Never Have I Ever - A Mid Life Crisis

[wilnj]

Turning 50 was unremarkable, I turned 51 earlier this year. In May, a co-worker retired at 65. 3 weeks later he was diagnosed with a terminal condition and died at the end of July, about 9 weeks after retiring.

That has sent me sideways.

I feel that if I were to play the drinking game, never have I ever, I could play for hours and safely give everyone a ride home later that night.

One of the things I’ve never done is drive cross country, I’ve also never driven any of my bucket list cars. I need to make this happen and I need help planning it out.

The Mission
I live in NJ. I’d look to buy/pick up the car somewhere on the West Coast and drive it back East. I have family in SoCal and PNW that I would like to visit so as to extend the adventure.

Assumptions
-Freedom to select when I do this (ie any season)
-Freedom to determine duration or to even leave duration open ended as long as it’s measured in weeks, not months
-Solo, I don’t want to accommodate anyone else’s time table.

The route
On this, I have no opinion, I would think that short of February and August, there’s enough variety in the US climates that I could pick any route and be comfortable.

I would want to be able to do it in shorts and a tee without worrying about suffering through 100 plus degree temps with an unsophisticated AC system.

The cars
Porsche 911 - Natch
BMW E28 or E34
BMW E24

Which would you choose and why? Feel free to be specific of which model, year or configuration you’d choose.

The car would need to be a manual, it should be fun, unique, a good cruiser, reasonably reliable with a wide support network if i get into a jam. I’d probably hope to put 5k miles or more on the car during the trip

While I’d shy away from a real museum piece, assume anything under $100k but I’d love to meet people along the way, so I don’t mind a conversation starter.

I would need to be comfortable leaving it in a parking lot pretty much anywhere this side of a warzone.

Are there any others I should consider?

Note: I have driven an E34 but it was a 525i with an auto. Not the experience I’m looking for.

Disclaimer: I reserve the right to edit this post as I receive feedback so don’t get sideways with me if later on your response no longer makes sense.


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[Seahawk]

This is going to be great.

If you PM me your email, I'll send you the list pf places a Buddy of mine in I are going to see next year when we "lap" America for 6 weeks together.

I have driven across the country at least 20 times and, depending on the car you select, the route needs to be Blue Highways.

[masraum]

Interesting. I've got no experience in this sort of thing and have performed no planning.

Of course, a Porsche of some sort is at the top of the list. I could see doing it in a Boxster, Cayman, 911 or even Panamera. If it was anything other than the Panamera, I'd definitely go with a manual trans. If that's an option in the Panamera, great, but I suspect that would be tough to find. I think an auto would still be entertaining.

I think before I chose a BMW, I'd go with Mercedes. I've never owned either, but what I've heard, I think I'd prefer the Merc. And if you have the option, chose an AMG variant. It may not be a manual trans, but I suspect for 99% of the trip, that wouldn't be an issue.

I think the time of year and route would be very important, especially when it comes to crossing the Rockies.

I'm going to be watching this thread with interest. I'll likely live vicariously through it.

[sc_rufctr]

Just go out and do it. You'll never be younger than you are right now.

[wilnj]

Originally Posted by masraum

Interesting. I've got no experience in this sort of thing and have performed no planning.

Of course, a Porsche of some sort is at the top of the list. I could see doing it in a Boxster, Cayman, 911 or even Panamera. If it was anything other than the Panamera, I'd definitely go with a manual trans. If that's an option in the Panamera, great, but I suspect that would be tough to find. I think an auto would still be entertaining.

I think before I chose a BMW, I'd go with Mercedes. I've never owned either, but what I've heard, I think I'd prefer the Merc. And if you have the option, chose an AMG variant. It may not be a manual trans, but I suspect for 99% of the trip, that wouldn't be an issue.

I think the time of year and route would be very important, especially when it comes to crossing the Rockies.

I'm going to be watching this thread with interest. I'll likely live vicariously through it.

Interesting point on the MB. And while you’re right that it may be the perfect car for the trip, especially the AMG variety, I’m not sure I’d care to own it after the trip.

Originally Posted by Seahawk

This is going to be great.

If you PM me your email, I'll send you the list pf places a Buddy of mine in I are going to see next year when we "lap" America for 6 weeks together.

I have driven across the country at least 20 times and, depending on the car you select, the route needs to be Blue Highways.

Done

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[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by wilnj

One of the things I’ve never done is drive cross country, I’ve also never driven any of my bucket list cars. I need to make this happen and I need help planning it out.

Do it, you'll have the time of your life.

It's not that far. I set off walking and it wasn't that long before I was on the other side of the country.

[pwd72s]

The route? Since you have relatives in the Pac NW, consider the longest continuous highway in the USA...Hwy 20. It begins in Newport, Oregon and ends in Boston...summer would be best to avoid snow. Ever been to Yellowstone? 20 runs through it...

[gsxrken]

Love this and subscribed for updates. We’re going to keep you accountable for going now.
My oldest completed an epic cross country road trip (at 22 years old). He set out in a car I did not have any faith in and proved me wrong while racking up some memories and stories for a lifetime.
I’ll post a blog journal he made along the way. Might give you some ideas.

https://havecougarwilltravel.blogspot.com/2020/07/hello-everyone-im-not-sure-who-is-going.html

[Solamar]

I was diagnosed stage 4 Colon cancer a year and a half ago, at 51.

I'm not being stupid with money, as I plan to beat this, but I'm definitely not putting off bucket list items.

Don't wait, have a blast and live life to the fullest!

And with a 911 of course!

[wilnj]

Originally Posted by Solamar

I was diagnosed stage 4 Colon cancer a year and a half ago, at 51.

I'm not being stupid with money, as I plan to beat this, but I'm definitely not putting off bucket list items.

Don't wait, have a blast and live life to the fullest!

And with a 911 of course!

I hope you ****ing stomp that **** out. I don’t care if this post is TOS violation.


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[sc_rufctr]

"Losing is not an option"

- Peter.

[Solamar]

Originally Posted by wilnj

I hope you ****ing stomp that **** out. I don’t care if this post is TOS violation.


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I am. 👍

And I greatly appreciate your sentiment!

[Solamar]

I didn't answer the "why" part of your question.

In my opinion, the air cooled 911 is one of the simplest cars to work on, exceptionally reliable (if your starting with a well cared for example). And gets just the right amount of attention at gas stops etc, but doesn't stick out horribly in a parking lot at night.

That and there just so much fun to drive

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by Solamar

I didn't answer the "why" part of your question.

In my opinion, the air cooled 911 is one of the simplest cars to work on, exceptionally reliable (if your starting with a well cared for example). And gets just the right amount of attention at gas stops etc, but doesn't stick out horribly in a parking lot at night.

That and there just so much fun to drive

Highlighted in Bold... This is the key to enjoyable 911 ownership. (Actually any used car ownership within reason)

You do not want to buy a cheap 911 that's been passed around by several "can't quite afford it" owners.
- I learned this first hand the old fashioned way.

[look 171]

Does the car really matter? Most of the drive is set cruise control at 80. Stick wouldn't matter at that point. I rather do it in a CUV or pick up truck or something similar. To answer your question, Cayman S or 911. Cayman would be my first choice only because of the additional storage. That's gifts for families not your dirty clothes.

Personally, I would take the southern route. Only been as far as NM but like to see states east of that.

[WPOZZZ]

The perfect cross country vehicle on your list would be an E28 M5. Not too big, not too small and is a great cruiser. If not the E28, the E34 M5 is another great car. Very reliable, a little bigger and probably easier to get than an E28. E34 540i/6 is fantastic if you can find one. The E24 6er is a great touring car, but I found the ac to be rather lackuster, and I had 5 or 6 of them.

[GH85Carrera]

I have a 1985 Carrera, that I have owned and sorted for 27 years. I have driven it to 41 states, and Canada. My goal is to visit the lower 48 states in my 911. I have done a few solo trips, but my starting point is Oklahoma City. I have been to Key West, and Acadia National Park in northern Maine. Not the same trip! I will be in California for my fourth trip next summer.

I really prefer to have my wife along with me even though she slows things down by requiring better places to stop for bladder relief, and much slower meals. We have hit a lot of national parks. More than I can name. Get a national park pass, good for admission to all the national parks.

A "lap of America" is a great goal, but you can spend a month just visiting the amazing sights and national parks in Colorado, and Utah much less Arizona and New Mexico.

My wife's friends are all incredulous that she travels with me in a mid 1980s car with 186,000 miles on it. We spent an entire day in Gettysburg, PA this summer, then on to Valley Forge, PA.


Little Round Top in the background.

As you might have guessed, we like national parks, and history. On one journey, we planned out visiting historical sites and we would stop at a really cool place and chat with the docents working there. We would tell them we just visited a museum 50 miles away, and they would say I have heard it is great, but I have never been there.

Find some places the interest you. Make an planned trip of destinations, even if the schedule is totally up to you as you go. We ended up at one bed and breakfast that was a German themed pub, and our room was great. See the photo below.



At one point we our trip was interrupted with a ferry ride across a river to the Gilette Museum.



Just do a bit of pre-planning on the route, and have fun!

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I have driven across country twice, once in a 69E that I found in the SF Bay area and drove back to Boston in 54 hours and once in a rental from Atlanta to SF, with 4 women, 2 days after 9/11.

Both were phenomenal trips.

Having done both routes, I would go with the southern one. Better food, more to see, more stops in general.

I would go with the 911. It's more real. More experiential. Have done plenty of 30 hour trips with more modern machinery. They are just for covering distance, not experiencing the distance you've covered.

69E pics taken at random holding the camera out the window.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by wilnj

I hope you ****ing stomp that **** out. I don’t care if this post is TOS violation.


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100% agree! Also with Solamar's advice.

[GH85Carrera]

To the OP, if you are 51, you are most likely way past "mid-life" as how many 101 year old men do you know? Median life expectancy is 73 I believe.

Get to that road trip and start planning!