Help me plan cross country drive, 914 or boxster? Options

[boxster914]

Hi everyone

I'm planning to drive from NC to Santa Barbara in late July. Back roads only, no highways.

I want to take my '71 914 but I'm concerned about the desert passage at the end of the trip. Will the car make it? How hot is that stretch and is there cell phone service?

Rough plan right now is to follow Route 66 starting in OK then Tucumcari NM to Flagstaff, Seligman AZ, Needles AZ to Santa Barbara. The Needles to Santa Barbara leg is what I'm worried about.

I have driven from NC to CO July 2019 and took the car over Independence Pass (12k feet). It did fine. The car is dialed in with every system addressed (still FI) and it gets regular year-round use.

I could also drive my Boxster. Would A/C be necessary in the desert? I've never driven through the desert before.

Anyone take this route? Thoughts? Advice?

Here they are:

[rjames]

You will want AC.
Boxster.

[BillJ]

The windows down wont work. I did VA to NC in August temps here and was sweating so bad. The 914 would be epic of course. Much cooler. But also much hotter.

[r_towle]

I think the car would make it.
I would suggest you review the average temps in the hottest part of the journey to determine if you will survive that section with windows down AC.

[KELTY360]

If you feel the 914 is dialed in, drive it. You can always do the very hot stretches at night. A rag on your neck drenched in ice water can help during the day. Be sure you have a good hat and a list of members along the way. Besides, the 914 can carry more gear. You’ll certainly have a sense of accomplishment when you get home. Good luck.

[Craigers17]

....I'd take the Nissan Leaf and enjoy the journey and the sites without the stress of worrying about the maintenance/breakdown of an older car. Then, after you get back home, take the 914 over to the Dragon and beat the he'll out of it.....erhhh...I mean get reacquainted on the twisties where it's at it's best.

[boxster914]

....I'd take the Nissan Leaf and enjoy the journey and the sites without the stress of worrying about the maintenance/breakdown of an older car. Then, after you get back home, take the 914 over to the Dragon and beat the he'll out of it.....erhhh...I mean get reacquainted on the twisties where it's at it's best.

OK so yes that would be nice to take the Leaf on a road trip.

For anyone who hasn't driven a Leaf- highway driving sucks the life out of the battery. Where we live, 26 miles to the airport bleeds 30%+ of the battery life.

It would take me a month to get to the west coast in the leaf. Maybe. It we could find charging stations along the way.

We charge it via solar at home and we desperately want to be a part of the climate change solution but it just isn't there yet.

[bkrantz]

Needles to Santa Barbara should take about 5 hours. You could leave at dawn and be close to the coast before temps get too hot.

[Front yard mechanic]

Take the red car you’ll get there faster

[Steve]

Take the Boxster! I could handle the heat when I was younger, but now i'm 62 and I thought I was getting heat stroke driving in 98 degree weather with windows down along I5. As other said, there is workarounds, like leave early, wet rags, etc. but crap happens. I got stuck in construction traffic, accidents, etc and the drive took much longer and then I was stuck in high temps. My car ran great, but it's a 3.2 with nice cooler up front.

[Chris914n6]

Could easily be 115f the day you cross. That much heat exposure, specially with your lack of experience, could kill you.

For that reason the Boxster.

[Dave_Darling]

I've done the full-on desert drive in a 914 in July. It was not fun. We went all the way across Nevada to Salt Lake City UT. The only way I survived it was by having a cooler full of ice and a washcloth (wish it had been a hand towel size) that I soaked in the melting ice and wrapped around my neck.

The car stopped once--vapor lock--in an area with no cell service for my phone. I suspect there will be some areas in the southern path that won't have service as well. I got going again after about 15 minutes of messing with stuff on the side of the road.

My wife, in her 911 with upgraded AC system, had no issues.

Taking the 914 would be an adventure. Taking the Box would be easier and more comfortable.

--DD

[wonkipop]

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if this was 37 years ago i would tell you to take the green 914.
back then i was certifiable when it came to deserts.





sturt desert.
january (high summer, is there any other time to be in a desert?).
dirt road.
repetetive hypnotic red sand dunes.
vw type 3 variant.
still remember the temp. etched into my brain. 48 deg C. (118 F)
(not the hottest i have been in - thats was 52C on black saturday when a lot of victoria was on fire, but i was not in a car that day, i was parked next to an AC unit).
jerry cans of fuel. containers of water.
no mobile phones back then.
you told the cops in the last "town" you went through you would be at the next "town" in X days. if after X + 2 to 3 days you did not show up the cops came looking for you.


i would do it again at the drop of the hat. except.
i know the car would make it.
a/c vws can get anywhere in any temp. antarctica to sahara.
but i wouldn't. not 26 anymore and no longer certifiably insane.


take the boxster.
and take water. lots of it in case the boxster somehow decides it has to stop.
you might need to drink while you wait.

always wanted to do a traverse of the american desert region from LA to texas.
still haven't. but you never know. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[930cabman]

914 mostly at night, less traffic and cooler.

What is your risk tolerance?

[GregAmy]

Is your goal to enjoy the drive itself, or to have a great story (maybe good, maybe bad)?

Answer that question first, and the best tool for the job becomes evident.

[ClayPerrine]

Just an FYI..

If you are planning to try to take Route 66, be aware that between Glenrio , Texas and San Jon, New Mexico it is a dirt road. And once you are on the dirt road, there is only one way back to I-40 and it is right in the middle. There are some places with really questionable bridges over dry stream beds as well.

We found this out the hard way coming back from Red Rocks last year. I wanted to cross back into Texas on Route 66. We didn't make it. We turned back to I-40 on Quay country road. I am still cleaning nasty New Mexico desert dirt off my 914, and it was on a trailer.

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.1139239,-10...i8192?entry=ttu

That is the only spot where google maps has street view on that section of Route 66.

Good luck on your journey!

[ClayPerrine]

Here is one of the sketchy bridges I was talking about:

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.145004,-103...i1919?entry=ttu

[mxkinn01]

I've lived in the Vegas desert for 62 years now and am completely used to the heat. Like others have said, it will be triple digit temps that time of year and if your not used to it you will get a heat stroke at minimum. An other consideration is cell service. Verizon has the best coverage in no mans land but there will be considerable dead spots with all the cell providers. In my younger years I would and did do trips like that (I had young mans stupidity back then). I now tow the 914 or one of the VWs pretty much everywhere if its out of state. A/C, cruise control, comfort, take the Boxter.

[rjames]

And leather seats vs vinyl in the heat? No contest.

[SirAndy]

You will want AC. Boxster.

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Been there, done that, would take your Boxster if i had to do it again.
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