Cross Country Delimma

[Joe G]

Im driving to washington from NY starting at the end of this week. My delimma is the E30, the body has 167k on it and the Motor (S50) has around 95k. Its got no AC, H&R race, billy sports, recaro speeds, its loud, and does need some maintenance work (bushings?, maybe brake pads, a new starter, and throw out bearing) All of those things are not immidately mandatory, but they do need to be done in the next month or so. Ive priced out everything i need at around $700 (akg bushings bumped up the price).

So the question is, do i take my dads '06 Grand Cherokee and ship the E30 out to washington and have him take the jeep home when he comes out to visit? or do i get all the shit done to the E30 and drive it?

Shipping is going to cost roughly the same as the parts i need, so if i ship the car all i will accomplish is getting a car in need of work to Washington. And if i drive the car i will most likely be hot, miserable, and more at risk of getting stranded in the middle of the country due to an unforseen break down.

thoughts?

[Ryan...]

Personally, I would probably take the chance of the car breaking down and fix the stuff you need.

Open the windows, get a couple good playlists, and just drive!

[Joe G]

Thats what i was thinking, but my dad isnt crazy about the idea.

[Ryan...]

Its definitely not the most ideal situation, but I would have a hard time paying $700+ to ship it there, then another $700 to fix it once it got there.

If the car is crazy loud, maybe some ear plugs might help?

[Joe G]

I drove it 500 miles from Ohio to NY in june, and it wasnt that bad. Im just concerned with 5 days of 500-800 miles of driving. Not only is that a lot for the car to take, but im sure by day 3 im gonna be all sorts of sore from sitting in the recaros for 8 hours a day.

[nando]

it's going to cost far more to ship the E30 than to fix those issues.

[Dozyproductions]

I drove my car from San Diego to Dallas and back with no ac no cruise and some maintenance needed but not in vital areas. On the way back, we came back with a trailer attached to the e30. NO PROBLEMS and that was with an m20 :)

[mrsleeve]

Fix it and drive it. Barrow the money if you have too pay someone to do it. By shipping it you are out that cost, the fuel to drive the jeep out, your dad the time a fuel to take it back, and you still have to fix your car. Seems like a no brainier to me.

[Sagaris]

Its definitely not the most ideal situation, but I would have a hard time paying $700+ to ship it there, then another $700 to fix it once it got there.

If the car is crazy loud, maybe some ear plugs might help?

Ear plugs should be worn even if just for the wind-noise alone at freeway speeds.

[Joe G]

shipping it/driving the jeep would definitely be an expensive endevor. I do love my car and want to drive it, its just my family is already against me moving not to mention me driving a 24 year old car across the counrty.

I think im going to borrow some money from my step-dad for parts and do the work myself, just so i can save my money for whatever unforseen issues/expensies that may come my way. Not to mention i need to pay rent and buy a bed/dresser/desk once i get out there.

[NigelStu]

The way I'd do it is rent a uhaul trailer and tow it out there with the Jeep. Bring your dad. A trip like that is better with 2 people.

Once you're out there, start fixing stuff.

my 2.5 cents.




edit - moving boxes can work great for furniture if you're tight on budget. When I moved from WI to Phoenix, my bedroom consisted of a mattress on the floor with a moving box as a bedside table - I added 2 smaller boxes that acted as shelves inside. Closet had more boxes stacked up as shelves for clothes. Looked ghetto as hell, but worked until I found something I liked.

[Joe G]

that was the plan initially, but the uhaul isnt cheap, and my grandma is really sick so my dad cant go out of town.

[Ryan...]

You could also pick up a super cheap POS e30 comfort seat to swap in place of your recaro. People damn near GIVE those away if they're torn up.

[Pac1373]

Repair e30 and drive, you will have stories to tell and a great set of memories. the gas in the GC alone will be more than repairs and fuel in the e30. much less shipping.

[z31maniac]

Fix and drive.

And if you have any kind of constitution, 800 miles a day is the minimum.