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I have a 97 Sidekick Sport (that's the 4 door 4x4 version, not the tiny ragtop) with 160k+ and this summer I will be driving about 5000k roundtrip. Being the frugal, or cheapskate, that I am I wont pay for a rental or hotel rooms. Tried trading her in for a van but nobody wants my old beater. I am setting off on an adventure by myself. I am working on my screenplay while traveling and plan on taking my time, enjoying the southwest scenery.
I have a schematic I measured out and I will be removing all but the driver seat and setting up my Coleman camper bed (yep it fits perfectly and leaves room underneath for storage). I plan to be on the road for several weeks, so before you say I am nuts think of how much the hotel bills would be. Plus I want an adventure. Sure maybe after 2 weeks I may treat myself to 1 night at a motel but most will be in my suv.
My mechanic says my car is in great shape for it's age. I plan to bring an extra belt, and a couple radiator hoses and tools just in case. I'm pretty mechanically inclined and have faith or I wouldn't start off on a journey this big.
Have any of you made long treks in old cars? What advice would you give me?
(I have a similar thread in the rv section so sorry bout that)
At 5 million miles, it's not really going to matter if you start with 0 miles or 160,000 miles on the car .
Considering you know at least some of the car's history and your mechanic verified it's in good shape, I'd say go for it!
Thanks GTO! Well, I'm used to living in cramped-quarters. I live in a 10x10 now (no I'm not in jail!) so to be out on the open road with my little suv and my thoughts and all my music will be like going to heaven. But the other poster mentioned that cruise control thing and now I'm worried about it. Well, if thousands did it before CC was even invented I can do it too
Have any of you made long treks in old cars? What advice would you give me?
(I have a similar thread in the rv section so sorry bout that)
Good one, thanks for a quick trip down memory lane. If you're bumming around, in the non-pejorative sense of the phrase, that's cool. I've done some of my best thinking on the road.
First: yes, I did this twice. Once, in 1990, in a 1981 Mercury Capri (Mustang, basically). May, which was still a bit chilly in New England and the northern Midwest. I camped in a tent w/warm clothes. My parents were great campers when I was younger, so I knew the ropes, what to bring and not to campgrounds: quite easy, actually. Trick to that was knowing the car's idiosyncrasies: it drove fine, for a rattly old relic, but needed a quart of oil every 600 miles. Air in the tires, fluids, all that similar at gas stations, it ran fine and I didn't abuse it.
Amusingly, best things I brought were one, an electric hot-pot to heat up canned food in the restrooms or if the site actually had power. Two, a multi-tool, which I have to this day: need I say more? Spend the $70 on a Leatherman Wave.
Less-amusingly, no. three: I "personally" wouldn't go terribly far into the bush without some kind of self defense: your beliefs may differ, but contemplate. No. four: to do it today I'd definitely bring a hand-held GPS for exploration, if budget allows. I have one from 2006 (currently on a motorcycle) that can be detached and used in a variety of ways. Just makes things a tad easier, though may not be "necessary." I got along fine for fifteen years of driving sans GPS, which leads me to last item: a Rand McNally, paper based, for broad-strokes directions.
Second time, only a year later, I was on a motorcycle and camped plus stayed in motel rooms when I needed to clean up. That adventure is another story entirely, the true definition of "traveling light."
If you're bumming around the SW in the summer, be prepared for heat when sleeping in any vehicle. Heat is tough on vehicles as well as people: drove couple thousand miles through the SW to Texas and back on a motorcycle September 2010, and it was still 103 degrees in Needles CA during the day (high of the trip). Had to be mindful of both me and the vehicle overheating.
At 5 million miles, it's not really going to matter if you start with 0 miles or 160,000 miles on the car .
Considering you know at least some of the car's history and your mechanic verified it's in good shape, I'd say go for it!
Thank you for fixing me on that 5k is about what I will be doing. I have a guy wanting to trade me his 98 Dodge Caravan with 160k straight up for my Suzuki, but I'm really weary. While the fact that it's a VAN would give me much more home-style space, I'm not familiar w Chrysler and my old Suzuki has been a champ. I must admit though, my Sidekick being so boxy it has zero aerodynamics and does blow around on the open road. Thoughts? Opinions?
Thanks GTO! Well, I'm used to living in cramped-quarters. I live in a 10x10 now (no I'm not in jail!) so to be out on the open road with my little suv and my thoughts and all my music will be like going to heaven. But the other poster mentioned that cruise control thing and now I'm worried about it. Well, if thousands did it before CC was even invented I can do it too
I've never used my cc on any of my cars and I've driven many long trips. Maybe I'm just used to never using it therefor it doesn't bother me one bit.
I've never used my cc on any of my cars and I've driven many long trips. Maybe I'm just used to never using it therefor it doesn't bother me one bit.
Really? Maybe it's a creature comfort. I used it on all my other cross country trips. But I think I'll be ok without it. One plus is that I kind of know the highway, yeah it's 2000 miles long but I have driven it several times and think I can do it without CC (since I don't have a choice). I'll use the rest stops to stretch and update my blog if I actually write one.
Now my brother and I drove from missouri to alabama and got stopped in alabama by a state trooper and he told us that we could not drive such a wreck of a car on the highways of alabama . I proceeded to ask the trooper when the state of alabama annexed itself from the united states ? His response was "what did you say ?' My brother proceeded to tell me to be quiet I was not going to be quiet because I believed myself to be right and knowledgable about laws etc . Well a semi tractor trailer came flying by and blew his hat off and he told us today is your lucky day . He went to find that trucker and ticket them most likely . I dont know we got outta there and we were never so glad to see the florida , alabama line . LOL so yes we have driven a beater ..I wish you luck and take care of that beater .
Now my brother and I drove from missouri to alabama and got stopped in alabama by a state trooper and he told us that we could not drive such a wreck of a car on the highways of alabama . I proceeded to ask the trooper when the state of alabama annexed itself from the united states ? His response was "what did you say ?' My brother proceeded to tell me to be quiet I was not going to be quiet because I believed myself to be right and knowledgable about laws etc . Well a semi tractor trailer came flying by and blew his hat off and he told us today is your lucky day . He went to find that trucker and ticket them most likely . I dont know we got outta there and we were never so glad to see the florida , alabama line . LOL so yes we have driven a beater ..I wish you luck and take care of that beater .
Hahahaha! Well in 1994 I had a similar experience in the great state of Alabama (which is now reminding me how long I have been driving around) anyway, the trooper was mean to us too. But he did let us go, told us to get out of his state. He was a the meanest cop ever and was a dead ringer for Zues from the Friday movies.
But with age I have learned a lot.
oh yikes! No cruise? I hate it for ya but you're probably young enough. btdt. Just won't do it again at my age. I traveled with carnivals for a while. I love adventures! Heck, I've been on a couple recently! Sort of still on one!
One thought crossed my mind. Aren't there companies that will sell a warranty on anything? Do you have roadside assistance at least? I'd feel better if you had something like that in place. Do you have a dog for companionship?
There's some beautiful country out there! Best wishes. I think you'll do fine. I'm pretty sure your vehicle is going to survive another 5000 miles worth of driving! btw, air mattresses are very hard to get warmed up on. I hope you have something better planned. Even in mild climate, air mattresses are COLD. Comfortable sleep is so important. And don't drive drowsy!!! And a well lit lot at a truck stop is safer than a rest stop any day!! I've always wanted to try cooking something in foil on the engine! That might be fun. You can gage the doneness by the smell coming in through your heater vent.
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Well, if thousands did it before CC was even invented I can do it too
