Day 12

Wasteland Road Rage: Choosing a post-apocalyptic vehicle

In the event of a nuclear explosion massive amounts of people vacate to cities, stuffing themselves into their cars only to get caught in traffic and forced to walk on foot, leaving their vehicles behind on the road. It is the leftover remnants of the tidal wave of people, desperate to escape from the radiation who clogged all the major highways once the first bomb went off. It is tragic to look at, but same time roads clogged with this many vehicles are a great place to look for a suitable post-apocalyptic set of wheels.

Route 114 in Danvers MA is littered with abandoned cars, trucks, buses, military convoys, motorcycles, even dune buggies. In addition car dealerships that lined 114 still have brand new cars in their lots completely untouched, except for the occasional smashed window. A big truck or hummer might seem like the obvious choice, but there are other factors to consider besides raw power. Speed is an element a survivor needs when running from zombies or when being chased by gangs of marauders. A vehicle needs to be fast, so any truck or larger SUV that has a slow start-up speed should not be considered, especially when traveling through city areas.

from geekologie.com. It may be tough but when this runs out of gas

 your

 left with an immobile bunker

Do not sacrifice safety for speed however. Motorcycles and dune buggies are more suitable for traveling light over long distances, preferably in the Western part of the former United States. On the East Coast something that falls in the middle category is preferred, such as a light truck or a muscle car. For larger groups of survivors use convoys instead of a single large bus in case of car trouble. Jeeps are the standard for a post-apocalyptic world. They can be stripped down for speed and efficiency, built up for defense and assault, and can usually carry extra gasoline for when they eventually run dry or extra supplies.

Armoring a vehicle is usually best left to the survivors preferences and needs. If a fast, armored car is required use a truck with a high speed ratings and weld scrap metal over the windows and wheels. For plowing through debris and hordes of zombies in tight spaces, spiked grills and monster truck tires are useful. Bullet-proof siding is useful against wasteland fiends who are well armed but completely unnecessary against zombies or radioactive monsters as they have no bullets to shoot.

Best of luck out there, survivor.