What car for a 3000 mile road trip?

[white_goodman]

Ok, so you've got 2 people (so doesn't need to be a 4 seater), 5 days and 3000 miles to drive. What would be your weapon of choice?

It could be New York to LA perhaps or the European equivalent. What car would you choose for the trip money no object and what would you choose on a more real world budget?

For an American roadtrip, the romantic in me would like to choose something like this:



or this



but the reality would probably be quite wearing, so maybe the modern equivalent?



The Challenger over the Camaro/Mustang because it's based on the 300C, so probably more comfortable and spacious than the others.

However, throw some Alpine passes into the equation and it would be difficult to beat a Jaaag!



or one of these in supercharged flavour on my real-world budget



What car would you choose for your 3000 mile road trip?

[XJ Flyer]

I'd probably be happy with the Jag I've got for the job.IE what else provides four door saloon comfort with 6 litre V12 power and a manual box.

[Magic919]

Real world - 911
Money no object - dearer 911

[BE57 TOY]

Are you doing the gumball rally OP?

[Riley Blue]

I'll take my A8 thanks. It may be 11 years old but it can do trips like that without breaking into a sweat. Money no object? I'll have a new one please.

[machineripper]

Those 1998+ XJRs are unbelievable. Smooth on the highway and will stay neck and neck with a 911 in a straight line.

[Leins]

While not exactly known at a Grand Tourer, I was delighted with how well my CSL performed on a European trip down as far as Salzburg last year. I know that VBH did something similar a couple of years ago with one and said it worked out well, but I was still a little surprised with how it coped with some long-distance high-speed cruising, ferries, luggage, back roads, city centres, weather, etc, on what was over 2k miles in a week

In saying that, I'd love to try the same or further in either a 928 GTS or a Lister XJS some time

[white_goodman]

BE57 TOY said:

Are you doing the gumball rally OP?

Would love to but not this year sadly. I think it's a rare quality in a car though. The feeling that you would just want to jump in a car and take it on a journey that epic. Out of the 12 or so cars that I have owned, only 3 have given me that feeling (325i Cab, Blobeye WRX, Jeep Grand Cherokee) but I've only taken the Subaru of those three on a long trip through France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. The lack of air con in the 325i may have been an issue on such a trip had I taken it on one.

I have however, driven a Toyota Yaris from Edmonton, Alberta to Toronto, Ontario (just over 2000 miles) in 4 days. Not my first choice of car though (one of my last choices in fact). I booked a compact car (Corolla/Focus/Civic) several months in advance and when I turned up to pick it up I got a Yaris. They tried to tell me it was a compact car and that it was the only one they had left, so take it or leave it!

Neither of my current cars have that quality, although one is new and the other perfectly decent (I'm sure it would make it)!

[VBRJ]

I found my Chimaera 500 to be an excellent tool for the trip to Monaco via Stelvio pass.


...as long as you don't mind the slower cars holding you up on the Autobahn

[V8 FOU]

BMW E24 635 Csi.

Cheap to buy, comfortable, a/c, cruise, auto. Good handling and decent economy. One of the best GT cars.