Are there good ways to use cars?

[Almo]

Everytime I try to use cars is a death sentence to me, they're too noise and keep calling waves of zombies towards them, how can I safely park cars and survive parking? I think there might be strategys to use cars, but I just don't see how to use them safely.

[Grizzly]

watch some youtube videos about that, the cars are not all the same when it comes to how loud they are, depending on engine and muffler condition they can be really silent, genereally normal cars with low power are not so loud, if you take speed demon perk and drive backwards every zombie in the city knows where you are so dont do that, low RPM=less noise too.

i had zeds standing like 5 meters from my car not hearing the car cause it was so silent, but i also had a big heavy truck with ♥♥♥♥ muffler and engine and couldnt drive with it without getting all the zeds from an entire block on me.


edit: example vid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfbjvrGPrAc

[Shady Allie]

Yep, check the engine loudness. Find one with the quietest number. Muffler is a factor. Performance parts are BEST.

Don't drive up to your loot target. Park a few blocks away and walk in.

There is a lot to consider when selecting a vehicle.
Trunk size. Passenger seats if hanging with buddies.
Horse power if you want to tow huge piles of junk or other cars.
Playing extreme cold or cryogenic winters? good heater so you don't freeze to death.
And more...

[Armagenesis]

Aside from the mentioned above, you might want to try and kite the zombies away from your base. You can do this by going 5 kph/mph using cruise control and horn blaring. The same way you kite the zeds on foot.

You can lure them to the opposite direction of your base, and once you are far enough, make a U-turn and speed off back to your base.

Or if your base is in the middle of nowhere, just pedal the metal.

[Vintorez]

As others mentioned vehicles have an individual loudness stat so you need to consider that. But part of what makes them powerful is being able to go loud with them. Cruise through town honking the horn to pull zombies away from where you want to loot. Circle around and repeat a couple times and you can temporarily clear entire blocks with them.

[DarkFenix]

It's the obvious, silly thing, but OP talking specifically about that they "keep" calling waves of zombies and about surviving "parking" them specifically. So it makes me think, OP, you are turning off the engine when you get out of your car, right?

[Animalman]

Good way to use a car is to be a mechanic and analyse the car. Quiet cars do exist and really nice loud cars also exist. There is one particular car, with muffler type combo that makes a really nice loud noise on reverse

[Retro]

Originally posted by DarkFenix:

It's the obvious, silly thing, but OP talking specifically about that they "keep" calling waves of zombies and about surviving "parking" them specifically. So it makes me think, OP, you are turning off the engine when you get out of your car, right?

Yeah, I don't think I've ever had a problem with hordes coming after me while parked. I even have the engine running sometimes. I don't think OP is playing a good strategy, because cars shouldn't be magnetizing hordes at the rate he's saying.

[DarkFenix]

Originally posted by Retro:

Originally posted by DarkFenix:

It's the obvious, silly thing, but OP talking specifically about that they "keep" calling waves of zombies and about surviving "parking" them specifically. So it makes me think, OP, you are turning off the engine when you get out of your car, right?

Yeah, I don't think I've ever had a problem with hordes coming after me while parked. I even have the engine running sometimes. I don't think OP is playing a good strategy, because cars shouldn't be magnetizing hordes at the rate he's saying.

It's an oddity with cars, but I've noticed that a car with the player in it seems to attract zombies less than an empty car left idling. Sometimes I stop off in an area, zombies with their backs to me don't react, but the second I get out of the car they turn and notice and zombies start filing in from the immediate surroundings.

[NotForMe]

Car's in solo play can be an obstacle depending on your play style, and map settings.

Paying strict attention to engine quality, and engine loudness, and not revving the engine too high around hordes/areas of interest.

Tire inflation, and quality of parts on the vehicle can also play a role.

Same rules as guns, don't use them anywhere you don't want to potentially attract more zombies.

[=JpS=Red5]

Vehicles are game changers for large scale loot hauls. As soon as I find a vehicle that is semi-reliable, I set up a new base in an existing building on the edge of a town or just a bit outside. If on the edge of town I do have to clear the perimeter of zombies for the first few days, but after that they thin out. The shotgun and 50 shells is great for clearing groups of zombies that are too large for hand-to-hand.

In towns with heavy population, it is not uncommon to have to park a vehicle in between zombie groups and then do some shotgun work until all of the zombies within hearing range are put town...but then you have a foothold and you can go to work.

Then, as you loot you can find better vehicles to tow back or part out.

The only thing with the shotgun is to keep enough of a gap between you and the zombies just in case the gun jams or a reload is needed. Nothing is worse than getting a 'click' instead of a 'boom'. The shotgun is a great equalizer and a very good introductory weapon.

[taxhelp_pro]

I usually take burglar so that it is easy to get cars. Then I just run over zombies if they cluster around me.

Or .. and actually what I do more often ... is drive by an area slowly beeping the horn every few seconds so that most of the nearby zombies are following the car. Then drive slowly enough that they can keep up. Stop every little bit and wait for them. Finally, when you have put some distance behind you, drive back to the place you wanted to loot at full speed. Ideally by a different route. The zombies can't keep up and you leave them all wandering aimlessly while you go back to your target area and look for useful stuff.

[Retro]

Originally posted by DarkFenix:

It's an oddity with cars, but I've noticed that a car with the player in it seems to attract zombies less than an empty car left idling

That's a very interesting observation. There just might be something to that. I'll have to do some testing

[Splashbang]

Large vans can be used to barricade an entrance to a base. Back two of those box shaped vans up against each other if you've got a tall fence surrounding your base and you can use one of those vans as a gate.