What am I missing?

For me all the cars I stated would be less, suited to the task of driving anywhere, be that long or short distances.

I still stand by my view that the Miata would be near the top of my list, to do the journey stated, with the finances I have available it would be at the top. But I understand that my view is not typical, For me comfort is important on a journey, but not at the top of my list of requirements.

As you said mate each to their own.

Hi Grant,

I would fly, but then if I was only visiting for a short stay, and time was the deciding factor, I would hire a car at the other end, in which case my car would still not be shipped it would be sat at home waiting for my return.

If I was moving home somewhere 5000km away, then me personally, I would calculate the distance involved and schedule the appropriate number of days to make the journey, which would mean I had more than 48 hours to complete the journey. in which case again the car would not be shipped.

Cheers.

You're concept of how much free time people have available is completely disconnected from the reality of life in the US.

You've got to work on Friday at point A and on Monday at B. How do you schedule a two-week trip to fit into two days? You won't get any vacation for six months after starting work at B, at which time you'll have one week off. Are you going to leave your car at location A for a _year_ while you save up two weeks of vacation time and cash for a plane ticket to go get it?

What are you going to drive for that year? Some of us don't have a second car.

No. You don't get more than 48 hours. You don't get to pull 2 weeks of spare time out of thin air.

Your assumptions are utterly unrealistic for everybody _I_ know who works for a living in the US.

Dream on.

Grant,

If you are moving house, which is what we are discussing, then 1 of a few things will happen.

1/ You are moving into a new job, in which case you will have a start date, when you agree your start date, you will know you have to move house, as your old address is 5000km away from your new address, so common sense would dictate that you would allow enough time to move, and a short settling in time, before committing yourself to a unrealistic start date.

2/ You are staying with the same company, but moving branches, In which case you will have been given a certain period of time to relocate, this time frame will have been agreed by you and your employer when you discussed your relocation package.

3/ You are moving to a different location, but do not have a job yet at that location.

I am sure there are more options than listed above, but you get the general idea, Which ever you choose, unless you are completely inept at planning and/or discussing realistic relocation options with your employer, you are not actually taking any days vacation from your work.

Unless I have been attending the avid Copperfield school of magic I'd say that I have actually pulled some free time out of thin air!!

Whooola

Do I get a prize?

Cheers.

I used Graebel? (Two tone bluish stripes) down the side last time I moved a vehicle. I had them move a Honda Prelude that was slightly larger than the Miata and it fit in the bak of the trailer with no problem.) They packed everything in the house and put the car in the back of the Van. and it was one of the most trouble free moves I ever made. But a move is only as good as the crew that shows up.

If this is a corporate move. Check with other people that have been moved by other companies.

The moving company should have their own insurance. They will inventory the state of the car down to the last scratch and give you a copy. Get the policy and damage claim materials settled before they pick the stuff up.

Items that you pack may not have the same level of coverage.

If you took off the tie down hooks from the car, put them back on, and make sure that they are used. The car should be confy and well protected. A car carrier may use an open frame that does not protect against road debri.

If the car has a lowered suspension, like the Mazdaspeed or Flying Miata mods, it may have difficulty going up the ramps that are used to load the car in the trailers. This procedure may involve scary manuevers by burly moving men. Avoid if you are sensitve.

They don't take guns.

They don't take ammo.

They don't take flammables, other than the gas in the Miata

Don't konw about wmd's

The shake, rattle and roll of a transcontinental trip will break the filament of any small incandescent bulbs that you may have, like in anaog meters in your stereo equipment (every time I move I have to solder in new bulbs in my Denon amp!)

1) Go to 2) Select manufacturer; use US type for best results. 3) Select model. 4) Repeat 2 and 3 10 times. You now have at least 9 examples.

I would rather drive marathon freeways in my Miata than take a passenger plane cross country, if I can manage the additional three days.

Never thought I would completely agree with Mark on anything. :)

Leon

I am on a sabbatical this year.

Leon

True, but paying for things like interim health insurance can be pretty expensive -- even for a couple weeks. Besides, a lot of people just can't afford to loose two weeks pay.

I trust your judgement on the health insurance Grant as we have a very different system over here, & I don't think there are many people that can afford to lose 2 weeks pay, me included.

I wasn't intending to criticising anyone, if that's how it was viewed, Like I said before we all have different commitments, experiences, Goals and outlook of life, I am that last person to tell anyone how they should and should not live, But I still have opinions, and I would find a way around any of the problems suggested, but that's just me (and maybe Leon by the sound of it) I am guessing when people ask for advice they do the same as me, listen to everyone and make their own minds up and good on em, that's what minds are for.

;)

Do me a favour if I ever slag anyone off for having an opinion, you have my permission to make me drive an Impala for a month!!!!

Cheers Mark.

lumpen snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

SD, CA to Datona Beach, FL : ~2500mi / 36hr (MS Mappoint estimate)

Following the "scenic" route: ~3125mi / 56hr (Mappoint estimate)

Unfortunately, since the OP didn't specify wether he had the option to take some extra time to enjoy the trip, the discussion has digressed into arguing about wether that's feasable. I think the point is, if you have to get to point B in 48hrs, shipping is probably your best option. Otoh, IF YOU HAVE TIME, take it, enjoy it.

Adding just an extra 600mi, this sounds like a pretty colorfull road- trip. Of course, the gap between the Painted Desert and Houston is

1300mi (roughly 22hrs). Probably would need another point of interest for that section. One option would be Carlsbad Caverns (adding another ~ 100mi), otherwise, I'm sure there's something worth looking at going thru Albuquerque and Amarillo on your way to Dallas, where you could tour Kennedy assasination tourist stuff. The other long stretch along the FL panhandle could be prettied up a bit by detouring on HWY 98 to run along the Gulf coast for a bit.

-Scott -94 Black (and drooling over a friends 04 Ti MS)

Come on Leon Group hug.

Its not just American cars mate, It would take me hours to write all the completely unsuitable cars over here, but the special mentions are go to:

99% of the Hyundai range (the V6 coupe drives well), ALL the Kia range, ALL Ssangyong's, 99% of Rovers idea of a car range.

But the worst how about VW Beetle? Can you imagine doing the trip in a beetle? I'm sure crazy driven around the world in one , I would love to shake that guys hand, if it has stopped shaking yet!!!!\

;)

I should add that I probably would choose to take time off and drive, but I can very easily imagine situations where somebody couldn't or wouldn't.

I once drove my Alfa Spyder on a business trip from Minneapolis to Phoenix and back (about 4000 miles round-trip). I added two weeks of vacation to the trip and visited some friends and relatives along the way. My employer reimbursed me for the price of a round-trip airfare. It would have been cheaper to fly, but driving through the mountains was a lot of fun. Sometimes I miss the Alfa's bigger trunk and behind-seat storage (there wasn't a "shelf -- space behind the seats went all the way to the floor).

It sure is a long way across Nebraska.

What exactly are the qualities of a VW Beetle that make it unsuitable for a long freeway trip?

"Natman" wrote

I guess that depends on whether Mark was referring to the "real" Beetle or the gussified VW Golf. Lack of horsepower, lack of air conditioning, poor heating and constant rattle from corroded exhaust extensions are a few of the reasons I can think of for the real Beetle.

The real Beetle was what ran through my mind, And I think you have it covered thanks Ken. I would just like to add, extremely bad seats, position, material and support. And I don't know if it was just the few I drove, but the vibrations were enough to shake your fillings out.

Cheers Mark.

You needn't have gone over Nebraska. I recently found Kansas is not that bad if you stay *far* away from the Interstate.

Leon

Mileage is not really that relevant. Interstates do not have all the delays. I invariably find that the scenic routes are

*much* more time consuming than mileage would indicate.

To go San Diego to Daytona Beach in 48 hours may get you into trouble with law enforcement, if you drive and live. :)

Yes, 98 is very pretty. It is my favorite route if I have to be in Panama City. However, it does triple the 2 hour drive time. And that two hours includes imbecilic cops who think the posted speed limit is the speed *limit*.

Leon, needs to get a MS.

I was heading for Ft. Collins, and going across Nebraska on

80 and then angling down on 76 cuts quite a few hours off that leg of the trip. I've been through Kansas as well, and there's not much there there either. :)

Driving across South Dakota and then down through the Black Hills into Colorado is definitely a nicer drive, but I wouldn't have made it to Ft. Collins in time for dinner. :)

My chief complaint on a long trip is the engine "drone". Since my 99 was/is used for 500 mile or more (one way) trips, I decided that short of earplugs, something was needed. First, I installed the noise damping kit in the trunk. (Some minor improvement) Then since my 99 is turbocharged, I changed the tranny fifth gear ratio. (Noticeable improvement.) The final and most effective thing is to stuff Coats and similar soft items in the sides of the soft-top well next to the driver and passenger. (Very noticeable difference) A source of subsonic (usually) noise is the flapping of the glass rear window. I have no effective simple solution for this-- everything I've tried blocks part of the view thru the rear window.