Government announces effective immediately that it's abdicating. Congress, the Executive Branch, and every agency quietly agree to dissolve over the next 90 days.As a final gesture, every adult citizen gets one brand-new economy car with an MSRP under $15,000. No trucks, no SUVs, no motorcycles. You get exactly one car and the title. That's it.After the checks clear, they lock the doors, turn off the lights, and go home.Six months later, things are getting... weird.Fuel is inconsistent. Parts are scarce. Roads are questionable. You don't know if it'll become Mad Max, The Road, or just rural America with fewer traffic laws.The catch:You can only modify the car using:Tools you already own.Skills you already have.Parts you can realistically fabricate or salvage.No Amazon. No RockAuto. No "I'd just CNC a billet transfer case." If you don't own the machine today, you don't get it.So...Which sub-$15k new car are you taking?What are your first modifications?Spare parts?Tires?Armor?Fuel strategy?How long do you think it survives before it becomes a donor vehicle?
So, uh.Anyways,I start blasting.
>>65400022>Which sub-$15k new car are you taking?Nothing, be better off buying a horse.
Diesel Volkswagen Golf
Citroen C15
>>65400036It's not total shit, considering it'll be well past warranty abuse (there wouldn't be one).I'm taking a Spark on the chance I can make my own power. It's not even SHTF really, it's just "Sorry boys, padlocked doors and answering machines, I'm goin fishin. Forever."
>>65400149it can fit l'matresse, le whores, le baguette, le 3 liters de boxed wine, le flag de serrendeur
>>65400157Can it take daily trash pavement? I have honestly never seen a french car IRL so I have no idea. I'm a 45 year old american so I guess we just never import them.
>>65400160The Citren C15 is easily as good if not better than the Hilux of the same era. Easy to fix with hand tools, dead reliable, has enough space in the back that you could live off-grid in one.
>>65400022>sub 15k new carThese don't exist in the US anymore dude.
>>65400022SHUT UP CLANKER
>>65400166I know and it fucking sucks. Inshallah we shall defeat CAFE and crash test ratings.
>>65400163They really hadn't done well in Top Gear despite the hosts (not Clarkson) sometimes liking features.>>65400166>>65400187https://theweeklydriver.com/2026/07/affordable-new-car-death-2026/This is my fault. I picked $15k because it seemed there might even be a sub $10k option.WOW.Um.Hey can someone break out a line of Ket so I can forget I learned this?
I came in thinking thought challenge with some survivalist and possibly offense/defense ideas and all I got was this CURRENT YEAR DEPRESSION
>>65400022I already have a car. Can I get 15k worth of gas or solar panels instead?
>>65400239Nope. This is literally the Government saying "Here's your refund of what's left and we got a value for ya by paying in cars rather than now defunct currency or gold".Complaints department also moved to the tropics.
>>65400255Ok, then I just refuse. I don't need another shitbox cluttering up my driveway. Go give two to the guy next door or something
>>65400228>dude there's no cars for $20k anymore! >but here's a few options for $20.5k
>>65400228Even in Europe with subsidies that are often given you aren't really going to get anything new cheaper than $15k. The affordable peoples car is pretty much dead and the car industry is wondering why it is in trouble. Pic related is about all I can think of that could meet the challenge and its not exactly a car technically.
>>65400267Guess what I drive? It's not this exact one, it has a white front end and doors.35mph road limit, 25mph legal limit. BARELY meets minimums for a registerable car and no inspection. $300/yr insurance full coverage to $15k (it was used with 1.8k miles).I sure could POWER it but I can barely outrun a person and I got like idk 90 mile straight line range.
>>65400228>"The average new car sold for $49,220 in May 2026"Take me Jesus.
This is cars.com's list of the american market bottom 10.I guess we're changing this up due to ukrainian drone str- economic conditions.NEW RULE: choose from among the 10 cheapest new cars in YOUR country's market.(drunk texted from the government-in-retirement)
Right here, rally sport agility in this class.Take out the rear seat, some welding, some gluing, put a pop up prone shooting position right in the trunk. All I own are soviet/commie rifles so even if I recruit help I can't lay fire or risk looking tactical.JL Malvo Mods.
Thought of a way around this. What if you got $15k worth of motorbikes and strapped them together? Surely that could work?
>>65400187>CAFE>crash safety>not retards insisting on having fucking tablet pcs (designed to last at least 8 years no less which means robust components) so they can browse amazon while their car drives itselfYou can make a cheap, safe, fuel efficient car but only enthusiats would want it and you'd go broke because normies aren't interested in something without all the bells and whistles. Fuck the radars for ACC are 3-4 grand by themselves. People are incapable of driving anymore so they keep making cars to keep the average idiot alive and entertained and they still manage to fuck it up constantly.>>65400283The SUV/Pickup craze has completely fucked the market, but a base model Sienna is still around 48k.
>>65400437Electronics are fucking dirt cheap, anon. Complaing anout the Ipad bolted to the dasj is boomer logic. It costs virtually nothing.
Is the insurance ((industry)) going to be subsumed by the government and rates cut by half? Otherwise why own a car if I’m paying 400$ a fucking month in insurance to own it?
I like that OP hasn't figured out he's on the wrong board yet.
>>65400450Eh let it cook, I am waiting for someone to come up with a viable Battle Buick.
>>65400444>the ipad >completely ignores everything else
>>65400447>insurance Blame Democrats for importing nearly 100 million third worlders, and blame Republicans for not stopping them.
>>65400526What is the correlation between thirds and insurance rates?
>>65400518Electronics are fucking jellybean parts, anon. They cost nothing. China pumps them out by the millions. The reason cars are expensive is emissions and saftey standards, not the backup camera and infotainment system. We know this because third world shitholes without those things still have cheap cars that ALSO have iPads in the dash. You're a boomer yelling at clouds.
>>65400366I want to see you run that for a week without a repair in normal america.
>>65400531Go to X.Search "traffic safety daily"
>>65400503last buick that was a car was 2019
>>65400228it's an old french vehicle that is basically indestructible. I'm surprised Hammond wouldn't admit it's one of the best cars that ever came out of Europe.
>>65400569$15.99, Best Buy.https://www.bestbuy.com/product/junsun-4-sensors-parking-sensor-car-reverse-with-lcd-display-audio-buzzer-alarm-kit-us-stock-black/JXTQPHKPHG/sku/12338825
>>65400777The C15 and the Volvo 240 will both hit 500k kilometers with basic maintenance on average and a million if you keep it up.
>>65400777doesn't he love italian shitboxes?
>>65400166Even the versa (which has been discontinued) was 17k
>>65400785And how's their potential to live in 3rd world supply chains?The scenario doesn't necissarily imply warlords and chaos. If the entire government "cold quit" in a depression, an entirely non violent miserable shithole is possible too. I ruled out bikes and suvs and shit because sedans having to live forever has only been a Cuban thing.
What the fuck ever happened to Geos? That just totally done?
>>65400022And this is 'weapons orientated', how precisely?> No "I'd just CNC a billet transfer case." If you don't own the machine today, you don't get it.Why don't you have CNC already?>Armor?That's the best way to push fuel efficency right through the floor. You'll not be getting near metal compasite foams like MgAL3 so you'll be on thick chunks of metal that just add weight...>Fuel strategy?Unless that includes operating the refinery, you're going to be a little fucked there. It's just time. And with the amount of people driving in circles for no reason habitually, it won't be long.>>65400151>on the chance I can make my own powerWise. Once you understand how electrictiy works then making it becomes trivial, and options are many. >>65400569>Electronics are fucking jellybean parts, anon>The reason cars are expensive is emissions and saftey standardsMore safety, emissions tends to more costly in the R&D than manufacture, then consider a few vehicles, essentially prototypes, get wrecked in achieving certification before production scales up to make use of mass production savings.Parts that meet safety standards tend to be a little more expensive than the ones that don't. And when it has the potential for a lawsuit on the other end, the manufacturer spends the extra money and passes on the cost. Plus markup.>have cheap cars that ALSO have iPads in the dashFar more expensive than the hardware is the software rated for purpose.Considering the bags of shit already on the roads in most o these types o places, in many cases legally, just having working brakes puts the vehicle a step above the existing stock. When there's a lot less boxes to tick, you can tick them all for a lot less cost... Also y'all be gettin raped compared to the thirdees just because you can pay the extra for no reason, as evidenced by all the folk that do.>>65400786NTA... But which part of "french vehicle" did you find particularly confusing?
>>65400022The car doesnt matter, this would turn into a free for all deathmatch the minute the announcement goes out. This isnt a "what car" scenario, this is a bunker down with a shotgun pointed at the door and hope the world comes to it's senses soon.
What a terrible thread.
>>65400802> potential to live in 3rd world supply chains?y'could make a mould from existing parts if enough of it remains and build a new one. Assuming you can get access to the raw materials and can spare the energy required. About the only thing that should present a challenge is the silicon lithography for the ECU etc. And it really don't matter if what you build is a little larger as long as it's pin-compatible...>an entirely non violent miserable shithole is possible too.Possible. Sure.Consider the variables in play *right now*. You can't even maintain a non-violent miserable shithole with 'order'.Realistically, within the first 48hrs 90% of fuel stocks will have been literally wasted. Once the .gov monopoly on violence expires, If there's not already conflict over not understanding how food works when it doesn't come in packets or the rapidly increasing water shortges, then expect conflict over fuel. Yes, packaged food is likely to exist in 48hrs time, but by then mass hoarding and looting will be diminishing it rapidly.
What a wonderful thread.
>>65400297Out of those, the Subaru.
>>65400954I think the Mazda is going to have the drive train that lasts when you sort of have to hope and pray the 30 yar old ATF fluid you loot is ok.
>>65400022Did you mean to post this on /o/?Anyway, I already have it.I start killing my new fiefdom with wrecked fox body parts cars.
>>65401298I mean to post it on a board that didn't default to:My car is 50 years old and 50k USD and never leaves the driveway/15 year restoration project/I have a Civic./k/ is the only board that understands shaky tech trees, south east asian stolen forged parts, and isn't in terminal love with one model.
>>65400802It will run on the dirtiest diesel you can fill it with. I'm sure if it had a preheater you could feed it Bunker C
>>65400771Last decent Buick was in the 40's.
>>65401595God we had a VFW about 10 minutes outside town in a ruralish area that had 4 different Shermans and a Hellcat on the lawn. Only one Sherman is left and they began selling in the 90s (98 maybe). Thankfully to displays and the photos are still there.
>>65401595Buicks are still dependable cars. If I had to buy an American car and Tesla wasn't an option I'd go with Buick.
>>65401687This is a national security issue. Cheap cars drive an economy.Idk maybe if we can get those small jap delivery trucks legalized at least.
>>65401787I have seen a few on the roads in NH, but to my understanding most states have laws that prevent them from being road legal.
>>65401687>Buicks are still dependable carsNo way you typed that with a straight face?
