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To add to the consideration of post gasoline-is-hard-to-come-by cars... I've read that the older diesels are the way to go. Older = as few computers as possible or very basic ones and the ability to burn varied types of fuels. The pretty, highly refined gasoline we use now might not be readily available if the refineries shut down and the delivery trucks stop running. Being able to burn other types of fuel might make you one of the vehicles still running after a time.
Right now I have a crappy 2009 Altima that my sister gave me and I am due for a change.
As crappy as a 2009 altima is. Very common car and some of the components on it can be taken from other nissan products such as brake calipers/rotors and such.
Right now I have a crappy 2009 Altima that my sister gave me and I am due for a change.
I am sure your sister is happy, you feel her nice gift to you is "crappy".
That Altima will run circles around some old 60's car. I have had a 50's and 60's car and know a lot about them and believe me, the cars of today are 100 times better. Carburetors are a pain and all the little things. Simple isn't always better. Keep your crappy gift from your sister and drive it for 300,000 miles doing about nothing to it. Try doing that with an old car. Sure. This whole idea is bad.
Hey there! I'm a very amateur prepper/survivalist (barely). I know that most newer cars have computers in them. In the event of something happening that renders computers useless, the car would e nothing but a pile of metal lol. I have always been into old cars anyhow and I am thinking of buying one after I move. Right now I have a crappy 2009 Altima that my sister gave me and I am due for a change.
My question is, what is the newest year car that doesn't have any inboard computer systems that'd be affected by an EMP or something? 1980? 1990? Just curious thanks
To avoid the effects of an EMP, you are going to have to go all the way back to mechanical points. No electronic ignition.
By 1974 almost all GM cars - and therefore all others, for the most part - had electronic ignitions. Carburetors were replaced by fuel injection (which requires a computer) by about 1990.
FWIW...I have a purely mechanical diesel in a my sailboat. The only thing that's gonna kill that engine in a sledge hammer!
To avoid the effects of an EMP, you are going to have to go all the way back to mechanical points. No electronic ignition.
By 1974 almost all GM cars - and therefore all others, for the most part - had electronic ignitions. Carburetors were replaced by fuel injection (which requires a computer) by about 1990.
FWIW...I have a purely mechanical diesel in a my sailboat. The only thing that's gonna kill that engine in a sledge hammer!
To add to the consideration of post gasoline-is-hard-to-come-by cars... I've read that the older diesels are the way to go. Older = as few computers as possible or very basic ones and the ability to burn varied types of fuels. The pretty, highly refined gasoline we use now might not be readily available if the refineries shut down and the delivery trucks stop running. Being able to burn other types of fuel might make you one of the vehicles still running after a time.
This is an important point of prepping. Many people get so involved in the equipment that they fail to plan for the scenario. So you have a wonderful old 4wd vehicle, but if you can't get gasoline, or you don't have the right spare parts, or its always having issues; did you really prepare?
The article mentioned that discussed how most modern cars are already inside a makeshift Faraday cage seems to be lost on so many. The very test they studied showed how most of the vehicles that stalled after an EMP could easily be restarted. Most of the damage wasn't to the ignition system but to the ancillary systems that were not so well protected. So you can;'t use your navigation or bluetooth, is that so important top scratch off a worthy vehicle?
Even a diesel engine is problematic if you don;t have the skills to refine the fuel needed. Spending all your time on "the vehicle" isn't worth much if your only skill at fueling it is using the right pump at the 7-11. Making diesel fuel (from rerefined fossil or bio) isn't that difficult with the right training and equipment, but how many bothered to learn or acquire the skills or equipment?
Anyways, if a situation occurred where an EMP was so huge to cause mass destruction of vehicle ignition systems, don;t you think there would be some other more serious and pressing issues to deal with than a stroll down Route 66 in your jalopy? This is just another example of the fantasy prepper movement sweeping the nation.
Just look at most early 70's and older trucks or cars. For years I had a 1976 GMC Sierra. That truck was about as basic as you could get. Most things worked on vacume and not electronics. Plenty of room to work on the engine if needed and just about anything on there is repairable by hand. Mine had a 292 strait 6 with a 3 speed manuel transmission. GM made a lot of these trucks. The same as Chevy so parts are plentifull. You can find examples starting around maybe $2,000 and up.
This is an important point of prepping. Many people get so involved in the equipment that they fail to plan for the scenario. So you have a wonderful old 4wd vehicle, but if you can't get gasoline, or you don't have the right spare parts, or its always having issues; did you really prepare?
Whew!! Good thing my old '67 doesn't have any plastic in the carb and runs just fine on homemade ethenol huh?? When the embargo hit in the 1970s, my parents got a license and ran a 300 gallon alchohol plant using Barley mash to keep our engines going. I still have it and it still works just fine.
Good thing that bio-diesel is easy to make if you know a few basics so I can keep the tractors running even when the taxes go up isn't it?? Lucky I happen to own a business that makes Bio-Diesel.
Some of us aren't as dumb as the government would like to make us out to be.
Anyways, if a situation occurred where an EMP was so huge to cause mass destruction of vehicle ignition systems, don;t you think there would be some other more serious and pressing issues to deal with than a stroll down Route 66 in your jalopy? This is just another example of the fantasy prepper movement sweeping the nation.
Too bad that some folks are so enamored of government first, last and always they discount the ability of people to provide for themselves outside of what the government will allow us to have.
If there was an EMP or SHTF situation, I wouldn't be joyriding in my old jalopy, but it is very likely that I could be evacuating to a safer area.
If there was cause to bug out or relocate,(wildfires happen regularly here, as do floods and earthquakes so being able to be mobile and have a vehicle that can get off the pavement is a plus), it would be comforting to know that my vehicle wouldn't be affected by EMP, I could use mixed fuels without worry that my engine would dissolve, that I could get my family to safety instead of hauling them to the football stadium to wait for my government food and water rations for days while gangs of thugs preyed upon us, to me, having a reliable vehicle just as an insurance policy that I can still use and enjoy anytime is well worth a couple bucks and a few hours of work.
I don't have to drive it everyday, but I could if I wanted to. I use a newer vehicle for that because those are disposable. The good old reliables that I can fix anywhere are much more valuable than just a ride to work.
Those sheeple who blindly follow the government can have my share of the food and water at the football stadium...
An old Willy's jeep from the 40's or early 50's would be good. They even had a slot and could be started with a detachable hand crank.
Any older vehicle with a carbureted engine could be set up to run without the sensitive electronics of modern vehicles. The feedback carbs can be swapped for older style carbs and the computers disabled and bypassed. The weak spot for 70's vehicles onward is the ignition control modules. You could switch to a points distributor with some of them or just keep a spare ICM or 2 in a faraday cage.
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