USA Roadtrip in a G20
Discussion
I bought a 2002 G20 about three years ago, and my brother has agreed to buy one from a guy in Minnesota. We are flying up there next Thursday and will be driving the car to Scottsdale Arizona, about 1800 miles or so (planned to be three days). We are routed through the Rocky mountains of Colorado and the desert plains and canyons of south Utah among other sites. Any advice for the trip???
I will be using a Tomtom One XL portable GPS, and we plan to pack light since there is not much room for luggage...
BT
I will be using a Tomtom One XL portable GPS, and we plan to pack light since there is not much room for luggage...
BT
It is far, but my brother has a limited amount of time to get it done. He is supposed to be spending the time visiting me in Florida and filing old papers from his previous business here. We tend to be a little extreme when going on driving trips. A few years ago we went and bought a 35 foot RV in Tennessee and drove it back. That was scary! I don't think 10-12 hours per day in the car will be too bad. When I go to the mountains I usually do about 10 hours by myself. This trip with two drivers I think should be fun. I'll take lots of pics, and post them up. Southern Utah has the most dramatic scenery, but the Rockies are much more well known.
BT
BT
Congrats to your Brother BT! As sad as I am to see the car go, it's nice to know that Brothers will be owning "sister" cars. I too think you guys are crazy making this drive, but man what an adventure! Screw the photos, you guys should write a book! :-)
Looking forward to getting a confirmation of your arrival time. Cheers, and enjoy the weekend.
Aaron
Looking forward to getting a confirmation of your arrival time. Cheers, and enjoy the weekend.
Aaron
We are scheduled on Airtran flight 574 arriving Thursday at 12:09 PM...
Looking forward to the drive!
Isit possible to have the pedals adjusted for as short a person as possible prior to us getting there so we can try to make some tracks on Thursday?
I did the pedal adjustment on my car, but it was a pretty claustraphobic experience. After makgint he adjustment I could not really lift my fat gut out of the upside down position necessary for me to get to the pedals. After about 5 minutes of struggling I finally made it, but man, what a workout!
I am also a bit sad today as someone just picked up my Ferrari 348. I had the car for four years, but it was time for me to move along.
BT
Looking forward to the drive!
Isit possible to have the pedals adjusted for as short a person as possible prior to us getting there so we can try to make some tracks on Thursday?
I did the pedal adjustment on my car, but it was a pretty claustraphobic experience. After makgint he adjustment I could not really lift my fat gut out of the upside down position necessary for me to get to the pedals. After about 5 minutes of struggling I finally made it, but man, what a workout!
I am also a bit sad today as someone just picked up my Ferrari 348. I had the car for four years, but it was time for me to move along.
BT
Edited by B-T on Friday 29th May 18:49
Worse comes to worse, we can put some blocks on the bottom of our shoes!
I have some trouble reaching the pedals in my car, and they are all the way towards the driver. The clutch is especially a long reach, but with that Miata transmission it doesn't take much to disengage the gears.
I don't think I would feel too confident driving the Ferrari cross country (although I know of a few who have done it), but I don't have any mechanical fears for the Ginetta. As long as there is a good hot shower and enough shampoo to get the dirt out, it's all good!!!
BT
I have some trouble reaching the pedals in my car, and they are all the way towards the driver. The clutch is especially a long reach, but with that Miata transmission it doesn't take much to disengage the gears.
I don't think I would feel too confident driving the Ferrari cross country (although I know of a few who have done it), but I don't have any mechanical fears for the Ginetta. As long as there is a good hot shower and enough shampoo to get the dirt out, it's all good!!!
BT
Just returned from the drive. I have about 200 pictures to sift through. The car ran like a champ (except for one gas stop where the fuel pump relay got loose), and was surprisingly comfortable. Aaron was the one that saved the day, and gave us the advise to get the car running during our little 'fuel outage'. Driving through the rockies at night on wet roads with low visibility was more than a little scary. The luggage space is nonexistant, but we managed to use the little shelf and some foot well space to hold the small bags we had packed. I will load my pictures up on photobucket and then load them up here. The scenery was spectacular!!! Overall, the trip was a great success, and I would not hesitate to do another one like it.
BT
BT
Why not join www.ginetta.org we could do with some more G20 owners...
Edited by jamesG20V6 on Tuesday 9th June 14:57
Okay, here we go....
Day 1 (Thursday). We get up around 6:30 and head to the airport. My brother is here waiting for the plane, very excited about the purchase and the trip to come!
We get to Minneapolis and Aaron promptly picks up us and brings us to the car. Is looked great, and was clean, and ready to roll!
We paid for the car at the bank, got the title, and were off to have some BBQ prior to hitting the road. My brother has some trouble getting used to a car with no doors...
Then we went to an auto parts store to get some basic tools and a power outlet to run the portable GPS.
We finally got on the road at around 3 PM and about 20 minutes later we stopped for some reason (I think the hood latches were not secured).
After al was secured and the route set on the GPS we finally got some miles covered. We continued until about midnight and managed around 560 miles, stopping in Kearney, Nebraska. Some of the best sights of this portion were the many wind farms with the massive 300 foot tall wind turbines.
Day 2 coming up!
Day 1 (Thursday). We get up around 6:30 and head to the airport. My brother is here waiting for the plane, very excited about the purchase and the trip to come!
We get to Minneapolis and Aaron promptly picks up us and brings us to the car. Is looked great, and was clean, and ready to roll!
We paid for the car at the bank, got the title, and were off to have some BBQ prior to hitting the road. My brother has some trouble getting used to a car with no doors...
Then we went to an auto parts store to get some basic tools and a power outlet to run the portable GPS.
We finally got on the road at around 3 PM and about 20 minutes later we stopped for some reason (I think the hood latches were not secured).
After al was secured and the route set on the GPS we finally got some miles covered. We continued until about midnight and managed around 560 miles, stopping in Kearney, Nebraska. Some of the best sights of this portion were the many wind farms with the massive 300 foot tall wind turbines.
Day 2 coming up!
Day 2 started out well enough, clear skies, and plenty of road to cover...
Just near the border of Colorado we stopped for gas at a truck stop and the car would not start after the fill up?!?
We push started it as I thought maybe it was flooded, and the car started that way. We switched driver's and as I accellerated onto the highway onramp the car died.
So we pushed the car back to the truck stop (nice lightweight car!) and asked them for assistance. They said they did not have the facilities to repair the car but that there is a mechanic about 50 miles away! We called the car seller and he gave us the advice needed to get the car going again (a good push on the fuses / relays to make sure they were all seated). Apparently I must have knocked the fuel pump relay loose as my feet were kind of 'up' in the footwell over my suitcase (backpack).
Some more fuel in Colorado near Denver and we got a tip for a good mountain road close by that we took (and escaped from the cops on).
Then we were off to the high altitude of the rocky mountains with their snow capped peaks and chilly June temperatures of around 40 degrees. We were following a storm that we luckily avoided...
We stopped for some dinner and continued driving in the dark until around 11PM. We covered about 750 miles or so in day 2. We stopped in Durango Colorado for the night.
Day 3 coming up!
Just near the border of Colorado we stopped for gas at a truck stop and the car would not start after the fill up?!?
We push started it as I thought maybe it was flooded, and the car started that way. We switched driver's and as I accellerated onto the highway onramp the car died.
So we pushed the car back to the truck stop (nice lightweight car!) and asked them for assistance. They said they did not have the facilities to repair the car but that there is a mechanic about 50 miles away! We called the car seller and he gave us the advice needed to get the car going again (a good push on the fuses / relays to make sure they were all seated). Apparently I must have knocked the fuel pump relay loose as my feet were kind of 'up' in the footwell over my suitcase (backpack).
Some more fuel in Colorado near Denver and we got a tip for a good mountain road close by that we took (and escaped from the cops on).
Then we were off to the high altitude of the rocky mountains with their snow capped peaks and chilly June temperatures of around 40 degrees. We were following a storm that we luckily avoided...
We stopped for some dinner and continued driving in the dark until around 11PM. We covered about 750 miles or so in day 2. We stopped in Durango Colorado for the night.
Day 3 coming up!
Up high at around 10,000 feet elevation with snow along the road.
Stopped at the pass at 10,800+ feet, and almost out of fuel! Luckily it was all downhill from there to the gas station where we put in about 10.6 gallons.
Time for a wash to get some of the bugs off...
Then a sub for dinner and the distant mountains were the twilight feature...
The car looks great in front of this sub shop don't you think???
Day 3 coming up next!
Stopped at the pass at 10,800+ feet, and almost out of fuel! Luckily it was all downhill from there to the gas station where we put in about 10.6 gallons.
Time for a wash to get some of the bugs off...
Then a sub for dinner and the distant mountains were the twilight feature...
The car looks great in front of this sub shop don't you think???
Day 3 coming up next!
A nice townhouse style hotel in Durango, Colorado was only $79 per night and provided much needed rest.
Another travelling family we met included a travelling gnome that wanted a view from the dirver's seat!
Then we went into the desert, and had to stop for some road construction.
This is a great photo opportunity, and a chance to stretch my legs.
Some endless stretches of road in the northern Arizona desert.
This is a place you don't want to break down.
One of the few service stations along a 200 mile section of desolate landscape... No service here anymore.
Lunch in Flagstaff Arizona shows how tiny the G20 is compared to a standard Honda Accord.
Get us out of this sun as we are about to land at our destination...
Another travelling family we met included a travelling gnome that wanted a view from the dirver's seat!
Then we went into the desert, and had to stop for some road construction.
This is a great photo opportunity, and a chance to stretch my legs.
Some endless stretches of road in the northern Arizona desert.
This is a place you don't want to break down.
One of the few service stations along a 200 mile section of desolate landscape... No service here anymore.
Lunch in Flagstaff Arizona shows how tiny the G20 is compared to a standard Honda Accord.
Get us out of this sun as we are about to land at our destination...
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