What's the best car for surviving the collapse of order and civilization. Given the recent political events, I am once again becoming paranoid about the state of American society. I can no longer discount the possibility that civil war or WWIII may visit our shores and destroy our way of life as we know it. So, given that, what is your preferred vehicle to survive the apocalypse? I'm in desperate need of a new to me car, and whereas a month ago I was wanting something fast, sporty, and beautiful, now I am primarily looking for something that is reliable, easy to maintain, and durable. I'm thinking about getting an 80s or 90s Mercedes Diesel sedan, or even an early to mid 2000s Volkswagen TDI. Other times I think I'd be better off just getting an old diesel truck or 4x4 SUV. However, in the event society doesn't collapse, I still want a car that's easy to drive around town and somewhat good on gas. And still other times I wonder if a Tesla might be the best option. You don't have to worry about fuel, just electricity. As long as you can generate electricity whether from solar panels or a diesel generator or anything, you can drive. Plus it has the benefit of being quiet and stealthy. thoughts, /o/?
anything with a sbc
wouldn't something like the Beetle last forever due to how easy it is to fix it?
>>28617047A bicycle.
>>28617052what is an SBC?>>28617058sure but would a beetle be that useful? You can't transport that much with it, can't tow anything. You can't even transport many people. At least with a sedan you could drive some people around. Maybe I'm wrong but I think anything older than an 90s car or maybe an 80s car would be more of a liability than an asset
>>28617063Small Block Chevy
>muh civil war!!!>muh ww3nothing ever happens
Something domestic (to you), still plenty around/tried and true, and carbureted would be the best option, probably from the 70's or 80's. If you want to play Mad Max off road, then a 4x4/truck which fits the above criteria.>tesla/electricI would avoid anything with over the air updates, go for an older "dumb" EV. However the trade-off there is less range and worse battery technology. Can't recommend a Leaf since they use old battery tech and degrade pretty fast. I was looking at a new MG4 (in my country) a couple of years ago, would fit the bill, no over the air updates, lithium battery pack, etc. Although keep in mind you'd be stuck in one place for a long time to charge it, especially when the grid goes down and can't use a fast charger.
>>28617084also this
>>28617047Why do you apocalypse fags think you're going to be driving around all nilly willy after society collapses? I don't think you realize how quickly your driving infrastructure would go to shit. There's no fucking way you're realistically charging an EV without the grid or a supply of fuel, which you won't have... If you're a city slicker you're fucked.
>>28617090I'M A LEATHER REBEL IN THE END TIMES BUCKOYOU DON'T KNOW WHAT BEAUTIFUL CHROME CHARIOT OF THE GODS BLESSED WITH SKY RISE CAMS AND HEAVY METAL ROCKERS AWAITS WHAT REMAINS OF THE BLACK TOP IN THE AFTER MATH
>>28617090shut up nigger im gunna be pitting fags like you off the road and siphoning your shit after i pack your shit and youll sit and cry with compacted shit while i shove your moms shit in
>>28617047Its irrelevant. It will be over before it matters, and if you invest in having something valuable in the apocalypse someone will kill you for it. Get a bicycle or a 2 stroke dirt bike, you can hide it in a closet or in a bush.
>>28617108And after a year when all of the gasoline has turned to varnish?
>>28617094Bikes will own those remains.
>>28617086>and carbureted would be the best option, probably from the 70's or 80's. If you want to play Mad Max off road, then a 4x4/truck which fits the above criteria.Carbureted? Why is that so much better than EFI? Also weren't diesels some of the first cars to have fuel injection? I'm heavily looking into older diesels that can run on a variety of fuel sources, is carbureted always better at that point?>>28617090>Why do you apocalypse fags think you're going to be driving around all nilly willy after society collapses? I don't think you realize how quickly your driving infrastructure would go to shitMaybe my thread was too vague. Obviously I don't think I'd be cruising around living the good life if there was literal nuclear war or something. But even in the event of a civil war, or a large scale non-nuclear global conflict in which global trade routes are cut off, it's possible that roads would remain in good condition for years before they became unusable. >>28617131>And after a year when all of the gasoline has turned to varnish?I'm not that anon, but yeah OP here, that's why I specifically asked about diesel engines in my post. People have easily converted old mercedes and other diesel cars to run on biodiesel or even used vegetable oil/cooking fat from restaurants. This is why I think a low tech diesel may be the best option, because you can burn a variety of fuels in the diesel engine. Weren't they originally designed to run on peanut oil anyway?
>>28617149HELL YEAH BROTHERhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsJ_pADlGrk&list=RDzsJ_pADlGrkBLOOD AND THUNDER AND CHROMEEEEE
>>28617131gotta store that shit in steel jerry cans, fill them to capacity for minimal oxygen content in whatever air is left inside.plastic cans might even work, i once filled my old camry up with five year old petrol from a plastic can and it worked perfectly fine
>>28617153>used vegetable oil/cooking fat from restaurantsThe only guy I knew that did this needed an entire Old Country Buffet's waste grease to keep his truck on the road. I think discarded cooking fat will likely be scarce in any kind of soft apocalypse as people will clean and reuse it as long as possible.
>>28617161>The only guy I knew that did this needed an entire Old Country Buffet's waste grease to keep his truck on the road. I think discarded cooking fat will likely be scarce in any kind of soft apocalypse as people will clean and reuse it as long as possible.Ok cool, I think you're missing my point though, which is, that properly modified diesel engines (some not requiring any mods at all) can run off of a variety of fuels. They can run off petroleum diesel, they can run off of used cooking oil, they can run off of kerosene, and on and on. Surely, the ability to have multiple different fuel sources would be beneficial, no?Of course, regular gasoline engines can often run on ethanol or other alcohol fuels with some light modifications too, but it seems like diesel engines are more versatile
>>28617047It depends on a number of factors as to what happens, where, and how. Nations can undergo slow collapse, extreme hardship, localized problems, particular industries causing a area to shut down, warfare occurring in one region, but not others. If everything goes so tits up that it's the end of the world as we know it, being anywhere with a road leading to it, and not being in a large group of rough individuals preparing to make victims out of everyone they encounter is a very bad idea. You'd want a exceedingly remote location utterly unreachable most of the year, and maybe being able to walk a dirt bike miles on a imperceptible path. Even a dirt bike is a risky proposition, as they're very loud.The numerous "Van life" videos provide a template good standard of living in the number of more localized, less extreme, and more plausible scenarios. A large SUV, van, or even a hatchback can have you leagues above other hobos living in wal-mart tents, and not being a smelly bum may allow you to falsely claim to be a local if an area is turning away refugees.
>>28617173Only super old school low fuel pressure fully mechanical diesels will tolerate running on anything than straight diesel and even then it's not as simple as just dumping a bunch of grease in the fuel tank. Doing that would likely destroy a modern diesel. Not like it would matter. You think you would be the only person with that idea?
>>28617047I'd personally go with a dirt bike and a bicycle. A car would simply be too hard to fuel, yes you can use all kind of bullshit for an old diesel but it will still be scarce. An older EV might be better because you can simply make electricity yourself. Build yourself pic related and you are golden. You would probably be killed for that car tho
I drive a 2002 4Runner.
>>28617212>>28617249yeah I mean they have cars in Cuba though, it's not completely impossible. Again yeah I agree that a total nuclear war or natural catastrophe destroying civilization would make this a moot issue, but in terms of a slow collapse, or just having the US become like a shitty third world country, there are other options some of which are better than others
>>28617047Probably a mountain bike or a kayak
Bump, any other good survival vehicle ideas?
>>28617047>What's the best car for surviving the collapse of order and civilization.Tuk Tuk. Tiny little motorcycle engine that sips gas and is easy to work on and repair. Can still transport people or supplies. If it works in the failed society of the 3rd world it will work in the collapsed society of the 1st world.
>>28617047Toyota Prius>stupidly reliable>add in 2kw pure sine wave inverter and you now have portable generator>you can sleep in it and burn <0.5 gallon per night instead of 1-2 gallon per hour
>>28620165I can practically smell the illegal solvent offgassing through the screen. Better than the smell of Indian turd encrusted dust, I'd imagine.
>>28617047An EV with solar charging blankets. You're never gonna go beyond the max range, and if you do just camp out for a few days while it charged.>>28617060An ebike and a solar charging panel. People sleep on how practical a mode of transportation ebikes already are. Imagine cheap cost, cheap fuel, no registration/insurance, and can ride wherever the fuck you want, around town at least.
Anything other than a bike is mistake. With a bike you can go the furthest with the leas amount of fuel. Whenever you have to take the risk of refueling you are in and out the fastest. Whenever camping you can easily hide yourself and the bike so people dont see you as a target to steal fuel from. Whenever in a pinch you can run in any direction through any obstacle and not being hampered by the size of your vehicle. Whenever caught by baddies the bikes greater acceleration gets you out of danger fast and you are already a smaller and more agile target. Most people will give up trying to shoot you. You dont need special equipment like lifts to maintain any aspect of your vehicle.
>>28617131You can make gasoline out of plastic. It's hella bad for the environment and tour car, but it will work in old dead reliable vehicles. Definitely would fuck up a new pussy engine. Refine it enough and maybe. Plastic is a supply of stored petroleum if you know how to turn it into liquid fuel.
>>28620157With wheee technology is right now, the only perpetual vehicle you can get is an ebike. Here's an example of one drawing in more energy than it's giving out.https://youtube.com/shorts/4NDceJo2IEwNotice how many panels it has to have? That wouldn't really be viable to drag around but they do it to show that it can be done. Other people have come up with more practical ways to mount them, but really you don't need to mount them at all as you won't be riding all day. Just charge multiple batteries when you're not riding. Battery tech and solar charging tech are still evolving so maybe we'll need less solar charging surface and smaller batteries someday, but a bike is the only thing small enough for batteries to move efficiently at their current restrictions. And a small battery is the only thing viably chargeable by a solar panel(s) due to its restrictions. The bike is also silent, you can pedal it, ride it off the road, and it doesn't attract too many thieves. It's the best SHTF vehicle.New cars are just shit and too reliant on iffy tech. Old cars are old and approaching their maximum possible lifespan. There are still dumb bikes with carburetors, I know Suzuki makes some that are very popular in the third world. Bikes from all over are easy to import as well, they require little fuel, and are easy to work on due to exposed engine and much less parts than a car. Sounds like what you want is a backup mode of transportation OP, but if you really wanna be kind of SHTF, you gotta put some work into maintaining an old dumbcar. Or get something like a Polaris Ranger, just an engine mounted onto a mean offroad golf cart with no tech to fuck it up. These UTVs or side-by-sides also come in diesel, and aren't constricted by regulations that make them bogged down by tech.>here's your fucking kei truck
>>28620256>With a bike, you can go the furthest with the least amount of fuel.Make this a meme.The US developed a hybrid dirt bike that ran on a multifuel engine and electric engine, designed for special forces to get a long distance of range, and be able to approach their target silently by switching to electric engine only. I'm pissed it isn't available on the civilian market. That's the ultimate.There are also gas powered bicycles, I suppose you could swap the engine for a diesel if you wanna be autistic. Then do an ebike conversion by swapping the front wheel with a hub motor wheel. You'll increase the weight by a lot but you'd have a wheeled vehicle powered by 3 modes, liquid fuel, electricity, and legs.Actually with mounting the battery on the back rack to balance out the increased weight of the front wheel hub motor, it might not feel too heavy in one area only.
>>28620301>liquid fuel, electricity, and legs.Bear in mind, these are not fun to push with the pedals because of the increased weight. Even stealth bomber ebikes, basically dirt bikes with insane acceleration and pedals to "trick" the cops into thinking they're street legal, are not fun to ride with the pedals. They're heavy hogs, the more power you get the bigger battery you may need and the heavier you make it. With a gas engine and electric setup with battery, you may find it to be a diminished returns situation. Choosing one or the other may be better. I went electric, no loud stinky bike to smell up and drip oil in my apartment. Can ride on trails silently and the boomers aren't any the wiser, and solar charging is possible with such a small battery. Might take all day or more though for a full charge.
People saying bikes ITT are idiots. Bikes are loud, fragile and they are NOT fuel efficient. A common EV would be your best chance OP for the single fact that electric infrastructure would last much longer than petrol and even then there are solar panels. If the situation becomes so bad that there is not even electricity then learn to ride as horses will make comeback.
i dont believe that an apocalyptic/anarchy situation would ever happen, the decine of a first world country just means that the elites become smaller in number and lock them selves away in secluded neighbourhoods while the rest of the country slowly becomes essentially Brazil.>>28620301id say a gasoline/diesel powered pushbike is the best bet, just in terms of outright economy and sure its not going anywhere fast but if youre putting along at 20kmph, low rpm, maybe even towing an ultralight trailer and a loaded up front and rear rack with good tyres and chains and accept that 100km per day is a good pace, you'd still be able to tour long distance to safe areas.As a matter of fact, a CT90 postie bike would be a great machine for this purpose. It has a more usable torque range, spare parts are standardised and widespread, better towing capabilities and still under 5 litres per 100km. People travel the globe with them, theyre well documented, lots of aftermarket accessories, the list goes on. If the goal was more to do with touring rather than attacking and or being attacked by randoms then you can still use your own perception to stay out of trouble rather than being in trouble.
>>28620314god ev fags come into every thread and shit it all up, this is an auto enthusiast board nobody cares about your goddamn ev shilling non stop for fucks sake i am so sick to death of hearing "tesla this" "rivian that" "nissan leaf" etc. Do you seriously think anyone here gives a rats ass about electric cars? Why do you think anyones here? "hmmm im jelqing to batteries and hub motors everybody!!!" "yeah and what can you do with them other than benchrace them" and the answer is absolutely fucking nothing. Ev fags are killing this dying board. Go back to /g/ and suck off your lead battery terminals and stick your remote gear change knob up your ass
>>28620321new pasta just dropped
some old carbureted car that you can tune to run on ethanol by drilling your jets to a larger sizeor an 80s diesel car with indirect injection which will run on vegetable or transformer oil
>>28620332>bro just find parts for a 50+ year old car
>>28620333the cubans seem to manage just fine
>>28620321auto enthusiast =/= ice enthusiast, save your sanity and stop trying to police people
>>28620314Depends on the situation. IF the grid and power production survives (these are the first thing to be targeted in a major conflict) you can use EV and supplement charges with solar panels. Chargers can be fast but wasting your day setting up panels that will reflect light that can be seen for miles is just a big ad for "come here and fuck me up senpai". I am not an EV hater i just thing that to not be seen is the best way to not be shot/robbed. Bikes can be quiet, not everyone enjoys fart cans.
>>28620343we need to bully ev homosexuals more often, gatekeeping is a good thing if the board can stay focused on ICE cars and hobbyist diy wrenching. i want those ipad screen lickers to just stick their dicks into a toaster (an electric appliance just like their dumbass cars) if they love electricity so much
>>28620321>>28620346just accept that ICE is a thing of the past like the steam engine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eUZya3G1DY
>>28617131>when all of the gasoline has turned to varnish?8.7:1 cr.you and your faggot corolla plug an injector and you get raped and murdered, engines from before the 90s will keep burning that stinking nasty shit for years, possibly over a decade without refining it.
>>28620407Is this engagement bait?
>>28620407id like to imagine you like a handrail for a staircase and im a fat naked man who hasnt wiped his ass in a month, and instead of engaging with you properly i do a 360 spin jump from the top of the stairs and saddle the handrail and ride it down with each ass cheek acting like a monorail interface and the doodoo acts as an impromptu lube that also leaves a sweet trail down the handrail as i slide down. In this scenario i am the fat man and you are the shitted up handrail for pushing ev's
>>28620314everyone uses bikes and atvs in the ukraine because anything bigger gets instantly blown up
>>28617090>how quickly your driving infrastructure would go to shit.This.We had a hurricane come through town last season. They normally weaken to a cat 1 or less by the time they get this far inland but we got hit with cat 3 winds.Nobody could leave town because massive trees blocked the roads and it took half a day for the volunteer fire department members to drive their personal tractors around pushing trees out of the way. Even the interstate freeway was shutdown.In an apocalypse we'll be resorting to horses
>>28620407im gunna fucking kick gravel up your ass untill you die you worthless shill.
>>28617090>I don't think you realize how quickly your driving infrastructure would go to shit.I've experienced it no fewer than six times, and it's one of the big reasons why the next car I'm aiming for is a HEV or PHEV. Being able to turn a car into a generator, and consume way less fuel than a generator is incredibly useful to have.
>>28620205>An EV with solar charging blankets. You're never gonna go beyond the max range, and if you do just camp out for a few days while it charged.what if you get attacked by bandits on day 2 and your EV only has 10% of charge?
>>28620205An EV would be more practical if its most sun-exposed surfaces were photovoltaic, but it's unattractive to consumers to have something that can meaningfully charge up mileage because it'd look like a minivan.Either that or a towable solar carport.
>>28617047It would have to be a diesel, and you'd need a crate load of veg oil filters so you can run it on cooking oil.Something like an old Hilux, L200, Mercedes W123.Unless you live in the desert, I wouldn't even contemplate a solar+EV set up.
>>28620333bro has never heard of prepping.
>>28621265>>28621635You will never catch someone in an EV with your legacy trashcans lmao.>>28621991ICE cars can run out of gas anon.
>>28622100>so you can run it on cooking oilYa because the fryers at McDonalds are still up and running after the apocalypse...Dumbass.A typical semi truck has (2) 150 gallon tanks. Find one that was hauling fuel and you have 7,500 gallons you can drive to a safe location.Even at 10mpg youre looking at a range of 75,000 miles.If you hit the local National Guard armory for a HEMTT you now have fuel point ability, pumping at high flow rates and bulk water separator.
>>28622319that's why you run them on veg oil.even after the Great Happening, you'll be able to make veg oil from a field of corn.
>>28622381meant for >>28622378
>>28622381yes lets see you turn into a full time farmer just to enable driving a fucking car around
>>28622381Corn is a fruit retard.>>28622649You won't need to drive that much when society collapses. We're forced to drive, slaves to paying for and maintaining our vehicles. Just get an ebike and solar charger.
>>28621991You can drive off. Also everyone is sleeping on PHEVs being multifuel vehicles between electricity and gas. Either one you can produce or scavenge would get you going. Unfortunately very few diesel PHEVs exist.
>>28624039The answer is still EV, you can use a multifuel generator or multiple generators to use whatever the fuck fuel you find to generate electricity to charge it, and some studies find that charging an EV with a generator yields further range than that gasoline would get in a gas powered car. Fucky, I know.
>>28624039Mercedes have a relatively new diesel PHEV lineup
>>28617090All of society collapses except in regards to oil/gas which gets turned into a religion
>>28624039>>28624078Why are you EV people so fucking challenged with basic electrical concepts? You have no idea how fucked you would be without the grid.
>>28617047>the best vehicle for the collapse of civilizationA plane ticket to the Russian Far East.
>>28625146>charging would take too long so just walk and never used a vehicle againIf I didn't have to wagecuck I'd only have to drive like once a week.
My guess is the best would be:>Simple electric motors driving the wheels. Possibly one per wheel, hopefully more than 2 axles. I'm thinking something like 4 axles, very thin wheels, 8 x 25-30 hp motors.>External combustion steam engine engine as a generator. Should be able to burn a number of fuels: coal, wood, kerosene, gasoline, etc.>Folding solar panels you can set up when you stop.Ideally you'd want a lot of redundancy. You don't need that in normal cars because if something happens you can safely get out of the situation no matter what. But being able to drive with 3 blown tires, for example, or not relying on one single fuel type would be very useful.If electronics are a no-go then a simple steam engine would be my choice.
>>28625593Ford Model T's made with 4 ebike hub motors when?
