BOSTON TO L.A. 3 DAYS, WHAT CAR WOULD YOU TAKE?

I have it on pretty good authority from NASA that an old brown van with a good supply of adult diapers is the fastest way across country...

 

MB CL Class...500 should get the job done.

 

Volvo. For the seats.

 

Saab 9-5 Aero Wagon. Great seats, super safe and 500 miles plus on a tank. Also its faster from 50-70 than a porshce turbo (per top gear) and you can haul all your stuff.

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MgVB5HRrhtM&mode=related&search


Sold my E55 for one of these....this would make the trip comfy!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUu7xRX52js
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYvLl...e=user&search=
__________________

 

everyone is a critic

 

Im still young. I get so bored when i drive the S600 that i put the cruise control..

 

Porsche 996 GT2 or 997 GT3RS.

 

I'll take a BMW M5/M6. Either one would do good for me!

 

LOL, you guys.... 1000 miles in three days? I drove from Phili to New York City, and then to Houston Texas all in a straight shot no sleep. Left Phili and wanted to check out New York City, so I went there, hung out, walked around for 5 or so hours and then drove all the way back to Houston.

By the way it was in a 5spd Legacy GT

 

Did San Francisco to Daytona Beach in 79 with a 79 Dodge one ton van, with two motorcycles in it, in 47 hours portal to portal. I think that I'd take my 2007 Chevy Van, but driving it all by myself, even with 3 days would be a tremondous drag. You'd spend 16 - 17 hour days driving, way too long. You'd go to jail in the Ferrari, I suspect.

Art

 

I'd never be able to drive that long in stock 996tt seats. I've driven our Turbo about 600 miles one day and my back was killing me. I'd take the 550 .

 

never driven this trip, but i would pick either a quattroporte automatica or the (hopefully out soon) aston martin rapide. other than those two, i would pick a RR or maybach

 

A plain Ford Crown Vic, I rented one on a trip, it was probably the most fun I have had, it looked like a cop car, and everyone moved over for it. Add a cheap pair of chrome shades and you can ditch the radar detector.

 

You are right - the three straight days is what beats you up. When I did the drive, the first day was cake. I had trouble sleeping that night since I was so wired, which made the next day worse since I was low on sleep. Needless to say, the third day was straight torture and I was never so happy to see my driveway in my life. The muffler of the Ford Explorer I did the drive in had cracked and was literally dragging on the ground and was louder than hell, but I couldn't have cared less.

 

After drives like that, sleeping on the floor as soon as you enter the house is sooo perfect! The shoes are still on, the sweater or jacket are still on, the front door isn't even closed all the way... perfect!

 

S550, M5, 456MGT, Daytona.

I did Vegas to D.C. in '80 in 48 hours solo and with eight hours sleep in a Toyota truck. I won't do it again.

I did D.C. to Miami and back too many times to count in 15.5 hours every time, and within minutes every single time. I would leave with a full tank and stop twice on those trips to fuel. I would begin fueling, use the restroom, wash up, get food and drink and go in 5 minutes every time. So the car wasn't moving for ten minutes during that 15.5 hrs. I didn't speed. Cruise set at 74 the whole time. 70 MPH average. Never a ticket. Leave at 6:30AM and be home at 10:00PM like clockwork.

It may have helped that the car was a Pontiac Parisiene that looks alot like a Caprice and that I look alot like a cop. Plus, 74MPH won't draw alot of attention. It also helped that it was a very comfortable riding car.


If I were to do that trip I would work hard on the plan to stay away from traffic and urban areas anywhere near rush hour. An hour or two of 10MPH will kill your average speed and leave you behind the wheel longer than necessary. Call AAA, find the construction zones and avoid them. Stay on open roads. You will stay fresher and have a higher average and its all about average. Gurney and Yates in the Daytona averaged 80.8 MPH. Others found that hard to improve upon as higher speeds will get undesired attention and kill your average. Standing still isn't what you will want to do.

I would try to do more on the first day and less on the third day. You will be tired on that day and appreciate a shorter day behind the wheel.

I know the guys saying Daytona haven't spent alot of time in one or they are alot younger than me. Today I will go for comfort over romantic notions. I see alot of guys saying big comfortable cars and not a single Lotus Elise or Esprit and only a couple willing to drive a Porsche. I think they may be young also.

Spend time with the calculator. Stick to the plan and enjoy the open roads.

Cheers.

 

A mid-90s Chrysler LHS wouldn't be a bad choice. Back in that era, during my first marriage (hey, I needed some space....), and before my second, I rented a LHS for a week each year and just "drove around." The April 1997 journey was Wichita KS to Daytona Beach, dipped a toe in the ocean (and spent a few hours at the Space Center) and then drove to San Diego, dipped a toe in the ocean (and hit Disneyland for a few hours), and then back to Wichita. 5800 miles in 8 days, solo. A Miata wouldn't be my first choice, but in 1996 I did a 4 day run from Wichita to Yellowstone and back in a 1992 Miata (2000 miles or so).

 

the best road car i have had was my mercedes 500SEC.

second best probably the mercedes 350SDL.

of the vehicles i currently have it is a tossup between my dodge truck with diesel and my dodge magnum. neither as good as the benz s classes.

tom w

 

If it is all interstate I would probably go with something big and american. I had a big park avenue rental and it was very quiet and cushy on the interstate. Like driving a leather sofa. As long as you don't plan on turning too hard it is great for a trip like that. IMO it was much quieter than the Grand Marquis.

 

For that kinda distance and time, I'd require a Maybach 57S. It's the short wheelbase, tons of engine. Insane torque, horsepower, a highway-eatin' fool, and at the end of the day, a few rock chips here or there won't hurt really b/c it's just a fancy Mercedes really and doesn't evoke the kind of protection that one lords over a Rolls/Bentley. It'd be fun to watch our gas prices go up though the farther across country I went Color preference would be Baltic Black over Aspen White.

 

I would take my current car, a Subaru SVX. It has a 3.3L boxer six, awd, dark green (so it doesnt stand out) and a big gas tank. It can easily cruise at 100mph all day long.