Zombies! Pick a Car for the Apocalypse

[Danoff]

Something Duke said in the "pick a car for the rest of your life" thread, made me wonder what exactly folks would choose to drive if the world were suddenly full of zombies.

Zombieland (a solid movie), tackles this problem and answers with a Snow-Plow Cadillac Escalade and a Hummer.

or would you take the Resident Evil (not a solid movie) approach?

Let's assume it's just you and your immediate family. If there are multiple drivers in your family you can pick multiple cars, but keep in mind that splitting up is never a good idea in a horror movie. If you're single, you might want to save a seat for the inevitable love-interest that the plot will introduce.

For the sake of this hypothetical, assume that the gas situation is essentially stagnant. All of the gas/petrol in the world is as it is now, but it won't stay good forever. You can siphon it from other cars or fill up at a gas station (until the power dies... soon), but you have to assume that the gas in the world will go bad at some point. Also, siphoning takes valuable time where you can get attacked from behind by flesh eating zombies.

One more rule, you can't pick anything you can't find in your country. Don't assume you can ship your favorite car over from Africa. The car not only has to exist in your nation, but you have to know how to find it.

So with that in mind, what's your transportation of choice for surviving the apocalypse?

 

[Thatman]

Large Trucks of any kind FTW. Preferably A 3500 Ram Diesel extended cab.

 

[socomplayer2]

Id probably choose an ex-police Tahoe with all the goodies, and no need for the back seats and I would get one with a lift kit with beefier tires and a roof rack with a box for tires and more supplies. I love my family but the 2 people I would bring would be my girlfriend Jackie and my best friend Mike (who is a woodsman type guy and me and him both talked about about our plans about if zombies took over). That'll be used for storage for weapons and supplies. Btw I love zombie scenarios. Dead Rising skewed my view of a zombie apocalypse.

This may be my new favorite thread

 

[Danoff]

Large Trucks of any kind FTW. Preferably A 3500 Ram Diesel extended cab.

Good call on the diesel. I hadn't considered to check its shelf-life against gasoline, but it looks like diesel lasts a hell of a lot longer. Wouldn't be too-hard to find vehicles to siphon it from either given that all the large trucks would have tons of diesel and wouldn't have to be located in zombie-center cities. 👍

 

[Diego440]

I'd probably grab one of these.... crawl up a mountain where no zombies can find me... and have the car break down.



(it's a Pinzgauer)

 

[homeforsummer]

Well, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't want something like this...

...but if we're talking a little more realistic, something like a big old Kamaz or a Tatra:

Or a bullnose Scania, more available in the UK

Of course, a Unimog would be quite handy...

But if we really have to bring the realism down a notch, some diesel off-roader would probably be best. A Jeep or something.

 

[Touring Mars]

It would have to be the Volkner mobile home for me. Sturdy enough to fend off attacks, comfy enough to house my family, and complete with a plasma telly (and adding a PS3 for good measure), they could practice their zombie-killing skills in virtual reality while we travelled. Plus, it could carry a performance car for a) quick getaways, b) the inevitable love interest and/or c) gratuitous zombie massacres.

 

[Glubags]

I'd just go with something spacious and fuel efficient.

Maybe a Prius. If I can't stop, the zombies can't get me.

 

[Danoff]

I'm starting to think along these lines:

Pulling different things back to wherever I made my compound.

Food

Guns/Explosives/People/Pets/Furniture

Building Supplies

Fuel:

I was originally thinking that the slick route would be to go with a solar array in your compound and charge an electric car. But now I'm thinking since Diesel lasts so long that it would be better to just use the transportation to construct what you needed. When the fuel no longer worked, you should hopefully be self-sustaining on your compound.

 

[TsukubaTrueno]

YEAHHHHH

In all srsness, though, I'd proably rock something like this

 

[Thatman]

It would have to be the Volkner mobile home for me. Sturdy enough to fend off attacks, comfy enough to house my family, and complete with a plasma telly (and adding a PS3 for good measure), they could practice their zombie-killing skills in virtual reality while we travelled. Plus, it could carry a performance car for a) quick getaways, b) the inevitable love interest and/or c) gratuitous zombie massacres.[/QUOTE]

Good idea!

[quote="Danoff, post: 3796313"]I'm starting to think along these lines:


I was originally thinking that the slick route would be to go with a solar array in your compound and charge an electric car. But now I'm thinking since Diesel lasts so long that it would be better to just use the transportation to construct what you needed. When the fuel no longer worked, you should hopefully be self-sustaining on your compound.[/QUOTE]

Nice conclusion! But yes As soon as you said "gas doesnt last forever" I was all like that it doesnt!

 

[Duke]

Well, if you hadn't added the "must be able to walk to it from your house" rule, I'd have probably gone for a Unimog. Incredible rough-terrain capability, diesel, durable as hell, butt-simple to fix if you can find parts, great cargo capacity.

Diesel is without question the post-apocalypse fuel of choice. Not only because the shelf-life is good, but by the time you run out of supplies to loot, you can hopefully be established enough to be farming soybeans and corn to make the switch to biodiesel. Frycars FTW.

Since I live on the east coast of the States, I'll have to go with one of these:

My wife could drive it, it has enough torque to pull a house, good range, 4x4 with decent ground clearance, good size cargo bed, room for all 4 in my immediate family, and it's a Chevy truck meaning that parts will be readily available anywhere for scavenging, and interchangeability is huge. Fabricate a good sturdy cap for the back and we're good to go. It would serve the immediate need for mobility and defense, with room to sleep in it when needed. After a while we'd probably liberate a tractor-trailer rig, and then the Silverado would make a decent scout for the tractor trailer rig to make sure we stayed out of trouble on supply runs.

 

[SRV2LOW4ME]

Oscar Mayer weiner mobile for the pure comedic value.

Come to think of it though, if it was made of steel it wouldn't be that bad to run over zombies in.

 

[Danoff]

Here's part of what I'm thinking as long-term transportation on the compound. It's 100% electric.

Hook this guy up to your solar collector for fuel-less transportation and limited cargo hauling. I'm breaking my own rule though since I wouldn't know where to find it yet. Would also need to find an electric farming tractor of some sort.

 

[bergauk]

Now I'm just going to be interesting and state that I already have every vehicle needed to survive a zombie apocalypse.

Vehicle 1:

A Ford E350. Got one in my driveway.
Vehicle 2, 3 & trailer:

Ford F-350, Mercury Comet Cyclone, and a trailer I can hook up to the the truck in under 5 minutes.
The F-350 has an extra fuel tank in the bed. The Comet could be loaded up into the back of the trailer [if needed]
Both the Van and the Truck run on diesel.

 

[mafia_boy]

I'll raise you bergauk.

Ford F650!!

There's some Zombie squishing fun in those two.

 

[JCE]

I'd take an F650 as well.

 

[TsukubaTrueno]

I thought about the F650, but the mileage on those must be horrible.

 

[mafia_boy]

It's the apocolypse, who gives a rats about fuel mileage!!

 

[Bram Turismo]

I'm eager to see how fast you will be able to climb into that monster when zombies suddenly jump out of the bushes when you least expect it. That for me is a serious FAIL.

I'll have one of them arctics, please:

 

[JCE]

They (F650) get 10-12mpg city and 14-16mpg highway. Combined you'll be lucky to get 12mpg. But, its a beast and worth it.

 

[Joey D]

Earthroamer XV-LT

It's a Ford F-550 with a camper built into it. You can pretty much go anywhere and do anything with it. It's got a big 6.4L, 350hp, Powerstroke diesel engine and four wheel drive for going anywhere you damn well please. It comes with a 90 gallon endurance fuel tank too. The living area has a couple beds, a fridge, stove and solar powered battery chargers for the appliances.

I figure this with a couple more lights on it and some metal bars over the windows would make for a great zombie killer.

I'd also want an off road capable trailer with two of these bad boys on em.

Yamaha WR450F's with a 449cc engine in it. They would make excellent scouting vehicles as they are fast, powerful and extremely good off road.

 

[Jim Prower]

I don't see the point. Not like anyone's actually gonna survive. End of the world means everyone dies. that's it.

 

[Joey D]

I don't see the point. Not like anyone's actually gonna survive. End of the world means everyone dies. that's it.

You need to watch more zombie movies Jimbo. Given enough fire power, ingenuity, and a badass vehicle you'll survive long enough to find a compound of other survivors looking to rebuild society.

 

[bergauk]

They (F650) get 10-12mpg city and 14-16mpg highway. Combined you'll be lucky to get 12mpg. But, its a beast and worth it.

My dads F-350 has a range of 1500~ miles with the extra tank. We did a trip to Death Valley with the Boy Scouts once and we were the only vehicle that didn't need to fill up every day. We only filled up when we got home. Total round trip was 1400~ miles or something like that.

Do zombies survive cold? I know the Vampire's from 30 days of night could. But do zombies?

 

[Danoff]

Do zombies survive cold? I know the Vampire's from 30 days of night could. But do zombies?

Gotta assume you know very little about them besides an insatiable appetite for brains. If you want to conduct experiments to figure out what they can tolerate, you need to come up with a plan for the experiments.

 

[Joey D]

Do zombies survive cold? I know the Vampire's from 30 days of night could. But do zombies?

According to the book World War Z, yes zombies can survive cold. They can be frozen, thawed out and start looking for flesh again. The Zombie Survival Guide also confirms that zombies will indeed survive cold weather.

 

[bergauk]

Well darn, that rules out any polar living compounds.

 

[Keef]

I wouldn't be able to choose a single car because it would inevitably be ruined. I'd take the Zombieland approach and stick to big SUVs preferably, so I can keep all my supplies inside and away from weather and zombies. I'm not sure setting up a compound would be a good idea because I'm only one person defending it. I realize zombies aren't as smart or destructive as the things from I Am Legend, but they can still do their share of damage. Leaving a fortification for long distance supply runs like Danoff suggested with his semi trucks isn't the greatest idea either, so I would prefer to keep on the move. Exhaust resources in one area and move onto the next. I'd make sure not to get myself in any sticky situations either, like going off road. Zombies will get there eventually, and having a quick and easy asphalt-paved escape is a much safer bet than hoping they can't get through the mud. Mud dries.

 

[boiltheocean]

McLaren F1 GTR

Even with all your massive trucks full of supplies, you'll run out eventually and the zombies will get you then.

I'd rather spend my last few days having fun, plus the car will probably kill me before the zombies get to me. Which is fine, I'll go through the pearly gates at 200mph on fire instead of being eaten alive.