Bucket List Used Car Help.....East Coast To West Trip

[Camp Rusty]

Heynow Campers

Kind of an oddball request.

I have some time on my hands, I think, coming up in a couple months and I want to drive from the East Coast the long way home back to the West Coast. Driving coast to coast has been on my bucket list for years.

I would like to do it in a used land barge, like driving a couch. My sister in law lives in Tampa and my original thought was to fly out, buy a used Caddy, drive it back to Seattle and sell it.

My budget was in the $5000.00 range, I saw tons of used Caddy's in that range and then I started looking at the reliability of used Caddys in that range, 2006-2010 is abysmal. I figured if I bought it, drove it four or five thousand miles and sold it for a grand less than I paid for it, it would still be cheaper than a round trip rental from the Seattle area.

Anybody have any ideas on a big road beast that meets that sort of criteria ? I'm not brand loyal at all, and not locked in to any years really. I just want something quiet inside, and reliable, and easily resell-able.

It may just be smarter to rent a nice new Malibu and do six or seven thousand mile round trip on that....gotta' love Hertz unlimited mileage rentals and no worries on reliability. ( my local Hertz guy just shakes his head when I rent, couple years ago I did 3600 miles in eight days)

Thanks.....

......and yes.....I do know I am a bit crazy

 

[greekjim]

You got to watch out for those northstar engines in those caddys

 

[Camp Rusty]

You got to watch out for those northstar engines in those caddys

I was surprised, sounds like the cooling system(s) are terrible, as well as the A/C, probably connected.

 

[azlefty]

As much as I'd like to do a road trip in one of these,
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1966-Cadill...7521c929:g:9BMAAOSwTglYmLx5&item=272548088105
common sense, fear of breakdowns in harsh weather, and the cost of gas points more in the direction of something built in the last 10 years with < 100,000 miles and a decent radio with XM or bluetooth so you can listen to podcasts (or get a car set that can broadcast to the radio).

My parents have a Mercury Grand Marquis that is 20 years old with < 80k on it. Something like that would fit the bill, and it has been very reliable, but they never really drove it that much. I don't know that I'd trust it for a cross country trip but it may well be just fine if you get it checked out and the belts are in good shape, etc. It's really comfortable and drives like a boat. You can buy one for under $3000
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...r.TRS0&_nkw=mercury+grand+marquis&_sacat=6001


The more generic, the easier to sell. There would be plenty of Hyundais and the like in your price range and you could definitely sell it out west, but they wouldn't have the je ne sais quoi of the land yacht. However I've owned 3 of them over the years and they are comfortable for long trips. On the other hand, I can't drive a Toyota for more than an hour without aching.

Have you considered an auto driveaway service? I've never done it but I've heard about them. I haven't read it in 25 years but I recall Jack Kerouac drove (and wrecked) a car he arranged through a driveaway service in "on the road".
http://www.carsdirect.com/car-buying/how-does-an-auto-driveaway-service-work

This may not allow you to do much sightseeing though.

 

[Jerseyguy]

A well maintained senior owned Grand Marquis is like gold. Ditto with a Lincoln Town Car . Easy to sell ,car service guys love them.

 

[PsyDoc]

Heynow Campers

Kind of an oddball request.

I have some time on my hands, I think, coming up in a couple months and I want to drive from the East Coast the long way home back to the West Coast. Driving coast to coast has been on my bucket list for years.

I would like to do it in a used land barge, like driving a couch. My sister in law lives in Tampa and my original thought was to fly out, buy a used Caddy, drive it back to Seattle and sell it.

My budget was in the $5000.00 range, I saw tons of used Caddy's in that range and then I started looking at the reliability of used Caddys in that range, 2006-2010 is abysmal. I figured if I bought it, drove it four or five thousand miles and sold it for a grand less than I paid for it, it would still be cheaper than a round trip rental from the Seattle area.

Anybody have any ideas on a big road beast that meets that sort of criteria ? I'm not brand loyal at all, and not locked in to any years really. I just want something quiet inside, and reliable, and easily resell-able.

It may just be smarter to rent a nice new Malibu and do six or seven thousand mile round trip on that....gotta' love Hertz unlimited mileage rentals and no worries on reliability. ( my local Hertz guy just shakes his head when I rent, couple years ago I did 3600 miles in eight days)

Thanks.....

......and yes.....I do know I am a bit crazy

I think that sounds like an awesome plan - it's a really cool idea. I don't have any car suggestions, but think your trip will be great whatever car you may choose. Enjoy your trip!

 

[BlacklabberMike]

 

[Camp Rusty]

Thanks, looks like I will aim for a Ford product. Looks like Grand Marquis, Lincoln, or Crown Vic are built on the same frame and what I am looking for.

Will check on the Hyundai too, for long days a quiet cabin makes a much more pleasant trip, I can test drive one of those here and see how the road noise is. That is my only concern with smaller cars. My Mazda 3 is an amazing econobox, 200K and zero problems but it's like driving in a wind tunnel noise wise.

Definitely need the satellite somehow.

I will start looking, and if I see one that fits the bill I can have my sister in law in Tampa take a look. She is a car person, a shopper, and is a helluva' negotiator.

Thanks again everyone, I will let you know how it goes