Quandry?? Going across country ..rig vs. car

[BBQ]

.

OK, just for argument's sake,
if you drive a Tesla across the country,
and intercept the SuperCharger Stations along the way,
you can have a free ride !!!

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by BBQ

.

OK, just for argument's sake,
if you drive a Tesla across the country,
and intercept the SuperCharger Stations along the way,
you can have a free ride !!!

Sure, you can even chew on the leather upholstery for food and sleep in at night, all for free, and then the only cost will be for a chiropractor when you arrive.

[Davydd]

Driving 3 days across the country is very optimistic or self-torture. That's about 3,000 miles and over 46 hours pure drive time at best not counting rest stops, food, gas stops, sleeping, etc. You definitely would not have time to see anything.

But hey, the next Roadtrek Adventurous owner is going to have a creampuff of a Class B in pristine condition. They may have to replace the almost new Michelin tires with age.

[4DMTNS]

Like mumkin, I don't have a car anymore. I drive my Aktiv everywhere and don't think twice about gas mileage. If you can't find a campground, pay for a day pass at a local gym, grab a quick workout and a hot shower.

[gregmchugh]

Well, the record time from Manhattan to Redondo Beach in less than 29 hours was in a Mercedes but I don’t think it was a Sprinter...

[jaak1993]

The personal values applied in deciding to buy a class B and/or to use it for a particular cross country trip are infinitely variable. There are no universal "right" answers and a mess of personal values tradeoffs in most decisions. We can probably only express what makes sense to us individually and hope that, at best, others will find it helpful to them. We are all muddling through, it's nice to have fellow muddler travelers on this journey called life.

[warpig]

Originally Posted by Davydd

But hey, the next Roadtrek Adventurous owner is going to have a creampuff of a Class B in pristine condition. They may have to replace the almost new Michelin tires with age.

Your sarcasm is duly noted, but one can be confident that his RT Adventurous will see many miles, maybe to the chagrin of the next owner and you 😉 Though I'm still a wannabee, I appreciated RTA's posts because his thought process was typed for us all to see. I learn a lot from posters like RTA and you. I gain perspective on how I will use my future van and if I will even own an auto.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by jaak1993

The personal values applied in deciding to buy a class B and/or to use it for a particular cross country trip are infinitely variable. There are no universal "right" answers and a mess of personal values tradeoffs in most decisions. We can probably only express what makes sense to us individually and hope that, at best, others will find it helpful to them. We are all muddling through, it's nice to have fellow muddler travelers on this journey called life.

I'm NOT selling my Class B.... anytime soon.... BUT, that doesn't mean I'm getting rid of my car either......

It's all about choosing the right vehicle for the right circumstance...and the places I'm going really require a vehicle that is more agile and competent on back roads.....

A few years ago before I acquired my Class B...I took the Subaru here...see video...it's an unmaintained dirt road........let me tell you...the RS Adventurous would not be good here....


https://youtu.be/3mFXjXCnGL0

My next adventure with the car is in Colorado and possibly at places where there may be similar situations like this.....

The Subaru Outback is quite capable of doing this .... the AWD and athletic suspension with a higher ground clearance than either my RS or many other cars... makes it ideal for this sort of thing.....

The mere suggestion by one of you that I should sell the RS just because I'm thinking of taking a trip like this demonstrates how little you know about what I intend to do...

I don't think you would take your Class B down roads like this... maybe I'm wrong???

[<<B-Guy>>]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Driving 3 days across the country is very optimistic or self-torture. That's about 3,000 miles and over 46 hours pure drive time at best not counting rest stops, food, gas stops, sleeping, etc. You definitely would not have time to see anything.

But hey, the next Roadtrek Adventurous owner is going to have a creampuff of a Class B in pristine condition. They may have to replace the almost new Michelin tires with age.

HaHa,

Not long after I opted for early retirement I drove our truck and 31 ft Airstream trailer from our home near Toronto to San Diego in 3-1/2 days! But that was nearly 20 years ago - I've slowed down now that I realise that being retired means I can take things easy.

Now, if we are on a multi day drive, I like to get an early start - maybe 0730hrs, and call it quits around mid afternoon with a G&T or two!

Brian.

[wincrasher]

If I needed a 4x4 at any particular destination, I’d simply rent one. Otherwise, nothing beats the convenience or comfort traveling in a B, and the cost savings are easily demonstrable. Also, you can’t put a price on the cost of having a heart attack from loading and then unloading all of your and spouse’s luggage at each nite’s stop, All the packing and unpacking would drive me nuts, and last I checked, psychologists are pretty expensive.

[Mfturner]

RA, that's a great video for reference. That video looks on the edge of something I would try with the B, around 50 sec there are some ruts that would require careful attention, and around 1:50 there is another section that I might get out to survey before driving. Those are the only places I saw that looked worse than my last outing. I would also want it to be dry, which it was in the video, but won't always be. I didn't see low branches that worried me, but maybe I missed something. So I'd probably be foolish enough to do it, but I'd be driving more slowly...

[wincrasher]

FWIW, my last cross county trip (SC to CA) was 4 full days. no restaurant meals and did not pay to park anywhere. just gas. it was alot of fun and not fatiguing at all.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Mfturner

RA, that's a great video for reference. That video looks on the edge of something I would try with the B, around 50 sec there are some ruts that would require careful attention, and around 1:50 there is another section that I might get out to survey before driving. Those are the only places I saw that looked worse than my last outing. I would also want it to be dry, which it was in the video, but won't always be. I didn't see low branches that worried me, but maybe I missed something. So I'd probably be foolish enough to do it, but I'd be driving more slowly...

Just so you know, in many places the road was completely washed out... with a huge chasm down the middle... and the Outback bobbed up and down going over these places... think Indiana Jones here... I'm not kidding. BUT, the Outback got us there and back... thank goodness. From the entrance to the area off the main highway inside Sequoia ... it was about 2 1/2 miles of twists and turns up and down this dirt road..

See this picture and enlarge it... It's partly in shade, but, you can still see it.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by warpig

Your sarcasm is duly noted, but one can be confident that his RT Adventurous will see many miles, maybe to the chagrin of the next owner and you 😉 Though I'm still a wannabee, I appreciated RTA's posts because his thought process was typed for us all to see. I learn a lot from posters like RTA and you. I gain perspective on how I will use my future van and if I will even own an auto.

RTS asked and all he said was gas would be cheaper. Then later he said his wife did not share in the driving. Then later he said he would need a car when he got to his destination. Now, he introduces a video going to a trail head and needing his Subaru. I watched the video. I've been down many a road like that in my B and without 4x4. I don't need lectures about Subarus. I've owned five of them. In effect he provides moving criteria to justify his decision he probably made before posting because he ignores any comment contrary to his decision. He is consistent with that in most threads he has started. I wish I had all that Class B knowledge after an 11,000 mile trip.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Davydd

RTS asked and all he said was gas would be cheaper. Then later he said his wife did not share in the driving. Then later he said he would need a car when he got to his destination. Now, he introduces a video going to a trail head and needing his Subaru. I watched the video. I've been down many a road like that in my B and without 4x4. I don't need lectures about Subarus. I've owned five of them. In effect he provides moving criteria to justify his decision he probably made before posting because he ignores any comment contrary to his decision. He is consistent with that in most threads he has started. I wish I had all that Class B knowledge after an 11,000 mile trip.

I'm not interested in your opinion or anything you think about taking your Class B into the back roads. Actually, I don't believe half of anything you've posted on the forum including your previous comments to me about my suspension upgrade being all in my head....

As for Subarus.. I'm just stating a fact that they are light off road capable.... most people know that....

Gasoline aside... it's not about money as I'll probably spend more on hotels..... every vacation is different....mind your own business.

[avanti]

[From your moderator team]

Hey, folks:
Please address the issues, not the people.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

I'm not interested in your opinion or anything you think about taking your Class B into the back roads. Actually, I don't believe half of anything you've posted on the forum including your previous comments to me about my suspension upgrade being all in my head....

As for Subarus.. I'm just stating a fact that they are light off road capable.... most people know that....

Gasoline aside... it's not about money as I'll probably spend more on hotels..... every vacation is different....mind your own business.

This post clearly indicates an inability to recognize the difference between a scalpel and a bludgeon.

Fact: Davydd has already forgotten more about class Bs than you are likely to ever learn.

[avanti]

PLEASE don't make us start deleting messages again.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

FWIW, my last cross county trip (SC to CA) was 4 full days. no restaurant meals and did not pay to park anywhere. just gas. it was alot of fun and not fatiguing at all.

Do you ever have that right! There's nothing like the feeling you have when you're King of the Road.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by Davydd

. I've been down many a road like that in my B and without 4x4.

I used to think that 4 x 4 was invincible until I watched the ARV video of a Sprinter sinking like a stone in the mud requiring a Jeep to pull it out. Is it feasible to set up a rear hitch mounted winch that could at least drag you back out of what you get into?