Driving across country in the Z or just ship it?
 

I am about to move from the right coast to the left coast. Based on what I am reading in the relocation package, I am only allow to drive my own personal car across country rather than getting a Hertz one way rental ($550+gas). Since my wife's Lexus is more expensive and has higher miles, I am probably not going to use that car. I am going to get reimbursed 55 cents per mile and I can take 6-7 days to do this trip via I-80 or I can just say to hack with it and ship both cars. I don't want to fly over since I have 2 dogs that I have to bring over too. My Z has lower miles, so doing the 3000 miles shouldn't be too bad and I do have worn tires so I probably don't have to do much other than an oil change once I get to CA. The only issue I do have with the Z is that it is very small and cramp, I am going to have a tough time carrying anything. Outside of the dogs and personal items, I am going to have to bring a lot of valuerable and baby stuff with me. I don't know if a stroller, pack and play and a jumper will fit in the Z. I do have an aluminum cargo carrier that I can use in the back to expand my cargo capacity, but that means I am exposing whatever out there in the element. WHat do you guys think? Good or bad idea?

I am really doing this for my dogs, I don't want them to fly on the belly or trap under the seat in a crate for 6 hours.

Oh yeah I will need jumbo ear plugs as the car is so uncomfortable to drive!

Driven from CA to Arizona and back, I thought it was the most uncomfortable 5 hours in my life. The last 2 hours made me want to be cramp in a plane instead. Fact that my stuff block the rear view just made the whole experiencr clostrophobic.

I drove mine back from Vegas, wasn't uncomfortable at all. Though, it was a brand new car at the time (< 10mi). :icon17:

I still drive long distances in this car and it's not bad at all.

Based on your situation, I'd probably just ship it since you've got a ton of stuff to take with you, but I dunno with the dogs. Maybe rent a U-Haul and trailer to transfer your car and carry your stuff?

I dunno, I drove from Dallas to LA in 2 days and thought it was one of the most comfortable drives, lol. I'd redo it in a heartbeat. And I really didn't get out to stretch or anything, AND I'm very prone to back pain.
That being said
Touring seats FTW!!!

I took a crapload of guns and ammo, blanket, books, computer, cooler in the passenger seat, car stuff, a crap load of shoes and clothes and I maybe, MAYBE had one inch of visible rear view.

Honestly, if your 2 dogs can fit, JUST take that, as well as things that are SUPER valuable.
THEN pack all your other crap into the Lexus and ship that. Hell, if you had to ship both you wouldn't be making much more space by filling the Z, and/or how did you assume to take all that crap anyways.


All that being said, I still say go for it. And if your tires are really shot, MAYBE get a rear tire flip flop (if your camber is bad) just because tires get REALLY hot on the drive, or do as the cheap bastards (namely me) do, and do a front/rear tire rotation (I had a 20mm spacer on the back though). It looks REALLY dumb, but it'll prolong the life of the more expensive rear tires!

OP, you think the Z is uncomfortable, or just noisy?
You'd be surprised as how well some of the roads are paved, and just fill the rear with blankets to absorb noise if that's an issue... (Then again I was listening to music during 95% of the drive as well)

I've driven from PA to WA, will never do it again and that was in my Explorer. I drove the Nismo from CA to central TX, once again I'll never do that again. I would just ship it. I had Allied Transport ship my Nismo from TX to WA in March in an enclosed trailer for 1700.
OP, which company do you work for? I work for General Dynamics and when I did a relocation, they paid to ship one of my vehicles, along with 56cents a mile to drive another one. I know every company is different but you may want to double check that.

With your situation i'd prob recommend you trailer the vehicle. That way you have adequate space and keep less wear n tear on the z.

I drove to NY and back. 22hours each way. No issues. I would do it again.

Do you think your doing your dogs a favour by taking them on a 7 day road trip in a Z? Fly the dogs out. They'll get over their jet lag soon enough.

What year is your lexus? If its properly maintained, having higher miles won't matter. My suggestion, since you have to take a bunch with you is to drive the Lexus. You'll have more room and the ride will be much more comfortable.

I'm about to do a similar move, FL to CA. I've been looking online, but since I'm still in Korea i have been hesitant to stay up late to talk to any of the companies on the phone.

I drove straight back to Houston after buying my Z in St. Louis. Wasn't the worst drive ever, but I was a little loopy by the time I got home. It was about 18 hours with hourly stops to get out and walk around to get the blood flowing again. The worst part was the lack of cruise control since the car was brand new. It wasn't too claustrophobic, but all I had with me was a backpack. At least most of the break in period was over the day I got the car. If I was moving cross country I'd either load up the other car and ship the Z, or move everything and fly back to drive the Z out.

What kind of dogs? I'm assuming little ones that would sit in a doggie container on the passenger seat.

I always have someone move mine on a tractor trailor. I refuse to rack up miles. I have used a moving company 3 different times and its pretty cheap. Now if you had a older car I would say drive it.

I did a PCS/Dity move myself biggest mistake of my life. Never again.

BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) - Z not a family car.
I would recommend you trailer your Z, out of consideration for the dogs, baby stuff, elbow room and protecting your car.

Being single with no kids and no pets, I had the pleaseure of driving my Z cross country with total freedom. I drove my Z from Fort Lewis WA, to Barstow CA, through Dallas TX to Richmond VA to see my family. Then drove to Pittsburg PA before coming over here to North Dakota. Cramped as Hell, but a trip I would definately take again (racing BMW's, cruising the Oregon mountain passes, gently rolling Virginia hills...amazing!):tup:

If you absolutely must take the Z on the road, obviously wear and tear is inevidible, but mine survived the 7 day trip rather well. Just take it easy when you get to NM/AZ. Upgrade the cooling system if you can...otherwise the desert heat will keep you at 230-245* even on cruise control.

The Z makes an awesome GT car. I love long trips in it. I just wouldn't want to have my dogs cooped up in it for a long haul.

Unless we're talking little chihuahuas that fit in baskets.

I always choose flight over driving, especially in your situation, relocating/moving, that's stressful enough and adding days of driving isn't going to help. Put your health first, dogs second. I've flown our cats and dogs several times and somehow they survived!
I've ALSO driven from MS to NY with dogs panting and stinking, cats meowling, all the animals are miserable, finding hotels that are pet friendly, keeping the cats and dogs in the room (pet friendly means that the hotel charges you a LOT for ANYTHING attributable to animal damage), can't eat except in parking lot because animals are with you, so that was stressful too. Last move (NY to FL) I drove the Honda down, flew back up and shipped our other car in the moving van, and flew the animals down to FL. That wasn't easy but it was WAY easier than our previous drive up to NY from MS.

Really? My wife and I have made several 10+ hour trips from Vegas to Denver (and Albuquerque as well) in ours and love it. I guess after traveling in Jeeps the Z seems amazing! We do it in the Cayman as well. I guess different strokes for different folks. I let some of my other more "comfortable" vehicles go as I like driving the smaller cars.

All that being said I wouldn't do it with dogs............................

FYI I can fly most places I go for work but prefer to drive. Flying is a pain and you can't see the country side and you can't just stop at places just because along the way.

I did Midwest to Florida a few times alone 9to14hours
I was fine even with 4 titanium vertebrae.. Now the wife hated
It and says she won't do it again.. Witch is just fine with me! I like the car
Better then her anyway so I win! I have done the cross country
Not going to lie. It blows.. Bad.. If you drive her invest in
Bra. 3m clear or or old school. Do it. You will need a repaint on the facia
If you don't.. Good luck!

I drive 1500 round-trip to the beach every summer and I love it. If you've got 8 days to do it, you could have a pretty sweet road trip. :driving:

I say fly the dogs. It's just a few hours of flight. If you're driving then it's gonna be many more hours of them being cramped in a car anyway, and you gotta let the dogs out every now and then. Not time-efficient nor cost-effective imo.

My dog is 17lbs, she is going to have a tough time getting under the seat for five hours. Plus some of the baby items will be very difficult to get onto the airplane or sit in storage while we are at the apartment suite. That's the reason why I want to drive across country, so I can take as much as I can. The plan was to use a van as I don't want to drive a Uhaul truck. I do have a full week to drive, so I will limit myself to driving 8-10 hours only. Of course I have to speak with the specialist to see what they will pay for, I am trying to do this without spending a penny. If they want to pay for a Uhaul with me trailering the car, I could do it too. I prefer not to since towing is a big mess

Then if taking stuff with you is a priority? Why would you take your Z? Common sense would tell you the Z doesn't have enough room for all that.
Why not just put that stuff in the lex and let the lex shippers transport it for you?

I drove my 350Z from Napa CA to Marlton NJ, 2400 miles in 24 hours :driving::driving::driving: and i only drove 8 hours a day and NO Tickets... It was a fun trip but NE smells like Cow poo, the whole frickin state... lol ...

I just spoke to the relocation specialist. It's not normal to request a rental one way, but she will look into it as I explain to her I can get a rental for <$500. By saving the pet travel and one one way ticket, I actually won't spend too much more. In total, I might spend $500 more. I prefer to not tow as i suck at driving smoothly.

I like my dogs too much to let them fly under the plane or jammed under the seat.

I plan to pick up the rental on Friday, leave on Saturday and get to Californee way by Friday.

Drive it! Done the xcountry drive a dozen time, and it's worth it for the adventure and scenery (sometime) alone!

:iagree: ONLY if you have the touring package.
That lumbar support makes ALLLLLLL the difference in the world when you're in a car for more than 24 hours.

OP, if you want, I love dogs, I'll drive your dogs and Z over if you want

I drive a base. I fit like a glove in my car without the lumbar. I guess due to me not being overweight or too slim, my seats work fine for me in long trips. But i guess touring would help for those that may not find the Base seats as form fitting..

I've done the same 1,000 mile trip in both Touring & Base package cars. *I* find them to be the same as far as comfort goes. I guess if you really needed lumbar support on a long trip with the base package you could just buy one of those lumbar inserts.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, I am fat and need to drop a lot of weight before my wedding. But the seats are still comfy. :icon17:

I don't have to drive the Z. I will most likely be doing a Dodge Caravan baby, Z and the Lexus are going on a trailer

Just relocated from NY to TX, drove 1850 miles in 3 days, 600 first, 700 second and 550 the last day. I really have to say I enjoyed every mile in it. Not uncomfortable at all, and had one dog on my passenger seat, seat all the way back, and the second in the footwell. I did stop every 2 to 3 hours mostly for the dogs to get some running and food, as well as giving them anti nausea pills (1/3 each). they were totally fine and most of the time just sleeping.

I looked into shipping first, but no regrets driving it down south. :driving:

:bowrofl:

I drove from Wa. St. to Texas and back while on leave. On the route to Texas I encountered ice, snow, freezing rain, heavy winds from the flat land of Wyoming to the mountains of New Mexico and I would do it all over again!

The one thing that makes a trip such a horrible experience is not the vehicle but how long you go before taking a break!

If you need to use the head [bathroom for you cattle {people who can actually utilize your rights}(civilians)] then use the head! Don't keep going for 3 more hours before you're ready to burst. Stop and do your thing, get a bottle of water, V-8 spicey, or vita-water. Stay away from energy drinks or you'll crash hard from them and be worse off than before. Stretch your muscles, walk around for a minute even top off the gas tank.

When you are ready for a meal (still do 3 squares a day) don't just go through the drive thru. You need to sit your butt down and let your neck recover as so many people don't realize it but your head is constantly trying to center itself due to the motion of the car, bumps on the road, etc. That is an 11 lb. ball your neck is trying to steady for however many hours you're driving. Give it time to recuperate! Your back will thank you for being allowed to relax from the compaction it's been experiencing while on the road, as well as your legs because they've been in the same overall position for hours at a time.

I've done this trip MANY times over in 3 different vehicles and the result is the same. It was a blast! As far as my opinion whether you should drive it or ship it......it's a damn sports car man DRIVE THAT B**CH! That's what they're made for!