Whats the best Vehicle for an extreme survival situation....?

I would have to say if situation x happened all your electric circuits would easily be fried and take a look if any bicycle tires are actually made in america anymore... best bet is an animal like a horse or maybe an old muscle car because they r fast strong and have less circuits but then again even then they would need to be in a farady cage and have alot of gas

reply to post by Marlborough Red


your feet.

Having a four wheel drive is great. but be prepared to hoof it... if things are realy bad an SUV may still get stuck, or run out of gas, break... ect . If you live in an area that gets alot of snow in the winter time/has long winters, then you probably already know that a snow machine is nearly indespensible. Seriously, if all all terrain vehicles were as good in the summer as a snow machine is in winter, they would be jet-packs!





[edit on 17-1-2009 by ManWithGrace89]

reply to post by RFBurns


I agree with burns, I was gonna say "your feet"
2nd line

Originally posted by RFBurns
None of those will be of any use if there is no fuel to power them...ya?



Best vehicle...simple....it is alive and is very faithful and wont run out of gas or need gas and can get its fuel from just grazing...

..a HORSE.



Cheers!!!!

True but in my neck of the woods there would be no fuel for the horse. I always thought that I would use a diesel powered vehicle that way there is a chance eventually that I could make bio diesel. I don't know how that would be done but its something to investigate.

When the SHTF my 93 Jeep YJ 4" lift, 32" BFGS will get us there. The spare 93 Jeep (for parts) is already there waiting. 2 horses will have plenty of grazing where my "fortress of solitude" lies. They will provide the majority of transportation for hunting , fishing etc.

The jeep will remain idle and ready for longer journeys, back into town etc, if and when there is a need to go there....

For speed ill take the Bugatti Veyron 16.4. It can go 350mph or so top speed.
For all terrain purposes ill take this. With the machine gun still attached of course.

reply to post by angryamerican
Luckily for me i grew up on a farm, so i know a lot about both. I've owned both all my life too. But in a sitX scenario fuel will become very scarce.

Hmm, let me think about this for a second.

I live in suburban New Jersey. My current vehicle is a 2004 Honda Accord V-6. It has traction control and a GPS system, so if I have to go out into the wilderness of Warren County*, I won't get lost. Off-roading probably won't be of much use, since most of the terrain around here is either homes, strip malls or dense forest that either any vehicle can get through, or no vehicle can get through.

In a SitX scenario, I guess the only sane thing to do would be to just hang myself and spare myself the misery -- check this link to see why. (And maybe I'll... get myself off in the process, I hear it feels awesome.) But that's no fun, is it?

I'd discount any large 4x4, as it would first have to get past lots of traffic on clogged highways, and then it would burn through fuel like Charlie Sheen burns through drugs. This is where a smaller sedan with traction control has the big 4x4s beat -- in fuel economy and maneuverability. To see what I'm getting at, try parking a regular car, and then try parking one of those big, "survival-ready" 4x4s. Now imagine trying to do that all the time on a crowded road, where the cars aren't "parked" quite as neatly, without damaging your vehicle. If you live within 100 miles of a major city, you'll get a lot farther in a little Accord than you will in that big Unimog. (Even better would be a motorcycle, assuming you know how to ride one and aren't injured.) Remember -- the old "grand tourer" automobiles, designed for long-distance road trips and endurance driving, were not off-road vehicles, but were compact sports cars. And even after SitX, usable roads (even dirt ones) will persist long after the last working automobiles have been locked away by the post-apocalyptic warlords for their personal collections.

Which brings me to the next section -- what happens when the gas runs out and you can no longer run your car, truck, motorcycle, ATV, etc. A lot of you guys have recommended horses. A century or two ago, this may have been the case -- indeed, it would've been the default option. However, from what I've seen in this area (i.e. at county fairs, racetracks and the like -- it may be different in other parts), most horses now are bred not for endurance, but for racing and beauty. Worse, many of them are purebreds, which means that you get all of the incest-related genetic illnesses that come from breeding animals for specific traits. Also, while wild horses may be able to persist on grazing alone, work horses can't -- they need shoes (which break), medicine (which will be in short supply), and feed to sustain them for the work that they do (grazing alone just won't cut it). And the modern breeds of horse that we have are not naturally-occurring, but rather, they are all domesticated forms of ancient horses that are much smaller -- so-called "wild" horses may be more properly called feral horses. And what happens if your horse gets scared or irritated? I'd ask Christopher Reeve, but he's been dead for a while now. In short, maintaining a horse is a far greater task than most people think.

So instead of a horse, I'd go with a bicycle. No gas or feed, easier to maintain (although you need tools), and more maneuverable. Sure, if you get a flat you're screwed, but then again, you're screwed if your horse splits its hoof. Ultimately, the final option for transportation is to travel on foot.

So, after SitX, I'll start with my car, then go to my bike when that runs out of gas or breaks down, and start walking when I can't use that anymore.



* Heh. What does it say about me that I consider Warren County, New Jersey, population >100,000, to be the wilderness?

Probably best to list the criteria, then find a vehicle to fit.

Full-sized Truck.
Common (and with same body style/parts for a good range of years) - makes it easier to find spare parts
Decent Fuel Economy
Common and easy to find tires/wheel size
Detachable Rear Bed Cover - versatility
Holes, Rings for Tie-Downs
Reliability
High Ground Clearance

This is my BOV:



It's a 2.5 TD Defender with the 300 Engine series.
This essentially means it's not going to be affected by an EMP device.
The MPG isn't that great but to be honest, if fuel is cut off, having a better MPG isn't going to make much difference in the long run anyway.

It'll just be getting used to make my way to the BOL where a few of my buddies are and Bugging-in there.
It's got Off the Grid capabilities (Trojan System) plus a few gizmo's I've modded like a CCTV system out the back end.

Originally posted by WatchRider
This is my BOV:

It's a 2.5 TD Defender with the 300 Engine series.
This essentially means it's not going to be affected by an EMP device.
The MPG isn't that great but to be honest, if fuel is cut off, having a better MPG isn't going to make much difference in the long run anyway.

It'll just be getting used to make my way to the BOL where a few of my buddies are and Bugging-in there.
It's got Off the Grid capabilities (Trojan System) plus a few gizmo's I've modded like a CCTV system out the back end.

edit on 13-3-2011 by WatchRider because: Video add

edit on 13-3-2011 by WatchRider because: Video add

nice landy ;-)
very simular to mine

or you could do what the top gear guys done..check it out lol
www.youtube.com...

As for a "motorized" vehicle I would have to say some sort of jeep. I'm not exactly rich here, but a Jeep Wrangler sounds about right for my needs. (outfitted and tweaked of course!)

And this obviously only applies to me personally and those who have the skills, but for a "non motorized" vehicle I would want a horse.I am lucky in that my horse is a mustang, and they are, if nothing else, a very hardy breed. On top of that, I live out in the country, so that's a double plus! An advantage to a horse is that even if you don't have grain, they can stay relatively healthy just from grazing. (I love my horses, as should be obvious here)

I would prefer a mule.

Compared to horses a mule......

Have less problems with their hooves,

Do much better in the Arizona heat,

They eat less and can get by just grazing and don't need oats

They live a few years longer,

Mules have a strong sense of self preservation,

They are more sure footed than horses,

One mule to ride with a pack mule behind you and your set.

I've got a serious question here: My 99 Jeep Cherokee just hit 200k and I am considering purchasing a new vehicle this summer that is more reliable and gets better gas mileage. I used to be into off-roading and my Jeep used to be lifted and had a lot of other things on it, but I took those off because it was just getting to be too costly for a part-time worker and full time student like myself.

My question is this: Should I keep the Jeep and just rebuild it somewhat to make it more reliable and for a SHTF scenario, or stop waiting on that to happen and buy a newer, more reliable and efficient vehicle?

Honestly the only reason I am hanging on to this thing is because of this type of scenario, but...what good is it going to do me if there is no gas available/replacement parts etc?

Your thoughts please, and thanks ahead of time...

I like the japanese SUVs but you have to consider the availability of parts and given what you might encounter (ie, mass flooding from a pole shift) you might want to build something custom like this (built by a classmate of mine)::
www.dobbertinhydrocar.com...

This one.


[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/f6c5ed5fe361.jpg[/atsimg]


In all seriousness, probably a Hummer, a Jeep, or a truck of some sort. A Hummer/Jeep because of the versatility of terrain they can cover and the wide wheel base, plus the capability of traveling at higher speeds than say, a tank, and a truck to be able to haul sundry items.

Reply to post by Marlborough Red

The best all round vehicles would be Heavy duty 4x4 crew cab pick-up trucks.


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If it came down to the type of world I think many are imagining, you wouldn't want to give away your position with any type of engine. You want a very good mountain bike and your feet.

I have a miniature donkey, hes my eyes and ears and can carry everything i ever needed to survive, plus i can eat him if he becomes to much of an ass...