Ideas for sub-$3k car for cross country adventure?

How about something ubiquitous, American, classic, yet unloved, like a 4 door 65-70 GM B body? Parts are easy, its the 4th most produced car ever, 1st if you go by units/years.

I'm 6'-1" and 190lbs with size 13 and I fit in my '91 Miata nicely. I did take the visors off to see the traffic lights better. I usually get 30-33 mpg with lots of spirited driving on the back roads. I could see how others are uncomfortable. I might try to do a foamectomy to get down a little more however.

If you're in SF, you should be able to find some Miata club that will let you drive one for a while to see if it comfortable. And if you need more space, you can get a receiver hitch and a lockable storage on a rack. Or those miatas with the luggage rack on the trunk...

In reply to SVreX:

Sorry for the convoluted response, how does one multi-quote on here?

I like the idea of a 900 Turbo, but the quirky Swedes to do scare me, I can just imagine it getting all "quirky" on me in New Mexico and not being able to find parts. If one has been maintained meticulously, I'm game.

SVreX, I like your idea of a sub 2k$ classic for the reasons you stated. And maybe the $1k in fuel would offset the amount it'd be drinking, certainly something to consider. Blue Highways is now on my list.

MrH, I love E34s, but a little too sedate for this trip.

JohnRW, for lodging we will be camping a bit, staying with friends, and using couch surfing.com. Very good info on the Miata packing techniques. We know how to pack very light. In fact, we are currently traveling the world out of 35L bags and have been for the past 5 months! :D This road trip is sort of a continuation, we can't stop! I have considered vans, like a VW van, or 80s Toyota van, something like that. Most of them seem to get crap mileage though. This one really intrigues me though: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/cto/3663747151.html

Sobe, looks like a great route, our's will be quite different. Best of luck!

JT, I hear ya, the small cars make me nervous, especially since we could be gone as long as 2 months. I had never thought of a Crown Vic, hmmm. It'd have to be pretty cheap to offset the thirst.

93EXCivic, I will look into the Supras, and the Zs, though the last one I drove was pretty uninspiring. Those European cars you mention sound pretty scary to me, cost of maintenance and so forth. I had a friend with a mid 90s Jag, total nightmare.

Gasoline, I like your line of thinking. That Dodge might be more adventure than I can handle though. :D

Bobzilla, nice truck, but out of my range I reckon. C4 Vettes interest me, but I'd have a hard time convincing my girlfriend. This trip should be a good test as to whether or not she can handle me screaming at inanimate objects.

I should specify my intent after the trip. While we may just sell this car when we finish, if it proves to be a good car, we will keep it. In San Francisco it's nice to have a small car for parking, and I like little handlers, if I had the money I'd look into a Mazda2 or Protege5. If I do compromise on a larger car, I'd prefer a van or wagon so I can haul drums and amps.

Klayfish wrote: Never taken a long road trip in a Miata, but if that's what you and your GF want to do, go for it. At 6'3", it'll be a bit tight, but not ridiculously so. They are a bit noisy, and of course luggage space is minimal. Yes, you'll get 30mpg cruising the highway. I get 33mpg out of mine. If you want something bigger, Saab 900 or 9-3 convertible may be a worthwhile option.

Thanks very much, very helpful!

RossD wrote: I'm 6'-1" and 190lbs with size 13 and I fit in my '91 Miata nicely. I did take the visors off to see the traffic lights better. I usually get 30-33 mpg with lots of spirited driving on the back roads. I could see how others are uncomfortable. I might try to do a foamectomy to get down a little more however. If you're in SF, you should be able to find some Miata club that will let you drive one for a while to see if it comfortable. And if you need more space, you can get a receiver hitch and a lockable storage on a rack. Or those miatas with the luggage rack on the trunk...

Very helpful, thanks a lot. That's a good idea on contacting a club. If I can get 33mpg I'd be thrilled.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: How about something ubiquitous, American, classic, yet unloved, like a 4 door 65-70 GM B body? Parts are easy, its the 4th most produced car ever, 1st if you go by units/years.

Googling...

944 - fun to drive, you'll fit in it, eats up the miles, some risk for adventure, but enough of them around that help probably isn't too far away. Just make sure timing belt and clutch are sorted before you head out.

P71 would work great. And I second the hatred of convertibles on roadtrips.

Or, buy a station wagon and camp. That's what I would (and do) do.

the kind of trip you are planning in any 3k car will be a adventure. its one think to make the run in 4 to 5 days but when you have cars in these price range out on the road for the time and distance you are talking. i would be looking at part availability and how easy it is to work on at the side of road. allow room for a good set of tools and you not owning a car at this time do you have tools if not leave money in your budget for them. being in cali you should be able to find something from the late 60's to early 80's

oldtin wrote: 944 - fun to drive, you'll fit in it, eats up the miles, some risk for adventure, but enough of them around that help probably isn't too far away. Just make sure timing belt and clutch are sorted before you head out.

I would love a 944, but finding one that is in my price range and has been properly maintained seems difficult.

Tom, I was just looking on CL, they seem to be available, and there is a certain charm to driving across the country having everyone thinking your a cop. I will see if my lady thinks they are "romantic" enough. ;)

cutter67 wrote: the kind of trip you are planning in any 3k car will be a adventure. its one think to make the run in 4 to 5 days but when you have cars in these price range out on the road for the time and distance you are talking. i would be looking at part availability and how easy it is to work on at the side of road. allow room for a good set of tools and you not owning a car at this time do you have tools if not leave money in your budget for them. being in cali you should be able to find something from the late 60's to early 80's

I still have tools from my M3 days, but that's a good thing to consider, the amount of time we are going to be out in this low-cost car means it's likely I will be working on it. That's another thing that appeals to me about the Miata, it's a Mazda. How easy are they to work on btw? I'd guess easier than my old M3.

It's insane that I am cross shopping a Miata and a 1970 Ford Econoline van! Does anyone know much about these, as posted above, it seems very, very interesting: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/cto/3663747151.html

I'd second finding something that is going to turn people's heads when you drive by in it. Were my GF and I to do something like this, we'd be taking the DeLorean despite its hurting for cargo space as bad or worse than a Miata. Second choice of my vehicles (since this imagined trip is set in the future anyway, and presumably I'll be done with it by then...) would be the El Camino. Put the camper top on the back, and you could sleep in it as well as having plenty of space for cargo and it being a vehicle that is going to get a second look from most people when it drove by.

I'd say search on Craigslist for roughly $2500 or so and see what weird and wonderful cars you can find. Look at the cars that catch your eye as thinking, "Huh, you don't see that every day..." and find one that runs good and has been well taken care of. Corvair? Older RX-7 or Z-car?

CyberEric wrote: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/cto/3663747151.html

run as fast as you can to look at that if its as nice in the pics you may have a winner whats cool is you can work on the engine from the inside because as we all know something always breaks when it rains

Man, that's alot of driving. I don't think I could stand a Miata for that long...yes, I'm a wuss. My first thought's are a Protege5 or Focus hatch. Not sure if that would be "interesting" enough though.

Ashyukun wrote: I'd second finding something that is going to turn people's heads when you drive by in it. Were my GF and I to do something like this, we'd be taking the DeLorean despite its hurting for cargo space as bad or worse than a Miata. Second choice of my vehicles (since this imagined trip is set in the future anyway, and presumably I'll be done with it by then...) would be the El Camino. Put the camper top on the back, and you could sleep in it as well as having plenty of space for cargo and it being a vehicle that is going to get a second look from most people when it drove by. I'd say search on Craigslist for roughly $2500 or so and see what weird and wonderful cars you can find. Look at the cars that catch your eye as thinking, "Huh, you don't see that every day..." and find one that runs good and has been well taken care of. Corvair? Older RX-7 or Z-car?

That's exactly what I've been doing, there's always something interesting too! I'd love a Corvair...

cutter67 wrote:

CyberEric wrote: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/cto/3663747151.html

run as fast as you can to look at that if its as nice in the pics you may have a winner whats cool is you can work on the engine from the inside because as we all know something always breaks when it rains

It really does look amazing doesn't it? I am not back in the States yet, so I may miss that deal, but I am going to email him.

Fletch, I'd love to find a Protege5 but most are out of my budget, though I might be able to justify it if I use it when we return.

Interesting cars make for interesting trips. I did about 1200 miles in this one late last year and I'll do another 3000 on the BABE rally this year with it. Sure, it's no fun in the twisties and the fuel economy is terrible. But I can sleep in it if I need to, it eats up highway miles like nothing, and I can't stop anywhere without making new friends who have great memories of their youth taking roadtrips in a wagon.

And yes that's a very fun, fuel efficient Abarth in the background. For a roadtrip I'll take the wagon any time :)

In reply to Tom Suddard:

Camping shouldn't require something as large as a station wagon unless you're going to some extreme location like the Artic in winter. Unless you're sleeping in the car, I guess, but that doesn't seem much fun.

CyberEric wrote: It's insane that I am cross shopping a Miata and a 1970 Ford Econoline van!

Nope, that's this board. The rest of civilization doesn't get it, but that's normal here.

pres589 wrote: In reply to Tom Suddard: Camping shouldn't require something as large as a station wagon unless you're going to some extreme location like the Artic in winter. Unless you're sleeping in the car, I guess, but that doesn't seem much fun.

True, and I've camped in my E30 before. But a station wagon is great when you get to a weird place in the middle of nowhere at midnight–you can just crawl in the back and sleep. Pitching a tent in the dark sucks.

I will agree with the general sentiment that this a big country full of boring straight roads. Much like sex on a beach seems romantic until you realize sand is a poor lubricant... unrelenting wind noise you have to shout over and kidney punching suspension gets old fast.

I am all for that sort of adventure myself anyway but I would not bring my wife along to save both of our sanity.

With that in mind:

If your girlfriend is a real adventurer then skip the car and do it on one or two motorcycles.

I have done a substantial amount of cross-country driving in a 1990 Miata. What is good about the Miata is that it is just a pleasant car to drive, and since you will be doing so much driving, that is a good thing.

I suspect you wont be doing a lot of long haul legs since this is an exploratory trip.

Luggage is going to be an issue. My wife and I could pack the car with enough clothes, camping and fishing gear to go for two weeks.

My parents did a similar trip to what you are describing. They used a Toyota 4 wheel drive Pick-up since they wanted to include logging roads and more out of the way destinations. They had a great time and went to some incredible destinations, so you might want to keep the option for such destinations open.

Enjoy.

If you are the least be serious about this trip you need to buy a common car that you can get parts for in the middle of no where. accord/camry/mustang/camaro/miata.

Brakes/belts/spark plugs are easy for almost any car, but what if you in tank fuel pump goes out or fuel injector, etc

glueguy wrote:

CyberEric wrote: It's insane that I am cross shopping a Miata and a 1970 Ford Econoline van!

Nope, that's this board. The rest of civilization doesn't get it, but that's normal here.

I love it! I came to the right place.

Tom Suddard wrote: Pitching a tent in the dark sucks.

Well it depends on what she looks like...