Hello all. Newbie here. I am flying out to Cali to pick up my New/used 2001 Boxster S, 50k miles(Please be nice as its all I can afford in this economy) this week and then driving it back to Ohio. Its about 2300miles and 33hours. Question is "Am I nuts" or will I have the ride of my life?

I have taken a Corvette conv and an A6 tt about 1/4 the distance over the years. The audi was like riding on rails, while the corvette seemed a little tedious(not horribly). Seemed like everybody had to challenge me in the Vette. I just cant think of a better car in the world to do this in than a Boxster S.

I have done as much home work as possible on the car, carfax, prior service records, newer tires and all that stuff. I love road trips so the journey isn't what worries me. Its the reliability of the car. Barring any acts of God/Allah/Yahweh/ and the Porsche deity, I shouldn't worry too much about the reliability of the car should I? I have always wanted to take a cross country trip.

If anybody has done a cross country similar, I would appreciate a couple hotel suggestions or any pointers on places to see or routes to take(i plan on I80 east for awhile. Oh, I love BB-Q so I would love to here from any of you gluttonous BBQ lovers. I heard memphis has great BBQ. I do plan to update my Passport 9500ix with all the recent photo sites.

 

Dude you are my Idol!!!!
Time of your life I am envious of you

 

Thanks, but I don't know about that, lets see if I make it back first. I couldn't pass it up, as the price was sick!! Apparently in Cali Porsches are a dime a dozen and unless it has turbo on it it's considered second class(Well not to me). I am thinking about going over Golden gate bridge even if it adds an hour to my trip.

You may see me on the news. I will be the country boy with a Buckeye hat on standing on my Boxster in the middle of the Bridge mooning nancy palosi

 

I think its a great idea. I have taken MANY road trips in various cars and think the Boxster S is a GREAT pick. Just make sure you take a nice "road side emergnecy kit" with things like Fix A Flat, some tools, duct tape etc. You NEVER know....

As for the other things - def have a good navi unit and PLAN your trip out. You dont have to be on a 'military like' schedule but have some idea of times/roads/etc. This will make your life way easier ---- that being said, the unplanned stuff usually ends up being the most memorable

Have a blast man!......and just one more thing ---- take a MILLION pictures and share them with us when you return.

 

Damn, How could I forget the Duct tape? I should lose a "man card" for that one. LOL. I got the camera charged, my 3liter camel back pack, my radar detector and my HTC touch phone all charged up. My touch is the best navi system I have used(little small) but I can actually use google maps with satelite view. I have been planning the outline of the trip and plan to let all the details fall into place. I had two routes from cali, northern or southern to chose from. I am leaning towards the northern due to not knowing if my Boxster will have any overheating problems.

I did notice something funny, all the trip planners assume you will travel @ 65mph or less. When I recalculted it @ 80-90 mph I had to readjust my over night spots. Anybody know where the giant ball of twine is located? JUST KIDDIN. I am really getting stoked. I bumped up all my insurance for the trip including road side assist. I have been on google maps for a couple days now and actually already took 1/8th of the trip on google traffic. Cool feature, as you just zoom in and suddenly its like your driving.

Fyi: 2001 Boxster "s" insurance (state min) was only $181 for 6 months with geico. Frickin crazy!!! Less than my 2000 explorer. Who would have thunk it.

 

Should be a blast!

 

No problem on forgetting the duct take. Well let you keep that man card --- taking a road trip in a Porsche equals out that mistake

Also, the mph thing is DEF something to take into account --- however even though youll be driving faster than most "normal travelers" you (if you are anything like me and most others on this board) will be stopping at random moments to take pictures of your car with things like cool road signs, other cool cars, funny sights,etc. Evens it out a little bit actually

 

Yeah, my original thought was just to get the hell back as fast as I can. But now that It has sunk in, I am thinking about taking an extra day or two. I mean , how often do you get the opportunity to joy ride across america's heart land in a Porsche? I figure I would stay in reno the first night. Its only about 3 hours into the trip and gives me a chance to get to know my new car before I go rip-roaring 13 hours a day. Yep, i may have time to find the worlds biggest ball of twine, if so I will definately take a picture with my Porsche in front of it.

 

I'm jealous. Take some extra time and enjoy. And don't forget the GPS.

 

Have a mechanic check all fluids/brakes/tires before you take the trip. Won't hurt to keep a bottle of motor oil in the trunk incase it needs topping up.

I'd try to keep a diary or snap lots of photos on the trip. Have fun on the adventure!

 

First off grats on the purchase some people can't get into a p-car period right now

As for the road trip, painters tape for rock chips, duct tape for any piping hose etc., fluids (oil, coolant, etc.) navi, good tunes, camera (a good on with plenty of cards cus you'll fill them up fast) shades and enjoy the wind in your hair lol

 

Thanks folks. Ya all put me more at ease about the 2400 mile journey. He just had it serviced 2k miles ago, but I will check all I can. I am only taking a carry on bag on the plane, so I am limited. Hopefully I will pass a good ole wallymart on the way out of cali,

got both camera batteries charged up. The only real bummer is it still only has the factory cassete player. I got ipod on my touch phone with george carland, monsters of rock and plenty other classics. Hope I can sleep tonight as I have to get up @ 4:30am to go catch a plane out of dayton.

 

u probably have to repaint the front bumper when u come back from rock chip

 

Hope you are having fun
Remember the cops are out there It would be horrible to Ruin a great road trip with a ticket or DUI .

 

You'll have a great time! Sounds like you've done your homework on the car. I think you'll be just fine! Just keep some extra oil and water in your trunk just in case she runs a bit warm! =)

And no...we'd never laugh as an 01 Boxster S is all that you can afford right now. As I told someone in a different post, I have many friends that have a Boxster out of choice and not out of affordability. Many of them enjoy driving it more than their far more expensive exotic. =) It's just a great car! I may be looking at doing a drive in mine from Seattle to Chicago in the next year or so here and I'm not too worried about reliability. She's been perfect so far. No issues. Just as a precaution, make sure that you have towing on your policy though!

ps...someone stated above about possibly needing to repaint your bumper due to rock chips. If you don't have the clear bra already on and the front end is in good shape right now, as much as you might hate doing it, I would suggest a bra for your car. Just at leat for the road trip. I know, it's ugly and yes, you will hear that it can rub where it grips on. But the rock chips are going to be worse in my opinion. You can use painter's tape on your car where the grips will be. Just a thought!

Best wishes!