mazdeuce wrote: All packed. Co-driver is on his way. Just need to pick up the kids from school, grab the rental car, feed everyone dinner, and hit the road. I'm glad noone is home. I'm so annoying I'm annoying myself.
Keep me posted on your itinerary.
Safe travels!
Right now it's out and back. Co-driver wants to get home and I have to build brood pen on Sunday for Deucekid#1's chicks that are coming next week.
Strongly considering coming to the Challenge as a spectator with Deucekid#2 next year, so we'll stop and visit all of the places/people that we're skipping this time. Thanks for all the offers.
This assumes that we're not begging for assistance with a dead van any time in the next day and a half. We'll see how that works out.
mazdeuce wrote: Strongly considering coming to the Challenge as a spectator with Deucekid#2 next year, so we'll stop and visit all of the places/people that we're skipping this time.
As a Gainesville resident, I always offer Challenge assistance to anyone who inquires. If you and the kid want to enter the Challenge as an arrive and drive, I would be happy to help facilitate. I would help with whatever arrangements are needed.
Well good luck with the trip. After looking up the specs on one I'd have no problem sporting one of them around at all. Even with the auto, phssp with 500hp on tap who cares mash it and go. Not that I'm much into the stick figure people applied to back windows but I have to say the Stig family would be one I'd do if I was sporting this car.
That's awesome. I'm glad you are getting it. When it popped up in the Dad-mobile thread I had some very serious thoughts about it... then I looked at my wife and choose to continue living. 
mazdeuce wrote: The V gets better mileage than it's supposed to if I don't drive like I'm 17, so maybe this will too?
My M5 did not. I think I averaged 9 mpg. That became very irritating with the shot glass they used for a gas tank.
For $10 extra we upgraded from a Fiesta to a Taurus. It's not terrible and birkenstockguy fits in the trunk with room to spare.
We're moving through Louisiana and still on schedule. More when the sun comes back up.
mazdeuce wrote: Insurance is less than the V, but man, I need to find a better way to have 6 cars insured. I'm concerned that we're going to have to sell/store some cars once the Deucelings start driving.
It seems some of them should be eligible for classic car insurance. The 911, definitely.
Call a rep at Hagerty. I was quite surprised after joking with her about trying to get classic insurance on the '07 MINI Cooper my ex and I used to own, since we essentially used it like a classic car. She said it varies by state, but it might have been possible. The CTS-V wagon may be eligible, based on the rarity.
Purchased. Driving home. Lots of stories. Very nice car.
What, no pictures, nothing??
GPz11 wrote: What, no pictures, nothing??
Seriouly dude....
Between this and the V wagon, I'm really feeling like I need to get my wife something cooler than a Mazda3 hatch next time around. Looking forward to the thread!
Home safe. Over 2000 miles in 32 hours. Story after sleep.
The short story: traffic, disorganized finance guy, and a slightly ill co-driver made the return leg harder than it should have been. We should have thrown in the towel and extended the trip by a day.
Long version will include a semi with 40 foot flames and a Superbowl winner.
Work first, forum later. 
If you ask a GPS program, the dealer who sold me the R63 is just over 14 hours away. This is what we based our whole plan around.
The plan:
Leave by 6:00pm. Drive 14 hours, add one hour for the time change. Make up a few minutes along the way and arrive right at 9:00am when the salesman assured me we could quickly pick up the car and head out. Leave by 10:00am, half an hour to return the rental car, 14 hours home, pick up a few minutes, minus an hour for the time change, get home by 11:30.
Because it was going to be so simple we brought birkenstockguy's giant 100+ lb Komondor who loves to tag along for stuff like this.
We were too optimistic.
Things started with an overdurned semi on I-10 in Louisiana. We lost an hour. Had an interesting experience at 3:00am when a very excited gas station attendant shouted through the speaker at the pump "datsatalldawg!". I about peed myself. Arrived at the dealership a bit after 10:00. Car was almost perfect. Finance guy was not. When we got there he STARTED looking at the papers Mrs. Deuce had signed and overnighted back three days ago. He decided two were missing. Awesome. Then he decided I could just bring them home with me and return them signed. Actually awesome. Finally signed all the papers.
Now the salesman mentioned that the van came with extra wheels I could have if I wanted. We had room, so....sure? Took another 45 minutes for them to track them down. Chrome 22's. Of course they are.
While waiting for that we talked to a couple of other sales people. They tell us who traded in the car. Five time pro bowl, super bowl winning defensive back. His wife's van. I can't decide if I want to say who it is because the satellite radio in the van still works and if I spill the beans he might get wise and turn it off. I will say the monogrammed floor mats match his wife's initials, so I believe the sales guys. I don't mind paying for satellite radio, but I also don't mind it it mysteriously stays on.
Anyway, we FINALLY leave after two and a half hours and return the rental car. It turns out Florida has all sorts of other cars on the roads and something that should take us half and hour takes an hour.
Finally settled into the van with four 22 inch wheels and a dog, we realize that our 11:30pm arrival time is more like 3:00am, and we drove through the previous night. We should have called it quits and gone to the Carlisle show, the Don Garlits museum, grabbed a hotel, and stopped to see the battleship in Mobile on the way home Sunday.
We did not do that.
We headed for home, and as we drove, birkenstockguy got increasingly ill. We were racing intestinal issues (he wants to formally apologize to the cleaning staff at the dealership) and a migraine that was potentially poking around the edges.
We drove 14.5 straight hours from the rental car return to my house. I drove 13.5 of them. I handed over the wheel for an hour at hour 11 because birkenstockguy briefly felt OK and I honestly needed to close my eyes. We did come across a semi with the entire cab engulfed in 40 foot flames. The police were there and it looked like the drivers were out, but the fire department hadn't arrived yet. Birkenstockguy took a picture. It was impressive.
We rolled in at 2:30. Birkenstock guy safely drove the hour back to his house.
All of this is why I didn't take pictures and update my thread along the way. We both agreed that the pace of our trip was a mistake. We should have aimed for adventures Saturday afternoon and all the way home on Sunday. We're old enough to know better.
Great relationships always have good stories. Congrats on your new toy, I mean practical family car.
The extra wheels. They appear to be GFG Baghdad. They have Pirelli Scorpion Zero tires, two of which are 90% tread, two of which are down below the wear bars. I should watch tire wear closely. 
The wheels list for $1023 each and the tires for $272. This is Houston so I should be able to get a bit of money for them. First I need to figure out if the tire pressure sensors might be in them. The van doesn't think they're in the stock AMG wheels that are on it now.
Glad you made it home! Looking forward to the 'usage' thread!
Awesome! Glad you made it back safe.
Nice story up till I looked at the ride more. Is that white with tan interior please tell me I'm wrong? I was just telling my wife today on a drive today that I'd rather be hung by my scrotum than own a car that is white with tan interior. This is after I saw a newer white jetta with tan interior sitting next to us at a light.
I will have to give you some leeway as they are hard to find in the first place. So it's a crap shoot what color it will be.
I think you aught to go old school 2000 and put some spinners in those 22's really mess with the Texas crowd.
Still bet it was a blast driving it home once you got onto some open highway. Any bumping of the speed limiter or is that till you can get it on a track?
I actually don't hate the chrome wheels.
In reply to brad131a4:
The only interior choices were black or tan. The lighter interior is harder to keep clean, but it really lightens up the cabin, and this was a Florida (now Texas) car and black leather isn't the best choice in this climate.
Not sure if the speed limiter can be bumped, or if I care. The Texas Mile would be interesting, but I'm not headed to the track with this. Not that I couldn't, but it's a long way down the list when I start picking through the fleet for a track day.
Handling is interesting, it has a LOT more brake dive and roll than the V. Much more Q ship than sports car, which makes sense.
Dusterbd13 wrote: I actually don't hate the chrome wheels.
You need some 5x112 22's? I could make you a deal?
They're actually not terrible, just not my thing, and the last thing I need is ANOTHER set of wheels hanging about.
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