Timeline for For how long after an apocalypse would modern cars remain usable?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
7 events
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| Aug 6, 2022 at 4:58 | history | edited | Michael Lorton | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| May 25, 2017 at 9:46 | comment | added | Peter Taylor | When I was in Cuba in the summer of 2000, I saw a number of Soviet cars from the '80s or '90s and some modern European vehicles. One of the unofficial taxis I took was a German people-carrier which couldn't have been more than about 5 years old. I don't recall seeing many '50s Chevies except in the old town in Havana. | |
| May 24, 2017 at 21:34 | comment | added | Harper - Reinstate Monica | I once walked out of an Amtrak station 50 days after leaving my car there. I was ready to call AAA and was surprised when it started. That was a carbureted car with the only vampire load being the clock. It would not be possible today, modern cars have too many vampire loads. OTOH our BMW started right up after a year, but I had pulled the battery cable off. | |
| May 24, 2017 at 20:47 | comment | added | Mazura | One year? You wouldn't have to overhaul the engine unless someone ran it without oil. You might have to replace the fuel system, or just clean the carb and the pump (not fun, but it's a one day job). Two of the +20yo tires on a junker in my garage held air long enough to be bumper-towed several miles. But of course, I'm talking about cars that had a little less planned obsolesce built into them, and where there's enough space in there to work on them. Which I'd guess is what every car in Cuba is. +1 | |
| May 24, 2017 at 19:05 | comment | added | Michael Lorton | @k102 -- Ah, you mean, how long will the cars last by themselves. Actually, a car that is left to sit will become inoperable in as little as a year. The tires rot, the battery will corrode, and the fuel will evaporate and "varnish" the internal moving parts. A mechanic, by dint of considerable effort, could replace the tires, overhaul the engine, and push-start it, but it's not going to be easy. This scene is not accurate. | |
| May 24, 2017 at 14:53 | comment | added | k102 | Tanks for the answer! But that's a bit not what I was looking for - Cuba's cars are used and being kept in kind of good condition. In my world there's no people to maintain cars, so, as I figured out, there's no hope for survivors to pick cars on their way as they wander through empty cities | |
| May 24, 2017 at 14:04 | history | answered | Michael Lorton | CC BY-SA 3.0 |