Nickstock98t/a

yep its my first time driving her cross country. and im really worried. like w/ over heating rain snow uphill battles and all that nasty travelling stuff. so i need some advice fellas. any will be appreciated. its an 1800 mile trip. 28 hours of driving. im thinking driving 14 hours straight before i get a hotel. what do u all think bout pushin her 14 hours? what would ya all do if you were in my shoes? thanks dudes

1cleanbird

iTrader: (2)

I would def drive it. If it's well maintained and everything, it's like a normal car. It won't overheat or break down. just slow up in rain or snow. Just change the oil before you leave and you should be perfect. Driving across country in these cars is awesome.

Ls1Bait

How many miles are on it? if it gets you around town no problem then it will have no problems on the highway. Just keep the rpms down and youll be fine. Oh yea oil and air filter would be good to do.



Why you goin out to Cali?

Nickstock98t/a

I moved to cali 2 years ago, live there now just came here to iowa to visit my family and to buy a car (cheaper in iowa and well maintained as opposed to california) shes got 49,072 miles on her. she runs mint. shes sweet as heck. i thought bout an oil change etc. but i had pontiac check her out 4 days ago and they said shes mint and her oil was clean and he suggested i change it when i get to california. what do ya think? i bought her at 48,402 miles 2 1/2 weeks ago. and havent changed the oil since purchase... what do u think? thanks bros

2001NBMZ28

If you don't have a co-pilot I'd be more worried about you driving 14 hours straight. JMO but I'd change the oil before and after, and doublecheck all the other fluids.

2K2WS6TA

iTrader: (2)

You'll be fine, as will the car, grab some tunes and head west, I've been from KS to FL, then up to MA in my T/A, the best investment I made was satellite radio

Nickstock98t/a

er i probably should change the oil... huh? i'm cruisin with my dog. i've driven plenty of times from iowa to cali and vice versa. i got my video ipod! yes! i've driven halfway and slept and continued but when i first cruised out there i was so excited and drove straight like a mad man! in a 2-3 cylinder hyundai!! ha ha ha!

hey 2k2ws6ta thAT last of the breed badge you got looks sick! i want one! w/ the certificate and keychain aswell! where can i get one?

2K2WS6TA

iTrader: (2)

Ebay is probably your best bet, none right now, but they do show up every so often

sleepinghawk

I got mine from here, hope they still sell them.

http://www.carr.org/~gripper/partshtml/gmfbody.html

blue02formula

iTrader: (1)

What is the longest you have driven on a trip? Your in for a cool drive. Just go over your ride well before you go: tires, brakes, all fluids etc. I would take a small tool kit, some good tunes, I really like the XM in my bird, a small cooler and some muchies and enjoy. The wife and I went from eastern Ohio to Huntington Beach California last summer. We took the alot of same route your probably going take. This is a pic of a pull off between Denver and Grand Junction on I70. Be safe, have a good trip.

scrmnss

WOT wind her up as tight as she will go have fun.

Mr Incredible

Work out ahead of time where the break areas are. Try to stay slightly dehydrated so you don't stop so much. Take a cooler with drinks and sandwich fixin's to save money for expensive gas stop food. Air up your tires. Have some cash on hand. Be sure your AAA is paid up. Check oil/air/coolant/leaks/a-c/ps fluid/tranny/rear end lube. Wash your windows. Find and fix any squeaks before you start out. Get an atlas and work out your trip on Rand McNalley Trip Maker. Get an electric coffee cup. Don't drive more than 12 hours. Be sure you have several overnight stops scoped out. If you wait too late the first stop may be full, then you have to find another while your zonked out.

Don't stop for hitchhikers. Don't pick up chicks at truck stops or rest areas.

Pay attention.

Nickstock98t/a

thanks guys. will definitely keep all that in mind. i do have a squeak. sounds like its coming from trunk or hatchback if thats what its called. cant figure it out.

sleeping hawk i have seen that website before and they are sold out. sucks

thing i love about these trips are music, cigarettes and caffeine! i hate to smoke in her but i try to be careful.

Mr Incredible

I smoke cigars in my car. The best thing you can do is have the window down a little and the fan on so the pressure pushes out the smoke. Turn up the heat or a/c as required and keep your smoke in your left hand so it's near the window.

blue02formula

iTrader: (1)

It is good to check for rooms on the web before you go, for example I saved about $40 staying in Grand Junction, Co instead of down the road a little further in Moab, Utah.

99Hawk262

iTrader: (19)

I drove from Seattle to Little Rock last year with no issues. First leg of the trip was 1200 miles in 17 hours. Then went 700 miles in 11 hours the next day. Last day was an easy 330 miles in 4.5 hours. 23 MPG the whole way regardless of my speed. And it can be fun out in the plains where it's flat as hell. Wife dozed off and I eased her up to about 140 for a few miles. No one in sight the whole time. Have fun.

Rameon01

the best advise i can give you is change the spark plugs and oil and filter. also top everything else off and you should be ok. i would also if you dont have good all-around tires GET THEM! i was running through upper wyoming-nevada in the winter on my 3000+ mile trip from coast to coast and hit a snow storm that lasted 3 days and 2-3 inches of snow-ice on the road with my going 50-70 mph and traffic right behind me and no way to stop of rest for about 200 miles THATS scary. other then that dont forget your music and extra food. also dont go WOT unless you know there is a gas station nearby or something, youll really hate to see that you have less then a 1/4 tank and 100 miles to go till the next stop been there done that. good luck! youll love it

JerseyLS1TA

iTrader: (2)

I was going to ask this same question. I will be taking my 'bird from NJ to Orlando, FL. I am starting to get a little nervous

skunk50

hey, i've driven from DC to San Jose and back in my TA convert with 400-500 lbs of cargo and over 2000 miles of it top down....and i had an SSRA going through some heavy thunderstorms too (no hydrolock....although the left blinker socket crapped out). 75-130mph....averaged around 85-90mph....MPG was 25-31.5 with an A4 and stock gears... car still runs great at 95k.

my car is decently maintained...i'm not **** like most people on here, ha. synthetics every 5-6k miles (sometimes 3k) but new oil filter only every 3k miles. tranny fluid/filter changed once to synthetics. gas filter once. need to change the rear end fluid though. switched to green coolant no more of that orange crap.

i recommend getting a nosebra for the trip and then taking it off after. my front is full of rock chips.

Nickstock98t/a

cool. how much for a bra? and where to get. i had my oil, fuel filter and tranny flush yesterday. so im ready for thing adventure tomorrow. they used dex 3 on my tranny fluid. is that what the manula recommends? is a dex 3 synthetic? i lost my manual. thanks