Vehicles

Vehicles are the cars, vans, pickups and trailers parked across Knox Country. A working car moves a survivor between towns in minutes and carries far more loot than any backpack. It also makes noise, burns gas and breaks down. The models range from the small Chevalier Dart to the Chevalier Step Van, plus police cars, ambulances, work vans and trailers. The Mechanic is the best occupation for vehicles. It starts with the most Mechanics skill.

All Vehicles Categories

Vehicle Maintenance

Best Vehicles

The top pick for each role, by the game's own figures.

For	Name	Image	Stats	Spawn ID
Lightest	Lug Wrench		1 weight	`/additem Base.LugWrench`
Heaviest	Trunk - Big		50 weight	`/additem Base.BigTrunk1`

Driving

The game's guide explains the basics. Inside a vehicle with its key, one key starts the engine and the movement keys drive and steer. The guide also warns to drive cautiously, because engine noise attracts zombies. The dashboard shows the vehicle's state and can unlock the doors or the trunk.

The vehicle menu opens in or near a car. It adds gas, locks doors and can smash the car's windows. Without a key, a car can be hotwired with Electrical 1 and Mechanics 2, or by a character with the Burglar trait.

Two traits change driving. Speed Demon reads "Drives very fast." Sunday Driver reads "Drives very slow."

Types

Every vehicle has a mechanic type: Standard, Heavy-Duty or Sports. The type decides which repair knowledge the vehicle needs.

Standard cars are the everyday models. The Chevalier Dart seats 4, tops out at 70 and has a trunk of 40. The Masterson Horizon seats 4 and reaches 90. The Chevalier Nyala seats 4 and reaches 90. The Police Chevalier Nyala reaches 100. The Dash Rancher seats 2 and reaches 90.

Heavy-Duty vehicles carry the most. The Chevalier Step Van has the biggest trunk at 160 but reaches only 70. The Dash Bulldriver pickup has a trunk of 130 and reaches 60. The Franklin Valuline van has a trunk of 130 and reaches 65. A seating version of the Franklin Valuline holds 6 people. The Franklin All-Terrain seats 4 and reaches 90. The Ambulance reaches 70 and has a trunk of 130.

Sports cars are the fastest. The Chevalier Cossette seats 2 and reaches 120. The Mercia Lang 4000 seats 2 and reaches 105. The Race Car reaches 120 and has the strongest engine of any car, but its trunk holds only 20.

Gas and Storage

A vehicle cannot move without gas. The game's guide explains that the vehicle menu adds gas from a container in the inventory or from a gas pump nearby. Any liquid container can be filled with gas from a powered pump. The fuel gauge shows which side the gas cap is on. Pumps need power for this. After the shutoff, the Siphon Gasoline option drains gas from parked cars instead.

Storage is a car's other big use. The guide notes that trunks hold a large amount of items, or a corpse or two. Glove compartments and even seats work as storage too. A van full of supplies is the classic way to move a whole base.

Trailers add more room. The Trailer and the Livestock Trailer attach to the back of a vehicle through the vehicle menu. The guide warns that trailers add storage or carry animals, but they also change how the vehicle handles.

Work Vehicles

Vehicles of a trade carry the tools of that trade. Work vans and pickups carry company names such as McCoy, Fossoil, Kentucky Lumber, Knox Telecommunications and Mobile Mechanics. The Ambulance is an emergency van. Police cars come in many forces, such as the Muldraugh Police Chevalier Nyala, the LCPD Chevalier Nyala, the State Trooper Chevalier Nyala and the West Point Police Dash Elite.

Police cars and several work vans carry a ham radio in their radio slot. Most other cars carry a normal radio. Radio vans such as the Triple-N Van and the LBMW Radio Van belong to the broadcasters of Knox Country.

Wrecks also line the roads. Wrecked versions such as the Wrecked Chevalier Nyala and the Wrecked Dash Bulldriver can still be stripped for parts. Burnt cars line the roads too.

Repairs and Mechanics

The game's guide explains that the mechanics menu by the hood shows the vehicle's condition. A vehicle in poor condition may need repairs. The Mechanics skill makes this easier.

Each mechanic type needs its own knowledge. Basic Mechanics covers Standard vehicles and comes from Magazine: Laines Standard Auto Manual. Intermediate Mechanics covers "commercial vehicle models, and repairs" and comes from Magazine: Laines Commercial Auto Manual. Advanced Mechanics covers "performance vehicle models, and repairs" and comes from Magazine: Laines Performance Auto Manual.

The Mechanic occupation knows them all and starts with Mechanics 4. The Vehicle Knowledge trait covers common and commercial models. Mechanics practice also teaches the sets in time: Basic Mechanics at Mechanics 8, Intermediate Mechanics at Mechanics 9 and Advanced Mechanics at Mechanics 10. The Inventive trait brings each of these one level earlier.

Notes

The Easy Use sandbox option decides whether found cars are locked and need keys.
A key left in the ignition starts the car straight away.
Car alarms can go off when breaking into a parked car, depending on the Vehicle Alarms Frequency option.

All Vehicles

Vehicle	Vehicle Type	Seats	Top Speed	Trunk
Chevalier Cerise Wagon	Standard	4	70	55
Chevalier Dart	Standard	4	70	40
Chevalier Nyala	Standard	4	90	55
Chevalier Primani	Sports	4	90	45
Dash Elite	Sports	4	90	45
Masterson Horizon	Standard	4	90	40
Taxi	Standard	4	90	55