QOTD: Bug Out, but in What?

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

You’ve had it. You see no point in going on doing what you’re doing anymore, no bright side to sticking it out and hoping for sunnier skies. You need a change, and the great woods and hills beckon, free of people, social media, politicians, and large, soulless companies that treat you like a less-than-human cog in an inefficient machine.

You’ve come into some money, let’s say, and have a book you’ve never gotten around to writing (or reading). A change of pace would do you good, assuming you can stand the solitary life and aren’t afraid of either the dark or getting your hands dirty.

However, before putting this plan into action, you’ll first need a vehicle.

Look inward. There’s a tract of land, a specific location, you’ve always wanted to settle down on — or bug out to when the shit hits the fan. It’s a strategic location where there’ll be timber, flowing water, fields, high ground, and opportunities for agriculture and hunting. With the right materials, maybe a little solar hardware, a generator, and a propane tank, you could turn it into a utopia.

For some, winter won’t pose much of a problem. For many more, it likely will. And you’ll have to make periodic trips into town for provisions, possibly mail, and, if things get too lonely, human contact.

You leave the city — yelling “good riddance” as a smile creeps across your face — in a vehicle stocked full of supplies, knowing you’ll be able to source easier-to-find materials at a local hardware store. That vehicle is the one that’ll get you around your new property, and into town, if needed. It’ll need to be capable and commodious. A tough steed you’ll have to depend on. A Jack of all trades.

Good thing the auto industry probably has what you’re looking for, isn’t it? Now’s the time to choose. Go.

[Image: Ford]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Krhodes1 Krhodes1 on Jun 03, 2020

    A boat. Because I would be settling on an island if the zombie apocalypse was upon us. I already have a Land Rover Disco I to tow it with and leave on the mainland for supply runs until things get too bad.

  • NoID NoID on Jun 09, 2020

    Since this seems like a voluntary decision, not something foisted upon me by the apocalypse, I'd probably just upgrade from my current RWD Durango SXT to an AWD Durango GT and call it good. In more dire circumstances, I'd take a Power Wagon with front and rear benches in order to ensure capability both on- and off-road, with room enough for my whole family. In the most dire circumstances, in which my family is wiped out by whatever is throwing the world into chaos, I'd probably go for something like a Jeep Wrangler Overland/Rubicon or some kind of Dual Sport motorcycle.

  • 28-Cars-Later Actually Honda seems to have a brilliant mid to long term strategy which I can sum up in one word: tariffs.-BEV sales wane in the US, however they will sell in Europe (and sales will probably increase in Canada depending on how their government proceeds). -The EU Politburo and Canada concluded a trade treaty in 2017, and as of 2024 99% of all tariffs have been eliminated.-Trump in 2018 threatened a 25% tariff on European imported cars in the US and such rhetoric would likely come again should there be an actual election. -By building in Canada, product can still be sold in the US tariff free though USMCA/NAFTA II but it should allow Honda tariff free access to European markets.-However if the product were built in Marysville it could end up subject to tit-for-tat tariff depending on which junta is running the US in 2025. -Profitability on BEV has already been a variable to put it mildly, but to take on a 25% tariff to all of your product effectively shuts you out of that market.
  • Lou_BC Actuality a very reasonable question.
  • Lou_BC Peak rocket esthetic in those taillights (last photo)
  • Lou_BC A pickup for most people would be a safe used car bet. Hard use/ abuse is relatively easy to spot and most people do not come close to using their full capabilities.
  • Lorenzo People don't want EVs, they want inexpensive vehicles. EVs are not that. To paraphrase the philosopher Yogi Berra: If people don't wanna buy 'em, how you gonna stop 'em?
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