This Is What Our Readers Would Drive If The World Ran Out Of Gas

As of Monday morning the national average gas price had gone down slightly, but things are still really bad y’all. The war with Iran still shows no signs of abating, having now lead to the demise of Spirit Airlines. Toyota says it’s going to lose $4.3 billion in profit because of the war. Your summer vacation? Yeah, good luck with that. In Los Angeles, I can’t really find premium for less than $6, which is not fun given how I drive a car with a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8.

A conversation about gas prices lead to a Slack thought experiment, which I then posed to you fine folks last week: If the world ran out of gas, what would you drive? I left this question really open for interpretation, and you delivered. There were a lot of fun answers in the comment section, and I’ve hand-picked a selection of my favorite ones for your reading pleasure. 

Well, The Walking Dead and Jurassic World showed that stored gas seems to stay fresh for decades, so we’re looking way down the road here.

So, I’m going to be that guy. Diesel isn’t gasoline. So give me a diesel Mercedes and I’ll cruise around the apocalypse in soft Nappa leather on cooled seats, “It’s the End of the World and I Feel Fine” playing through the 20-something speakers, and preparing my minions to take over the town next door.

Submitted by: Xavier96

This is a correct answer, especially if you go for a W221 S-Class.

I currently fill up with biodiesel (now called renewable diesel) in my ’82 Mercedes diesel wagon… I guess I could go full on 2005 and start collecting fryer oil.

Submitted by: Matt Pipes

Having owned a 1984 300TD (also Manila Beige!), I know this is an even more correct answer.

’80s European diesel car/truck converted to run on fryer oil. Ideally, a Volvo 940 wagon but would have to import since diesels never came to the US.

Submitted by: Brewman15

Having also owned a Volvo 940, this is also a good answer.

A golf cart, retired and do very little driving. All the important stuff is within a couple/few miles of my house.

Submitted by: IB007

At least treat yourself with a Mansory golf cart.

I’d continue driving an electric vehicle. Maybe rig up some kind of mobile solar charging setup that could store in the cargo area.

My already existing EV. It being 9 years old isn’t an issue.

What I’m driving today. Got my first EV in early 2024 and replaced the family hauler with an Equinox EV last September. Don’t even look at gas prices.

I’d drive our Bolt. Lowered with Eibach springs, it handles nice. Actually one of the funner cars we’ve had.

Probably the Subaru Solterra I bought a couple months ago.

“BuT tHe ElEcTrIc PlAnTs! How will you charge it?!” – It’s called solar panels and battery storage. About 95% of my electricity needs are met with my panels, I can turn the AC up a bit and save more power for the car.

Submitted by: DynamicPresence, R. Cavaretti, Thomas Hajicek, Nomoto, Trogdor T. Burninator

I still have a Razor Scooter from 2001 stored in my garage so it might be time to dust it off.

Submitted by: Giantsgiants

I miss my Razor scooter.

A bicycle

I had the same thought. But then I started wondering how long the chains and cables might last in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. But then again, once the chaos starts, everyone will be looting other stores, allowing enterprising ultra-geniuses like us to corner the entire market on bike parts. We could live like kings! Maybe!

Bike. If I’m picking from my current bikes, I’d go with my jack of all trades master of none bike, an old Surly Cross Check. If I’m getting something new, I’m going with an electric assist cargo bike of some kind. I wasn’t smart enough to buy an EV, but was smart enough to put solar on my house. Petroleum oil could be replaced with vegetable oil or various fats for grease. I’m sure they’d function differently, but they would likely work. Rubber for tires could eventually be sourced from rubber trees as it used to be.

Well we’re not running out of gas anytime soon, but sure.

First thing obviously. Everything is moved by truck, and agriculture requires gasoline. So the first order of business is surviving the first few months that everyone’s starving to death and doing horrific things for food. Assuming you survive that…..The chances of regular power delivery aren’t very good, so the idea of using the grid for anything is out the window.

Bicycles will rule the wasteland. Sure, you can kid yourself that you can run a car on methanol, but that takes time, resources, and land. Ditto with an EV. It takes a lot of panels to charge an EV. Bikes can go anywhere, and one can easily travel 60-70 miles a day without too much effort.

Submitted by: MurphyB, Give Me Tacos or Give Me Death, Weirdisgood, 05Train

Y’all have fun with that but I would never.

I’ve already gamed out how I can charge my e-bike from a small 100W solar panel and simple inverter. For international travel I have a 20 foot sailboat. I won’t be going anywhere far or fast, but at least I’ll have some mobility.

Submitted by: BuddyS

I don’t want to ride one of these either but it’s better than a bike only powered by your legs, I guess.

EV-swapped sand-rail buggy. Lift it, bolt a Model 3 battery underneath it, fit all the rest of the kit where the motor and fuel tank used to be, and have a blast. Or, EV swap a HMMWV.

Submitted by: Chase

Now we’re talking.

I’d go find myself a vintage dragster and transplant the nitromethane burning engine into my 1963 Ford F100.

While the rest of you are growing vegetables and debating whether you get to drive or eat this month, me and my merry band of Top Fuel psycho warriors are gonna rule the wasteland with fire and chrome!

Submitted by: Stillnotatony

Hell yeah.

Step 1: plant and grow lots of corn

Step 2: harvest corn, process it into moonshine and methanol

Step 3: sell moonshine

Step 4: use funds from moonshine to convert V8 to run methanol

Step 5: add huge gas tanks

Step 6: Go fast

Some of that’s maybe not completely infeasible. I have about 120 acres of land all together, which I’ve always kind of semi-seriously thought of as my apocalypse plan. One issue: I just calculated that it would take 3 years to be able to plant at least 1 acre of corn, starting from a single kernel. You could in that 3rd year probably actually plant about 10 acres. If you could start with a couple of ears, you could shave a year off that. I’m guessing that might be about the limit of what could be planted and harvested by hand. I do have a 1980’s Kubota B8200 4WD tractor, which could probably theoretically run on just about any kind of oil. I don’t have any farming-type attachments, though, just a bucket, a mower, and a blade.

Horses my friend. Horses. Not to derail this whole post, but the French did a cool study many years ago that found that on a farm of 150 acres or less using horsepower was more financially sound than using machinery. Horses being self-replicating, and being able to be fed off the land as well. Thus, you use the horse to help plant/harvest the the corn, as well as drive the the mill stones to grind the corn. Use wood fire to power the stills for making the moonshine / methanol, and then use the car to run moonshine regionally.

Submitted by: AsISeeIt, CSX321

You guys are operate on a whole ‘nother plane of consciousness.

Find a Honda Clarity for dirt cheap, and fuel it up with inexpensive and ubiquitous hydrogen.

Seriously, though, with today’s technology, going electric with everything is clearly the answer. No matter how much disinformation and politician buying the oil companies engage in to maintain the status quo, petroleum is a finite resource. Solar energy is as infinite – and cheap – as you can get.

Submitted by: Carney Molida

At least get the hydrogen CR-V that can also be plugged in.

Steam power!! Bring back the Stanley Steamer. Also copy the French in occupied Paris by converting cars to coal-gas powered!

Submitted by: Michael

I’d love to see a return of steam-powered cars.

An 18 hand Percheron. 1,900 pounds of torque, runs on grass, emissions are good for the garden. While you’re crying at a dead supercharger or bricked because you need a software update, I’ll be looking down at you from eight feet in the air. 

Submitted by: James Stevens

I’m shocked more people didn’t say horse.

Convert a car to methane and run off the farts of myself and my dogs. Maybe get some cows I heard they create a lot of methane as well

Submitted by: Gerrit DeBoer

While you’re at it, you can start an ice cream stand with the cows too.