long distance driving???

Just let me gather a few opinions...Just bought my 61 EPU from a guy in NC. I am having a beast of a time getting the auto shipper who promised a pick up date to actually come and get the car. He obviously drew me in with the low price...sooo low that nobody can be bothered to come and pick it up. I need to get it to Austin TX, 1200 miles away. I believe this to be a solid road worthy vehicle, but they were never designed for cross country trips, more like cross town trips. I want to know if y'all think it is feasible to make the drive? It is a 73 200ci with 3 speed and 3.50 rear gearing on 225/55/16. Previous owner said he had it @ 55-60mph...is that engine screaming at those speeds with that setup? I obviously am not trying to reliability testing on this vehicle but just wanted to gauge how much stress it might be under at interstate type speeds (~65mph)?
Thanks, JT

I wouldn't attempt it! Been there! Done that! And it wasn't a pleasant experience!!!!!

rent a U-haul dolly and get it with a pickup. You don't know this van yet and thats asking alot for something thats might have been sitting a while

don’t do it! that sort of a deal can go bad in such a huge way. I’ve been there too many times, made it a few times but it’s a huge gamble.

call the shipper back and offer him an extra $100, or $200 if necessary.

same thing happened to me. the price they gave me on uship was so low my rig sat and waited till the bid expired. I up’d the price and they had a driver within a few hours.

I paid just over 1k to get my van to San Antonio from California and had the best luck with my shipper. Had my van picked up fast and got to me in about a weeks time. If interested let me know and I will send you the info on company I used.

I would not attempt driving it that far.

if you have a truck w/ good towing capacity and rent a car hauler (65 per day x2) you can probably make it there/back in two days, one night of motel ($60-90), then figure the price of fuel and road food… it’s probably cheaper to pay the shipper more. not to mention your time you could be doing something else. I’ve made that drive many times… I don’t miss it.

same setup, most of my truck is new..cruises 65-70 on FLAT(very flat!!) ground, but theres always somthing to go wrong! if i had alot of time to spare i would probly do the trip, but im young and stupid

Its a roll of the dice to be sure. But one of the best times I ever had was a 790 mi trip in my A-100. A few things though, my brother made the trip with me, he is a mechanic of 35 years and he had the van at his place for a few years so he went through most of it before we left, also we didn't touch the interstate system, 55-62 mph, all county and state highways. Mom&pop motels and cafes, it was an absolute blast. A roll of the dice, but a BLAST!

According to the handy gear ratio calculator ,, that engine would be turning 2970 rpm at 65 mph. I dont see any harm there.

DRIVE IT!
Road trips are a great source for stories, even the bad ones. Make sure to have a GPS or atlas, hand tools, some spare parts and fluids, fire extinguisher, cellphone and AAA. If possible, bring along a laptop and report from the road, and be able to ask for help on the journey if needed. These are basic vehicles, and most of what can go wrong can be fixed if you know them. I'd go secondary roads, not just drone along the interstate. More to see and more relaxed.
HAVE IT HAULED!
It's unknown and unproven. Parts and help aren't as easy to find as they once were. It's cheaper if nothing goes wrong, and a LOT cheaper if you gotta get it towed, stored and hauled home if something goes bad. You aren't in karmic convergence with it yet, and need to slowly work into a sympatico relationship - not make 1200 miles over a weekend during the winter.

Flip the coin, judge your knowledge, abilities and sense of adventure.

I'm with the "drive it" crowd, if you've got the time. Hand tools and a GPS would be a must if it were me. If you're not familiar with a GPS, it will let you know where the next gas station, parts house, etc. are. I flew to Colorado with a buddy of mine a few years ago and we drove back his '59 VW Double Cab pick-up. Lots of memories on that 1800 mile road trip.

Should the van be in shape that will lend to driving it home/? Id fly over & drive it home. Insure it & take road service & towing so if anything happens - u wont be on the side of the road wondering -what do i do now? tools, extra small gas can with fuel, map - money for motel & food and id get it on!! Happy Vannin

That gearing is no problem for highway driving. I ve had several like that and I ran 65 consistantly and occasionally faster on many a trip. Ive even done a little 75mph with my 240 model. More than anything I would be concerned with overall mechanical condition. If you have time to allocate for the unforseen repairs then go for it. Time is money so if you dont have the time and dont want the hassle just cough up a couple hundred more and it will get picked up a lot faster when it pays the hauler what it's really worth.

I guess one would need to no when it was last driven or started for that matter. Is gas tank clean or full of junk. Stuff like that can end your drive home real quick. Get some pics of the engine bay and see if it looks like it's been driven recently, or full of dead mice and spiders under the lid. I am not sure how much you no about this truck. But if it's been a daily driver for the last owner then I would say go for it and plan on bringing a little care package with you, just in case. For mine, I was told a lot about it and that the son had it running and was fixing it as he went along. Good thing I brought my car hauler....it was not road worthy..lol. just my 2 cents.

JT, give this guy a call. He picked up my van from MS and brought it to SC for a very reasonable rate. He is based out of Louisiana, so he isn't far from you. He ended up trucking my van with nothing else on his way up the East Coast. Most guys want to load up first and fit you in as part of a load, so a low price equals low priority.

This guy is likeable and reasonable. As with anything else, if you don't like the quote, negotiate. I actually told him what I was willing to pay. May not work for you...I should mention as well that he returns calls, uses text messaging, and does what he says he will do.

Mark Nettles. His number is 985 678 0917. Don't quote me, but I think you might figure .90 cents a mile, which is less than his normal rate but one he is willing to do.

If you use him, please let him know the guy in Mt. Pleasant, SC that bought the white van van gave you his name.

Good luck. Lee

like rod says, its a flip of a coin. at 20 years old, i thought it was perfectly normal to hitch hike across a couple states to buy dirt cheap vehicles of unknown condition and drive them home. evan if it meant changing a tranny in the gravel along the interstate with the cheapest tools k-mart had (no walmart, no cel phones, primative times) 5 years ago, i bought a truck in oklahoma. too far for thumbing. air fair out, motel, meals and fuel was about same as cost to ship. $0.00 left in budget for strip clubs. and driving out and towing back was evan more! when i thought about spending 3-4 days driving and worrying about every clunk or whine the whole way home and not saving a dime, the choice was easy. then factor in a break down! my costs were figured driving a fuel effecient car out and towing the car behind the new truck with my tow bar. add up what you save, if anything, and compare it to your pay you would get by going to work instead. $600.00 in fuel IF you average 15 mpg, $250.00 motel, $100.00 for food. thats $950.00 already and you still need a trailer or tow dolley and 2 good tires. how much was shipping??? evan if you pack peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and sleep in the van, its still not worth it. how much do you make in 4 days?

Thanks for all the input guys. Your basically all correct, it boils down to its just not worth it based on the fact that I don't know exactly what I'm getting until I get it! The PU has been completely overhauled, but I didn't do the work, so I can't speak to the quality yet. I will bump the quote and see if I can get it picked up.
JT

I bought a '67 Volvo 122s in San Diego and drove it back to Chicago. I had a few minor problems, but mostly it was fine. BUT, I had the owner send me video of the car running and driving. I also paid to have the car thoroughly inspected by a Volvo dealership (who missed the 2 things that caused me minor problems ). In other words, I was SURE the car was in good shape and could make the drive. It doesn't sound like you're that confident.

I know you're anxious to get the truck, but do you NEED it that soon? The low rate is probably based on his availability and when your pickup/destination are on his route, so it may take awhile... or you pay more.

Keep on him, offer him more money, or find another shipper

I threw another $100 at it. Supposedly have a driver now that is going to pick up on Friday.....we'll see.

Good luck, hope all works out well.

ha! saw that one coming. didn’t take them long once you bumped it up. hope it works out for you.

when I had mine shipped, the driver got pulled over, and of course he had an outstanding warrant. this was the day I was expecting him to deliver. I couldn’t get in touch w/ him etc. i was stressed as I had no idea what happened. the police had impounded his rig (and the vehicles on it). the transport co finally found out and sent a 2nd driver to get the rig out of impound. the driver was left to fend for himself.

it ended well. I’m sure yours will work out in the end. I’ve shipped many other cars w/o incident.