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2003-2009 Nissan 350Z

Driving accross country or ship?

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Old Jun 29, 2007 | 11:59 PM
  #1  
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Default Driving accross country or ship?

So I'm moving from Seattle to Atlanta. Who recommends shipping the car vs. driving it? I have an 04 with only 18,000 miles on it, ..that would be adding 2,777 miles on it just for the drive...i don't know if i can add 1/10th of the milage on it in a matter of days! However...could be a nice drive...?

And if I did drive..anyone know if it is safe to put that plastic wrap (for lack of a better word) stuff they use on boats for transportation on the car, and drive it? And if so...where do i get that stuff!
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 12:13 AM
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Ship it man. It's a brutal drive. I've driven from Dallas to San Fran. The fun ends after the first 4 hrs.
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 12:20 AM
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if you decide to drive just use blue tape to cover the car up.
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 12:47 AM
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Ship it. I drove cross-country twice in a '94 Honda Prelude. I enjoyed the experience, but wouldn't do it in the Z. To me the Z is a different kind of car, and I care about it more. I think of Z as a car for bursts of fun, rather than for hours of commuting each day over a couple of days. There are many scenic byways, but they're slow, and most of the time you'll be on the boring interstates.
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 01:03 AM
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I'd drive it. It will add to your Z experience. You only live once.
Besides, it seems like you've already mapped out your route.

Cmon, Just Do It. Take some pics along the way and post your story afterwards..
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 01:04 AM
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ship it.....

less headache and less chances of having an accident


this reminds me of the audi S4 with blue tape lol
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 06:26 AM
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I'd ship it for a couple of reasons:

-You have no idea of the quality of roads you will be going on/getting lost on

-Weather (i.e; hail, tons of rain the Z does not like)

-May or may not need an oil change at some point during the trip. May or may not concern you though.

-It's also roughly 10-15% of the tread on your tires which may or may not mean you'll have to get them a)switched over b)replaced

-Imagine the amount of bugs you'll be cleaning off twice or so a day. Highway bugs can leave some nice marks if not treated properly.


I believe the cost of gas/miles driven (depreciation) will nearly be a wash with the amount to ship the car itself. Good luck with your decision.
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 06:50 AM
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Weather shouldn't be too bad. If you were driving through the midwest in the winter time I would say SHIP it. But you can drive it if you feel it's necessary. Either way its gonna cost you a lot of money. Sorry.
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 06:59 AM
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Ship it, but do NOT let the shippers put that so-called "protective covering" on - by this I mean the coat of wax or whatever it is. Dirt just clings to that and it's impossible to get off.

Only drive it if you've got a couple weeks to do it in, want to see some sights or some friends along the way. In other words if you can make a real vacation out of it.

But just to get from point A to point B, def. ship it.
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 07:08 AM
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Dont have any experience with shiping, but i throughly enjoyed a 1600 mile round trip i took recently in my Z(even without cruise), understandably your trip would be nearly 2x times that. If it were me, and if time wasnt an issue, i think i would...but i love road trips
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 07:26 AM
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Originally Posted by Seel
I'd ship it for a couple of reasons:

-You have no idea of the quality of roads you will be going on/getting lost on

-Weather (i.e; hail, tons of rain the Z does not like)

-May or may not need an oil change at some point during the trip. May or may not concern you though.

-It's also roughly 10-15% of the tread on your tires which may or may not mean you'll have to get them a)switched over b)replaced

-Imagine the amount of bugs you'll be cleaning off twice or so a day. Highway bugs can leave some nice marks if not treated properly.


I believe the cost of gas/miles driven (depreciation) will nearly be a wash with the amount to ship the car itself. Good luck with your decision.
Yeah, those are all good reasons to lock it in the garage, and never drive it at all.

I don't know about you guys, but I bought mine to drive!

bill
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 08:25 AM
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What are you doing sitting there then? Go drive already.


If you are like bill though and like to put a ton of highway miles on it. More power to you. The unpredicatability of the drive would be the biggest deterent for me though. Weather and road quality.


Originally Posted by bailey bill
Yeah, those are all good reasons to lock it in the garage, and never drive it at all.

I don't know about you guys, but I bought mine to drive!

bill
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 08:38 AM
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For some drivers, 2,777 miles and 3 days is an adventure.
For others it is a boring nightmare. You know intuitively if you are a long haul driver.

Forget plastic wrap. If you have the bucks, go with a closed carrier.
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 08:42 AM
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2700 miles is nothing bro, i've done that in less than two and half days and it was fun...that's if you enjoy driving that is. Once I took off from Reno on a thursday morning at 7am and i was in Washington DC the following saturday at noon...about 2700 miles.
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 08:51 AM
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I shipped mine last year, and I just got finished driving cross country, but not in my Z.

I would definitely have it shipped if I needed to do it again. The wear and tear from road hazards is not worth it not to mention three months worth of miles in three days sucks.

It's only an enjoyable drive only for a small part of the time, mostly it's just tedious. Straight, flat, boring roads with tons of semi-trucks. Not worthwhile unless you stop overnight several times and make it a sight-seeing vacation with a friend that won't B**** much.

Last edited by vaughn1576; Jun 30, 2007 at 09:05 AM.
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 09:03 AM
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Depends on your enjoyment of driving. For me, if I had the time to take a relaxed trip, I'd do it in a heartbeat. if I had to do it in 3 or 4 days, I'd ship it.
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 10:11 AM
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Exactly. The fun is in the "take the time to smell the roses" approach, not in the "drive 12 hours a day for 3 or 4 days and feel exhausted" approach.
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 10:33 AM
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The Z is meant to be driven!

As mentioned by Morningglorie, take your time and find the "fun" way to get there.
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Old Jun 30, 2007 | 12:22 PM
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I would drive and take the chance of crossing the lovely Montana state. It is a nice ride in general. Well the crossing of South Dakota might be a little boring but the rest of it is pretty nice. Don’t waste the money for additional shipment costs. You won’t have much wear on cruise controlled highway driving.
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