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I'm doing something similar and one of the best pieces of advice I received was (Paraphrase) "Imagine the worst possible scenario happening and if that won't ruin it for you? Then do it!"
In my case (and probably in yours as well.) it involves renting a car hauler and bringing it home that way.
In my case (and probably in yours as well.) it involves renting a car hauler and bringing it home that way.
Good Luck!!!
How do you rent a car hauler? Penske will rent you a car dollie, but you have to connect it to something, and trucks are expensive. I don't have a pickup I can drive out there, either.
If you can trust a forum member, I could possibly help. I have some time off from work and I love to drive, especially a nice Corvette. I happen to work for an airline, so I can travel to and from easily. Let me know and we could figure something out. I just picked up a 1996 Grand Sport last month. Here is my garage so you know I am serious .
Just pay for my meals and couple of nights at a cheap motel and a greyhound ticket back to CA, I'll drive it to ya. Will update every moment of the way. I'm retired and serious too ;-)
If you are the adventure type, drive it. If you are the play it safe type, ship it. Sure the car appears to be in good shape but still, its a used car you just bought and anything can happen.
Back in 2007 I bought my first 95 Vette from Corvette Mike in Chicago and drove it back to California. It was about 2,000 miles. I didn't have any problems with it. The car at the time had 32,000 miles on it. If the car is in good shape and you have the time I would drive it.
If the car is in "good shape" as you mentioned, it should be able to handle a cross-country trip but there are some things to check and perform some maintenance before leaving. How many miles on the odometer and what year? Auto or manual trans?
First, get an oil change with Mobil-1 5W-30 and a good quality filter. Check the condition of the coolant. Any signs of leaks? Are the radiator hoses in good shape? Probably can't hurt to have a flush and refill of the coolant done. Winter is coming so that's a thing to check anyway.
Are the brakes in good shape? May want to have a shop check the pads for wear. Tires. Check the tire sidewall for a date code. If the tires are more than 5-6 years old, replace them.
If you aren't a AAA member, join and get the upgraded level with the 100 mile towing deal. AAA used to have a deal where they would map out a route for you and even set up motel reservations along the way. Think it was called a TripTik or something like that.
You may want to carry a quart or two of oil, a gallon of distilled water or a 50/50 pre mix of coolant. Get a can of flat fixer and a small 12v air compressor. Check the spare tire for air pressure. Doing that lets you experience changing a tire on a C4 Find the jack and "Lug wrench" so you know where it it and how to use it.
With that and a credit card, cell phone and a route map, you should be good. Try to keep mileage between overnight stops down to around 400-500 miles. Try not to drive during nighttime; if the car should break down at night, it would be pretty hard to do anything as shops would be closed and you would be waiting all night for service.
OP hasn't mentioned if the car was bought from a dealer or an individual. Experiences from anyone that's done a 2200 mile trip in a car they've owned and maintained can't be used to determine the thoughts regarding the drive of this "particular car"!!
"c4cruiser" mentioned some very good thoughts and I'd think that before doing the "fly and drive" I'd have a "for hire'' evaluation done on the car. Tire date codes for sure!!
Much I think depends on what the OP can pass on regarding the car.
OP's first most obvious error I'd say is the buy of the car was an "impulse buy" while there. Was it a buy from someone known to the OP, a family member or what - OP doesn't mention much!
If the OP can't afford the buy/rent of a truck and the trailer rental if it doesn't make the trip he shouldn't have bought the car. Maybe the OP should consider the ship.
I've bought a truck in CA and the Vette in NM. In both cases I did drive them home. The truck still had mfg warranty and the Vette was checked out by a Chevy dealer. NP on the truck, all went well. The Vette had a small coolant leak (found during the drive back) and I got a couple of gallons of coolant along the way. I was lucky, the clutch slave went out on me a week after I got home.
All the things listed are important, so take them to heart. If you have the slightest concern, have it shipped.
How do you rent a car hauler? Penske will rent you a car dollie, but you have to connect it to something, and trucks are expensive. I don't have a pickup I can drive out there, either.
Then you'll have to rent that too.
I saw them available when looking at rental cars a few weeks ago.
That or get AAA and have it repaired before you can continue your trip.
It is expensive, but if something major happens to mine... That is how it is coming home.
I'm not driving an extra 2K miles to get it. I'm renting and bringing it back.
If it is a problem for you, then the "ship" option is the way to go.
I've made this trip a couple times. First time I went I10 for the majority and Texas seemed to go on forever. Second time I took I40 and somehow both TN and NC seemed longer than TX did. LOL Both were great trips that offered a lot of neat scenery, but I was spent when they ended. I'll probably do it one more time for kicks before I'm too old.
On a recent trip to California, I picked up a LT1 C4 in nice shape. I had to fly back for work, so now I have to pick up my Vette.
Should I ship it or drive it?
Are these cars typically sound enough to make a 2,200 mile trip?
Thanks for the help.
This reminds me of a book I read, the guy was buying a totally electric car from California. He was going to drive it back to the east coast. He was a college professor with a lot of time off. This was the late 80s so the tech wasn't anywhere near it is today. On his 3rd day he was still in California, he was having trouble finding places to charge it up, gas stations refused him, only hotels would. He bought a clean 10-12 year old pick up & a trailer and towed the car home. When at home he sold the truck, as he lived in the rust belt and made a nice profit.
A good car transport company can ship it back with no issues. When you figure gas, meals, lodging, etc not including what your time is worth, it is just about break even. I have shipped cars from Seattle to Connecticut and vice-versa for between $850 (not recommended) and $1700 (pampered like a baby). Just find a good one! I also drove my truck from CT to Seattle last year dragging a trailer with a Kubota tractor (shipping a tractor was a lot more expensive) and with gas, lodging, meals etc. it was just about $900. Plus pushing it, to do it in 4 days. Unless of course you just want to see the countryside in which case go for it after making sure all the issues addressed in the previous posts have been addressed.
If the car appears to be in good shape, I would drive it.
Yes things can happen. If you can do some DIY repairs it keeps most minor things from being a trip stopper.
I have bought cars out of state and while on vacation quite a few times. I drove them home.
I bought an '87 Corvette on vacation and drove it about 1100 miles home (non stop). The car ran great and when I got home I was feeling better than my usual trips of that distance. Our Corvettes are great road cars!
I bought a '95 Corvette with about a 750 mile trip. It was not a good trip, but no real problems I couldn't deal with. The first problem was we got tangled up in a snow storm. It was nasty, but taking it easy and cautious it drove through it fine. The other problem was that I think I got a bad tank of gas. About 150 miles into the trip I noticed the gas mileage had dropped. It still drove ok and after I got home with new gas and clearing the computer learned trims, it drove great again.
I have also trailer towed a Corvette from Illinois to Phoenix and years later back to Illinois I don't like trailers but it served a purpose.
I also had the worst case happen to me on vacation once (in an Olds). The motor dropped a valve and the engine was trashed about 300 miles from home. Lots of broken parts (I still have section of the cam with 2 lobes as a reminder). I did something similar to what ex-x-fire mentioned. I bought the cheapest thing I could find that I could tow with. It was a '70 Ford pickup that I bought for under $500 and rented a trailer. It made it home and a few months later I sold the pickup to a friend for almost the same price. They kept it for a few more years as a daily driver.
Like others said, it depends on how you think you could respond if you run into problems. I think the odds are that it will be fine or with only minor issues that won't stop your trip, but if something serious happens you should have an idea what you might do.
If at all possible to drive it home it can be a great trip and a lot of fun. A good way to get used to your new car. I would go for it.
09-22-2017, 09:40 PM
Drive Across Country or Ship Across Country?
Find the jack and "Lug wrench" so you know where it it and how to use it.
