I stopped doing this quite awhile ago after a few bad experiences but I have a good feeling about this one - and the price is right.
I just committed to five hours each way but I can justify it because my wife is bugging for a road trip, it's a beautiful area and we'll camp at least a night or two. No way to get it back so there's no pressure. I can walk or leave a deposit and always come back. Leaving Wednesday morning, hope I have a new project to start on.
Furthest to look at a car was about 70 miles. I've gone 450 (each way) to buy a trailer, though. Hopped in the truck and left home in San Jose around 8 AM, got to San Diego around 3. Looked over trailer, bought it. Met up with a friend for dinner, hit the road for home around 7 PM. Towed it through LA and over the Grapevine that evening, stopped in the central valley to sleep around midnight, and got home by noon the next day.
In reply to Suprf1y :2007 miles and it was not in running condition just cheap
it’s sitting in my driveway as I type
My dad went with our friend in 1995 from Edmonton to Hibbing Minnesota and back in 47 hours to pick up a dirt late model. Picked the car up at 5 am lol. Does that count.
Los Angeles to El Paso ( 800miles each way ) to cold call on a car I was told about......bought it and still have it ,
Los Angeles to Austin Texas to buy another car , 1500 miles each way , bought it and still have it .....
Los Angeles to Albuquerque , I think thats 800 miles each way , bought it too !
and too many times LA to San Jose etc.
I have been lucky and not had a wild goose chase for nothing , or that the car was so bad I did not buy it.....
But lots of 50 -100 mile wild goose chases.........
Does 2400 miles via train count?
Though, to be fair, I had no idea what vehicle I would be buying when I bought the one way tickets, just that I was going to drive something home.
Bought my van from a forum member in North Carolina and made the round trip from Michigan. She did send me 144 pictures of it before I went to look at it.
Does flying count? Lol
Drove to Salt Lake with a trailer to pick up my CRX. Do not regret. That's about five hours each way.
Had a couple of guys come to get my $900 GTX parts car. They drove from Toronto to GJ (2000 miles), then kept going to Salt Lake to pick up some parts and head home. All non-stop.
North Bay ON to Lantier QC - 544 km - For a caged rally car.
However on the same trip, I delivered a car in Toronto, stayed overnight in Ottawa, bought the Civic and drove all the way home. 26 hours of driving over 2 days hauling an 18 foot car trailer behind me.
I drove 3.5 hours one-way to look at my S60. I went back the next week armed with money.
In my defense, I had been looking for one for a while, and this one was the second-closest one. The closest one was only an hour away, but it was a ragged out POS with a complete Christmas tree on the dash, and they wanted $2k more than I ended up paying for the one I bought.
i have driven far longer in order to purchase cars, but I assume the OP meant how far to LOOK at a car.
Florida to LA, though to be fair that was a car we’d already agreed to buy.
I then drove said car to Phoenix to look at a Falcon.
6 hours, but I was able to have my brother put eyes on it for me.
Almost 2 hours one way across Ontario to look at a Toyota Hilux/Pickup, the '80s-tastic convertible model. Mostly looked good on the outside, but it had a few problems, most notably that the shocks were solid lumps of rust and the handbrake, which I felt stupid for not being able to find, was in the house.
Longest I’ve ever driven to look at a car I didn’t buy was about 90 minutes one way.
Longest I’ve ever driven to look at a car I did buy was about 3 hours one way.
Longest I’ve ever traveled for a car was PHL > ATL. At the time it was a 4-year-old Neon sedan. Decided to buy it and it broke down on the trip back to the seller’s house. Flew home. Flew back 2 weeks later and bought it.
1552 miles but, to be fair I was already going 1250 of those miles to help a friend pick up a car.
550kms each way to see this 1960 Frontenac (one year only Canadian Falcon) but it so rusty underneath.
About 200 miles for me, to Houston. This last time it didn't work, but the previous 3 times i drove to Houston to look at a car I bought them.
The car is in Sudbury and I'm in SW Ontario. We've been there many times, usually on our way up north to go camping or canoeing. About 4 years ago I was looking to replace the KLX250 I never should have sold. Everything was expensive but I saw one about 30 minutes outside Sudbury and knew we'd be going through there late in the summer so I watched the ad. The price was already good but it kept dropping as the young owner bought a new bike and wanted to get rid of it. I kept watching, and watching and about a month before we were ready to go I contacted him and told him my plans. I took the bike trailer on our camping trip, we met him in Sudbury and not only did I get a $3500 bike for $2000, he had it saftied for me so I went straight to the ministry, plated it and started riding it right away. Score!
The best deal I can find down here is about $11k for the same thing, and I already have him down to $6500, so it could be a worthwhile trip. If not at least we get a few days away.
Does driving for just an engine count? If so drove 365 miles to Kenosha for one.
And I just saw one for sale less than 2 hours from home... almost exactly the same but with most of what I had planned already done. Plans may change
I went 5 hours one way to buy a car. Did have somebody else put eyes on it for me so I had a better idea what I was getting myself into.
Columbus Ohio to Ft Myers FL, though I flew and had a GRMer look at it before I went and drove it back.
Altoona, PA to Albany, NY for my '71 Ford wagon.
drainoil said:Does driving for just an engine count? If so drove 365 miles to Kenosha for one.
Had a guy drive down from Alberta (I think) to Colorado for an MG engine.
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