# Solar Flares and Old Cars? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [May 24, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922 "2009-05-24T18:53:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drid1067](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@drid1067](https://community.cartalk.com/u/drid1067)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/1 "2009-05-24T18:53:06Z")
So I read this fiction book recently about a massive solar flare that basically fries everything electronic on the planet (apparently this is not THAT far fetched scientifically and historically). So I wondered…are there any old cars that would not be vulnerable to this? ---
**Author:** ![FoDaddy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/fodaddy/32/717_2.png) [@FoDaddy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FoDaddy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/2 "2009-05-24T20:54:48Z")
A diesel would probably be your best option in that scenerio. ---
**Author:** ![totallytempo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@totallytempo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/totallytempo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/3 "2009-05-24T21:38:16Z")
sounds like somebody read war of the worlds… ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/4 "2009-05-24T21:53:36Z")
That’s some flare _and_ in exactly the right place. I bet your garaged car would be just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 10:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/5 "2009-05-24T22:03:32Z")
``` Don't worry about your car. You will never see it have a problem due to solar flares. It might be damaged, but you will be dead first. :-) ``` ---
**Author:** ![oldschool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e19adc/32.png) [@oldschool](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldschool)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 10:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/6 "2009-05-24T22:11:31Z")
Are you thinking of making the resistance too solar flares one of the items on your list to look for in choosing your next car? being prepared is OK but not in this way ---
**Author:** ![waterboy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/waterboy/32/764_2.png) [@waterboy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/waterboy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/7 "2009-05-24T22:23:10Z")
The Stanley Steamer will probably be fine, but be careful because the traffic signals probably wont be working. [![](http://www.peoriatrader.com/stanley_steamer.jpg) ](http://www.peoriatrader.com/stanley_steamer.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![drid1067](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@drid1067](https://community.cartalk.com/u/drid1067)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/8 "2009-05-24T23:16:10Z")
Awesome…I love all your responses. Especially about the Stanley Steamer signals…HA!! Let me clear up a couple things and maybe expand this topic. 1. Solar Flares happen all the time of course, but they are usually small enough to have a nominal effect on things. But historically, large enough flares occur every few hundred years that are large enough to fry every electric circuit on the planet unless it were in an underground bunker. It’s just that the last one that occurred of this size was pre-electricity, circuitry, etc… but not large enough to destroy the atmosphere as in the recent movie “Knowing”, and thus killing…well…everything (sounds like Mr. Meehan saw it too). The book that best represents the former scenario I read is “Solar Flare by Larry Burkett” (no aliens, sorry totallytempo). So a garage “might” work but for kicks I’m assuming a larger flare. This is purely an academic exercise, I’m not planning the purchase of my next vehicle on this…unless the 50 something truck I’ve always thought would be neat to have would also be “solar flare proof”. I guess what I’m wondering from those of you with more engineering knowledge than, is what year/generation of vehicles do not have micro-chips, electrical systems, etc.? When vehicles had points, and brushes and such would that still be electrical and thus vulnerable? ---
**Author:** ![drid1067](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@drid1067](https://community.cartalk.com/u/drid1067)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/9 "2009-05-24T23:16:44Z")
Why is that? ---
**Author:** ![drid1067](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@drid1067](https://community.cartalk.com/u/drid1067)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/10 "2009-05-24T23:18:48Z")
This has been a fun, if somewhat morose, intellectual exercise for my wife and I also discussing all the other implications this type of even could bring. But I don’t understand your last sentence. Why would being prepared in this way not be OK? ---
**Author:** ![drid1067](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@drid1067](https://community.cartalk.com/u/drid1067)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/11 "2009-05-24T23:25:19Z")
FYI: The only truly known viable option are horses and buggies and even if a generation of vehicles existed that were not affected their use would be limited as gas supplies ran out. I just don’t care to own horses right now. LOL ---
**Author:** ![totallytempo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@totallytempo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/totallytempo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/12 "2009-05-24T23:52:55Z")
Awe. I thought in that book everyone’s car got fried for some reason. Let me put it this way: If a solar flare THAT BIG occurred, you’d probably have more pressing concerns than driving to …where exactly… as everywhere around you would be fried. ---
**Author:** ![FoDaddy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/fodaddy/32/717_2.png) [@FoDaddy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FoDaddy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 11:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/13 "2009-05-24T23:58:35Z")
diesels don’t require electricity to run. ---
**Author:** ![drid1067](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@drid1067](https://community.cartalk.com/u/drid1067)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 12:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/14 "2009-05-25T00:09:52Z")
Certainly. Could be useful either for last few days/weeks of prep. of rapidly changing lives, or to get to a safe place a far distance away (the safety of friend/family units) for possibly many years (although long distance travel could be exceedingly perilous). ---
**Author:** ![drid1067](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@drid1067](https://community.cartalk.com/u/drid1067)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 12:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/15 "2009-05-25T00:11:13Z")
Very cool. Not even to start or anything? Would an older diesel be even better? ---
**Author:** ![oldschool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e19adc/32.png) [@oldschool](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldschool)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/16 "2009-05-25T00:38:17Z")
Things like food, clothing,shelter,protection,etc would come first. If a solar flare destroyed everything electrical you would have a bit of civil unrest to say the least. ---
**Author:** ![drid1067](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@drid1067](https://community.cartalk.com/u/drid1067)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/17 "2009-05-25T00:42:40Z")
Holy cow…that’s for certain. Can you imagine? Preparation for that could ‘somewhat’ overlap for what HLS wants us to prepare for related to the next big terror attack, etc… We would likely see the best and worst of people. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/18 "2009-05-25T00:46:53Z")
You watch too much History Channel. ---
**Author:** ![drid1067](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@drid1067](https://community.cartalk.com/u/drid1067)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 1:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/19 "2009-05-25T01:05:39Z")
Ha!! Only when I have TV although that channel is one reason I occasionally miss having TV. What can I say, it’s fun…like playing the ‘Worst Case Scenario’ game. Is that morbid? Oh well…kind of a hobby I guess. ---
**Author:** ![waterboy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/waterboy/32/764_2.png) [@waterboy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/waterboy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 2:04am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922/20 "2009-05-25T02:04:43Z")
I have a question, since you seem to be such a wonderful gloom and doom thinker. Have you seen the gloom and doom Yellowstone cauldron next blow up end of the world thing on PBS? That was well done but I think they are overlooking the obvious. Chains of Islands are formed by the hotspot moving under the earths surface. The grand canyon was formed because the earth keeps rising at the grand canyon and the Colorado river cuts it’s way through the rising earth, How much does that sound like the bubble that is about to explode? [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/solar-flares-and-old-cars/30922.md?page=2)