This is actually two questions. The first is: Has anyone ever tried to ship a car via GRM relay?
The back story is:
I'm moving soon, and I cant take my beloved Alfa with me. Worse (or better) yet, the eldest Hungarling is as attached to it as I am and wont let me sell it. Going with a "plan-b" I found that fellow forum member, and all around great guy, M4ff3w is willing to babysit my car in my absence.
The question becomes: How do I want to get it to him?
I could ship it via uship etc, but costs come in near $1000 and that's not a lot of fun. "So why not a GRM relay?" says I.
That brings me to the second part of the question:
Is anyone willing to unofficially express interest in participating in a GRM relay with my car (1982 Alfa Romeo GTV6, in stock form) to help me get it from Washington State, to Austin, Texas?
I'm still working on the details (not to mention I'm still working on the car), but I'm thinking something along the lines of this:
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The car will be running, driving, safe**, and insured by me
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The car just needs to be moved, there wouldn't be a deadline.
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whoever has the car can most certainly "enjoy" the car (spirited drives, autocross, etc)
That's as far as I got.
So lets leave it there for now (mostly so I can get back to work). Please discuss 
. Suggestions are of course welcome and appreciated.
Estimated time to start the shipment is April 1st, and I think I have a local in WA who is willing to start this ball rolling should it actually happen.
**Safe: It's an Alfa. The parts falling off of it will have been designed by the finest Italian Engineers and installed by a guy with spanners in his garage.
I'll take the Michigan leg...
I'll take the just north of Austin to Austin leg 
akylekoz wrote:
I'll take the Michigan leg...
I'll hand it off to you, through Wisconsin...
RealMiniParker wrote:
akylekoz wrote:
I'll take the Michigan leg...
I'll hand it off to you, through Wisconsin...
How about trying to get it through all the Lower 48? 
RealMiniParker wrote:
RealMiniParker wrote:
akylekoz wrote:
I'll take the Michigan leg...
I'll hand it off to you, through Wisconsin...
How about trying to get it through all the Lower 48?
This. With a sticker from each state.
m4ff3w wrote:
RealMiniParker wrote:
RealMiniParker wrote:
akylekoz wrote:
I'll take the Michigan leg...
I'll hand it off to you, through Wisconsin...
How about trying to get it through all the Lower 48?
This. With a sticker from each state.
you know... I never said it had to go directly to Austin
I can handle Connecticut, and I'll even throw in a few laps around Lime Rock for good measure.
If you're taking it on a more direct route, I should be able to handle Northern NV - Vegas.
I'm in the Seattle area and could let easily take it down to Portland sometime when we go visit my sister, if you ended up needing a local backup option.
I can make this really easy. I'm in Washington and I'd be happy to watch it as long add you need. Just drop it off, there's plenty of room.
Javelin wrote:
I can make this really easy. I'm in Washington and I'd be happy to watch it as long add you need. Just drop it off, there's plenty of room.
Quiet you! I'm trying to be a good friend here!
I'm in Amarillo, Tx. you will almost certainly pass through here on your way. My brother lives in Austin, so it would be a great excuse to go see him for the weekend. I can probably go a little north into Colorado or west into New Mexico one weekend, and then deliver it at a later date. My summer schedule is a little crazy, but I'm up for it.
I'll buy you a beer when you get to Austin.
If you go for the lower 48 run, I can get you from Ohio border to middle of PA or so.
I'm in Portland and could potentially link up with someone from WA. Unsure how I'd get back home after getting the car somewhere but that's part of the fun right?
Thinking more about this, I'm planning to be in the Bay Area mid-March and could potentially take the car there instead of flying. Then I'd just pay for my plane ticket home, which was already in the cards.
RealMiniParker wrote:
akylekoz wrote:
I'll take the Michigan leg...
I'll hand it off to you, through Wisconsin...
I can take it through Ohio after Michigan.
Wait....I didn't know m4ff3w was here in Austin??? Why don't I ever see off Bi-Turbo spotting around town?
I'm local to Hungary and ever since he mentioned the idea of having me follow him on the trip out there in my SAAB, I realized we aren't thinking about this on a big enough scale.
Stay with me here:
Hungary is suggesting a cross-country drive in a 30+ year old Italian car that has not run in years, never mind the fact that it has never even been registered or street legal in this country. It is unproven, and at this moment doesn't even run. Additionally, it has more bondo than steel and doesn't really have any paint at all.
It just so happens that I have a car that meets the above description pretty well too. My '77 X1/9 hasn't been on the road (legally) in around two decades. It is more primer and sanding dust than paint. It isn't currently running.
So if the relay idea doesn't pan out, I'm proposing that Bill and I make a different sort of relay. We'd make the drive down together, in two separate cars: MCM Meets Roadkill style. The trip would be heavily documented, and probably rely heavily on the GRM Road Assist List. The relay portion would include us bouncing from one GRM stronghold to the next, scabbing our cars back together each night. Drinking your beer. Using your welders. Sleeping on your couches.
I'll help out in the New Mexico/Arizona area, and maybe pass it off to icaneat50eggs?
I think this should become a thing for the forum - enabling questionable vehicle purchases without letting that whole 2000 mile thing get in the way if you happen to find something on the other coast.
bmw88rider wrote:
Wait....I didn't know m4ff3w was here in Austin??? Why don't I ever see off Bi-Turbo spotting around town?
Bitrouble was gone before I came to Austin.
Mezzanine wrote:
Hungary is suggesting a cross-country drive in a 30+ year old Italian car that has not run in years, never mind the fact that it has never even been registered or street legal in this country. It is unproven, and at this moment doesn't even run. Additionally, it has more bondo than steel and doesn't really have any paint at all.
My maiden voyage in the Bitrouble was to the tax office followed by a trip from San Antonio to Ft Hood (180 miles each way)
I did get an assist from Vigo (plugs) and Jonny Pruitt (coil) on the way.
