Road trip!

"GRawesome" (GRawesome) 09/16/2015 at 16:34 • Filed to: None

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I’m preparing to make a road trip this weekend in the beauty you see above. Planning on driving from Charlotte, NC to Miami, Fl - a distance of roughly 700 miles. The thing is everyone I talk to about it thinks I’m crazy. Surely Oppositelock thinks this is a good plan!

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am driving up to purchase the car and the 700 mile drive back will be my first drive in it. Plan is for me and my buddy to drive up and then bring the 2 cars back. The way I see it - this will be a good shakedown drive, if I make it back without issue then I can drive the car without worry for years to come. If anything does break, then at least I’ll know what needs fixing. I’ve got a laundry list of tools and spares to bring along in case anything does happen on the road, but I’m confident in the cars ability. Worst case scenario, I’ve got the AAA gold membership and can make it home 100 miles at a time.

I’ll try to post updates from the road, but for the up to the minute breaking news follow my instagram (@turn1photos). Hopefully there won’t be any pictures from the side of the road...

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 16:39

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This seems like an awesome idea to me!

TractorPillow > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 16:39

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It’s a fine idea. In fact I was looking at that exact car not too long ago (replacement for my classic mini). So congrats!

I flew to TX to pick up a 02 Viper and drove it 700 miles home. I didn’t bother asking anyone if I was crazy. I knew I was. But I bonded with the car and learned a lot about it. Great way to jump right in.

Übel > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 16:44

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That is the perfect color for that car, and I am genuinely envious. I really love those things.

Driving a classic 700 miles home for its first trip is something I wish I had the balls to do, although having AAA makes it a lot more sane.

Slant6 > TractorPillow 09/16/2015 at 16:45

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What kind of highway mileage did the viper get?

Officer Jim Lahey is not a real cop > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 16:45

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It’s a terrible idea!

You really should drive it 2500 miles west and hand me the keys.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 16:46

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Total Roadkill (let’s hope not). It seems like a decent idea.

DrScientist > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 16:51

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sounds reasonable enough... except 2 things.

1) if something does go wrong, isn’t AAA smart enough to figure out the 7x 100 mi segment tow situation?

2) air conditioning. i bet florida is still pretty hot and sweaty right now. be sure to hydrate, and/or bring an ear plug so you don’t go deaf in your left ear.

PS, bought a v12 jaguar in orlando, drove it back to NYC after flying down to pick it up. oh... and what i did was... ask the seller if he would have any hesitation in driving it himself right now, as is, to NC. if he hesitates, ask him what he’d bring along just in case. he probably knows the car best.

GRawesome > TractorPillow 09/16/2015 at 16:52

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This exact car!? Small world! Just out of curiosity where did you come across it?

In the end you probably made the right decision, a mini and a viper are a nice combo.

GRawesome > Übel 09/16/2015 at 16:55

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Thanks, I love this color - Inka Orange. I’ve been looking for a 2002 for a while now and it had to be this color.

I think a road trip in a classic car is not as insane as it sounds to most people. The machines are much less complicated then new cars. If you break down in a classic there is a good chance you can fix the problem on the side of road, assuming you have the spares (which are way cheaper for old cars than new cars) and tools. In a modern car, your odds of breaking down are much less but you have very little chance of fixing it on the side of the road.

GRawesome > Officer Jim Lahey is not a real cop 09/16/2015 at 16:56

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It was originally a CA car, maybe it will make the road trip back there one day!

finn's arm > DrScientist 09/16/2015 at 17:01

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There is a maximum # of tows per year prior to paying a premium if I remember correctly (I am switching to AAA auto insurance and the premier is 4 tows at 100 miles each). The good thing is that road side assistance to get up and running is free, so a combo of the two should work.

GRawesome > DrScientist 09/16/2015 at 17:05

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v12 jagaur? Now that’s tempting fate!

I’m not sure how AAA would handle the tow situation, they allow 100 miles per day so it would take a little longer. My friend did it once when his car broke down on a family trip and made it back in a few days. He’s coming along for the trip so between the 2 of us we can go 200 miles a day using both memberships.

Yeah the air conditioning could be an issue. Funny enough the car had AC installed when new, they didnt offer it from the factory but dealers did it back then, it’s just not installed in the car right now. It may have to go back in at some point. The weather here is actually pretty nice right now, and I’m more worried about the rain then the heat. We can get some pretty heavy rain storms down here, but the car has new rubbber and working wipers. Worst case I pull over until the storm passes.

I did ask the PO about driving it down, he said I was nuts. He thinks the car will make it just fine, he is just a conservative guy and wouldn’t attempt it himself.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 17:05

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This is an excellent idea! In fact, my AW11 will be out of the shop this week with a newer, better engine, and I live in South Florida, and there aren’t any events this weekend. Oppo cruise up 95 with obnoxious little cars?

TractorPillow > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 17:08

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I sold the mini last night :(

I dont remember where I saw it. Ebay or craigslist. Sure its that one cause I remember the seats. Somewhat looking at a 2002 now, but not sure yet. Might be moving and I dont wanna pay to ship more cars than I need

TractorPillow > Slant6 09/16/2015 at 17:09

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It got about 20-21 on the highway which was fine with me. Around town and mix here I am usually at 10-11.

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 17:10

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Great idea!

Inka is the best color for BMWs of that period (he says somewhat self-servingly).

I’d have a local BMW shop in NC give it a once-over just to make sure (with an emphasis on the cooling system given the time of year and how the weather can be in the SE), but this is a trip I’d definitely do.

Also: followed.

GRawesome > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 09/16/2015 at 17:12

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Sounds like fun! We’ll be heading N on Saturday morning, so if you see a Challenger with an Oppo sticker that’s us. Sunday night should be the same car headed south followed closely by the 2002.

Haven’t been on oppo much lately, good to see some south florida people here. I’m in North Miami.

GRawesome > TractorPillow 09/16/2015 at 17:15

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It would be hard to forget these seats:

They will be the first thing to go, followed closely by the steering wheel.

Sorry to hear about the Mini!

TractorPillow > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 17:19

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Eh it was fun while it lasted. Sold it for more than I paid for it. There are so many cool cars that I don't keep many very long, I want to drive them all!

Übel > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 17:19

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Haha I’m familiar with the ease of working on old cars, and I’ve done the parts store hustle on the side of the road before, but I still try and keep my trips within around 100 miles of my house right now while I get to know the car better.

GRawesome > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S 09/16/2015 at 17:22

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Thanks! Inka is indeed the best color, I’ve been looking for a 2002 for a while now and it had to be Inka. I’m guessing based on your username you have an e9 in Inka. Must look great!

Good taste in cars too! I’ve been looking for a Continental also, 1964 to be exact. Best interiors of the suicide door Continentals.

GRawesome > Übel 09/16/2015 at 17:26

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Hoping to avoid the hustle by planning ahead with lots of spares and tools.

What are you driving now? The car from your avatar? I can’t make it out from the little picture, looks british?

Scary__goongala! > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 17:35

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The non-car folk will never understand.

fourvalleys > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 17:36

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Heads up - you get four AAA calls per year, regardless of what they are. Jump start, ran out of gas, air in the tire, towing - each one counts against your four calls equally. So if you’ve called at all this year, be aware.

Also, they count it as “one tow per disablement.” I bet you could get away with it, but the third or fourth day they might just tell you that you’ll have to pay. It should be a discounted rate, but still.

Finally, make sure you’re aware that AAA can also tell you they can’t find you a tow truck. If they do that, you have to find your own tow and submit for reimbursement. Not a big deal as they’ll still cover up to 100 miles, but good luck finding a towing company who wants to tow you 100 miles one-way between cities. It might be tough. I’d do a quick bit of research on truck and trailer rental, juuuust in case.

Oddly enough, the one time AAA told me they couldn’t find a tow truck was in Miami - unofficial tow truck capitol of the USA.

Anyway, good luck! I considered a similar drive last year (going north rather than south), but the sale didn’t work out.

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 17:40

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An E9? Could be. :)

My Conti is a 66, which I bought because it was available nearby, but I agree the earlier ones did have better interiors.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 17:42

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Ahh shucks, that schedule kind of works opposite of mine. I thought you were coming down from NC to pick up the car in Miami then driving it back up. I’m in South Florida, but I’m over on the other coast. There are at least three of us over here that I know of. It’s not too too far from Miami though, so figured if someone was picking up an old car there and hoping to nurse it home, they could use some moral support, an extra set of hands, or a ride to a parts store, but by the time you get down here you’ll be on the home stretch. Good luck!

roflcopter > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 18:02

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I drove 400 miles to pick up my $1300 ‘89 Volvo and hopped in it and drove it back home. People thought I was dumb but I had plenty of tools and know-how and I ended up only having to fix one thing at a gas station the whole way.

I also arrived home with a nice list of things I wanted to replace and fix that probably would have taken me a month or two to discover had I just been driving it around town.

TheRealBicycleBuck > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 18:22

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The last big trip I made in my truck was 1,200 miles round-trip. That was with about 250,000 miles on the odometer. Just take some precautions and you should be fine.

The truck did die on me half-way through a 600 mile trip. I rented a U-haul truck with a tow dolly to get it home. It was expensive, but nearly as much as 300 mile tow.

If the car dies on the way back, just rent a tow dolly and truck from u-haul near home and go get it. Local rentals are determined by where you pick up and drop off the equipment, and are much cheaper than one-way. At worst, you lose a day.

NotRichBMWOwner > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S 09/16/2015 at 18:24

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I recommend Korman in Greensboro.

Übel > GRawesome 09/16/2015 at 18:28

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Karmann Ghia, but I can definitely see where you got British from the thumbnail.

Yeah, if you’ve got most of the common failure parts on hand and you’re confident in the quality of the car then it wouldn’t be the scariest thing in the world

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > NotRichBMWOwner 09/16/2015 at 19:04

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That is a great recommendation - but I wouldn’t say Korman is just some little indy BMW mechanic. ;)

NotRichBMWOwner > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S 09/16/2015 at 19:12

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True. The way they treat you makes you feel like its just a couple of guys hanging out wrenching on old BMW’ss though. Great group of guys and reasonable prices.

GRawesome > Übel 09/16/2015 at 21:42

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I can see the Ghia now. Nice car!

GRawesome > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 09/16/2015 at 21:46

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Thanks. I’ve talked to some oppos over on the west coast, Sarasota area. Seems to be more over there compared to east coast Florida, must be a car culture thing. We should arrange a Florida oppo meet sometime.

Thanks for the offer of assistance, hopefully I won't need any!

GRawesome > fourvalleys 09/16/2015 at 22:02

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Thanks for the info, I just renewed my AAA last week so I still have all 4 calls available. I have good confidence in the car (and a stash of spare parts and tools) but I like to be prepared.

Weird you couldn’t get a AAA truck down here, I’ve never had any problems. Usually have to wait about an hour but they get there. For a while, when I was having some trouble with my Land Rover, I was on a first name basis with the local AAA guy!

GRawesome > TheRealBicycleBuck 09/16/2015 at 22:04

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The uhaul option is my last case backup. Normally I have access to a nice big pickup and I go that route from the get go but not this time.

GRawesome > roflcopter 09/16/2015 at 22:05

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That's the plan. The list of things part, not the fixing the car in a gas station. But I've got a load of spares and tools just in case.

fourvalleys > GRawesome 09/17/2015 at 08:14

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I definitely used up my allotment of AAA calls while I was in Miami. The time AAA couldn’t get me a tow was really frustrating, because it was after an accident and neither they nor my insurance company could get me a tow. I think AAA ended up coming through after I was sitting on the side of the road for about 3 hours (it was a hit & run), so I couldn’t complain too much.

I still have AAA today, but I generally don’t take the car that’s more likely to need it outside of the 200mi radius. Actually, I’m about to renew in a few weeks after using 0 calls this year...