New to me F430 Road trip from L.A. to Vancouver

Cool! You'll have great fun. Great decision to just drive the thing.

Rock chips and cracks are different than potholes. You're good on any road to avoid the chips as long as you don't tailgate. As for potholes, well, they can be anywhere.

I've driven from Calgary, through the Columbia River Valley and then down the coast to San Francisco in my 1987 BMW 325i convertible so a lot of the same route you'll be on. I've also driven the same car from San Diego to San Francisco. And, I've driven to and from Vancouver to San Francisco several times (in Brand X SUVs). I would say you can't really plan in great detail.

If you have the time, just hug the coast as much as you can. In California that is Highway #1 (which is sometimes also highway #101) all the way to San Francisco. North of San Francisco, you'll have to commit to either highway 101 or Interstate 5.

If you're just "Cannonballing" it as you say, Interstate 5 north of San Francisco is pretty good, but a major highway. I've driven it several times to and from Vancouver. Highway 101 is slower but nicer. Between LA and San Franciso, Highway 101 is a good quick interesting road. Interstate 5 between LA and San Francisco is a drab soul-sucking stretch of highspeed but miserable freeway.

 

Driven that route many times. Quickest is I-5. But it's a major hiway with lots of truck traffic. The hiway is not like the asphalt ones in BC. They are concrete. The expansion joints alone will drive you crazy. Thump, thump, thump, thump, hour after hour. Plus the ruts in in the truck lane will have rolling back back and forth. But it's the quickest route. The PCH 101 is the nicest route. Good cruising along the coast. Weather can be cold in March. There was a big landslide near Big Sur a few years back. Half the mountain came down. Should check the road conditions before getting to that section. Monterey is a very nice drive up to San Francisco. Once past S.F. it a great cruise up through the forest until you get to Eureka. Great ocean views all the way to Astoria Washington were you can catch the ferry home. Beautiful drive. You should slow down and enjoy.
Mike

 

".....to Astoria Washington were you can catch the ferry home....."
Can you explain more about this please?

 

If you have a problem along the way I’ve got a buddy that lives in Priest River, Idaho. It’s 60 miles sound of the Canadian border. He’s a gear head and has a trailer and a huge garage.

I don’t want to jinx you, but he would help you out if you break down.


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Sounds like an adventure and I look forward to hearing about the trip. I would definitely say take 101 up the coast. If you will be passing through the Olympic peninsula area of WA drop a PM and maybe we can meet up or I'll tag along for part of the drive.

All I'd say about the car is get it serviced and get some kind of roadside emergency service like AAA just in case. Then enjoy the drive. If you are a handy kind of guy maybe a small tire pump, jump box, and a few tools in the boot?

 

Yeah, would love to follow play-by-play details as the adventure unfolds. You never know about these things; it could become one of those wonderful lifetime memories.

The likelihood of you breaking down is very low but stuff can happen. Probably making sure you can repair or replace a flat tire is a good idea since you could be a long way from a tire shop. AAA has a 200 mile radius towing insurance plan (I have it, but then again I drive a 40 year old Ferrari) (have never used it) but waiting for a truck to arrive can take a long time when you are way down the road from them.

You’ll know within an hour or two of setting off whether or not the car is running well and can change plans while still within proximity of LA if necessary. (It’ll run just fine.)

 

Astoria ferry!!! yes that didn't quite come out right. What I meant was now that he was in Washington he could catch the ferry home. Which of course is the Coho ferry in Port Angeles. My career as a travel blog writer may be in jeopardy
To import the car at the Blaine point of entry you need to give them 72 hours notice. Don't just show up. Last thing you need is a pissed off border agent. lot's of good info on the web on what to. You can DIY the importation however a broker is usually best. They have established relationships with CBSA and usually can make the process easier. Like I said the border agent is the last guy you want to have to be explaining to you that your documentation is wrong. The easier you make it for him/her the easier it is for you.
Mike

 

Would love to hear about your trip and some pics, one of my most memorable experiences was picking up a car in tasmania (i live in australia) and driving it back in the snow dodging road closures, had not snowed that much since 1986 my birth year!

 

If you need a tow when you’re out in the sticks don’t waste your time with AAA. Call local tow companies directly and just pay their fee, much better than waiting the 5 hours I did only to be told to spend the night in my car.

 

First congrats.............. I've driven Vancouver to LA and back more times then I care to remember. 101 is a great scenic road, but I-5 is faster and has more food options. I like to stop at the Rolling Hills Casino in Corning, CA if going the I-5 route back. Going towards Vancouver the casino is North of Sac and makes excellent prime rib! They also have several In Out burgers on the I-5 route if fast eats are needed.

 

Oh for clearing customs you need to stop on the American side and get export documents, they do a title search. Then you'll need to import it into Canada. For the export from the American side, believe only a few locations do it. So it may not be available at all locations. Best bet is going through the Pacific Highway commercial truck crossing in Blaine, WA. Even though its a commercial crossing, general public are able to cross there. They deal on both sides with vehicle export/import daily and are easier to deal with over other crossings.

 

I used to live in Seattle and Portland. Every March I would drive up to Whistler. I'm now in East Bay and have family in LA. There are plenty of paths to take and I think you should start with how many days.

Sorry misread as this is backwards but I've done these drives before:
Vancouver head out and get to Hwy 5 through WA. I've been on the coast of WA and its a ton of ferries and not worth the time given your options in OR/CA.
Into OR you can cut across and hit the 101 to see the coast (depending on how long you want to drive) 8-10 hours I think I stopped in Dunes City.
Next day I would head back to Hwy 5 to make as much progress to the south CA coast. NorCal 8-9 hour stop such as Napa. I would not alter to go over the SF bridge IMO.
Tons of options once you are south of NorCal. Napa to Santa Barbara would be my choice via 17 and PCH which is 9 hours.
Santa Barbara to LA can be fast or 6 hours depending on traffic.

I also almost moved to Santa Barbara so I would spend my first day there anyways =)
LA->SB->Napa->OR coast->Vancouver

 

That sounds awesome man. Should be a drive of epic proportions. Shoot me your YT channel and I'll smash that subscribe button and drop a dm!


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Should be an option in Turo to have the car delivered to you, usually a fee though.

 

can't wait for pics

 

Looking forward to updates on the trip.

 

... the adventure begins.