same, i yearn for the mecha cockpit.

nomad vans people like to make and live in but make it an APC or IFV

the Russians actually did make a "what if a van had a BTR turret on top" vehicle, it's really weird (but neat) looking:

very yes.

I'm partial to armored cars, even if they're of dubious utility these days. There's just something really neat about big guns on a small chassis, although I can't really pick a favorite

tervell probably knows of better stuff to pick from but i like russian BTRs like the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BTR-90 (designed in my birth year even) but also the modern stryker-style IFVs that pretty much every country has a copy of (chinese Type-08 series vehicles are nice looking and with lot of variants for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_08 )

i wanna look my enemy in the eye (through a periscope). also an autocannon or missile launcher can optimistically take out aircraft. maybe put a big 120mm or less smoothbore in the turret (that can launch missiles also) for direct and indirect fire. plus no reason i couldn't put a mortar/drone team in the back instead of a standard infantry squad. armed trucks will always be cool tho i just want more hatches and periscopes around me personally. otherwise if ur going lightweight and indirect put whatever weapon system or drone launcher you want on a dune buggy i say. you just can't hotbox a sandrail as well.

Can a truck's chassis even take the recoil from a 120mm mortar? I've been parked next to a 120mm mortar in an M113 chassis before and watched it kick the hull into the ground every time it lobbed a basketball downrange.