapped when the frame is too far gone. I think I'll retire when the last one leaves.

"You get horny for the past in a way that eliminates all of its faults." A fine point well made, Mr. Regular. I come for the cars (and mail trucks!), but I stay for the writing. Keep it up!

As a former Postal employee and mail carrier, I can tell you that these little vehicles, despite their many faults, served me as loyally as my dog once I learned to speak their language and carriers all over the country can attest that the humble LLV, heater running and waiting for our return patiently, was a welcome site on many a bitter cold morning after walking a loop. No, you weren't supposed to leave your truck running when unattended but those of us who delivered in small towns where you could trust the people on your route did it anyways. My little LLV buddy will remain a pleasant memory for the rest of my days. Unless you lived with one on your daily route, you can never truly understand how utterly wonderful the Grumman LLV is.

Having driven these every so often (from the mail facilities to my family's shop for maintenance and repair), I can see that the best way to describe it is exactly as he did: a phone booth. Imagine a phone booth with a super sized county fair go-cart motor. The throttle is either idle or absolutely pinned to the floor. No other options. And they are fucking scary about 50.

Very good and accurate review! A few additions as a mail carrier: 1) While driving with the door open may be legal, postal safety regulations are very specific about when carriers are allowed to do it. "When traveling to and from the route, when moving between park and relay points, and when entering or crossing intersecting roadways, all external vehicle doors must be closed. When operating a vehicle with sliding driver’s cab doors on delivery routes and traveling in intervals of 500 feet (1/10 mile) or less at speeds not exceeding 15 MPH between delivery stops, the right-hand sliding cab door may be left open." 2) You touched on this briefly, but didn't fully explain it. City carrier and rural carrier are actually two completely separate careers with separate rules, separate unions, and separate contracts. All city carriers drive postal vehicles, the majority being LLVs. Most rural carriers on the other hand drive personal vehicles, although some do drive LLVs. Some rural routes deliver to urban places that used to be rural when the routes were initially divided, and some city routes deliver to more rural places that are technically inside the city limits, but one constant is that rural routes never have walk loops. Most city routes with walk loops nowadays will drive LLVs or other postal vehicles to their park points where they start and end their walk loops. Some use public transportation and get their mail out of relay boxes, but this is a lot less common now with the increase in the volume of parcels being delivered because of online shopping. Most routes need all that cargo space now. 3) In the LLVs driven every day by carriers, instead of an "observer seat" there is a mail tray. The observer seat is found in the LLVs used for driver instruction. For OJI (On the Job Instruction) and for 3999s (route inspections) there are LLVs that have both a mail tray in the front and a "jump seat" behind the mail tray in the cargo area. 4) You mentioned the Oshkosh NGDV that we will hopefully be getting in the next few years. This will be the official successor to the Grumman LLV, and the first postal vehicle to my knowledge designed with actual input from letter carriers. However, the USPS has had to purchase some other vehicles as stop-gap measures since we're running out of LLVs. Most recently I believe are the Mercedes Metris, which are definitely not designed for carrying mail. There was also the FFV (Flex Fuel Vehicle) based off the Ford Ranger and using the Ford 3.0 v6 with flex fuel. They look very similar to the LLVs from the outside, but have less room to work in the front. There's also the huge Ram Promaster vans, and a few others I can't remember off the top of my head. 5) While the LLV in this video has a license plate, actual mail trucks do not. Instead, they have a 7-digit serial number near the top on the front and back of the vehicles. The first digit will tell you what year the LLV was made. They were all made between 1987-1994, and the first digit of the serial number is the last digit of the year it was made. 6) Canada Post also uses Grumman LLVs, but theirs have a lot more red on them. Google image search "Canada Post LLV" to see what they look like. 7) And while you're on Google Images, search "LLV fire" to see why you don't put the windshield washer fluid above the fuse box. I know they mentioned it in the video, but it's another thing seeing all the pictures. 8) Finally, the USPS is NOT in decline. My only correction, and it's not about the vehicle. We were having some genuine financial trouble during the height of the pandemic like everyone else, but any financial trouble before that was completely artificial. The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 was a piece of legislation engineered to destroy the Postal Service and lead to its eventual privatization. It included language that required the USPS to prefund retirement benefits 75 years into the future, funding retirement for people it hadn't even hired yet, something no other company or organization is required to do. Thankfully it didn't work. Although first-class letter mail volume has declined, increases in parcel mail volume and standard-class advertising mail (you call it junk mail, I call it job security) were enough to keep us above water. And the Postal Service Reform Act that Biden signed into law on April 6 finally reversed the 2006 prefunding requirement, freeing up money for the USPS to invest in things like the Oshkosh NGDV, which will save more money in the long-term because the LLVs are becoming very expensive to maintain. The USPS is not going anywhere.

Another fun fact about Grumman: If you're at all outdoorsy you've probably encountered aluminum canoes that carry the Grumman logo. Seems after WW2 ended, Grumman, being one of the largest makers of warplanes, suddenly found themselves with a crapload of aluminum and no more airplane orders. Some enterprising Grumman engineer proceeded to invent the aluminum canoe which became a staple of American campgrounds for decades after.

Droves these for 3 years when I worked for the postal service. These things are genuinely terrible but they did have their own charm.

I have worked on over 30 of those. The local mechanic shop that I worked at serviced all of the local mail carrier vehicles. I have done everything from suspension repairs to engine repairs but I have never had to do a major repair on one of those. They are beat to death and still keep running. The handbrake reminds me of the one in the humvee. They are still being used in my community and they are still wonderful vehicles for what they were intended for. For anything else they are scrapyard material

I think this may be my favorite video that you've put out. I really appreciate the quiet respect you, and Caleb, have shown for the vehicle, and what it represents in the greater scheme. Thank you for that.

I promise getting one of these over 55 is damn near impossible. They may shake apart first

This is to many of us today, "THE" mail truck. Anything else with a USPS logo on it is purpose built (Semi's and bigger box trucks meant for distribution center transports for example) otherwise, THIS is THE mail truck. Amazing how absolutely governmentally utilitarian this thing is.

I drive one every day. The thought of doing 90 in one is terrifying 😂

The tone of this video took a surprisingly aggressive turn at the end

I'm getting dressed to go to work. A mailman truly on the brink of going postal. Alas, a beacon of dopamine blinks from my bedside table. A new video from RCR! Maybe today will be okay after all. Then the ultimate betrayal. Lure me with hope and crush it with another LLV. IT NEVER ENDS!

If I was going to list Grumman's engineering achievements, and counted the hellcat and the tomcat, I would consider it remiss not to also mention that they built the Lunar Lander too.

The LLV I drove for the last 20 years as a postman, came into service in 1987 ! I retired 8 years ago & that same LLV is still assigned to city route 20 !!!

Hey, RRC, I want to say this: I love the jokes a lot. However, I must give praise in other aspect of this review - the later throughtfullness you provided after Caleb spoke. The... reminiscing of past, of what these meant. In general, I love when you get deep like this. When you dig into the meaning of things, or in this case - cars. It shows your true passion for what you're doing. Thank you.

Doug must be livid that he can't revel in the quirkiness!

Enjoyed the owner interview and beautiful mountain scenery, great episode

I really enjoyed hearing directly from the owner. He tells his tale very well!

Thank you for your eloquent commentary. I share the same love for these vehicles.

the person that owns this mail truck, looks exactly like he should own a mail truck

I'm picturing that Grumman guy from Apollo 13: "We designed the LEM to land on the moon. That's it." Same guy: "We designed the LLV to carry mail for a long-ass time. That's it."

Ya know, I just came to the channel expecting function/use case reviews and driving analysis, but it somehow became a video essay about the pitfalls of nostalgia and escapism in social context. It's amazing - will watch again and again

The line around 17:50 reminds me so much of the end of Gatsby. Just beautiful. Mr Regular is a master of his art.

Mr Regular goes full on philosopher, as he contemplates the missteps of life, looking at the world via the vaseline smeared side mirror of a Grumman LLV.

My mom worked for the post office from 1988 to 2012 in NYC. She passed the day after Christmas this past December. She loved the post office. Thanks for this.

Grumman also made the lunar excursion module during the apollo program, i think that's pretty neat tbh

Dude, this video is an actual masterpiece. Not only does he explain the car that none of us registered as a car, he also goes on to explain why we shouldnt ever get one. He finds the thirst for the unobtainable and does his best to douse that thirst in one video. I will never watch a video as relevant to the modern world and its current culture than this. Thank you so much.

The only review of this truck that will ever exist. Well done.

I always know when the mail gets to my house. The buzz of the 4 cylinder and massive exhaust leaks flooring it up to my mailbox from the neighbors

Love the video! “They drive like a phone booth.” Hilarious bits throughout the video! 😂👍

Ive been driving these for almost 10years now and this vid gave me way more informations than canadapost as an employee! Thks alot

The LLV is basically what the CVPI was for Police Department. And when retired it is the perfect base to impersonate who it once was used by.

I worked for the PO for 33+ years, so hired in when these were being phased in. I will say at the time they were in improvement over the Jeeps in comfort. The had power steering and power brakes, which many Jeeps did not have. They were also more comfortable, I swore the Jeeps were like Tonka trucks and just has the axle attached directly to the frames. But, it didn't take long for the love affair to wear off. First off was winter driving. The LLV is possibly the worst vehicle ever designed for winter driving. Always getting stuck, and although you could normally get it unstuck, they fishtailed so badly that wiping out a mailbox in the process was a constant reality. Then, inadequate heaters. Once it got below 20 degrees, the heater could not keep up, especially with a curbside route where the window is open constantly. For a time they supplied us with special window inserts that covered most of the opening and had a smaller opening for delivery. Once these broke, was possible to buy an aftermarket window, and many did, and still do to this day. In the summer, these things got hot. Poor insulation was a huge factor, as the floor would get so hot you could barely touch it. Also you got hot air blowing from the vents, no matter how hard you tried closing them, plenty still leaked it. How carriers in places like Arizona handled that I still don't know. In the end, I blame poor planning on the part of the PO for not replacing these things earlier. They knew they were wearing out, but kept putting aside working on new vehicles for various reasons. I know some was budget, but they at least should have had a small team working on a design to be ready when things improved. The truck I drove was a 1988 model, as were many in our office. They constantly had problems, and really are unsafe now. The only thing I will say is the maintenance department knows these vehicles inside and out. They could literally replace every single part in one, and that includes the frame. I actually feel sorry for anyone owning one if they ever go up for sale, you will soon regret it. Final though, the speedometer went up to 85, and I always said the only way you're getting one up to 85 is to drive it off a cliff.

This thing has been around my whole life and I never questioned it, but this video finally opened me up and got me thinking about it.

Great vid. I had no idea Grumman made these, that is so cool. Now I have an even greater appreciation for the postal service driving LLVs around.

I wonder if any of the brown UPS "package cars" ever fell into private hands -- I mean the original kind with an uncatalyzed gas engine, manual transmission, and manual steering.

As a mail carrier, I love his description of how the LLV drives. They are crap in the winter and the description of them as a skateboard from Wal-Mart was awesome. How he ever got it to 90 is amazing, most of the time you can't get it over 50 without it feeling like it will shake itself apart.

Drove one for 15 years and loved it. Could easily parallel park in one. Carried plenty of weight. Most serious fault other than fires in its later years was there was no air vent in the cab but there was one in the cargo box which makes no sense and you were required to drive it with the cargo box entry from the cab closed and locked. Easily went up and over 120 degrees in one. You opened the door to cool the cab off while your at the back loading or unloading mail for the street. Mirrors were actually fairly easy to learn how to use and was safer than a regular SUV as you could see pretty much everywhere around it including the front and rear. Oh, our fans, which were installed, broke down after a few months to a couple years and were never replaced. If I could afford to own one and keep it up sure I would love to have one. Tim: Carrier 4024 Garden Grove, Ca retired.

I worked at FedEx in the 90s and one day these LLVs showed up brand new. They had a different box on them than the postal versions, they were bigger. We could stand upright inside ours. We called them ice cream trucks. They bounced up and down on dirt roads and as you mentioned, they were gutless. We used them for maybe 10 years but one day they started disappearing. I heard they retired them because the frames were cracking. They were still running fine. FedEx sold them as a storage box for on your property with salvage titles and you had to sign a document that said you wouldn’t drive them. After they were gone, I saw one driving around town for years as a plumbers truck despite what the new owner signed. You could see where the FedEx logo was peeled off if you looked at it just right.

"the most respectable job is a government job" honestly, I can say as a school bus driver in Midwestern small town, I have had so many curious minds stop and ask me about my job. Being part of what keeps my small community going is a reward in itself; salary aside.

My father was a mailman for nearly 40 years. When I was very young, he was still driving the old AMC Jeep while all of the other carriers in his office had the Grumman LLV. He liked the Jeep, but eventually it wasn't able to be serviced anymore, so he switched over to the LLV for the rest of his career. In college, I worked as a substitute letter carrier for a couple of years and drove one of these. I remember being terrified the first time I got behind the wheel because it felt so different, but you get used to driving it very quickly. It's incredible to think that the newest of these vehicles are now 28 years old.

I really appreciate that you filmed this up on the road to Johnston Volcano Observatory - such a beautiful corner of our state. Come back any time, friend.

My grandfather worked for usps for 35 years. He retired right when the last of these were coming out. I just love the face that even today all the LLVs that are still on the road are the same ones that have been around my whole life

Your passion for a good ole industrial door latch is admirable

Windy Ridge! The best drive of my entire life was there. I'd just hiked the Loowitt Trail and had passed the hell out in my car. I woke up and there was smoke everywhere and the parking lot was empty. I called the ranger's station and they said, nah, wasn't the volcano, just some forest fires in Cali sending us their smoke. But they'd closed the road anyway. Yep, closed. Nope, no cars would be coming the other way. So I put my little Civic right in the middle of the road, opened up the throttle, and for ten minutes I was in Forza.

It's good to see TJ Miller getting back out there and enjoying life.

Brother, love your educational comedy. I die laughing through your videos but also learn a ton!

I worked EMS for a bunch of years. Funniest mail truck story I had, we were called for a medical emergency. Showed up and the mailman was in the back rolling around throwing mail all over the place. Turns out, the guy was a diabetic and his sugar got low. Gave him some IV sugar, and he was good to go. 🙂We did give him a ride back to the postal place since his supervisor would not let him drive.

Hahaha! Caleb Seay?! Dude! I know that guy! And if anyone was gonna buy a mail van OF COURSE it would be him. I recall him being the one telling me the front track on an LLV is narrower than the rear to tighten their turning circle. At least it isn't another dented Ford Escort. We lost touch a couple years back. I thought he'd moved back east or something. Glad to see he is doing okay

I suddenly REALLY want one of these, and i would cherish every time i drove it, simply because it's unobtainable, and i love that. I'd get mine painted a really bright neon color too, both to make it stand out even more in the Walmart parking lot, but also to make it obvious it's not a USPS truck

This was so wholesome, thank you. That guy earned my sub. I got the Jeep Granddaddy of this A DJ-5 with a 232 I6 and a A-727. I'm fully with this guy when it comes to car preferences. I've had my fun going too fast in a great handling car in my highschool days and I've drifted at low speeds in my pickup. Slow speed fun is much better than high speed fun, much safer too. I'll take soft suspension, a durable build, and a practical boxy body over any sports car any day.

"driving a mail truck is an ice cream truck for adults." That hit me harder than the door.

Like Crown Vic P71s, Grumman’s are generation defying vehicles. Soon only those of a certain age (and back pain) will be able to remember seeing them in service.

This was a well timed video. Loved it.

I didn't expect the rare earth esque monologue, love it

"Don't push it over 75" I couldn't even get mine to go over 45 without the entire thing feeling like every bolt was going to shake out of place. But I guess individually owned ones are better taken care of. One time, I went to make a turn and when I moved the turn signal, it just fell out. No resistance at all. When I went back to my supervisor he just went "welp."

You could technically park anywhere with this car. Genius

Next to the CJ7 mail truck, the LLV was the best! I remember when they first arrived, our mail lady and I was on first name basis since she was my school bus driver as well and I remember her being so happy getting one of those. My mailman still uses this vehicle!

Surprised no mention of the sick turning radius lol …. Drive one almost every single day …. And love it … this was an awesome video btw, thank you 😊

I knew I would happen, I have been waiting for this day.

I’m a former US postal worker, and honestly buying one of these directly from the postal service would be a mistake. Not only are they abused 7 days a week for 30+ years, but we’re just never never properly maintained. They really don’t change oil in these, and I doubt any other fluids, plus they wait until things completely break before actually fixing them, if even. I’ve had shifter levers come off and be held on with cotter pins and parking brakes that don’t work at all. These trucks were notorious for roll/runaways from bad brakes as well as fires (I believe the washer fluid leaked onto the fuse box), and the priority was always to be back by 4:30 “safely”. This guy’s example is the nicest I’ve ever seen and it would be the only one I’d feel relatively safe driving on the highway for more than 60 seconds at a time.

I remember riding inside a mail pouch in back of my grandma's USPS Jeep in the late 70s/80s while she did a portion of her route in Detroit, Michigan. Great memory.

This explains my childhood query of why Canada Post LLVs had Chevy bowtie hubs, Thanks RCR!

I wouldn't be able to resist painting it a different color, so at least the "Mailman lookalike" mistake will happen less. Fine little car though. I'm glad he's found something so quirky!

My mother has been a postal worker for 30+ years. I knew allllllll the bullshit that thing gave her right from the source. Shit would stall all the time, and i think she would disagree with the engine "not necessarily lacking". She had a breakdown once and some guy she delivered to tried to start it with brake cleaner and the motor literally exploded into flames. Everyone was fine. Plop a new motor in, and it kept going tho. As is the point of the LLV.

Seeing one of these things drive on open roads more beautiful than a level from Need for Speed (the original) is awe-striking!

Pretty dramatic narrative for a mail truck! Great video.

When my mom started working at the Post Office, she actually had to use our minivan (Had to be converted to RHD) because they had a limited amount of LLVs. She now drives an LLV, but will probably retire before the Oshkosh trucks roll out

I love the fact that i came for a review about the car, and got a VERY deep , and heavy lesson about nostalgia, leaving things in the past, allure, and rose tinted glasses/lenses. Very interesting video.

And these are still being used today. Gotta love it

It’s definitely a unique vehicle and it is actually pretty cool. Very practical and roomy.

When he started talking about having a sentimental mindset, it hit me so hard like a brick to where i paused the video and just reflected. Because everything he said is true. This vehicle, will be the reason we reminisce about everything great in the past. It’s just insane that when it happens there will be times when we regret taking shit back then for granted. Fuck man

The LLV that I've been driving for over 20 years is a 1987 model with the 92 horsepower 2.5L 4-cylinder that gets less than 10mpg. It's been in service over 34 years. We have the old school chains for when it snows that make that cool pavement slapping noise and make the vehicle feel like it's going to break apart at 20mph. They are simple vehicles, so when they break they are easy to repair. When new carriers start, they complain about how crappy the LLV's are, but after 21 years I have grown to respect them.

20:50 Bruh. The ending killed me. Great video.

Drove these for a couple years during my stint at the post office, suuuuper fun in the snow, brakes were surprisingly good since you are literally flooring it and braking every 40 feet as an rca They are in desperate need of something new, my odometer had rolled over 4x before I got it. For just carrier comfort soo much more is needed

Caleb is a great interview and absolutely the perfect person to wind up with one of these delightful monstrosities.

I would get stickers for the sides and front that say, “NOT A MAIL CARRIER”.

the amazing text. so wonderful and inspiring. it's a brilliant poet. I did not expect that. hats off.

RCRs highest viewed video in years. Congratulations!

As a letter carrier, I drove one for almost 30 years. I loved my LLV. With that narrower front wheel base, it helped in snow. Although spinning out was trippy and fun. They were so light, (empty) you could spit on them and it would leave a dent. Only bad part was smashing my finger in the sliding door. OUCH.

Worked on these for over 20 years. I always wanted to get one, drop in an LS motor and put "Express Mail " on the sides.

My dad delivered mail then. When the llv came out EVERYONE HAD TO GO TO DRIVER'S ED FOR A DAY. He wasn't happy but said he understood why. It boiled down to NO BACK WINDOW. SO to backup you HAD TO USE MIRRORS. LOTS OF THEM TO BE SURE NO ONE WALKED UP TO THE BACK AN YOU RAN THEM OVER. But all in all he called it his s10 llv. Said it was fine once he got used to it. R I P DAD 2004

love the poetic essay around the end.