420 mile road trip in a $1200 Ford Ranger

"Slant6" (slant-6)
06/26/2016 at 14:11 • Filed to: None

Every two years my family holds a reunion on St. Simmons Island in Georgia. It’s a nice little island, although the beach is kind of weird in that the tides come and go so often that the sand never dries and it’s always packed down. Good for sand castles, but kinda annoying for everything else. None the less I love it here, not for the beach (look at the map and see where I’m coming from, I’m more of a mountain guy) but because my family meets here. I had been to every reunion since 2000 and wasn’t going to let the fact that I’m in college stop me from going. So I fired up the trusty old Ranger and went into the unknown.

Bad picture of my $1200 steed the day before the trip

I had overslept and didn’t end up leaving until about 9:30. The first 2 hours of the trip were rural highways, not interstates. I had to go through all these little towns before I got onto I-85 in Charlotte. I remember looking out into the mountains as I left Boone, thinking about how in a few hours I’d be looking at the flat plains of Georgia.

I crossed into South Carolina where I learned that Armadillos run wild there. This struck me as weird. I always thought they only lived in Texas or out west. I guess they live in the inferior Carolina.

I had always thought that South Carolina had drastically cheaper gas. I filled up for $2.08 a gallon in Boone but the cheapest gas I saw off the interstate was $2.04. What’s the point of South Carolina if it’s not cheaper gas? Armadillo reserve?

Cookout tray, not the one from Columbia, but a good reference image for those not in the Carolinas.

I made my first stop in Columbia for some lunch at Cookout. It was nice to have a slice of home so far away from home. They even had Cheerwine!

At this point I downloaded Waze. I had talked to my father on the phone and he said he had trouble where I-26 meets I-95 and that Waze had diverted him in the past. The traffic cleared by the time I got there but I decided to avoid the interchange any way. With the help of my Ham radio, I was able to find Bowman, home of the Southern US UFO welcome center.

Fun times.

The trip got pretty boring from there. I did have to stop for gas right after I crossed in to Georgia. The fuel light had come on, although I could only fit 14 gallons into the 18 gallon tank, so at the 24mpg I was getting I could have made it the 60 more miles to St. Simmons without filling up. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Yup. I made it.

For a $1200 car the Ranger did exceptionally well. The AC ran the whole time and it was able to keep up with traffic all the way at 75-80 mph.

Just goes to show that new cars are shams and you’re an idiot for paying more than $2000 for a new one.

DISCUSSION (16)

E90M3 > Slant6
06/26/2016 at 14:15

My explorer had a phenomenal AC, it was still ice cold at 18 years old, probably the only redeeming feature of that car.

S65 > Slant6
06/26/2016 at 14:19

You should call it the danger ranger

TheLOUDMUSIC- Put it in H! > Slant6
06/26/2016 at 14:22

$1200 lol. I just did 700 miles in a $50 Ranger. And managed to get 28mpg out of a 2.9 V6 at that. But yeah, good going!

CB > Slant6
06/26/2016 at 14:23

“Just goes to show that new cars are shams and you’re an idiot for paying more than $2000 for a new one.”

... uh what? Great write up, but this last line... eh...

Slant6 > CB
06/26/2016 at 14:24

It’s more of a half truth. A joke if you will.

You can get a lot of car for not a lot of money, and the car will do everything the new car would.

Slant6 > TheLOUDMUSIC- Put it in H!
06/26/2016 at 14:25

Excellent work. You don’t need much car to do much moving.

Slant6 > CB
06/26/2016 at 14:28

I will no doubt buy a real car when I have the means.

Maybe the idiot part was a bit harsh. But you don’t need to spend that much money to do what most people do with cars.

CB > Slant6
06/26/2016 at 14:30

No worries, bud. Living within your means is a good idea. It’s just... a lot of cars under $2k are complete crap, and finding a good one seems like a more diamond in the rough situation.

Slant6 > CB
06/26/2016 at 14:35

You’re right.

My $750 Saab was crap. My $400 Saab was my best car. It’s a luck of the draw. My $2700 BMW was also crap.

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > Slant6
06/26/2016 at 15:04

In my experience there is always trouble with people getting off I-26 and onto I-95. It is just a matter of degree. The only time I didn’t experience much trouble was when I was staying on I-26 anyway.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Slant6
06/26/2016 at 15:57

I did 1000 miles through a snow storm, rain storm, and into Florida in my beat up 4Runner. Still less tiring than driving from Columbia to Savannah in anything. Such a boring drive. Such a boring drive that I have to take(Most of the way, just not all the way) quite often. I had to drive to Hilton Head 3 times one week. It was terrible.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Slant6
06/26/2016 at 18:48

Just did 2000 miles in a $650 Riviera. Got 30mpg out of a 3.8 liter V6. Hooptie road trips FTW

AfromanGTO > Slant6
06/26/2016 at 18:54

Hey now, don’t you hate on St Simons beach sand. I grew up there. lol If you go to East Beach there’s normal sand higher up, but the tide rises and goes out pretty far. So leave the Pier, Casino, Frederica Station area and make a right at the light. lol

Also go to Barbaritos for a burrito. You’ll thank me later.

Slant6 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/26/2016 at 19:59

That’s the spirit.

Slant6 > AfromanGTO
06/26/2016 at 20:02

Eh. I have Barbaritos in Boone. I prefer Moe’s.

And the sand is just different, not weird. I don’t like how East beach is always so crowded. I like Cedar St. Acess.

I’ve been coming here for 16 years now, it’s probably my favorite beach. Although I am a mountaineer.

AfromanGTO > Slant6
06/27/2016 at 12:11

There’s not a Moes on the island though, but there’s a chic-fil-a near the airport. Park at the end of Ocean Road facing Goulds Inlet, and go to the beach there. I’ve grew up there, and watched it change so much. There are so many houses now.