From Jersey to CA, will you drive?
 

I will be moving back to CA in a few months and I'm considering the idea of driving from Jersey to San Diego. Anyone done this drive before?
Now, my 01 4.4 is in great shape but there's always that doubt in my mind that the engine will overheat or something bad will happen, I guess that could happen with any car but I just don't know.
:dunno:

I have made the trip from Toronto to LA twice now.
Once about 8 years ago in a e30, 325 cab and the last time in a Ford Explorer with a few of my friends.
Its a great drive, with lots to see on the way, but I would probably not do it in winter time.

If I end up doing it, it will be around april or may.

I have done it a few times with friends after college and always had a great time.

Only real reason to do it is if you just want to do a road trip or want to see some sights along the way - definitely not a money saving exercise. I wouldn't worry about the X any more than any other car.

Its not the Paris-Dakaar ;)

Do it, and plan your route out and make a lot of stops. Its a great road trip. See no reason the X5 will give you trouble unless you know in advance some work needs to be done.

I've done it once in a car and several times on a motorcycle, though
those trips were days of good riding/sight seeing interspersed with
days of hauling azz and covering "boring" stretches.

I have an '01 and other than doing a standard check on fluids and the
usual, I would have no qualms about climbing in it for a coast to coast
drive. If some of the more basic and "usual" stuff hasn't been fixed yet,
I might pay attention to the cooling sys., coolant res., water pump and
the other usual glitches, but if you have had most of the usual suspects
done, I would not blink an eye about it.

April/May is generally good weather for a coast to coast on major interstates,
though if you veer off for any higher altitude back road
scenery rides, snow is always an issue at elevations...
My Qtr's up.
GL,mD

Go for it. Just make sure you dont run out of gas. Some places arent open 24 hours. You can make it in 3 days.

I think the only thing I need to get done is the water pump, other than that everything is tip top.
I used google to see the routes and miles and it comes up to 2,790 mls and change, the only thing is the it takes me thur PA, OH, MI....etc., I'm not too crazy about seeing any of those places as I've there before.
I did some calculations and I think that if I drive I will only save a few bucks compared to shipping it.....I got some thinking to do.

You don't have to drive 80. You're going to southern CA, take a southern route. There's plenty of country to see. Take your time and enjoy the ride.

Yea I think that if you go to Northern Cal then 80 is what you take but I'm going So Cal therefore 70 is the appropiate hwy.

Do it, but do it with a buddy you can stand for 3 to 5 days. Offer to pay part of his air fair back or something. Stop often, enjoy the sights and sounds and taste of the country and if course the drive. Break it down into how many days you must do it in and divide the miles up. Get the miles so you are on the other side of the next major town the next morning. For example get past St. Louis, or past Chicago etc. That way you can get up in the morning and laugh at the commuters going into town. Do some reasearch and try the local stuff at the local joints if you can. Have a local micro brew, etc. I have done half the drive twice, Kansas City to LA and enjoyed the second time much more than the first, we took our time the second time. If you have not seen much of the wide open southwest us it is worth the drive. Get off the interstate in as many places as you can. We went through Flagstaff and found a local college hangout and got a little tipsy with the locals, what a blast. Got up the next morning and went to the Grand Canyon for half a day and then went west some more.

As a kid my parents did not fly so we drove everywhere, from Toronto to Miami. We went east and west route. (I-95 and I-75). There are times I sit in an airplane and wonder where all the time went. I could have driven there and seen more. HTH, Cheers Richard.

Good tip, thanks. I will most likely do it with a friend, if I do it with my girlfriend we will probably drive each other crazy, plus we don't listen to the same music too.

i really have to give props to you guys who are just brave to drive such a distance with a certain miles and certain years of your vehicle.

i used to have an american car and that thing broke down on me so many times and one time at 3am sunday morning on the freeway. just the thought of being stranded and that helpless feeling leaves a sour taste on my mouth.

but then again, we're talking about a BMW, but still, just like any other maker out there, it will break down.

kudos to you brave adventurous drivers!!!

If I had my previous truck (4runner) I wouldn't even hesitate to do it even with 121k miles that were on it, but, unfortunately with this X5, I must admit, I don't trust it as much; however I love the X5 so much more than the 4runner.

I have 107,000 miles on my X5. I will not go further than 100 miles away from home. I don't trust it.

Now any Toyota or Honda I would do it no doubt.

Just like any long trip I take, have your local mechanic give it a good look over - checking belts, fluids, looking for leaks, etc - have you replaced the water pump yet? This goes between 60-80,000 miles - if not, I'd definitely get it done along with the thermostat; and might as well replace the belts then - have taken my 2001 from NYC to Idaho, Idaho to SF, Las Vegas, Charleston(SC), FL, & back to NJ - I ran great - only slept in it once though - normally I start early (5-7am) and stop 4-7pm depending how I feel,where I am, and what's the weather - at 70-80mph, you'll get 500-800 miles a day - pack a small bag with the essentials and a change of clothes, so you won't have to carry alot into the motel (or unpack alot) - if you have the time, I strongly suggest one or two short sightseeing stops along the way (or a laundry day) - maybe somewhere you'd like to visit, but would not schedule a whole trip for - in over 67,000 with my 2 X5s in the last 2.5yrs, the only problems I've had traveling cross country was a window regulator and a cracked windshield - Stoppping overnight will allow you to check the weather - VERY IMPORTANT! - so you can avoid hail, the occasional tornado, and mountain snows - you are hitting 2-3 springtime weather fronts by heading west - have done the KC to Denver I-70 a few times - only things lit at night are the stars and headlights(& not many of those) - REMEMBER west of the Mississippi to look to fillup your tank at 1/4 tank - exits are far'n'few and not all have gas stations - Good luck and enjoy

Well a friend and I took a x-country trip a few summers back. We started in Boston and drove to Cali. We were gone fro 20 days and covered approx 7500 miles.

On the way out there we stopped in just about every major city on the east coast all the way dwon to FL and then worked our way across the bottom if the US.

Got into San Diego from Pheonix and spent about 4 days working our way up the coast. We did the PCH route1 thing (def was worth it).

Here is the interesting part. On the return leg of the trip we left California at about 10am. We were approx 2-3hrs North of Santa Barbara. We Drove from California to NJ straight through with and made it in about 38hrs. One person would drive the other woud sleep and we changed every tank of gas (which was abour 5-6hrs). Half way through I becam a zombie. Seriously it was a mess I couldnt tell if the sun was rising or setting at one point. All I knew was I had to stay awake and go straight until the fuel light came on.

Dont know if this helps but I have to say it was fun as hell and I would def do it again. We were driving a 2001 chevy blazer 2dr by the way.

I would say absolutely not it's not worth your time or the wear and tear on the car. Plus when you factor in hotel rooms and food you've probably paid for the cost to have it shipped without the headache of driving that far. On the other hand if you think that you will enjoy the trip then by all means go for it.

back in the days i had done it bunch of times from L.A cali to NC with my 1986 honda accord (back in 1996) and my x5 with 130k i took it from detroit to NC about 10 times with no problem . take with you the case of oil seen the X waste oil ,and never let your gas goes to an empty, cuz you never kwon what gas station will open or not.

I would not attempt a trip like that with mine (73k miles) unless I have a tow truck following me. Good Luck

Go for it!! I've made the trip from NYS to Colorado, arizona & Wyoming lots of times, and it's a great drive. Once you are west of the Mississippi r., the gas is 10% ethanol, so be sure to use the highest octane they have. Also, be aware that altitude decreases your power - about 3% for each 1000 ft. Thus, when you go thru the mountains, you'll be pushing a bit harder on the pedal. If you stay on I70 all the way, you'll go thru Denver and the Rockies west, and that is an absolutely GREAT drive for any BMW, let alone an X. Speed limits in the west are higher than in the east, and you'll be tempted to 'try 'er out' a bit.

I'd advise taking along some extra water and 1-2 qt. of oil. BMW stores in some of the western states are few . . .

Good luck and have fun.

Go for it, we make a trip every year thar is 2700km one way (1670miles one way) i would never think for a sec that a beemer would let me down...