Best vehicle for a cross country road trip?

[jfgesquire]

That actually has been what i have been thinking for my first choice. My neighbor bought one six months ago, and I love it. It would make no sense for what I do here in Florida, but I really could imagine it for a trip like this. New or nearly new with a warranty and a bargain price. What's not to like?

Tell your neighbor to join the TourX page on Facebook. Although knowing TourX owners, he probably already did.

 

[CharlieO]

Do what I did. Buy a Dodge Caravan. Fold the rear seats down into the floor and put a mattress in there.
View attachment 762941

That probably makes sense. I'm not sure how it would work out if I want to sell it, though.

 

[boris bubbanov]

Volvo 245 Wagon. I did two solo cross-country trips in mine, sleeping in the back. They are very roomy.

Prevailing speeds are WAY up. I wouldn't use a Volvo 245, because IMO it cannot keep pace and IMO is highly problematic in strong winds. Seen too many of these roll.

 

[boris bubbanov]

These are made just for cross country. Go in style View attachment 762927

I've got my hat. I'm ready!

 

[CharlieO]

I've got my hat. I'm ready!

I'd hitch a ride in one of Kenworths. Do people still do that?

 

[getbent]

its got cop tires. hold out for the push bar though... because, you know, badass.

 

[boris bubbanov]

I like this idea, but two considerations: One, windowblown sand will rough up the windshield and paint of any nice vehicle like this. Maybe talk to Safelite and find out if they have an ample supply of replacement windshields. And two, you see lots of Buick dealers in the Eastern 1/2 of the USA but they can be scarce in the USA West. Buick dealers have to know about so many vehicles made by different people in different places, Not sure if they will always be of much help.

I've car camped, a ton. But circumstances are up in the air, right now. I can't give current "car camping" circumstances on NFS and Bureau of Land Management lands right now. And we've lost a lot of very nice places to hang out, in these fires. I feel like I will be starting from scratch, myself.

+

Another thought: I'm writing this from the Memphis area, and people have been in love with Buicks for a long time around here. Except this model; didn't catch on here. Almost have to call them rare. You can well imagine, I'm a hawk about spotting cars around me and I've seen them in Nashville. But not many, anyplace else. This might be a rarer vehicle than you think.

 

[Steerforth]

I've got my hat. I'm ready!

Here’s mine!

We’ve owned BMWs for years, but last weekend we went car shopping because Mrs. Steerforth’s BMW was getting a bit long in the tooth and was close to taking a big drop in value due to age.

We went and looked at BMWs, but she didn’t click with anything that she test drove, despite years of driving them. So we went over to the Mercedes dealer just to have a look. She fell in love with one, so I bought her first Mercedes-Benz.

That thing is the most comfortable car in which I have ever ridden. If I was going to take off on a cross country trip, I’d be very happy to do it in that vehicle. And it has lots of room for your gear.

 

[Guitarteach]

 

[chris m.]

Get a DriveAway car. I did this in about 1988 when I needed to move across country. Someone needs their car delivered. You need a car. They give you a car for free, and you deliver it to the destination. You have to achieve a certain number of miles per day-- something like 350 miles if I recall correctly-- and report each evening where you are spending the night. It's totally free, you just need to pay for gas. I was given a Toyota hatchback to deliver, and I loaded it to the gills with my stuff and drove it from Massachusetts to Seattle.

https://www.gonomad.com/1562-drive-across-the-usa-with-auto-driveaway-cars

 

[bigbreak]

That probably makes sense. I'm not sure how it would work out if I want to sell it, though.

Take the mattress out, fold the seats back up and sell it.

 

[fendrguitplayr]

Get a small SUV or larger. A Hyundai Santa Fe would work well for ya.

 

[CharlieO]

Take the mattress out, fold the seats back up and sell it.

My concern would be how much demand there is for it.

 

[CharlieO]

Get a DriveAway car. I did this in about 1988 when I needed to move across country. Someone needs their car delivered. You need a car. They give you a car for free, and you deliver it to the destination. You have to achieve a certain number of miles per day-- something like 350 miles if I recall correctly-- and report each evening where you are spending the night. It's totally free, you just need to pay for gas. I was given a Toyota hatchback to deliver, and I loaded it to the gills with my stuff and drove it from Massachusetts to Seattle.

https://www.gonomad.com/1562-drive-across-the-usa-with-auto-driveaway-cars

That works for some people, but wouldn't work for me. I want to wander at my own pace, doing whatever come up along the way. I might take three weeks, or I might take six weeks.

 

[bigbreak]

My concern would be how much demand there is for it.

Why sell it? Caravans make a good everyday car. I have been driving them for twenty years. Take a look how many of them are out there.

 

[fredwrites]

I am just beginning to think about a cross country road trip, going from Florida to the west coast in spring. The eventual destination probably is Portland, OR. I will be driving alone. I expect that I will be staying in motels for most of the time, but will also stay with friends and family in various locations. I am not opposed to sleeping in my vehicle occasionally, but I am not a camper and am not really interested in staying in RV parks. I have tossed around ideas for various vehicles to drive, but have not settled on anything yet.

My budget could go as high as $30,000, but I wouldn't have a problem a with a reliable $5000 20-year old vehicle. I usually drive sedans and convertibles, and have never owned a van, SUV, RV or any kind of truck. My first thought was to buy a station wagon, maybe a BMW 3 Series, Mercedes E-Class, Cadillac CTS, or Buick TourX. All of these should be a pretty nice car for 400 or 500 mile days, and I could sleep in the back if necessary. The next obvious choice would be a van or SUV, but honestly I really don't know anything about them because I never wanted one and never paid any attention to them. This is where I could really use some help. If you were considering a van or SUV for a long trip, what would you buy?

I suppose that I could also consider a Class C motorhome, something like a Mercedes Sprinter or whatever. Would I hate driving something like this for a month or more?

I guess my chief consideration is comfort for long haul drives. Fuel economy is something to think about, and I would buy a diesel, hybrid or plug-in hybrid if it makes more sense than a typical gas-powered vehicle. Another thing that I thought about is the possibility of selling the vehicle on the west coast and flying home. Is there anything that you can think of that would be easy to sell quickly? I bet an AWD wagon would sell quickly in the northwest.

My brothers on the west coast do this kind of travel frequently. They both leave their wives at home and go wherever they want for a month or more. One drives a relatively new Honda Civic and the other drives an old VW Eurovan. I suppose I could imagine a Eurovan for short trips, but not for something like this.

If you were going to plan a trip like this, would would you drive? What ideas do you have that I should consider?

Found this beauty online — was a trade-in at a Jeep dealership in Seattle. $28k w/48,000 miles (had in checked-out by a Seattle MB dealership). It seems NOBODY wants to buy large sedans (any sedans?) nowadays. Had it nearly two years — only regular services required. Found on CarGurus.com. The trick is: low miles, dealer-maintained with service records/clean Carfax. And perhaps a bit of luck! Planning a drive from Kansas to Savannah next month — can’t wait!

 

[buster poser]

Merc's a great suggestion. Google Alex Roy M5 if you want to know how to really get their quick. Requires some mods to the vehicle

 

[Boreas]

Prevailing speeds are WAY up. I wouldn't use a Volvo 245, because IMO it cannot keep pace and IMO is highly problematic in strong winds. Seen too many of these roll.

I owned 3 for a total of about 500k miles. Never rolled one. Never came close. With OD cruise at 80 all day long. I have seen many more SUVs and pickups dirty side up than Volvos. But you asked - that was my favorite for long-distance travel.

 

[8trackmind]

Honda Pilot

 

[HoodieMcFoodie]