Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Bulletproof Car Walkthrough
Version 5.50
By System Error
Latest version always at GameFAQs.
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1: Introduction
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What's up foo? You might be wondering what this is all about, so I'll cut the
crap and get straight to the point. Bulletproof cars. What are they? Where are
they? And how can you get your hands on them? I made this guide to answer all
three of those questions. I got the idea for a little walkthrough from
KSutton's GTA3 Bulletproof cars guide, which lists all the Bulletproof cars
in the order you can get them, and how to get your hands on them. Mind you, you
needn't use any cheats to get the Bulletproof cars in San Andreas. Actually,
there are some that you must cheat to obtain, but they're relatively obscure.
First off, what are Bulletproof cars? They are vehicles that are impervious to
damage from bullets. And some aren't just Bulletproof. Others are immune to
fire, explosions and/or physical damage as well. Some aren't Bulletproof, but
have other proofings on them.
There are also the UCVs, or the unique colored vehicles. These have no special
proofings, but they have unique colors or features that can only be seen on
those particular vehicles.
Then there are ISVs, or identical special vehicles. These can be either
Proofed or UCV, but in any case, they are identical versions of special
vehicles found in other missions. However, there's a small catch. They're
harder to obtain or have a higher resource factor.
Next, where are they? They can be found in the various missions found in Grand
Theft Auto: San Andreas. Many of which are in the first third of the game. The
problem is that they aren't always obvious.
Finally, how do you obtain these special vehicles? That's next.
If you need to email me about the guide or anything related to the guide, email
this address.
sabulletproo(FUCKOFFSPAMBOTS)fguide@gmail.com
Some rules though.
RULE 1: I can't help you on missions. Read a fucking walkthrough on that.
RULE 2: Use or at least try to use proper grammar and spelling.
RULE 3: CheatCC sucks. Thieves.
RULE 4: If you wish to use my guide, just e-mail me about it and I will
probably let you.
RULE 5: Don't flame. It's a waste of your time.
RULE 6: Bigfoot doesn't exist.
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2: Table of Contents
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1: Introduction
2: Table of Contents
3: Version history
4: Before you begin...
- 4.01: Explaining things in further detail
- 4.02: After starting a new game
- 4.03: Garage Mechanics
- 4.04: Getting to know the garages
- 4.05: Why certain garages are unreliable
- 4.06: A Guide to the Impound Lots
- 4.07: Planning everything out
- 4.08: Taking care of the vehicles
- 4.09: Testing the bulletproofs
- 4.10: Helpful cheats
- 4.11: Notes
5: The walkthrough for obtaining the cars
- 5.01: Fireproof Greenwood
- 5.02: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Tampa
- 5.03: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Meleeproof Savanna
- 5.04: Fireproof Remmington
- 5.05: Fireproof Majestic
- 5.06: Fireproof Blade
- 5.07: Bulletproof Forklift
- 5.08: Explosionproof Mule
- 5.09: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof PCJ-600
- 5.10: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Sanchez
- 5.11: Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof BF-400
- 5.12: Explosionproof Banshee
- 5.13: Bulletproof/Fireproof Greenwood
- 5.14: Bulletproof/Fireproof Voodoo
- 5.15: Bulletproof/Fireproof Tahoma
- 5.16: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Admiral
- 5.17: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Sentinel
- 5.18: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Sabre
- 5.19: Bulletproof Tanker
- 5.20: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Tanker Trailer
- 5.21: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Sadler
- 5.22: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof HPV1000
- 5.23: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Meleeproof Fortune
- 5.24: Fireproof Sabre
- 5.25: Fireproof Stallion
- 5.26: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Meleeproof Elegy
- 5.27: Fireproof Sultan
- 5.28: Fireproof ZR-350
- 5.29: Explosionproof Sadler
- 5.30: Explosionproof Camper
- 5.31: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Meleeproof Patriot
- 5.32: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Merit
- 5.33: Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damangeproof Rancher
- 5.34: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Boxville
- 5.35: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof FCR-900
- 5.36: Fireproof/Crashproof Rumpo
- 5.37: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Maverick
- 5.38: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Camper
- 5.39: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Buffalo
- 5.40: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Maverick (again)
- 5.41: Bulletproof/Meleeproof Walton
- 5.42: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Vortex
- 5.43: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Infernus
- 5.44: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Newsvan
- 5.45: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Glendale
- 5.46: Bulletproof/Fireproof S.W.A.T.
- 5.47: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Greenwood
- 5.48: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Feltzer
6: Unique Colored Vehicles (UCVs)
- 6.01: Black Perennial
- 6.02: Mesa w/green roof
- 6.03: Pony w/Off-road wheels
- 6.04: Khaki Brown Camper
- 6.05: Chrome Yellow Burrito
- 6.06: Stretch w/permanent black bottom half
- 6.07: Green Pizzaboy
- 6.08: Light Blue Pony
- 6.09: Berkley's RC Van
- 6.11: Black Maverick
- 6.11: Light Green Packer
- 6.12: Red and Black BF Injection
- 6.13: Camper (The Mothership)
7: Identical Special Vehicles (ISVs)
- 7.01: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Sabre
- 7.02: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Sanchez
- 7.03: Stretch w/permanent black bottom half
- 7.04: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Sentinel
- 7.05: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Buffalo
- 7.06: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Sentinel (again)
8: Gray Imports: Created FP/EPs
9: Two-Timing Date BP/FP/EP/DPs
9: Street Racing Fireproofs
10: Unconfirmed bulletproof/rare cars
11: Unobtainable bulletproof/rare cars
12: Bulletproof cars the dirty way
13: Checklists
14: Unique vehicles list
15: FAQ
16: Fin
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3: Version History
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Version 1.0 (January 22nd, 2005): First version.
Version 1.1 (January 24th, 2005): Hmm...first version got submitted even though
I told it not to (I pulled it). Oh well. Fixed some errors I spotted myself.
Version 1.2 (January 25th, 2005): Fixed some errors. Added some information,
thanks to Veesmack and MrHurcules.
Version 1.3 (January 26th, 2005): Fixed some typos and added some stuff.
Version 1.4 (January 27th, 2005): Added some more information, thanks to
MrHurcules and HeavenGotAHitman. Fixed the BP/FP/EP/DP Sadler and the BP Tanker
(the order was reversed, and I didn't get the former's method right).
Version 1.5 (January 29th, 2005): More additions, thanks to Chase S and
LolyPop1313M. Played around with some wording. LolyPop1313M confirmed the
BP/FP/EP/DP Buffalo.
Version 1.51 (February 1st, 2005): Made a couple of corrections and additions.
Version 1.52 (February 3rd, 2005): Confirmed the Fireproof Rumpo, fixed some
typos. aftica submitted a way to get the BP/FP/EP/DP Tampa without cheats,
confirmation would be nice.
Version 1.6 (February 4th, 2005): Confirmations of the Stretch and Pizzaboy in
"Ice Cold Killa." Removed the Red-Spoked FCR, as this is normal and can be seen
on all FCRs if you keep using Pay and Sprays on them.
Version 1.61 (February 9th, 2005): Minor corrections.
Version 1.7 (February 12th, 2005): Fixed the order of the Maverick and the
Buffalo in Misappropriation, thanks to aftica and gta3master2987. Confirmed the
existance of the Bobcat with the black stripe.
Version 2.0 (February 16th, 2005): Confirmation of the BP/FP/EP/DP PCJ-600,
added the Street Racing Fireproofs section.
Version 2.1 (February 17th, 2005): Fixed the infamous and annoying boxes that
keep showing up. Removed the black-striped Bobcat, as you can paint a black
stripe onto any Bobcat at TransFender. Added the BP/FP/EP/DP Vortex. Other
additions.
Version 2.2 (March 10th, 2005): Various additions.
Version 2.3 (March 19th, 2005): Discovered a new bulletproof vehicle, the
BP/FP/EP/DP Sentinel.
Version 2.4 (March 30th, 2005): The BP/FP/EP/DP HPV1000 was confirmed. Added
the BP/FP/EP/DP Infernus.
Version 2.41 (April 9th, 2005): Added three new unconfirmed bulletproofs.
Version 2.5 (April 20th, 2005): Added a couple of new bulletproofs, the
BP/FP/EP/DP Feltzer and the FP/EP/DP Rancher. Added a new site that can use
this guide. Added the "testing the bulletproofs" section.
Version 2.6 (May 21st, 2005): The BP/FP/EP/DP Sanchez is now confirmed. Added
three more unconfirmed bulletproofs.
Version 3.0 (June 18th, 2005): The BP/FP Greenwood, the BP/FP Voodoo and the BP
Tanker Trailer have been confirmed. Added a better strategy for the BP/FP/EP/DP
Sanchez from myself. aftica discovered that the FP Rumpo is also DP. Added new
unconfirmed vehicles. Many other additions. But most importantly, I did a lot
of revising. The best strategies for obtaining vehicles are now at the top of
the list.
Version 3.1 (July 16th, 2005): Another BP/FP/EP/DP Sanchez has been submitted,
which I confirmed myself. The "other" BP/FP/EP/DP Sentinel has been confirmed.
Both of these are fairly useless, as the first ones that were discovered are
easier to obtain. A new bulletproof, the BP/FP/EP/DP Newsvan. BP/FP/EP/DP
Greenwood confirmed. New unconfirmed vehicles.
Version 3.2 (August 17th, 2005): Confirmations. Moved the uniquely colored
vehicles to their own section. Don't worry, when you can get one in the game,
a UCV ALERT!!! will be there to remind you in the bulletproof section. Some new
bulletproofs, such as the BP/FP/EP/DP Merit. Came up with a better method for
the BP/FP/EP Fortune. Revised the BP/FP/EP Elegy a little.
Version 3.3 (September 17th, 2005): Lots of crap that escapes my mind.
Version 4.0 (January 1st, 2006): Big update! New vehicles, and now, there is
a difficulty rating for each vehicle.
Version 4.1 (January 22nd, 2006): Ha, a recent influx of emails with new
bulletproofs. This update is a little unorganized, but what the hell. One whole
year. In that time, around 60-70 new special vehicles have been found, probably
more. Not joking.
Version 4.2 (February 26th, 2006): You can now get the BP/FP/EP/DP Sentinel
without cheats, thanks to srg! ISV section created. Other additions.
Version 4.21 (June 6th, 2006): An update. Various things tweaked. This guide is
still being updated. Expect a bigger update within the next week or so.
Version 5.0 (April 8th, 2007): Or within the next few months. Lots of pretty big
changes. "Why certain garages are unreliable" and "Explaining things in further
detail" sections added. The Fireproof Rumpo is found to be Crashproof (actually,
it was quite a while ago by aftica, but I passed it off as false because he
said it to be Damageproof, when that is not the case). Since a separate category
for melee attacks and dents is not warranted at this point, I decided not to
split them up (unless more Crashproofs can be found). Moved the FP Sabre and FP
Stallion to the main section. Because in recent times, I seriously doubt that
the "garages don't open for it" bit is real (has no one bothered to check?)
Version 5.1 (June 29th, 2007): A video of one of the methods for obtaining the
BP/FP/EP Patriot added. Berkley's RC Van added. HolyGrenadeFrenzy discovered a
way to obtain the BP/FP/EP/DP Infernus without cheats!
Version 5.11 (January 22nd, 2008): I'm not dead. More info has come out since
the last update like 6 months ago, but I've hadn't had the time to gather it
all together. In due time though. It's surprising that even now, with this
guide now three years old, new infomation is being discovered. Various minor
updates to things.
Version 5.12 (February 10th, 2008): HuGooGuH discovered the BP Walton is
immune to the effects of melee weapons, which I've dubbed "Meleeproof". Still
not enough to warrant a full damageproof category split, though. EP Banshee
added, thanks to Ceielo.
Version 5.50 (August 12th, 2010): IT'S ALIVE!!!! A major new breakthrough has
been discovered...which are possibly the most annoying to get in the game:
BP/FP/EP/DP Two-Timing Date Vehicles! Also added a guide to the Impound Lots.
The BP/FP/EP/DP Maverick in Toreno's Last Flight is obtainable.
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4: Before you begin...
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This is the walkthrough of how to get each Bulletproof car, as well as a couple
of other ones. It'll give them in the order you can get them in, but note that
the order you do the missions in may vary. However, there are some things you
need to know before diving into this.
-----------------------------------------
4.01: Explaining things in further detail
-----------------------------------------
I answered the question as to what all these special vehicles are briefly in
the introduction. Here, I will go into a little more detail.
As I mentioned, there are many special vehicles in Grand Theft Auto: San
Andreas. These range from bulletproof cars to cars with special colors or
features, also known as UCVs.
The idea of UCVs was pretty much summed up in the introduction: these
vehicles are not bulletproof, fireproof, or anything like that, but they do
have something distingishing in their appearance that sets them apart from
other vehicles of its class. This is usually a color you can't normally find
at a mod shop or Pay and Spray, but it can also apply to colors being different
where they can't normally be different. UCV is a general term: it applies to all
vehicles that have something unique about its appearance. It doesn't have to
have special colors to be one.
Being bulletproof, fireproof, explosionproof, meleeproof, crashproof, or
damageproof makes a vehicle immune to certain hazards that damage normal
vehicles without those properties. These can be exceptionally useful abilities
to have in certain circumstances. The only downside is the restrictions in the
way missions in San Andreas are laid out. You may not get very many chances to
put them to good use. That can be looked by, however, as there is a wide
enough variety of special vehicles in the game, at every point, that there is
something for everybody to obtain.
Here is a detailed description of each proofing a vehicle may have.
Bulletproofing: These vehicles are completely immune to bullets. You can pump
a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, even a duodecillion
bullets into it, and it still won't contribute to any damage
it might be taking. Shots to the gas tank are similarly
nullified.
Fireproofing:  Vehicles with this feature bestowed upon them will not catch on
fire from loose flames. These can be from flamethrowers, motolov
cocktails, or fire that appears when a car explodes. Thing is, the
former two are extremely rare to come across, and the lattermost
isn't that big an issue either. You usually end up driving by
before the flames can get you. Note that being Fireproof does not
mean the car can't catch fire and explode.
Explosionproofing: Vehicles that are explosionproof are not affected by any form
of explosions, be it exploding cars, grenades, gas pumps
blowing up, or even rockets. It's handier than it seems,
especially for the exploding cars part.
Damageproofing: Damageproof vehicles are not affected by melee weapons - be they
fist, sword, nightstick or chainsaw. They are also unaffected by
crashing into things. This is simply used for the sake of
convenience.
Meleeproofing: A meleeproof vehicle, like a damageproof one, is unaffected by
melee weapons. However, it is NOT immune to crashes when driving
it. Probably the least valuable of the proofings.
Crashproofing: A crashproof vehicle is not affected by crashing into things.
However, it is NOT immune to melee weapons. This is another
lesser version of Damageproofing.
But be warned! Just because a vehicle has all of the above qualities on it
doesn't mean they still can't be destroyed! This is a good thing, though. While
it renders you with weaknesses, without them, you wouldn't be able to obtain
some of the unique cars! Here are the ways you can destroy a BP/FP/EP/DP
vehicle.
Crashing into Rhino tanks    - One bump with a Rhino, and BOOM, just like
that, you're through. Unless you're in a Rhino
yourself or have the "vehicle of death" cheat
activated. Some reports state that damageproof
vehicles are also immune to Rhinos, though I
have not personally tested this.
Flipping over                - If your vehicle overturns, it will start to
take damage. And it will eventually explode
unless you manage to flip it back.
Getting in it while on fire  - This isn't that obvious a warning. Basically,
if CJ himself is on fire and you make him get
into a vehicle, it will catch on fire and
explode a short time after. Either or both
parties being fireproof doesn't prevent this
from happening.
Using the blow up all cars   - All cars means ALL cars, even things that
cheat                         aren't cars, such as planes, boats or
motorbikes.
Dipping it into the water    - As far as the game is concerned, a car
submerged a certain depth in the water is
destroyed, even if you can get it out of
the water and drive off good as new. This is
actually useful for some of the vehicles.
Arming it with a car bomb,   - Not so much a danger as it is something
and detonating it             you can bring upon yourself at will, but
doing this will destroy a BP/FP/EP/DP car.
Of course, the list of bad things to do with a BP/FP/EP/DP doesn't end here.
There are other ways to "destroy" one. Leaving it out in the open and stealing
a couple of cars afterwards, allowing it to be stolen, or trying to export it
are all very bad ideas as well. And a few activities - namely, the lowrider
dance and having "coffee" with a girlfriend - can cause a vehicle's properties
to vanish.
-------------------------------
4.02: After starting a new game
-------------------------------
You'll need to get some cash to buy the save houses. Since you're reading this,
Try doing Courier or an R3 mission. After you have enough money, do the inside
track betting trick. That is, buy the save house in Jefferson, save there, and
drive over to the ITB. Once there, get on the ITB machine and bet as much money
as possible on the teal horse. If it wins, great! If not, reset and try again.
You only need to do this about two to three times before you get over a million
dollars, more than enough to buy all the save houses. If not, place priority to
the ones with the garages. When you're done side-questing, make your way to the
first mission with a proofed car in it: Drive-Thru.
----------------------
4.03: Garage mechanics
----------------------
KNOW YOUR GARAGES. Failure to do so will result in vanishing cars, lost
paintjobs, and spontanious vulnurability to bullets. You simply cannot get the
most out of the Bulletproof and unique vehicles without knowing your garages.
However, there is a small trick you can use. If you got the Bulletproof cars
from GTA3, you might know this. Park cars in the very back of your garages.
Sometimes, you may be able to fit another car in there by parking it
perpendicular to the others. Something like this.
|---------------|
||-----| |-----||
|| Car | | Car ||
||  1  | |  2  ||
||-----| |-----||
|   |-------|   |
|   | Car 3 |   |
|   |-------|   |
|/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/|
Also, you can keep garage doors open by parking a motorbike in the section
where the garage would close. This is helpful for those annoying cars that love
to vanish whenever they get near an open garage.
---------------------------------
4.04: Getting to know the garages
---------------------------------
Here are the garages in each area. The reason for this section is to assist you
in obtaining the unique vehicles. Problem is, many of them are in the first
third of the game, and you simply don't have enough garage space at that point
in the game. Even so, you still don't have enough garage space to obtain them
all anyhow.
Note that in every garage except the Ganton garage, you are allowed to store up
to four vehicles per garage before the game gives you the "no more vehicles can
be stored here" message. However, while this is advantageous in some garages
such as El Corona, in others it is pretty useless, as you'll only have room for
a couple of bikes in front of the cars. If you wish to get multiple copies of a
vehicle, though, this knowledge might come in handy.
Also, I would advise against storing more than four vehicles in any garage,
just because that tends to make things disappear quite regularly for whatever
reason. This may be in part because of the traffic in the area, and the game
reaching its limit of spawn vehicles as you open the garage, causing some not to
appear.
Los Santos
Ganton:               2
El Corona:            3
Santa Maria Beach:    3
Mulholland:           4^
TOTAL AT THIS POINT: 12
Countryside
Palimino Creek:       2
Dillimore:            2
TOTAL AT THIS POINT: 20*
San Fierro
Doherty:              4 (BEWARE: Vehicles vanish very often)
Hashbury:             3
Calton Heights:       2
Paradiso:             2
TOTAL AT THIS POINT: 26
Desert
Fort Carson:          2
Verdant Meadows:      4 (reliable)
Airstrip Hangar:      4 (really meant for the planes and helicopters)
TOTAL AT THIS POINT: 35
Las Venturas
Whitewood Estates:    2
Prickle Pine:         3
Redsands West:        2
Rockshore West:       2
TOTAL AT THIS POINT: 45
And the number of unique cars in every place...
Los Santos:   21
Countryside:  12
San Fierro:   12
Desert:        1
Las Venturas:  5
Los Santos II: 9
Total:        55**
Other stats
Number of -proofed vehicles:      47***
Number of UCVs:                   11
Number of ISVs:                    5
Number of cheat-only proofs:       2
Number of cheat-only UCVs:         1
Number of cheat-only ISVs:         1
Other cheat-only vehicles:         0
Although you are technically able to store up to 18 of the first 25 unique
vehicles, this number is less due to the possibility of cars vanishing. If you
want to risk it, be sure you check up on the cars in the crowded garages after
every single mission. Avoid doing any "big" side missions you might have
trouble finishing again, such as the Chiliad Challenge. Save those until you
get a chance to unclog the garages.
Also, the Mulholland, Dillimore, Whitewood Estates, Redsands West and Rockshore
West garages can't physically hold two normal cars. You won't have room to
enter either of them. However, the unique bikes and the BP Forklift work fine.
The Mulholland garage can metaphysically hold more cars than normal though. See
below for more info.
Don't like the fact that you don't have much room for your own vehicles? Then
just don't get some of them. The Fireproofs aren't so good, and there are
several of them. Some are simply unique in the visual aspect, so you can skip
those too if you're not into that kind of stuff.
^: You can actually store vehicles on top of the garage, and they will be
stored. As long as you can get the vehicle up there, it will work. Packers
help when doing this. Also, certain large vehicles may not fit up there, and
will vanish when the garage door opens and closes.
*: You can store cars in the Doherty garage prior to finishing "Are you going
to San Fierro?" Remember, it eats cars very often. Thanks to aftica.
**: Not an error, the BP/FP/EP/DP Sanchez, the BP/FP/EP/DP Sentinel and the
BP/FP/EP/DP Sabre can be obtained in multiple missions. However, they are
still the same thing. They are called ISVs, short for Identical Special
Vehicles.
***: See above, and the ISV section.
----------------------------------------
4.05: Why certain garages are unreliable
----------------------------------------
Major thanks to Krawk for this section of the guide.
So just why are some of those garages unreliable for storing vehicles? The
answer relies in the mechanics of the game. The game is based on "seeing"
things. For example, if you approach a chili dog stand, but the guy isn't there,
you can simply look away and look back, and he'll show up. If you destroy a
vehicle, go to another section of town (where the name will display on screen),
and return there, it will be gone. If you're trying to get the Seasparrow at the
dam, but find it is not there, you can run to the north a little or boat to the
west to the next area, then return to see that it is there.
So how does this affect garages? There is a certain characteristic of some
garages that can lead to cars vanishing. If you go inside them, the garage opens
up as you are entering. If you run to the save icon and save the game before the
door closes, the cars tend to disappear, as they are no longer in sight. A
similar thing happens at garages such as Hashbury, where you can run into the
door from where the garage opens before it closes. So to prevent those garages
from glitching in that fashion, you simply have to wait a short while after
entering them to allow the garage door to close. Don't just rush in there and
save as quickly as you can. This isn't as big a hassle as it seems. You can
alternatively try to avoid saving at these places, but that may be more trouble
than it's worth.
Note that some cars, when stored, may still remain in your garage if you save
while the garage door is half-open. This is just a result of the game
remembering which cars you take possession of - it stores up to two of them in
memory before deleting your old ones (this is how it's possible to keep a Tow
Truck near the bottom winding path when obtaining the BP/FP/EP Elegy).
Now, the Doherty garage is an even worse case. It's right near another section
of town. Now, the garage is right on the side of the road, and it opens whenever
you drive near it. So when you're going 120MPH down the road in the Cranberry
Station section of town, the garage door opens, but you quickly pass it by.
"Doherty" will appear on the screen before the door closes, refreshing the zone,
and subsequently causing the game to forget about the cars that are in the
garage. Whoops.
Remember, there is such a thing as random glitching of garages, so don't think
you're completely safe, even if you conform to all these guidelines. Any garage
can glitch, especially if you fly over them.
And naturally, if you're extremely careful about how you go about things, you
can pretty much put vehicles wherever you please, and the maximum amount in
each garage. Keep in mind, that the more obsessive you are about it, the more
controlled you'll be by your efforts. If you think it's worth it, then by all
means! Otherwise, it's better to be safe than sorry.
---------------------------------
4.06: A Guide to the Impound Lots
---------------------------------
The police impound lots are a peculiar feature of the game, slated to be
featured in a dropped mission that was to be known as "Impounded", where you
get a vehicle for Cesar to modify, only for it to be towed before you get a
chance to do so. Therefore, they go mostly unnoticed by many players.
However, even the explanation that was to be given in that mission only
scratched the surface as to the capabilities of these special places.
First of all, the most basic function of these is to get back cars you lost. If
you begin a mission only to find your prized car has vanished, it is because a
Clear Area command has been issued. Many of these exist, but the most notable
are the Triathalons, which clear the whole map, and Bike/Boat School, which
clear a large area around the school. Alternatively, if you just take too many
cars and one is unspawned, you may find said vehicle waiting for you in the
garage - complete with unique properties, proofing, or modifications.
This may just seem like a neat little feature, but the potential for abuse here
is massive. If you can say, retrieve an aircraft or vehicle you're not supposed
to obtain yet from an area early on in the game, you can use it with the Grey
Imports trick. Or, if there's a unique vehicle being particularly nasty to you,
it may be possible to trigger the impound lot, and get it put in there instead.
But that's only scratching the surface.
You see, the impound lots function as a garage of some sort. There's even an
invisible door like object that functions similarly to those at save houses.
Any vehicles stored within an impound lot will stay until they get despawned
for whatever reason. While this mainly will apply to the last few vehicles
stored in memory, it is possible to put a vehicle inside manually and use it as
storage space. The area where these vehicles can be placed, and also where all
your "lost" vehicles end up, is known as the garage zone.
That's the good news. The bad news is, you're better off using the Doherty
Garage in casual play than you are with using these in terms of reliability.
Some vehicles do better than others: The Vortex is one that has been shown to
be particularly stable, and aircraft also behaves well. But everything else
is subject to an extreme danger: if you're not looking at the garage zone when
the invisible door opens or closes, every vehicle within will more than likely
be deleted. While this may have been intentional, the problem is, the vehicles
tend to disappear when you approach the garage zone, rather than as you're
leaving. So if you want to fetch a vehicle from one of these zones, or use them
as a garage space, careful planning will be required.
In Los Santos, things are okay. If you hug the inside wall and keep looking in
the direction of the vehicle, odds are you'll be all right. But there may be a
random vehicle spawn that can possibly deleted one of the vehicles. Take
caution when using this.
San Fierro's impound lot is even worse. Not only is the impound zone behind you
as you descend inside, but the fact that the garages have little Z-Tolerance
means it will close right away. Adding to the fun is how you'll have two random
vehicle spawns to contend with, and any bikes get spawned wedged between the
garage's ceiling and the parking lot above.
Las Venturas has it easy by comparison. There are two floors to this place, and
it is possible to drive into the lot by way of an opening to the lower floor
without having to mess with the madness of the door. There's a recessed area in
this place as well, allowing for one to exit. As long as you move all junk cars
you don't want out of the zone, and keep your eye on it as you exit, you're off
to the races!
If you know and learn the secrets of the impound lot, you may be able to take
advantage of them for yourself. And one final note: all impound lots have a
limit of 3 vehicles in the garage zone. Any more than that, and they'll start
being replaced. So take caution. Or just don't mess around with them at all.
For more information, see this topic on GTAForums:
http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=304874
-----------------------------
4.07: Planning everything out
-----------------------------
As I mentioned above, you can't get all the unique vehichles due to lack of
garage space early on in the game. If you wish to increase the number of
personal vehicles you can get, then you'll have to do some planning. A good way
of using the checklist near the end of this guide is to check off which
vehicles you will be obtaining. Here is some advice for which ones to get, but
I advise that you try to obtain a wide variety of bulletproofs.
- Make sure you obtain at least three of the BP/FP/EP/DP vehicles! These are
excellent to have around. Ideally, you should get all of these.
- The BP/FP/EP vehicles are also nice to have with you. Try to get at least two
of them.
- If you like apperances of vehicles, pick up some UCVs and the Mothership.
Otherwise, forget it (unless you need garage space to burn).
- The S.W.A.T. (SWAT Tank) is a great vehicle to obtain as well, seeing as how
it is unique.
- The Bulletproof Tanker and the Bulletproof Forklift are interesting novelties
to have, but aren't so useful otherwise. The Forklift is a vehicle that will
fit in Dillimore, Muholland and all LV garages with another vehicle however,
so you may want to pick it up if you want to get the most out of each garage.
- The BP/FP/EP/DP Tanker Trailer is somewhat useless.
- Some of the vehicles are found in multiple missions. Usually, the best one to
obtain is found in the main section.
- There are 2 unique vehicles you must cheat to obtain. Don't like cheats, then
don't obtain them (although in reality only the riot cheats can leave
permanent scars on your game). Fortunately, these are both rather obscure
vehicles.
- Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof BF-400
- Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Boxville
Remember to think about which ones to obtain early on, since you won't have as
much room at that point.
---------------------------------
4.08: Taking care of the vehicles
---------------------------------
Your proofed cars are your treasures and allies. If you take care of them, they
will take care of you when you use them. Unfortunetly, there aren't very many
missions in the game that you can put them to use on. Here are seven basic
guidelines on how to take care of the proofed and unique vehicles.
1. Check to make sure they are there every now and then.
2. Always put them back after you've finished using them! If you were or are
in a Police chase, grab some bribes or get over to a Pay and Spray before
you put it back!
3. If you ever lose any one of the cars, reload your game right away. This
ranges from either it being unspawned, it being stolen by a carjacker,
it being destroyed, or its properties vanishing.
4. If you have a car you value a lot, store it in its own, personal garage.
This reduces the chance of it disappearing. Especially if it was modded.
5. Whatever you do, do NOT accept "coffee" when on a date with a girl in
such a vehicle. This WILL cause the vehicle's properties to vanish!
6. While you're at the above, don't play the lowrider dance minigame with
any special lowrider. It'll make the properties vanish as well.
7. Store them in a way so that they won't vanish!
If you're the overly cautious type, you can try to stop this by having only one
vehicle per garage. This will reduce the chances of it screwing up to nearly
zero.
The best "fix" for random disappearances is to check up on cars every now and
then. Keep two to three saves with your game. And don't just keep saving over
them alternatively. Have one or two be your main saves, and have the other one
be your emergency backup save. *ONLY* save on this one after checking up on
your Bulletproof cars to make sure they're still there and fully functional.
Do this at least every four or five missions in the game, so you don't lose
much in the case that something does go wrong.
------------------------------
4.09: Testing the bulletproofs
------------------------------
In order to ensure that your bulletproofs are kept safe, you should keep
multiple saves, two main ones, and one emergency backup save. Save on the
lattermost ONLY immediately after checking on all of your vehicles. What's
that, you ask? Well, sometimes, bulletproof cars can vanish, or even have
their abilities stripped from them for no apparant reason. By checking up on
them every now and then, you reduce the risk of this happening.
So how can you check up on them quickly and easily? Save your game, and
enter the "flying cars" cheat. Now, get in a car and fly from garage to
garage checking on your cars. When you arrive, test every one for their
proofings. Here is a list of quick ways to check if they are still there and
fully functional. Note that you really only need to perform one proofing test
per vehicle: if you test bulletproofing on a BP/FP/EP vehicle and it passes,
there really isn't any need to test the others. Appearance and existance are
different. You can tell if something is wrong there just by looking. While
appearance getting screwed up (e.g. The Mothership) is an issue, that doesn't
necessarily mean its proofings have been knocked out as well. Of course, if the
vehicle just isn't there at all, the rest doesn't matter.
Bulletproof - Fire at the gas tank. If it explodes, something has gone horribly
wrong, and you should load your backup save. If you parked the
vehicle in a way so that you cannot get at the gas tank, just
shoot it for a while with an AK, M4, Combat Shotgun, or whatever,
and see if it starts smoking.
Fireproof - Throw a Motolov right down there. Be sure you've completed the
Firetruck missions! After your Cocktail breaks, look at the hood
of the car. If there are no flames, it is still fireproof. If
not...
Explosionproof - The trickiest to test. Try using Satchels or Grenades, since
firing rockets at point blank range will hurt like hell.
Damageproof - Punch the vehicle a few times, or take a chainsaw to it. If no
dents appear, it's fine.
Meleeproof - See above.
Crashproof - Hop in and take it for a spin, hitting every non-police vehicle in
sight. And hit things at high speed. If no dents appear, all is
well.
Appearance - Just look at it. If something has gone wrong, it should be fairly
obvious.
Existance - If it's not there, then something bad has happened (obviously).
If everything is okay, then reload your save and continue on.
--------------------
4.10: Helpful cheats
--------------------
There are twelve cheats in particular that can aid you in obtaining the
bulletproofs. Note that you don't need to cheat to obtain most of the unique
vehicles, although they can help out tremendously in some cases. However, there
are a few that you MUST cheat to obtain.
Blow up all cars - Use this cheat to destroy those cars that don't like to keep
their special properties after a mission has been failed that
you have no other way to destroy. Required for a couple of
the vehicles.
PS2: R2, L2, R1, L1, L2, R2, Square, Triangle, Circle, Triangle, L2, L1
XBOX: Black, White, R Trigger, L Trigger, White, Black, X, Y, B, Y,
White, L Trigger
PC: CPKTNWT
Flying cars - Use this to examine your garages quickly and easily.
PS2: Up, Down, L1, R1, L1, Right, Left, L1, Left
XBOX: X, Down, White, Up, L Trigger, B, Up, A, Left
PC: CHITTYCHITTYBANGBANG
Spawn Rhino - The Rhino is by far the best vehicle to use to push stuff, more
so if the thing you are pushing is destroyed.
PS2: Circle, Circle, L1, Circle, Circle, Circle, L1, L2, R1, Triangle,
Circle Triangle
XBOX: B, B, L Trigger, B, B, B, L Trigger, White, R Trigger, Y, B, Y
PC: AIWPRTON
No peds/little traffic - Great if you don't want stuff getting in your way as
you push (or shoot) a car to a garage.
PS2: X, Down, Up, R2, Down, Triangle, L1, Triangle, Left
XBOX: A, Down, Up, Black, Down, Y, L Trigger, Y, Left
PC: GHOSTTOWN
Lock wanted level - So the cops won't get in your way.
PS2: Circle, Right, Circle, Right, Left, Square, Triangle, Up
XBOX: B, Right, B, Right, Left, X, Y, UP
PC: AEZAKMI
Unlimited ammo - The obvious point of this is to never run out of ammunition
when shooting a vehicle to move it. The less obvious point of
it is that it also gives you fast reloading, like in Vice
City after you complete the rifle range. In other words, you
never have to pause between sawn-off shotgun blasts.
PS2: L1, R1, Square, R1, Left, R2, R1, Left, Square, Down, L1, L1
XBOX: L Trigger, R Trigger, X, R Trigger, Left, Black, R Trigger, Left,
X, Down, L Trigger, L Trigger
PC: FULLCLIP
Near-invincibility - Makes you immune to most hazards, such as bullets,
punches, and flames. You are not immune to explosions,
falls, or helicopter bullets, unfortunately. Still, if
you don't aggrivate your wanted level, then your only
fear when using this is a freak accident.
PS2: Down, X, Right, Left, Right, R1, Right, Down, Up, Triangle
XBOX: Down, A, Right, Left, Right, R Trigger, Right, Down, Up, Y
PC: CAINEMVHZC
Peds hate you - Contrary to what some say, this can be disabled (just enter it
again). Use this to help obtain the FP Street Racers. Also
known as the "have a bounty on your head" cheat.
PS2: Down, Up, Up, Up, X, R2, R1, L2, L2
XBOX: Down, Up, Up, Up, A, Black, R Trigger, White, White
PC: BAGOWPG
Health/Armor/Cash Cheat - Use this to repair whatever you're pushing something
with.
PS2: R1, R2, L1, X, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up
XBOX: R Trigger, Black, L Trigger , A, Left , Down, Right, Up, Left,
Down, Right, Up
PC: ESOYAM
Vehicle of Death - The way to create a "dirty" bulletproof; also helps with
pushing cars. Sometimes called "Smash 'n boom" or "tank
mode"
PS2: L1, L2, L2, Up, Down, Down, Up, R1, R2, R2
XBOX: L Trigger, White, White, Up, Down, Down, Up, R Trigger, Black,
Black
PC: JCNRUAD
Adrenaline Mode - Move cars easier with your own body. It slows down the game,
though, so the time used might not be worth it.
PS2: X, X, Square, R1, L1, X, Down, Left, X
XBOX: A, A, X, R Trigger, L Trigger, A, Down, Left, A
PC: ANOSEONGLASS
Spawn Jetpack - Use this to obtain the BP/FP/EP/DP Sentinel in "Saint Mark's
Bistro". More on why you have to use it later.
PS2: Left, Right, L1, L2, R1, R2, Up, Down, Left, Right
XBOX: Left, Right, L Trigger, White, R Trigger, Black, Up, Down, Left,
Right
PC: ROCKETMAN
-----------
4.11: Notes
-----------
I have assigned two ratings for each unique vehicle, the difficulty rating and
the resource factor.
Difficulty rating is based not off how hard it is to do, but what you need to
do. This is because most people do some things better than others. All
difficulties, except for a few you will see later on, assume you are using
Method 1.
*     - Easy. Cars are unlocked, and in some cases are literally given to you.
**    - Still fairly easy, but you might need to do a stunt or two.
***   - Your average bulletproof that you have to do something odd to obtain.
****  - Tricky. Sometimes risks have to be taken.
***** - Precision tricks, complicated issues, high risks.
Resource factor is based off what you need to have in order to obtain a
bulletproof.  This can be weapons, a vehicle, cheats, or even patience.
*     - You don't need a thing, except perhaps the will to fail a mission.
**    - You might need some patience, perhaps a specific item.
***   - Vehicles are needed; an item you normally wouldn't have; more patience.
****  - Even more patience, odd item setups, maybe a cheat or two.
***** - You'll need unsurpassing patience to obtain this, among other things.
#########################################
5: The walkthrough for obtaining the cars
#########################################
Here's the main section of the guide. The part that explains how to obtain all
of the unique vehicles. This section is dedicated to those with proofings. The
sections for UCVs and ISVs follow this.
NOTE: At several points during this "walkthrough", you will be asked to obtain
a certain weapon to aid in obtaining the next bulletproof. These are not
strictly necessary, and if you're creative, you can find alternatives. If
you don't want to use Motolov Cocktails, use a Flamethrower or the fire
from an explosion. Stuff like that.
NOTE: Cecil475 says that some of these don't work on the XBOX version, and
others say that some cars have been crippled (ie: only bulletproof). The
only way to be sure about these are to try them.
NOTE: UCV ALERTS are to inform you that a unique colored vehicle is available
in a mission between two bulletproofs. Or in the case of this one, in the
first mission. ISV Alerts are the same, only they are for ISVs.
UCV ALERT!!! - 6.01: Black Perennial (Big Smoke)
-------------------------
5.01: Fireproof Greenwood
-------------------------
Location:   Los Santos                  Difficulty:      ½
Mission:    Drive-Thru                  Resource F:      ½
Character:  Sweet
This is the car that you drive during the mission. While it is not Bulletproof,
but it is immune to flames.
Method one
----------
As mentioned, this is the car you drive during the mission. Save it in a garage
after the mission is over. It's as simple as that.
NOTE: You might want to skip this. You'll get a shot at another Greenwood later
on that is Bulletproof in addition to being Fireproof.
NOTE: Get a forklift. Try looking around the airport, or maybe at the National
guard depot. Make sure the Ganton garage has room in it!
------------------------------------------------------------
5.02: Bulletproof/Fireproof/Explosionproof/Damageproof Tampa
------------------------------------------------------------
Location:   Los Santos                  Difficulty:      **½
Mission:    Nines and AKs               Resource F:      ***
Character:  Sweet
This is the car you're supposed to blow up during the mission, which is a
tutorial on how to use guns. Of course, you probably already know how to use
one. Note that you have to put it into your garage *BEFORE* the game prompts
you to shoot the gas tank to blow it up. If you wait until then, it will no
longer have it's special abilities. I previously said that you had to use
cheats in order to get this. aftica, however, told me about a method of getting
it without using cheats. junovalkyrie confirmed this.
Method one
----------
Thanks to aftica for telling me about this method and junovalkyrie for
confirming it.
Start the mission, and drive with Smoke over to Emmet's. When you are told to
shoot the glass bottle, get in Smoke's Glendale. Go over to the Ganton garage,
take out the forklift, and park the Glendale inside sideways. Leave a little
room at the back. Now put the forklift back in the garage. Here is a diagram
of what it should look like (not drawn to scale).
----------------------
|                    |
| ------------------ |
| |    Glendale    | |
| |                | |
| ------------------ |
| |       |          |
| |-------|          |
| | Flift |          |
| |       |          |
| |-------|          |
|                    |
|/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Now, go back and get the Tampa. Push it all the way to the Ganton garage. When
you arrive, take out the forklift, and push the Tampa inside, facing sideways.
Here's a diagram of what it should look like now (not drawn to scale).
----------------------
|                    |
| ------------------ |
| |    Glendale    | |