Europe Tour 2010... In a £500 car?
Discussion
So a few of my mates have taken this notion to do a bit of driving in Europe of summer next year.. In a scrap £500 car.. It'll probably never happen, but they have big ideas at the minute.
They're on about doing a route from France, down along the coast to Porutgal and Spain.. Which I think's a bit stupid. They're leaving out Germany, and Italy amongst others..
And also, I can't think of anything else less enjoyable than driving all those miles in a POS car that they're on about buying because they dont know if it'll make the distance, and they'll have to get an insurance policy too which will cover 5 lads all under 21..
If I chance my car in January to a Corolla TSport, it'll have Any Driver cover on it.. So I don't see why they wouldn't just do that. They're not really petrol heads, and dont have a real desire to go drive on some amazing roads.. Whereas I do.. - They're also talking about camping, and staying in hostels.. Even though they're on about bringing £1500, and going for a month.. (Sounds like they're up the sky to be honest)
Where's the really hot driving spots in Europe? And who's done any sort of tour like this? Whats it like? how long did it take? and how much does it really cost?
Cheers
They're on about doing a route from France, down along the coast to Porutgal and Spain.. Which I think's a bit stupid. They're leaving out Germany, and Italy amongst others..
And also, I can't think of anything else less enjoyable than driving all those miles in a POS car that they're on about buying because they dont know if it'll make the distance, and they'll have to get an insurance policy too which will cover 5 lads all under 21..
If I chance my car in January to a Corolla TSport, it'll have Any Driver cover on it.. So I don't see why they wouldn't just do that. They're not really petrol heads, and dont have a real desire to go drive on some amazing roads.. Whereas I do.. - They're also talking about camping, and staying in hostels.. Even though they're on about bringing £1500, and going for a month.. (Sounds like they're up the sky to be honest)
Where's the really hot driving spots in Europe? And who's done any sort of tour like this? Whats it like? how long did it take? and how much does it really cost?
Cheers
I did this 6 or 7 years ago.
Myself and 3 friends hired a villa in the South of France for a week, and then went on a further week's road tripping around Northern Italy, back across France and in to Northern/Eastern Spain.
I took a £600 Cavaier TD. It got us down there fine. It atarted to run very, very hot in the mountain roads (temp guage off the top), and struggled to keep up with the traffic on the motorways when fully loaded with people/gear. Admittedly, the outside temperature regularly saw 36-39 degs.
The car got us home, and 2 days later died on the A14 (major head gasket failure). In all fairness, the car should have died in Span somewhere, but luckily it kept going.
I would say that doing probably 2000 miles, in the heat of S Europe, will kill a cheaper car, unless chosen very carefully. If mine had broken down en route, we'd have been right royally fooked.
Please go in to it with your eyes open - strongly consider comprehensive breakdown cover, have a basic idea of maintenance, and don't try and do 100mph all the way through France just because everyone else is!
BUT... DO try and do it if you can. It was excellent. Best holiday of my life, we found all sorts of fun things to see and do, bumped in to loads of brits, found waterfalls, canyons etc, and the Millau Bridge is a thing of (geeky) beauty.
Enjoy it... photo diary is a must
Myself and 3 friends hired a villa in the South of France for a week, and then went on a further week's road tripping around Northern Italy, back across France and in to Northern/Eastern Spain.
I took a £600 Cavaier TD. It got us down there fine. It atarted to run very, very hot in the mountain roads (temp guage off the top), and struggled to keep up with the traffic on the motorways when fully loaded with people/gear. Admittedly, the outside temperature regularly saw 36-39 degs.
The car got us home, and 2 days later died on the A14 (major head gasket failure). In all fairness, the car should have died in Span somewhere, but luckily it kept going.
I would say that doing probably 2000 miles, in the heat of S Europe, will kill a cheaper car, unless chosen very carefully. If mine had broken down en route, we'd have been right royally fooked.
Please go in to it with your eyes open - strongly consider comprehensive breakdown cover, have a basic idea of maintenance, and don't try and do 100mph all the way through France just because everyone else is!
BUT... DO try and do it if you can. It was excellent. Best holiday of my life, we found all sorts of fun things to see and do, bumped in to loads of brits, found waterfalls, canyons etc, and the Millau Bridge is a thing of (geeky) beauty.
Enjoy it... photo diary is a must
what he said above - excellent advice.
I have done this a few times, always a laugh, we did it in a load of old Triumphs which was great fun.
However this year we tried things differently. Flew over to Nice via easyjet and hired a couple of cars. Flights were £70 return each and the cars were £300 each for 10 days. Flying cut out the ferry /fuel costs and the long drive through France. If you are hell bent on driving an old banger down then its a good laugh, but the risks and problems are rife!
I'd be more inclined to fly and drive hire cars.
We spent 10 days touring the French Riviera and Italy seeing Nice, Monaco, Turin, Italian Lakes, Stelvio, Venice, East coast then across land to Rome, Pisa and ended up in Portofino. Was the best holiday ever!
Good luck
I have done this a few times, always a laugh, we did it in a load of old Triumphs which was great fun.
However this year we tried things differently. Flew over to Nice via easyjet and hired a couple of cars. Flights were £70 return each and the cars were £300 each for 10 days. Flying cut out the ferry /fuel costs and the long drive through France. If you are hell bent on driving an old banger down then its a good laugh, but the risks and problems are rife!
I'd be more inclined to fly and drive hire cars.
We spent 10 days touring the French Riviera and Italy seeing Nice, Monaco, Turin, Italian Lakes, Stelvio, Venice, East coast then across land to Rome, Pisa and ended up in Portofino. Was the best holiday ever!
Good luck
This is the sort of trip you will always remember so do it !
If you make millions , marry a supermodel and live a long and fulfilling life , this is one of the things you will inevitably look back on with great fondness . I did a big trip around france and Spain ( to Gibralter and back actually ) in my Alfa 33 estate ( 1988 model on carbs!) and loved it . Although the car has long since departed into the history books , the steering wheel hangs on my garage wall , serving as a reminder that the journey is as important as the destination .
I slept in the car on occasions to reduce costs and enjoyed the sunshine - good luck
If you make millions , marry a supermodel and live a long and fulfilling life , this is one of the things you will inevitably look back on with great fondness . I did a big trip around france and Spain ( to Gibralter and back actually ) in my Alfa 33 estate ( 1988 model on carbs!) and loved it . Although the car has long since departed into the history books , the steering wheel hangs on my garage wall , serving as a reminder that the journey is as important as the destination .
I slept in the car on occasions to reduce costs and enjoyed the sunshine - good luck
Oh, something else I remember doing - and recommend... I strapped my camcorder to the roof using some of those soft straps used for keeping surfboard bags on, then filmed the roads, IMAX style, along some awesome canyon roads, hairpins, vast, VAST drop-offs, we found a waterfall to sit underneath (cold, but a memory I shall take to my grave).
Around here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque_de_Navacelles
Or: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&source=hp&...
You can't see the gradients, but trust me, it's a thrill. My girlfriend was in tears at the thought of it ()
A lovely, lovely part of the world, and it you're travelling south on the A75, well worth an afternoon's detour. Feels like you're on Mars or something.
Around here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque_de_Navacelles
Or: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&source=hp&...
You can't see the gradients, but trust me, it's a thrill. My girlfriend was in tears at the thought of it (
)A lovely, lovely part of the world, and it you're travelling south on the A75, well worth an afternoon's detour. Feels like you're on Mars or something.
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