long trips

Hi all,

I'm a newbie here and giving some serious thought to buying a speedster next year. My problem is I live on the wrong side of the country with respect to the vendors but business brings me out several times a year. Am I insane to think about driving back to CT after I buy in in CA over a week to 10 days? Is this a bad break in?

Also, I have not ridden in or driven one yet but plan to next time out west. What can I expect for performance, handling, ride? My frame of reference is a miata.

Thanks!

Gary
A replica speedster is basically a VW in disguise.....
drive it like you would any new car, and don't worry about it...
stay under 70 and put a big smile on your face.....

Gary, I had John Steele of JPS build my car last year. I drove it home from SoCal to my home in Northern California.
I experienced a few problems which resulted in a couple trips back to John's shop.
The second trip John personally drove up to trailer my car back to his shop. His comment was that the trip was too much for a new engine to handle.
Granted, I live up in the Sierra Foothills, so the trip is a bit strenuous for any car, but a brand new motor with less than 100 miles on it? To big of a risk.
I'm with Alan. Have it shipped and break it in at your leisure.
Terry

Terry,

Good advice for sure. I had mine trucked up 750 miles and certainly glad I did. Not having driven a VW of any kind for 30 some years I would have been a nervous wreck although I am sure the car would have made it.
Sure like to have you make it for the Southern Oregon fall tour Oct 1-3, not to bad a drive for you now that you have it broken in, right?

Bruce

Gary,

This question has come up a number times .
I suggest that you have the speedster shipped to your home and enjoy a casual introduction to the car tweaking this and that as you break it in locally . Noting worse than being in unknown territory and have a car develop a small problem like a wandering idle, a needed valve adjustment , this or that adjustment , fan belt etc etc. that can turn into a huge headache. That west to east run would be hard break in on a new engine ...just my .02 cents

Alan M

Bruce,
I would love to join you but I'm hard pressed for time that weekend.
We move from the little house to the big house and move my mother in law to the little house. I'm afraid I'll have to take a rain check. Perhaps next year? Thanks for thinking of me.
Terry

Terry,

I understand. Hopefully if this years is a sucess we can build on it for next year. Maybe see and the wife at Knotts again next Spring, and bring that beautiful car of yours.

Bruce

Gary, I'll drive it to you via the SOT for the cost of gas plus $200. When it arrives it will be waxed and buffed, cleaned inside, broken in, valves adjusted, oil changed and ready to go. You'll save so much over shipping that you can fly your wife to Twin Lakes Colorado to see the Aspens in peak.

Jim Ward.. serious offer

Oh by the way, where do you live Gary? LOL.

Jim

Hi Jim,

What a deal, gas plus $200! Hope you plan to sleep in the car. I don't know if you can get 5 nights in a hotel and airfare back from Connecticut for $200 :-)

As for the Aspens in Colorado, I still get cranky when I have to leave New England in the fall. It's tough to duplicate the colors and variety out here.

gary

Gary, The offer stands... I think I can check in on enough folks to stay out of Motel 6. I would do it for the experience and a chance to check in on Gordon and the east coast boys.

Seriously though, I have only seen the Fall in that area once courtesy of friends in Newton, Mass... but it was incredible. I still think when you sit at 8,000' below Independence Pass on the deck at an old coach inn looking at 14,000 footers all around you, two beautiful lakes below with a stream feeding into them,... snow blowing through the peaks in the morning, and you look out at 10,000' sides of shimmering yellow... scoping a bear making his way up accross the valley... it's. well, like Vermont but different.

Enjoy your VS. Kirk has treated me great and the car has been a joy.

Wow! Enfield, CT! Small world......Kathy and I lived in Enfield (OK, Thompsonville, really, but the same Post office) when we were first married way back in the 70's......worked at Hamilton Standard in Windsor Locks.

Jim.....JUST DO IT! The Conneticutt River Valley is a beautiful place and we're coming up on Autumn so the colors would be stupendous. You can fly out of Bradley Field in Windsor Locks and mayb e check out the air museum. Restaurants around there are good, too.

Come to think of it, if I can talk Kathy into letting me have an adventure, I might even go WITH you!

OR.......we can come over and get you when you get to Enfield and you can do the tour of Rhode Island and Massachusetts with Chris and me. Even get to ride in his 'Vette and Viper-eating Eclipse!

Gary: What are you doing this weekend?? If you can get over to Tiverton, Rhode Island (near Newport, RI or Fall River, MA) we should have five Speedsters here at a cook-out and tour - be glad to have a couple more people and you can ride/drive in all five! Also, someone on here is from Belchertown, out in your neck of the woods - check the registry sorted by Zip Code.

Gordon
"One of the Speedstah Guys in Rhode Island"

Jim-Bob:

Ya know, it might be a good idea to tool around SoCal for a couple of days to get 600-800 miles on it, then change the oil (and the tranny oil), adjust the valves, do any other PM needed and THEN head East. At least then the rings will have seated and you can run a sustained turnpike speed without worrying about it.

I'm ready......you ready?

gn

Of course, we might have to invite the two Ronnies down before departure to do one of their famous "Red Line Tach Tests"

Hey Jim,
Does John Steele know about your driving offer? I think you may have hit on a new 'boutique' service that would be appreciated by all the builders. It certainly sounds more affordable than a transport service, and the car arrives broken in. If you had offered this sooner I certainly would have taken you up on the offer AND taken you out for a steak dinner. JIM BOB'S IRON BUTT CAR DELIVERY SERVICE!
You Rock!
Terry

Ron O is now an expert at drive-line tests too.
Ron

Gordon, I see the beauty in your plan! And we could swap the left seat like it was Le Mans, except it's not. I like the Northern Cali tour... checking in on Terry, Paul, Dale, and all those hoodlums. Then up with Bruce, Dale and Rick tasting the wine and cruising the Mountains for the break in. And getting the Rons (not to be confused with The Ron Theron) to certify the transaxle for us would be a plus... besides the icey Molsons, eh? LET'S ROLL! No... better, from the Blues Bros.. We're on a mission for God and John, Henry and Kirk!

Terry, I like that idea! Iron Bottom Executive Delivery, LLC. Think of the vacations one could build into the deal?... all part of the biz.... yesth. One thing though Terry. Here in Red Dirt Country you can get lassoed and branded for saying fancy french words like Boutique! I wore a Vets For Kerry T-shirt to Clapton and about had to fight my way to our car. Oklahoma..... man, after living in Florida, Colorado, Hawaii, and Texas I ended up back here? The things we do for love.

No, You Rock! Love that Speedster and those wheels.

Ok, all I need is a car to deliver...

Jim!

Speaking of long trips....

You coming out for the Reno Air Races??

Call me to discuss.
916-284-8281

Brian (Fly Low..Turn Left)

I think if I took one of you up on this, I might not see the car for a month or two.

Gordon, Thanks again for the offer, but it's college move in weekend. I'm in Newport in mid October for a meeting, so I might look you up if I have time.
Thomsonville! Small world indeed. We're on Enfield Street. We moved here in the mid 80's when I worked for Gerber in S. Windsor.

gary

Nah, it would probably only take two weeks, tops. Not a few months.

If this actually goes through, I bet it would be a fun exercise to play "let's see how many Speedster owners on the forum we can meet on the way!" Get a map with pushpins... seriously.

Jim and dad, if there's a state or two you can't find someone you know in, I bet I can.

You guys seriously need to do this. It would be something you'd talk about for years - even you, Gary! :)

Chris

Well, let's see.......make an LA-to-SanFran the first day and visit the Bay Area folks, Second day, continue on to Oregon to visit West Coast Bruce, Steve and Angela. Turn around and make a run BACK to LA for the 800-1000 mile PM visit (fluid changes, belt tightening, leak fixing, alignment checking, more Pork Rinds, all that stuff). Saddle up and head for Flagstaff to meet up with the SouthWest crowd and a run to the Grand Canyon, maybe make a slight detour to San Diego to visit those folks and see if we can get Vince to ride a while with us.

But gee, we aughta visit the folks in Colorado, and if we're that far North we could drive a little more and visit the Beese's. Then, do we swing South down toward OKC or stay North and visit the Ohio and the East Central Canadians?

Decisions.......Still, we could hit a few National Parks on the Northern leg, so Grand Tetons it is, and that run through Montana that everyone talks about, zip past the bazillion lakes region and on toward Ohio to see what Jerome would do for artistic touches, then over to that un-pronounceable ski resort in Canada to visit Fern and the Ghia, head South toward Southern Pennsylvania and/or Maryland to visit East Coast Bruce (fair is fair - meet ALL the Bruce's (where is Bruce GORDON, BTW?) then over to New Jersey to visit all those fine folks in the New Jersey Replica Club.

From there, it's just a three hour blast to get up to Enfield - I-95 to I91 North to two exits before the Massachusetts Border. Two weeks, tops..........What could be easier?

Now, all we need is someone in Florida who needs ANOTHER car delivered so we can make a Southern US run.......any takers out there?

The "Jim-Bob and Gordon, Sea-to-Shining-Sea, Brand-new Speedster Delivery Service" "Your car, Gently broken in the right way, and delivered to your door by two Old Farts".

Of course, the potential new owner always runs the risk that we won't want to give the car up when/if we finally get it there..........

I stand by my original guess of a month or two. It looks to me that CA and OR alone, plus tune up, is a 5-6 day run. Unless I hit all green lights on the PCH.

Not that it wouldn't be fun.

gary