For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only! (III)

[nono]

Originally Posted by Shir Kahn

We're driving down in our Mitsubishi RVR. We absolutely love it, especially for long trips!

Is the RVR an Outlander in the US?

We have a Mitsubishi Outlander and a Chrysler Town and Country. We've also had smaller sedans...

The Chrysler T & C is our favorite to drive to FL.
The Mitsubishi Outlander is our 2nd favorite. (T & C's third row make it easier for someone to get horizontal to nap, and for a parent to sit and supervise some of the crafts the kids do in the second row. Otherwise it would be a tie).
All sedans we've ever had are in third place.

Both the T & C and Outlander, despite being higher or heavier than the sedans, perform so well on the highway (gas mileage), that whatever extra savings we'd get from taking a more economical vehicle isn't worth losing the comfort of those first two vehicles.

YMMV.

[SondraC]

Originally Posted by chipper10

What kind of car do you take for your drive? I am thinking about taking my Nissan Versa for our drive. It will be myself, DH and our two sons. We usually take the van (Chrysler Town and Country), but I was thinking we could save even more by taking my Versa. DH is worried the car will be too small for the trip though.

I'm with your dh on this. I think the extra room would be worth it.

[SondraC]

We are leaving on Friday (the 28th). We live a little East of Pittsburgh and worried about driving through WV. That's the more direct route for us, but might need to go towards D.C. to avoid it. Thoughts?

[Shir Kahn]

Originally Posted by nono

Is the RVR an Outlander in the US?

We have a Mitsubishi Outlander and a Chrysler Town and Country. We've also had smaller sedans...

The Chrysler T & C is our favorite to drive to FL.
The Mitsubishi Outlander is our 2nd favorite. (T & C's third row make it easier for someone to get horizontal to nap, and for a parent to sit and supervise some of the crafts the kids do in the second row. Otherwise it would be a tie).
All sedans we've ever had are in third place.

Both the T & C and Outlander, despite being higher or heavier than the sedans, perform so well on the highway (gas mileage), that whatever extra savings we'd get from taking a more economical vehicle isn't worth losing the comfort of those first two vehicles.

YMMV.

No, it's actually a bit more compact than the Outlander with even better gas mileage. Not too much smaller than the Outlander though, it's very roomy inside. We got the RVR GT, which has 4wd, a moonroof, paddle shifters so I can change from automatic to manual and shift gears with the paddles just behind the steering wheel, totally keyless, I press a button to both get into it and to start it, heated seats (oh wow is this nice when it's -25! ) and a Rockford Fosgate stereo system with satellite radio so we can listen to all the Disney music on the way down! I really love this vehicle! Now that I've gone keyless, I don't know if I can ever buy another vehicle that uses keys ever again!

[pwdebbie]

Originally Posted by SondraC

We are leaving on Friday (the 28th). We live a little East of Pittsburgh and worried about driving through WV. That's the more direct route for us, but might need to go towards D.C. to avoid it. Thoughts?

You need to watch the weather and make your decision on that. I've heard a storm is coming from the west on Tuesday night (when my dd and family will be traveling 10 hours west to visit the Indiana in-laws) and another later in the week. You might want to avoid mountains as much as possible. But from east of Pittsburgh, you will have to go over mountains to get to DC. Mountains no matter which way you travel.

[dvczerfs]

Originally Posted by chipper10

What kind of car do you take for your drive? I am thinking about taking my Nissan Versa for our drive. It will be myself, DH and our two sons. We usually take the van (Chrysler Town and Country), but I was thinking we could save even more by taking my Versa. DH is worried the car will be too small for the trip though.

this is what we drive down in:




we just bought this:



its to replace this:

[dvczerfs]

Originally Posted by NJRRK

I'd rather over estimate for food and come home with money in my pocket. I figured, for round trip, 2 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 dinners. And yes it's just the two of us can't do non-stop driving because my partner doesn't drive.

not being a wise guy, but, what do you eat when you fly? you still have to eat if you fly or drive? non-stop is tuff with only one driver. i can do it going down. thats leaving at 3:30am and pulling into okw at 7pm. coming home is another story. i need help for about two hours.
theres alot of us who drive for other reason then cost. for us, its cheaper to eat driving then flying. we pack food in a cooler and we dont have to "eat out".
i do have to disclose, i spend alot of time on the road for work. i put 50k on my company car this year so driving to me comes a bit easier then to some people.

[bdoyledimou]

Originally Posted by NJRRK

I actually sat down and figured out the cost. This is for us in northeast NJ.
All costs approximate.

Hotel (2 nights) - $150
Gasoline - $230
Tolls - $70
Food - $180

Total $630

As long as I can find airfare under $600, I'll fly.

Your prices are higher than what cost me to drive for 6 people (3 adults 3 kids) in a mini van, from Toronto.

Your toll charge may vary, but we paid about $20 each way, we ate at Cracker Barrel for ~10 a person -- 3 times .

[NJRRK]

Originally Posted by bdoyledimou

Your prices are higher than what cost me to drive for 6 people (3 adults 3 kids) in a mini van, from Toronto.

Your toll charge may vary, but we paid about $20 each way, we ate at Cracker Barrel for ~10 a person -- 3 times .

Ok, the tolls are only $55, but I stick with my gas and food budget, hotel might be a bit high, but again if I budget $70, + tax, each way and I pay less I'm happy.

[BC1836]

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,
we're hoping to drive yet again to the Mouse!"


All the best.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[AaronInWI]

Originally Posted by SamSam

We would have a 1,423 mile trip (21 hours) and we've always flown. We have started staying longer in October (Food and Wine), so we keep discussing driving as opposed to renting a car (we like having a car), but we get hung up on the fact that we think we would be okay driving down (with an ovenight stop) but we're afraid the trip home could be grueling.

What has been your experience? There's just the 2 of us (empty nesters) and we would definitely take some time on the way down to see some sights.
Advice is welcome.

That was my worry too, that the drive home would feel like it took FOREVER since we just wanted to be home. But honestly, at least in my experience, it wasn't too terrible. It is just the wife and I, too. We reminisced about the trip, talked about what we wanted to do once we got home, and enjoyed the scenery along the way. And really, for me personally, I just looked at it as another part of the adventure of driving cross country, which is really what I enjoyed the most. I loved the sense of adventure of exploring the country and going places I'd never been before. Give it a try. What's the worst that can happen? You hate the drive and never want to do it again. As long as it doesn't detract from the fun you had on your trip, at least you can say you did it. Right?

[sharadoc]

Originally Posted by dvczerfs

this is what we drive down in:




we just bought this:



its to replace this:

What happened????

[faindrops27]

Hi all, I need help deciding what to do. It will be our first time driving from Long Island to Disney Sept 13'. Dh, is accustomed to driving from Long Island to South Carolina with no problems he has made countless trips to visit family.

It will be DH & I, ds 18, ds 11, dd9. We will be driving our minivan down
We do not check into POR until the 24th. So, I began to think why not make this trip/drive an adventure. We would leave 6-7 p.m. on either the 20th, or the 21st to do a pre mini trip to see some sights on the way down (fun things for a family to do, amusement parks, etc.) Or, just drive the whole way down to do a pre trip to either Universal(we've been several times) or Tampa Busch Gardens(never been here.) a few nights before checking in at Disney.

Can someone please give me suggestions on what to do? The best route, tolls, if we should stop or should we just breeze straight through to Florida. If we should stop, the best places to stay for our family of five. I keep thinking about this but cannot make a final decision on what would be best. Thanks in advance!

[marius97]

Originally Posted by SamSam

We would have a 1,423 mile trip (21 hours) and we've always flown. We have started staying longer in October (Food and Wine), so we keep discussing driving as opposed to renting a car (we like having a car), but we get hung up on the fact that we think we would be okay driving down (with an ovenight stop) but we're afraid the trip home could be grueling.

What has been your experience? There's just the 2 of us (empty nesters) and we would definitely take some time on the way down to see some sights.
Advice is welcome.

I guess I'm a bit weird...The drive home generally doesn't feel that bad. Yes, we are excited on the drive down, but sometimes that excitement makes it seem like we'll never get there. Coming home from any long drive for us always seems to go faster. The part that gets me is the drive from the highway to our house. Visiting family, we have 20+ minutes which drives me crazy. Coming from WDW, we have a three hour drive from getting off the highway to home.

[marius97]

Originally Posted by chipper10

What kind of car do you take for your drive? I am thinking about taking my Nissan Versa for our drive. It will be myself, DH and our two sons. We usually take the van (Chrysler Town and Country), but I was thinking we could save even more by taking my Versa. DH is worried the car will be too small for the trip though.

Go to gasbuddy.com and use their trip calculator to see how much gas would cost you. I threw in some guesses to which versions of cars you have and the T&C only comes out to being $60 more for you to drive. So the question is...Is your comfort worth $60? For my family yes it is so we would take the minivan. But for others, that $60 could mean a nice dinner out.