You're About To Drive Cross Country...

[admzn]

I'm about to drive the 1994 in my sig with over 270k miles from Ottawa to Vancouver Island in July... Here's hoping my maintenance has paid off and it doesn't blow up! It has done the drive twice before.

I would hop in that Honda and go without worry. Everyone else here has made good points with what to bring or do to the car beforehand. As an avid road tripper myself I say definitely go for it. And if you see something interesting on the way, stop and see it. There are so many nice national parks.

 

[salesrep]

Dollar store is a GREAT place to stock up for travel snacks.

Google the type of activities you may like and where/when they are occurring to help determine which route to take going either direction.

 

[dogememe]

Wouldn't worry about it. Just drive and be happy

 

[maverickfhs]

Oh one more thing, please do share some pictures

 

[IndyIan]

I also like paper maps if you're going to plan a detour and you are out of cell service, they tend to be a bit more conservative on what is actually a road suitable for a car. We ended up on a snowmobile trail shortcut following our GPS this summer in northern ontario, which turned out fine in the CRV, other than destroying our old thule bike rack from the bumps. But there were a few rocky climbs that would've stopped a low 2wd car.

 

[Nick1994]

Just get in the car and go. I did this with my 1997 Camry with almost 200k miles a few years ago. My brother broke down in Montana while on vacation so I left the next morning with that old Camry and it drove like a champ, I put 3k miles on that car in 1 week.

My 2000 Camry has 227k miles and has been sitting for 14 months. I would go hop in it right now and drive to New York without even popping the hood first, I have no doubts about that car.

As long as your fluids are topped off and tires pressures including the spare are good, you're good to go.

 

[Kawiguy454]

Dont go without one of these... https://www.stopngo.com/

Easy to use tire plugger and get a 12 volt compressor at HF. I have one of these travel kits in every vehicle I own and it hase save me a couple of times. % min fix on the side of the road.

 

[JLTD]

Originally Posted By: Leo99
I'd hop in and go. It's only 3000 miles. Why would 3000 miles in 2 days be more stressful on your car than 3000 miles in 2 months?

Exactly.

And this being BITOG, make sure the round trip is within your OCI, or we'll be seeng another "should I change it" thread.

Seriiusly though - I have made several long trips in older cars without incident. All mx up to date? Then just pack a couple quarts of oil, some coolant, windshield washer fluid, maybe a few hand tools as well as a cooler of beverages and snacks and hit the road.

 

[KGMtech]

If you have a travel itch, you could make some money driving private cars back from Florida to the Northern states?

You must have a good driver record, and some of these cars are the high end premium level.

 

[A_Harman]

If you're staying on the Interstates, it won't be an adventure.
Mostly just a lot of sitting and holding the wheel.
Check all the car's fluids before leaving, and check the oil every morning on the way.
Make some stops to sightsee on the way.

 

[fcjeep]

Most all of the precautions above regarding possible breakdowns and also have a “AAA Plus” membership in force (towing up to 100 miles).

Don't drive at night if possible: greater likelihood of sleepy or impaired drivers on the road with you, reduced visibility for yourself and other drivers, hypnotic effect on poorly lit roads.

Have a safe trip!

 

[SirTanon]

I forgot to add in my previous post, and I don't see that anyone else has mentioned this.. unless I just missed it but....

Before you go, double check your headlights are in good working order and are properly aligned. Also, make sure all your braking and turning indicators function properly. Nothing more annoying than a jerk cop with a quota tagging you because you have out-of-state plates and a burnt-out taillight.

-- Disclaimer -- not saying all cops are jerks, just the jerk ones, especially those who have nothing better to do than go after the out-of-state cars in order to bolster their quotas.

 

[CKN]

Rent a car. Lower miles-and your vehicle is a miserable highway cruiser.....

 

[Brybo86]

Originally Posted By: CincyDavid
Drive to the closest airport and just buy a ticket for a direct flight. My sciatic nerve pain just starts twitching at the thought of a long car ride like that. My parents are in their 80s and drive back and forth between southern Arizona dna Cincinnati several times a year...1800 miles in 3 days. I can'e even imagine.

Parents drive an LS430? Drool...
Sign me up.

PS. what airline do you fly that is even remotely comfortable?

 

[JimPghPA]

Carry enough cash to pay for speeding ticket. Some out of state police do not accept credit cards, or checks.

Have enough cash in your checking account to cover any checks you might have to write.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Jumper cables and some Depends.



When I went on my epic road trip I made sure to bring along an emergency jump starter. It might be useful being out in the middle of nowhere and there's nobody to help jump. I think once I'd forgotten to turn off the battery on my wife's car while we were in a remote part of a national park without cell service. The warning chime wasn't working because the door sensor had caved in. A park ranger in the parking lot saw me doing it and asked if I needed a jump but I said I was set.

I do remember when there was that NASA astronaut driving from Houston to Orlando looking to kidnap the girlfriend of the guy she was sleeping with. A lot of the stories noted that she saved time by wearing NASA issued "undergarments", although it didn't really seem much different than Depends.

https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2007/02/08/the-astronaut-and-the-diaper-a-sordid-tale/

I guess it's called the "Maximum Absorbancy Garment" and is on display at the Smithsonian:

 

[RooflessVW]

Air up the tires including the spare, grab an extra quart of oil, make sure some albums are available offline, download some offline maps, and hit the road.

 

[VeryNoisyPoet]

Cooling system and hoses are a big thing to check. Unless you want to be in the snail lane doing 20mph with the big rigs, climbing grades will stress your engine. Make sure hoses and clamps are solid and replace anything that's sketchy. Keep a container of water to add if you do end up boiling. You don't have lots of torque and will lose power at altitude so depending on grade and how much stuff you have, be ready to downshift and let the engine howl. Watch that temp gauge and back off if it starts shooting up. Definitely bring a spare couple qts of oil. Higher rpms from grades or from 80mph cruising will tend to cause increased consumption.

An alignment would be a good idea if you haven't had one recently. Highway driving can eat tires that otherwise would survive at tame local speeds. (I know from experience)

Check all exterior lights. Keep spares for each type in the trunk or glove box. Replace halogen headlights if over 3 years old - they could be quite dim by now!

Basic emergency and first aid kit plus emergency water and snacks. Fire extinguisher can never hurt.

Offline music and maps are essential. Large stretches of desert will have no signal for miles. An old fashioned road atlas is not expensive and could come in handy.

GasBuddy is your friend for finding the best options for fuel stops. Plan to fill up at 1/3 tank or when 100 ish miles of range are left to leave some wiggle room. Pay attention to octane if you fill up at high altitude. 85 works fine at 6k feet, but may not be happy when you descend that mountain into thicker air again.

Replace wipers if not done recently and get a couple gallons of "Bug Buster" type summer washer fluid. You will use a lot of it. Clean your all lights when you stop for gas - surprising how much crud gets splattered there.

 

[Dyusik]

Tire pressure, check, windshield washer fluid, clean the wipers, look for nails in the tires, gas up and go.

 

[Lolvoguy]

Originally Posted By: CKN
Rent a car. Lower miles-and your vehicle is a miserable highway cruiser.....

+1

Considering how exhausted you'd be driving that thing, if you should fall asleep you'd be a safety hazard to yourself and those around you.