Drive and Drive: WV to Texas and back to trade practicality for fun.

So ever since I drove an FC RX-7 last December, I've been trying to sell or trade my IS300 Sportcross to get one. Last week I found a guy on Instagram willing to give up his 70k mile '89 convertible for my wagon, the catch being that he's in Houston and I'm in the northern panhandle of WV. His car is probably worth a bit more than mine, but we've agreed to an even trade if I make the trip. My route takes me through Cincinnati, Nashville, Memphis, and Little Rock on the way to Houston. As always I'm hoping for no mechanical issues but thought it can't hurt to let the GRM crowd know just in case. The plan is to change the oil on the Lexus, crank the coilovers up to a safer ride height, and get it aligned the day before I leave. Hoping to leave Thursday afternoon, and be back in town with the FC for dinner Sunday, maybe.. I've never been to Arkansas or Texas, but the a/c works in both cars and the owner of the FC is changing the oil and replacing brake pads for my trip. Any routes to avoid or suggestions for stops along the way?

I am 1.5 hours from Houston so I hope you don't need any help that close but i look forward to seeing updates on the trip. 

I need visual cues (and others may too) so I made this... 

For a 40 hour trip that timeline is cutting it close. I'd want to do it in 4 full days of driving. Don't let fatigue affect your safety.

If you can get the timing right, hit up Lane Motor Museum in Nashville.  I'm in the Cincinnati area, and can't think of much you'd want to do in a rush, but if you have time, the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson in Dayton is worth a stop, and admission is free.

Not a tip for a stop, but get some fully synthetic premix with you to feed the FC.

Sounds like a fun trip, enjoy!

In reply to Stampie :

Yeah, there's no time for sight seeing or sideways trips.  As I was looking at the map, I had figured for Bowling Green, KY area.  From WV that is 6 hr 44 min of driving so lets call it 7 hr 30 with stops.  Leave WV at 3pm.  Arrive there at 10:30pm.  Tired from a day of work and a days worth of driving.  

BG, KY to Houston is 12 hr 54 min.  Lets call it 14 hr 15 min

Up at 6:30 and rolling by 7am gets you to a hotel about 9:30pm...beat tired.    See the owner next morning, Saturday.  

In reply to John Welsh :

It's looking like I can leave work Thursday at 2, I was going to try and make Memphis before calling it a night. Then I'd have an 8 hr drive (I think) to Houston. I have a friend to stay with Friday night in Houston, then back on the road Saturday. Still trying to see if any of my friends are bored enough to co-drive with me..

Don't let fatigue affect your safety.

...or put others at risk!

A co-driver could be the best thing to add to the equation. 

For me, when possible, set the cruise at 9% over limit (like 76) and they'll leave you alone.

Some inspiration  

In reply to John Welsh :

I use the 9% method on most trips, but when I see a cruiser ahead in the median I generally still slow down to the limit again.. One thing that might also be a good question to ask here: When I've purchased used cars before and gone to get them registered, WV doesn't require a bill of sale. This is my first even trade, car for car. Does the title need to be marked "trade" where the sale price is, and should I get a bill of sale this time?

In reply to dannyp84 :

I drive for a living so keeping a clean record is important.  I have added another action.  Due to the whole distracted driving/texting while driving rules. When I pass a cop in the median, I make sure to have both hands on the wheel. To make it even more visible that they're on the wheel, I act as if tapping on the wheel to music. I figure this tapping hand movement makes the hands more visible. 

Interesting, I've never done a "trade"? 

I have a feeling that Ohio would like to treat as two $3k sales. 

In reply to John Welsh :

In reply to John Welsh :

It IS 2 $3000 sales. 
 

Both parties owe taxes. 

Man. You're absolutely winning with that trade. If you need a place to turn a wrench during the trip, we aren't far outside of Louisville, KY.

In reply to Powar :

I'll miss the sportcross a bit, but I think you're right, I'm pretty excited about the FC.

Totally unrelated, in Wisconsin, according to the nice lady at the DMV, if cash doesnt trade hands, you don't owe taxes on a vehicle purchase.  So trade to your little heart is content.  Wisconsin also allows you to trade in a vehicle and deduct the value of the trade from the taxes owed on the new.  

In a 20 hour freeway drive I would keep my cruise at 10 over, seems to be about the fastest "keeping up with the flow" I feel comfortable with.  The googles pins your average at 65 MPH, so if you can average 75MPH thats works out to be 17 hrs each way, saving you almost 5.5 hours total over the duration of the trip.  On my last road trip I dusted off my old Valentine One and was pleasantly surprised that it picked up all the Illinois smokeys running Ka band.  Between that and my Android Auto giving speed trap alerts, I did real well and beat the Google time home including stops for food and gas over a 9 hr drive.  

Pack some small tools, a cooler, plenty of water, a piss jug, some sandwich fixins, precut vegetables, and have fun.  If you have a way to rig up a phone or even better a tablet that can run your preference of maps, its super handy to avoid shutdown roads and major slowdowns.  

In reply to 93gsxturbo :

I was considering maybe downloading Waze for the first time, my girlfriend was using it last weekend and it marks where cop cars are sitting and suggests alternative routes around traffic. I'm hoping at least some of the trip is scenic, I've never been to Arkansas but I hear some parts are a well-kept secret of great views..

In reply to dannyp84 :

Waze is good, but, have an in-car phone charger with you.  Waze sucks down handset battery pretty substantially.  

That whole drive is gonna be pretty nice, lotta varied terrain even on the major roads.  Once you get down much past Nashville the services dry up pretty quick so if you need gas or food stop before it becomes a dire situation, there isnt much between the towns and what is there you don't wanna stop at.

If you find yourself in Memphis at eating time, the ribs from Big Bills BBQ on Elvis Presley Boulevard are pretty good.  Lock your doors LOL.  

Left home at 1:45, just fueled up in Louisville, last fuel tank averaged 20 mpg at 75-80 mph. Could maybe make better time by slowing down to try and get 23 mpg and stop less? Lots of traffic outside Cincinnati, morale still high!

Time Nashville to miss rush hour.  It's called Crashville for a reason.  It's been a few months since I've been thru there but 40 near Jackson Tn was under serious construction.  Just keep an eye on your map app.  It's generally pretty easy to hop off of i40 and run parallel to it.  It's undoubtedly a better drive to do so if you have a little extra time, especially thru Arkansas.  If it's an option consider doing I40 thru Arkansas during the night.  It is a mind numbing drive during the day unless you are willing to go 80+ in the left lane or under 60 in the right.  Nick's BBQ and Catfish is good if you need a break.  Exit 183 south of 40.  Take the loop around Little Rock, going thru downtown is really bumpy and there is 3 or 4 exchanges all on top of each other which results in people making drastic lane changes.  I30 west of Little Rock backs up some but isn't too bad.  You probably won't see a single state trooper on 40.  That's because they are all on 30.  I rarely see people pulled over though.  Once you get into Texas on US59, the speed limit will go from 75 to 35 what will feel like dozens of times.  Make sure you get down to 35mph.  There are a couple of stretches that are only 55mph that feel like they should be 75, make sure you're going 55.  US59 near Houston at rush hour will be rough, try to miss it.

I've done this exact drive tens of times.  I hate it, especially around any sort of holiday.  You can do Memphis to Houston in under 11 hours, do it at night and it'll be 1000x better.

Good luck!  Sounds like a fun adventure. 

I probably passed you yesterday somewhere on the route as we were doing Louisville to Raleigh. Thankfully that front line has passed. There was some pretty solid rain and thunderstorms pushing across the country on Wednesday. 

There are some really pretty parts to that drive. Have fun and good luck.