driving cross country (1 Viewer)

[nvdesertrider]

According to the shipping company i selected (crossover auto transport, quoted me at $1075) my cruiser was supposed to be picked up in RI over 3 days ago. Called them today and was like WTF and they said it could be a few more WEEKS until they locate a truck. I've got my jetta so its not like i'm out a ride but the dealer in RI is getting anxious to move this car. Called another company and they said cruisers are not popular vehicles to move due to their large mass and it would take a higher price for a truck to even consider picking one up, $1500+. I'm a college kid w/ limited funds so forget that. Plus, i have a free southwest airlines ticket and southwest flies out of san diego (where i am currently) to providence RI. I figure the drive will be 3000 miles, so if i average 14mpg thats 215 gallons of gas x (average cost of 2.50) = about $536 worth of gas. Food will be less than $50, and I have no problem sleeping in super8 motels for $29.99 a night. My estimate of the entire trip is <$700, way less than $1075 and a hell of a lot cheaper than $1500+. I figure 1500-700= $800 worth of instant mods that i earn from doing this. The only downside is i have to do this during thanksgiving break (can't miss school). Timewise if i average 65mph thats 46 hours of constant driving. I can easily pull this off in 3 days. Now, the question is... is it worth the risk to assume the cruiser will make it the whole way? Yeah its only got 111000 miles but i have no idea on past maintanence history, and i would be beyond screwed to break down in some dump in the middle of nowhere. I have until monday to decide to pay the extra $$ to a shipper or go forth with this plan.. Advice? Opinions? Am i just plain stupid for contemplating this?

 

[macneill]

I just did it earlier this year.

http://homepage.mac.com/macneill/TUSNYC/PhotoAlbum74.html

Picked it up sight unseen with 204K in Tucson. Drove it back to New York City.

Didn't have one problem.

Best thing ever. Go for it. What do you have to lose?

Also that quote seems a little high, but maybe that's just me.

 

[macneill]

Sorry, I did forget to mention that I did have the 60 gone over by Bill's Toy Shop in Tucson, so I did have piece of mind that it was running well.

 

[jefferson-mo]

Man if I didn't have a 6 month old son I'd go with you! I love road trips.........

I can almost Imagine it................New England in the Fall/Winter, New York City,

Pennsylvania Dutch country, the splendor of Ohio!

Route 66!

Cracker Barrel! Sonic Burger! Waffle House!

Dodge City, House of Mud, World's Largest Ball of Twine

The vastness of Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico

Now I'm just bummin' myself out

 

[MDH33]

I say do it. Just make sure you have the funds to pay for any costly repairs that might need to be taken care of along the way. (new vehicles always need something). I doubt you'll do it in 3 days though. Landruisers are not happy being pushed too fast. Go slow and enjoy the ride. I'm doing a 3000 mile trip in my 60 starting Sunday. Colorado up through Minnesota, down through Michigan and back through Indiana, Illinois, etc. I'm giving myself 5 days for the drive, I just tuned it up and stocked up on extra parts and road trip essentials.

No better way to get aquainted with your new vehicle than driving across country.

 

[nvdesertrider]

yeah, i figure this will be some good "bonding time" with the new ride. If i did do it in 3 days those would be 15 hour days of straight driving. As long as i make it back by sunday the 28th so i have some time to write up an a-chem report for monday.

 

[WAVEPIMP]

Dude, its all about the adventure. I say go for it as well. Maybe get a list of all the cruiser heads on this forum that may be close to the route you are taking and keep it handy in case something happens, you can get on line some where and try and contact the closest person for a lil help if they are able to. I live out side of Houston, tx. So I'm pretty sure you won't be near me, but others may help if needed.

Cruise that Biaaatttcchhh like the name says on the side of it, LANDCRUISER!!!!!

You never know, you may just score some hotty at the super 8 driving home to see mom and dad for the holidays. It may even be a dad on this message board, because she will dig you for driving a Landcruiser like her dad does!!!!!

Laters

 

[Skim]

Do it. I drove from LA to Virginia in 3 days. Solo. No problem. There are some 12-15 hour streches but its not that bad. I'd do it again without thinking about it.

Do it, what better way to get to know your new 60.

 

[b56tc]

it's unanimous
picked mine up in Sacramento, 2100 mi (about 100o of which was desert) and 2d later I was in KS. Took pics of my rig in Reno, at Death Valley, and in the rockies.
Never had a hiccup.

I did pay $95 for a Toyota dealership to do a once over
And I took tools - the only way you won't need them is if you have them

and it was a way cool adventure.

you MUST go for it

 

[NocalFJ60]

Yeah..you should go for it. I love read trips. Take a laptop with wireless if you can so if you do have problems you can get on here. No matter where ever you are someone on this list would be close if you get in a big jam.

Find a good oil lube place and get some fresh oil and filter.

When will you have another chance to drive across the country? I am sure not many people do it. Just plan out a good route probably south away from cold weather.

Have fun. Let us know how it goes.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Sounds like a great trip. I would be prepared for a few emergencies, but you'll likely be fine. Budget double the time you think you'll need so you don't have to push the Cruiser or yourself so hard. By yourself, that's at least a 5 day trip. I would sleep in the back to save a few $-The last time Super 8 was $30 per night was when Regan was president. Buy an AAA membership before you go. I'd do it in a heart beat. Enjoy all the Americana out there. I driven cross country several times and loved it each time.

On the route-I would head south early in the trip to avoid the potential bad weather. Whichever way you go, Texas and Wyoming are really wide/endless.

 

[ben1be]

Think twice

I made that trip from San Diego to Ct twice when I was your age, once as a straight shot in 3 1/2 days. Its not fun if you`re not taking some time.
I also bought an Ebay cruiser and it looked great, but the mechanicals had been ignored for a long time. Ebay deals are really crapshoots,you`re trusting a complete stranger to tell you the truth about something he`s trying to make money on.
You have no idea if its running hot, the condition of the lubricants its running on, hoses, belts
etc,etc.
You might end up doing a lot of damage to the cruiser pushing it hard when it might need some TLC to get up to speed.
Sorry to be negative.

 

[missyc]

do the drive, these are the things in you life you'll remember, not missing school, "f" school. if its running well explore some new roads, if not, stay on the main roads, someone said get 3a, thats probably a good idea too..

have fun, wish I could go

 

[WHITCHCOCK]

Go

I've done 4-east coast to Alaska, or vice versa, trips and they are the highlights of my year. Couple of thoughts.
1- Bring a good sleeping bag and camp in the cruiser. Showers are way over rated.
2- Before you go replace all belts and hoses - if they snap you will break very expensive/time consuming parts.
3- Replace the tires if there is any (read more than 50%) wear. Blowing a tire at midnight in the middle of no where and rolling into a ditch at 70 mph really, really sucks. This should go without saying -make sure your spare, jack and lug wrench are good, as well.
5- Check the brakes bbefore you leave - see #3.
6- Change all of your fluids before you leave. It might not do much but set a base line and make you feel better.
4- Pack a camp stove. Tea at dawn is great.

Life is meant to be an adventure. Live it well.

Bill

 

[chitown40]

Call the dealer out in RI, tell them your plan, and ask them to take the truck to a trusted local shop and have them change the oil/filter, do a coolant flush/fill, and check all the fluids. Make sure they replace anything that looks bad (fluid-wise) and top off the rest. Once one get there, with a small stash of METRIC tools in hand, you can begin your adventure home with at least a better piece of mind about the truck. Also download the most recent Cruiser Assistance Club list, print it out, and keep it with you. Most likely you'll be ok on the drive, but it doesn't hurt to have some names/numbers with you of guys willing to lend a hand should you need it. Have fun and a good trip.

 

[lovetoski]

Good suggestions from all. I love road trips too, so am also inclinded to say go for it. Really like the idea of asking the dealer to take care of fluids/belts first! One other suggestion is to joint AAA. Go the premium route, so you have 100 miles of free towing. Sleeping in a cruiser is easy for one. Get a cheap foam pad at Kmart/Walmart for 10 bucks. Sleep when tired, drive when wired.

 

[Hawke]

Do it. Go. . . go. . . go. I drive for a living and still enjoy it. Sit back and enjoy the experience, troubles and all. School will always be there.

 

[nvdesertrider]

booked my flight today!!! I'm going for it! I fly into providence at 5pm eastern time on weds, november 23 and will pick the cruiser up (its only 12 miles from the airport) as soon as i arrive. I got it insured and the dealer will issue temp tags. I also am asking him to have an oil change, coolant flush, and hose/belt inspection performed. The tires are brand new. All i'm bringing are a few articles of clothing, pillow and sleeping bag, my laptop, cell phone, and ipod with tape deck adapter (the ipod is going to save me) I think i'm just going to sleep in the back whenever i get tired. Speaking of which, how safe are rest stops? Should i just pull over in some residential neighborhood or a well lit parking lot to sleep? I would feel better traveling with my pistol but it would be such a hassle to check bags at the airport and some east coast states have weird gun laws on driving with a firearm. I plan on getting out of RI no later than 7pm and driving through the night so by the time i hit new york traffic wont be so bad. Here is my plan so far:

take I95 out of providence until i hit I80, then go across PA and take a short piece of I71 until i hit I70 in columbus, Ohio. From there i'll take the 70 to st. louis where i'll continue on I44 all the way to oklahoma city. From there its I40 until phoenix arizona and I8 will be the home stretch into diego. 3011 miles of driving, i would way rather be skiing this thanksgiving but tahoe currently has no snow anyways so what the hell. Besides, turkey is overrated.

 

[NocalFJ60]

Sweet.

Google maps says 3000 exactly.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=from:+Providence,+RI+to:+San+Diego,CA&f=d&hl=en

I would just use your best judgement on where to pull over and sleep. In some states the rest stops are nice and well lit and cops driving through regularly. The Flying J truck stops have WiFi acess for like $4 a day if you need to use your laptop. They also might be a good place to rest. Check the spare tire at your first stop and air it up.

Have fun.

 

[Tomy]

i did it from tucson to miami; no problem. check for drive belts, coolant hoses, fuel hoses, etc. things that can leave you stranded like everyone has said before. if you can take pics and post them.

T.