If you've ever been to the Sichuan-Tibet Line, you're sure to find plenty of abandoned vehicles along the way, including cars, SUVs, BUGGs, and even luxury cars. Many vehicles look relatively complete in appearance, and these vehicles are not cared for, but no one dares to pick them up.
To understand this problem, we must first understand the Sichuan-Tibet Line.
Without the Sichuan-Tibet line, Tibet would still be a natural danger to the inland. Before 1950, Tibet was basically out of reach for the inland areas, and the ancients went to Tibet as a life-and-death journey.
At that time, it was very likely that they would die on the way to Tibet. To successfully reach Lhasa is to be considered a warrior.
Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were three major obstacles to going to Tibet. Extreme weather, low oxygen levels and insurmountable Tibetan tunnels.
In April 1950, the state began to build the first highway to Tibet, and it was not completed until 1969 that 100,000 soldiers and civilians were mobilized to participate in the construction task, and more than 5,000 soldiers and civilians were sacrificed to create such a natural road!
This is the later Sichuan-Tibet Line, which is divided into two lines, north and south. The starting point is Xindu Bridge in Sichuan and the end point is Lhasa.
The southern line of the Sichuan-Tibet Line is also part of National Highway 318, with a total length of 2150 kilometers.
The Northern Route is part of National Highway 317 with a total length of 2,400 km. The total length of the Sichuan-Tibet Line is 4,550 km. On average, a hero will be buried here every kilometer, and it can be said that the Sichuan-Tibet Line is a road made of flesh and blood!
National Highway 318 is one of the most well-known lines on the Sichuan-Tibet Line. It has the reputation of "driving in this life".
On the national highway 318 into Tibet, it will pass through Litang, Batang, Mangkang, Nyingchi, and finally reach Lhasa. Along the way, you can not only enjoy the beauty of the snow-capped mountains and lakes, but also feel the extreme weather of various types, which is both exciting and satisfying.
In fact, the sichuan-Tibet line at the beginning was not today's asphalt road, but a compact dirt road, with potholes and unevenness along the road. Melting snow often causes roads to become muddy and impossible to travel. So, even if you have a car, you can't drive yourself to Tibet.
If you want to drive yourself in Tibet, what is the most suitable car?
Today, the Sichuan-Tibet line is basically paved with asphalt, and the road surface is very smooth, which is basically no different from the truth in the city.
Now the requirements for vehicles entering Tibet are very low, and basically 1.6L displacement cars can pass through relatively easily.
But I don't recommend it, everything is more than enough.
If it is only a vehicle with a self-priming displacement of 1.6L, it can only pass in good weather conditions and the road is unimpeded.
But whenever you encounter a little extreme weather, or a mudslide. Then this may cause the vehicle to break down.
The average altitude of Tibet is more than 4,000 meters, and the oxygen content is 64.3% of the inland plains. The colder the weather, the lower the oxygen content, and in December, the average oxygen content of Tibet was only 62% of the plains.
Therefore, it is generally recommended to drive a large-displacement turbocharged off-road vehicle across the Sichuan-Tibet Line.
Why are there so many abandoned vehicles on the Sichuan-Tibet Line?
According to statistics, there are at least 300 abandoned vehicles on the Sichuan-Tibet line, including cars, SUVs, off-road vehicles, and even luxury cars.
These cars no one wants? In fact, these cars all have owners. The reason why it will be abandoned here is nothing more than that in the process of traveling, it encounters landslides, or extreme weather, causing the vehicle to break down.
The Sichuan-Tibet line is basically no man's land, the surrounding tens of kilometers may not be inhabited, if the vehicle breaks down, it is likely to suffer from extreme weather or geological disasters. At this time, it is basically difficult for rescue vehicles to enter. Even if you come in, you can only take people to a safe area, and it is difficult to repair the vehicle on the spot or check it in.
Therefore, the owner will generally choose other modes of transportation to leave the place, and then when the weather improves, ask the consignment company to tow the vehicle away.
So why are there still a large number of abandoned vehicles?
In fact, many vehicles may only have punctures, skidding, engine shutdowns and other reasons when they break down. But vehicles break down in bad weather, may also be hit by hail, or they may slide into ravines as the road surfaces.
At this time, the owner generally uses insurance to scrap, and the ownership of the vehicle becomes an insurance company.
These cars are basically all scrapped except for the frame. There is no value for recycling, and it also costs rescue costs, consignment fees.
By weighing the pros and cons, the insurance company abandons the abandoned vehicles.
Including some luxury cars, the appearance seems to be complete, in fact, the interior has been soaked, or the electronic circuits are aging in the wind and sun. Its value is much lower than the cost of rescue.
Since the insurance company does not want these vehicles, then can I pick them up, anyway, no one wants, after picking up, but instead cleaned up the garbage, but also protected the environment.
First of all, there is a cost to everything you do, and if you feel that you are smarter than your insurance company and can ship these vehicles at a large price, you may wish to give it a try.
Most conservatively calculated, it takes at least tens of thousands of yuan to ship a scrapped SUV to the mainland, but these vehicles have basically no value except for iron sheets.
In addition, the consignment of these abandoned vehicles is a crime of theft. Because the ownership of these cars is not the insurance company, or the owner. Not only do you have to bear a lot of shipping costs, but you also have to bear legal risks.
So the locals see these vehicles are basically indifferent, if someone checks in without authorization, it is not worth the loss in terms of economic and legal consequences.
So the locals generally joke: don't be moved when you see these cars, you pick one up and try it, and then there will only be regrets!