What is the farthest you'll take your 3x8 on a day trip?

If the car runs well and is not leaking gasoline, I'd drive as far as I could in a day or two or maybe three (I rarely drive that far anyway) and back without reservation.

Of course I have AAA too.

But seriously; I have an Alfa Romeo (also Italian) that I drive EVERYwhere... The only significant difference (besides the cost of gas and the cost of <wince> parts </wince>) is the belts. If the belts are good. Then drive....

My Alfa has over 300,000 miles. And it's the best most reliable car I've ever owned. And that includes a score of BMW's, Toyota's and many lesser known P'sOS....

IMHO, Italian engines (vs. Italian interior body and trim parts, of course) are jewels...

 

I drove mine from Central Arkansas to Wichita Falls, TX, then to Dallas, TX and back to AR. How far would I take it? I almost drove it to NC just so I could drive Tail of the Dragon.

Gene

 

I drove mine 500 miles in one day

 

I've got a condo that's about a 1 hour and 15 min. drive down AIA the scenic beach route.

That's as far as i'll ever go...i wipe it down half way and then when i get there and when i get back. It's a three microfiber trip.

 

Starts hurting my back after two hours. I'm too big for the car for long drives.

 

The only limits with mine are luggage space and a/c. I would hop in and drive mine across country in a heartbeat but not if I am bringing a passenger who needs a week's luggage too (3 days out and three days back, if I don't stay a little while) or if it's hot. My Touareg with nice modern a/c and tons of room would be calling me to take her instead.

Aside from that, I routinely drive mine 9 hours round trip to the beach and 4 hours round trip to Atlanta (the Atlanta trip has been driven in my QV about a zillion times, once with an almost-dead flywheel sensor last Apr.) I don't think anything about it.

 

I've had my 328 for almost a month now and two weeks ago I drove it up and down the coast for a total of 5 hrs and 250 miles. After about 4 hrs I noticed that the clutch would begin to slip with 3/4 throttle in 4th gear at ~3500 RPM going up a minor incline. I nearly gave birth to a cow! I eased back, went through the typical denial stage, and drove home. I was able to get it to slip again (just slightly, ~ +300 RPM) during the trip home, twice. The next day nothing, no slippage. Two days following I had an appointment for the basics at a respected independent on the peninsula. I told him the situation and asked him to look into it. He could not get it to slip at all. Up and down hwy 92 twice and nothing. He told me that there is very little if any adjustment that can be made other than pedal height. He continued to say that since my car (an '87 with less than 6K miles) may have just been sitting for such a long time that once driven the heat precipitated moisture & oils out of the disk, but the bottom line was that he was puzzled. When I asked what I should do he simply said "drive it". Since then I've put another 200 miles on it and have not had any slippage. If it does slip again, even once, I will get it replaced.

My only issue after 5 hours, besides the postpartum depression of possibly having to replace the clutch, was my seat. 5 hrs is about it for me without a break.

 

I hear you. I took my 328 GTS up to the XXX Rootbeer All-Italian show a couple months ago, which is 70 miles each way. By the time I got out of the car in each direction, my back was stiffer than fraternity party punch. I'm 6'4", but even my 5'9" passenger was groaning getting out.

Interestingly enough, the most comfortable car I've owned for long trips was my long-gone '91 Le Baron convertible. I drove it from Seattle to Boston to DC, back to Seattle then down to Houston. It leaked like a sieve in the rain, but it was comfortable. Cruised at triple-digit speeds through Montana with no problems. (And got high 30s mpg -- even hit over 40 mpg through Eastern Montana, Minn and other flat areas.) My C5 Corvette has okay seats, but the tire noise (top up or down) is excrutiating!!!

 

I've only taken two trips each about 6 hours round trip. I had no problems and I was surprised how comfortable the car (gt4) was over extended periods. Mechanically, if your belts are ok my only other real concern would be the cooling system. Perhaps have it flushed, bleed the air properly and drive it locally on a hot day to ensure it works ok. Then have a nice trip (take tools just in case).

 

I'm also 6'4" and I have made one minor modification to my seats: I unbolted the fronts of the seat rails and raised them by about 3/4". Now the seats support my upper legs much better than they did. Much improvement on comfort!

The car is totally reliable, so I have no limit to how far I would take her. As far as my wallet will allow me, I guess. At 12 mpg and $7.70 per gallon, driving her is not cheap!

Hans

 

I drove my '70 XKE Coupe to Indy last week, and back. From New Jersey! Old cars are completely capable of taking long trips, as long as they are in reasonably good shape. I would not hesitate to drive my 308 long distances. It's just a matter of whether you are comfortable riding in the car for a long time, or whether the noise levels will bother you. Of course, if the car has not been maintained and you haven't done a belt change in 10 or 12 years, then I'd think twice about it. But if everything is working properly, and the regular services have been done, drive it like you stole it. YMMV, but that's my opinion.

 

Let's see....

Cincinnati to Detroit.
Cincinnati to Chicago.
Cincinnati to Cleveland.
Cincinnati to Jacksonville, FL.
Miami, FL to Atlanta, GA (THAT was a long day!)

But I find the 308 plenty comfortable on long hauls, so I don't think twice about it!

 

I drove a Mondial to Montreal once.....

 

Yeah, and we all know how that turned out!

 

Longest trip was 1,000 mile round trip from Maine to Nova Scotia. (about 9 hours each way). No problems, but I made damn sure the car was thoroughly checked out before I left. Didn't want to have it towed from Halifax to Montreal.

I have no issue with the car on long trips but I am nervous when I am out of cell phone range.

 

Drove mine about 200 miles total in one day. Speeds over 90mph most of the time, including a burst up to 147mph (7k in 5th gear). They love being driven.

 

OUCH.....I am going to quit complaining about gas prices. Its about $2.85 for premium here in Florida
Why is your MPG so low? I thought 3X8's got 16 to 18 MPG

 

They do. My (fuel injected) 328 gets 20+ MPG on the highway, and 17 mixed around town as of my last fill-up yesterday. Hans' car is a carbed car, in general not as fuel efficient as the later FI cars. Further, gas mileage in a carb car can be drastically altered by how the carbs themselves are tuned (that is, rich vs. lean).

 

Carb tuning followed by right foot being x-rayed for lead

 

Yeah, I was doing 14 mpg with my lead feet, and 16 mpg when I took it easy. Until the very reputable shop where I brought it started changing the jets of my carbs. I had 125's for the main jets, and the engine ran just fine on them. They changed them for 135's (without consulting me) and the engine started to choke on it. I asked them to lean out again, so they changed to 130's. Still, I am getting flames out of my exhaust when I lift my foot, and still she'll choke on occasions. I want my 125's back!!!!

This is the same shop that nearly totalled my car on a test drive, by the way.

How much do jets cost? I'd rather not go back to that shop again, even though I feel like they should do the job for free (since I hadn't asked for the richer jets to start with and they already had me pay for two pairs of jets)

Hans

 

Hay, ya gotta keep those cool flames

 

Farthest in a single day -- 1320 miles. From outside Oklahoma City to the Cleveland suburbs. Most recent long trip: mid Connecticut to south Florida (over a weekend). I don't hesitate to drive it; I do take the spare tire and spare belts along, just in case.

 

You gonna change belts on the road?