Easier drive 5 or 101??

[edwardius]

On 101 you probably go through more cities so there is probably better chance of finding someone to repair the car if that becomes necessary.

[murlough23]

5 will get you there about an hour or two sooner. 101 is more interesting. The Grapevine on the 5 is notorious for its treacherous inclines, and I drive a stick, so it always makes me wish I had a 4th-and-a-half gear on the way up, but I've driven it and similarly steep roads enough times that I'm numb to it. I actually think the long, flat, straight stretches of the 5 with big rigs going 55 in one lane and impatient pick-up trucks flashing their lights and getting ticked at you if you don't either speed up to 90 or let them pass you in the other lane could be potentially more dangerous. 101 feels more laid-back but the descent down out of the Santa Ynez valley into the Santa Barbara area scares me a little bit due to how windy it gets there. I drive a small car, so maybe it's a little different if you drive something that pulls a little more weight.

On one trip back from the Bay Area, I made the mistake of leaving Santa Cruz in the morning, following PCH all the way through Big Sur to San Luis Obispo, and then continuing an the 101 all the way back to L.A., all in one long 8-hour haul with just brief bathroom and food stops. It was scenic, but NEVER AGAIN!!!

[Winston Smith]

With a car that old, I'd take 101. A much saner and more civilized route all togher, IMO. I-5 is nuts with people driving 100 MPH.