$10K to spend on a vehicle for a 13K+ mile, all-weather road trip

For $10 k, I'll drive my XC90 out to Seattle, meet you at the airport and fly home. I'll bring the winter tires and wheels as well.

I've decided to add up the properties of all of the suggestions. Clearly, the answer is Nissan Murano Crosscabriolet.

Honestly, it sounds like you would be happiest in the nicest GT car you can afford. Perhaps a Mercedes SL, or Lexus SC. BMW 8 series looks like fun too.

2nd gen MR2? They make better GT cars than the first gen and have more storage. Need to bring snows but don't want to drive on them? Solution for that too:

If you don't want to do it in a sports car, my vote is that you get the cheapest giant american luxobarge that catches your eye, and spend the rest on fuel.

My suggestion: the lowest mileage Lexus you can find.

I've done a few road trips in an early GS300. Its struck me as the perfect car for long drives. Trunk and backseat are huge, tons of cargo space.

S197 mustang?

wrx wagon.

Make it big enough to sleep in or small enough to be fun. The middle area is for grocery shopping and driving kids to school.

Have you looked at how cheap S-class sedans from the early aughts are going for right now? If I could have a second car, I'd be considering one of these.

If it were me I would be hitting some back country roads and doing some camping...not sure if that's your plan. For the best of both worlds, I would want a small AWD SUV (Rav4, CR-V, Tucson, Forester, etc.). Put some decent tires on there, and you'll be comfortable, have plenty of room, get decent mpg, and be able to hit some decent trails/offroad spots. Sounds like a fun trip...color me jealous!

mazdeuce wrote: Make it big enough to sleep in or small enough to be fun.

Still too deep into my weekend to write my considered response yet, but this about nails where I am coming from. To answer the questions posed so far:

Carrying capacity is a non-issue. I will have at most, two medium-sized duffle bags and a backpack. Even the MR2 Spyder can manage that.

Given the length of the trip, mileage has to be a consideration, but actually enjoying a curvy road here and there along the way is a higher priority. No real off-roading in the cards though.

Thanks for the input so far!

Fueled by Caffeine wrote: Boom 1966 Mustang. http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/4639644743.html Seriously something like this might be fun. http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/4649465031.html

I loved our 03 Mach 1.... It really ate up the miles. I'll also suggest Corvette and Porsche 928.

Find a nice 98-00 Z3 Coupé. The 2.8 version will give you good gas mileage, and the suspension will be nice in the back roads. Cargo capacity will be descent too.

Check out z3coupebuyersguide.com for a few listings.

Don't look back and enjoy.

If you want to sleep in it and have a sporty all weather chassis that gets 20+mpg I would try to find a stock, or as close to stock wrx wagon, with as few miles as you can afford. 10 k should buy a nice one. And it will sell quickly upon your return to the NW in winter. If it was me, I'd get a 98+ Ls1 6spd F body. Mount some blizzaks on the 17s remove passenger seat for sleeping area. East bound and down.

Buy this; you can sell me the hard top when you get to the east coast to help pay for your travel costs. http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/4659154095.html

I've never had a problem making long trips in my S2000, the gas mileage isn't bad, and it's an incredibly fun car. I've fit a seabag or an ILBE in the trunk more than once; so your planned luggage will fit with ease.

W140 Mercedes Benz? Lexus LS400?

The problem with buying a subaru is seattle is buying a subaru in seattle. Everyone wants one and their used prices reflect their perceived value. $10k will get you a fairly well clapped out wrx.

Pontiac Aztec, I think they did.something similar to show the comfort and reliability going from the southern tip of south America to Alaskawhen they launched the car

kilted_monkey wrote:

mazdeuce wrote: Make it big enough to sleep in or small enough to be fun.

Still too deep into my weekend to write my considered response yet, but this about nails where I am coming from. To answer the questions posed so far: Carrying capacity is a non-issue. I will have at most, two medium-sized duffle bags and a backpack. Even the MR2 Spyder can manage that. Given the length of the trip, mileage has to be a consideration, but actually enjoying a curvy road here and there along the way is a higher priority. No real off-roading in the cards though. Thanks for the input so far!

Sounds like a perfect trip for a NA, NB, or NC Miata!

Pontiac GTO?

EvanB wrote: wrx wagon.

THIS!!!

ryanty22 wrote: Pontiac Aztec, I think they did.something similar to show the comfort and reliability going from the southern tip of south America to Alaskawhen they launched the car

They were practical, but kind of terrible. The though of voluntarily spending every day in one for a couple of months makes me want to tear my face off.
There is a certain joy in strapping yourself into something you actually like every morning.

'05 Legacy GT wagon. With the 5-speed. Fun. Pretty fast. AWD. Lots of space for your gear. Reasonable fuel mileage.

irish44j wrote: '05 Legacy GT wagon. With the 5-speed. Fun. Pretty fast. AWD. Lots of space for your gear. Reasonable fuel mileage.

That sounds like it might be a winner there. You can keep your gear in the psgr seat, lay the back seats flat to have room to sleep, have some fun, and not get stuck in the snow. Let the shopping begin!

I would have to agree with the mr2, nc miata, s197 mustang, or LGT wagon. Personally, I would go s197 mustang with a v8 and a stick because those seats for me better than almost any production car I have driven. So comfortable!

I've been thinking about this. If you're not going to sleep in it, I think an NB Miata would be awesome. And no hard top. Nice to drive, great mileage, there will be lots of times when you're in national parks where you will be restricted to insanely low speed limits. Usually, at the same time, the world is more beautiful than you see out of a normal car. This is where motorcycles excel as road trip vehicles and a nice small convertible like an NB is about as close as you can get to that.