Around the country... In 14 days... In a 4th gen?

[teampwr2]

Bring Lotsa $ For Gas !!!
I Live In phx,az And My wife and I went to yellowstone last summer and It cost about 700.00 in gas ! And I drive Fairly conservitive and it was almost 500 in gas to go do a loop thru texas and back ... I Have bumpers lift and used my aftermarket roof rack to load stuff up in so I had alot more drag so to speak ... But Go And tear it up Its the best fun out there !

 

[Opi]

DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! I did it in 2009 and my wife and I still talk about how awesome it was! Maybe next year we'll do it again but to other places.
We did
Start: New York
Arch in St Louis
Dinner stop Oldest BBQ house in Kansas
Denver weekend rest, recoup, sight see, 4th of july fireworks, awesome city(First night in a bed since leaving NY) oh yeah great food n beer!
Moab Utah- camping, whitewater rafting, hiking, off roading in Canyonlands Ntnl Park
Jackson hole WY- same as Denver,
Yellowstone- camping, hiking etc
MT Rushmore
then straight home +24 hours nonstop to New York.
Your 4R is low in miles relative to many 300k 4R's on here, just take a look.
Your at the mark of doing the 100k maintenance and you should do it. I'd also add change brakes if never done and ALL fluids b4 ur trip, tries?. For 2 people the 4R has a crazy amout of space but I added a cargo box since my daughter was coming.
Pass me some questions and I'll answer them. You gotta do this trip everyone should- our country has some beautiful sights, people, food and can be a giant playground!
happy trails:driving:

I really want to spend a lot of time camping outdoors, mainly because I love it, and to save money on hotels... The dealer i bought the runner from threw new brakes all around on it, so ill likely do an oil change, check the a/c system, fluids and i may need tires i dont know... they were at 7/32 for inspection and between now and then i might put 1000 miles on it (not my dd).

Do you think that 2 weeks is enough? realistically the time frame im looking at is

June 9th (leave early morning) - june 24th be back in PA so 16 days I guess

Sounds like a great trip, I've never been to any of those areas but would love to be in your shoes.

As for the rental thing, in theory it sounds like a smart idea but I'd never do it. Part of the ownership experience I have with my vehicles is the memories I get with them, that trip would be a great memory with that vehicle. I say put the miles on!

Thanks! I agree too, and I guess slapping 7000 miles on a 4runner is nothing right :cowboy:

Yes DO IT
It will be a great memory that you will have the rest of your life.

:bluejump: Well thats only until Dec 21st right :snacker:

check out this guy who did a one year road trip with his wife in his First Gen. It's an awesome read with great pictures and some cool stories. This will definitely give you the inspiration you'll need to take the 4runner.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/class...n-francisco-ushuaia-argentina-87-4runner.html

holy crap thats amazing. im jealous... and his wife is hot... sigh. haha. now if only i could cram all that into 16 days

I've driven across country a couple of times in my 4Runner and it was great. First time was from DC up to Montana, down to Yellowstone and out to California. A few years later (after I grew tired of being back on California), I moved back East and went the southern route (very similar to your trip). I had absolutely no problems with the 4Runner. A couple of suggestions though:

-- Get your AC checked and working before you go. I drove from DC to San Antonio one June and my AC broke ... it was brutal.
-- On your way to the Grand Canyon, try to hit the Southern side. It has less tourists. When I drove back to NC, this was the highlight of my trip. I'm a cynic and didn't think I'd really like it but it was amazing.
-- Since you're so close, consider go through Monument Valley. The rock formations are incredible.
-- The one thing I wish I had done since I was so close was to check out Arches National Park. It's is in Utah and is supposed to be amazing.
-- Driving across country is amazing but be prepared for lots and lots of boring sections. Make sure you've got plenty of music to keep you going because, in parts, the only radio you'll be able to get will be talk radio, Spanish or Christian (or a combination).
-- Get the Gas Buddy app for you phone. This will tell you the cheapest gas near you. The costs difference can be ridiculous. I stayed in Needles, CA on my way out of the state and gas there was running $4 / gallon (this was in 2010). The receptionist at the hotel I was staying at told me to go a couple of blocks down the road and it was $2.25 because I was in Arizona.

I'm jealous .. I'm ready for another road trip and won't have one for awhile.

Noted, all of that lol. I definitely want to hit the grand canyon, that was one of the spots Id like to camp in/on/near/whatever. I wanted to hit Zion and moab in utah so thats part of the plan (again, assuming good camping around there) I got an older pioneer avic d3 from my buddy that shold solve some of the boredom issues hopefully, and im concerned gas is gonna be $5 a gallon everywhere and probably 6 in some places..

That happens to me on here sometimes. I usually highlight everything before I post and do a copy(Ctrl C) and then try to post my response. If it does not post like in the case you just mentioned I can simply go back and hit Paste(Ctrl V) without having to type everything all over again. It works for me.

noted lol

id never take my own vehicle to trips longer then 500miles, I rent, its cheap (weekly rates that is and youll safe your own vehicle.
weekly rates could be as low as 150 with unlimited mileage.

i dont know where you see rates like that i havent found anything close

I agree too. Not much to see on that stretch of Interstate 40. If you pass through Amarillo stop by Cadillac Ranch. It's a ranch with 10 old model Cadillac's buried with the back of the cars sticking out. It's a poulpar tourist attraction and can be found in Travel books too. You cant miss it since it's visible from the highway and just of old RT 66.

gotcha, i heard of that

Yo,...Opi,...
I say, STAY HOME! Don't go anywhere. Save your money, gas, and wear & tear on your T4R. Google Image everything if you want to see it and wiki it to read about it.
Plop yourself on the ole couch and watch NASCAR,...damn,... that Daytona 500 was a riot to watch and the dude crashing into the jet dryer was even funnier! :beer:

xlaxx

shhh. doesnt matter how much you have saved when youre dead..

Bring Lotsa $ For Gas !!!
I Live In phx,az And My wife and I went to yellowstone last summer and It cost about 700.00 in gas ! And I drive Fairly conservitive and it was almost 500 in gas to go do a loop thru texas and back ... I Have bumpers lift and used my aftermarket roof rack to load stuff up in so I had alot more drag so to speak ... But Go And tear it up Its the best fun out there !

yeah the only things ill have are a pair of offroad lights stock bumper and maybe one of those rooftop cargo box things which is hopefully aerodynamic

 

[Opi]

ok still working on the planning... revised # 1 lol

 

[Opi]

i feel like that whole grand canyon/ca/vegas area could be done more efficiently but havent figured out just how yet..

 

[BOSMECH]

Thats a great trip

 

[Opi]

Thats a great trip

would 7000 miles on one oil change be ok? or would i have to get it done en route somewhere you think

 

[BOSMECH]

I would change it in route just bring the oil and filter or buy it and a cheap bucket, change it and drop the old oil and filter off at a Autozone or a autoparts store.

 

[BOSMECH]

would 7000 miles on one oil change be ok? or would i have to get it done en route somewhere you think

Alway error on the safe side.

 

[Opi]

Alway error on the safe side.

true true

 

[the550]

would 7000 miles on one oil change be ok? or would i have to get it done en route somewhere you think

might as well have it changed along the way if you have a chance, but as long as you have it changed right before the trip and check the oil every now and then, 7k miles on one oil change isn't going to do any damage, especially if those are highway miles.

 

[Climb14er]

Piece of cake! :

I did 12,000 miles with girlfriend in 1972, two and a half months, upstate NY to Eastern Canada, Trans-Canadian HWY west, around the lakes up to Saskatoon, down through Jasper and Banff, south and then west to British Columbia, down the coast to Washington, Oregon, California, across Arizona to New Mexico, north to Colorado... then back east... meandering along the way... the entire time.

in a 1971 Air Cooled VW Bug.

Camped out most of the time.

You can easily do that in a 4Runner.