Summer road trip...

patrick66

Old Man with a Hat
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Sometime this Summer is my family reunion in Minnesota. I've been thinking about how my wife and I plan in getting there. Flying is something I gave up two years ago; I won't put up with that nonsense anymore. And a train? If you want to go to Fort Worth, Texas, that is the only place one can go direct from OKC on a train...sad, I know. So, that leaves a car.

I've rented cars to drive on trips before, and that is actually very cost-efficient! But, somehow, a rental Camry, Accord, or 200 just isn't THE car for a good road trip. So, I've decided I'm gonna drive one of my three very good highway cars - either my driver '86 Ford Country Squire, the '78 NYBS, or my Imperial ragtop.

The Ford gets 20 mpg on the highway at 70 mph. It's comfy, has a decent sound system, drives great, has icy-cold air, and is dead-on dependable. And it gets the looks these days, as a 30-year-old car does.

The Chrysler gets about 18 on the road, is ultra-comfy, I have a few 8-track tapes that still function (plus the radio works!), has new tires, drives beautifully, and has a trunk big enough to put four bodies in it. Plus, it just looks good!

The Imperial allows for top-down, sunburning cruising at 80 mph with zero effort, looks amazing, will probably get 12 - 14 on the road (unknown yet!), 99.97% guaranteed to be the only one we see on the road, no working tunes, runs great, no leaks, and it's freakin' great!

I thought about the Coronet, but with the A/C inop, and a now-irritating exhaust drone at 60 - 70 mph, it might be kinda painful to drive the distance.

No polls or anything. I'm just tossing around which of three really great highway cars to take to Minnesota with me.

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I don't know how you can live with all these problems! Everyone is sweet!
 
Yeah, I know, it's tough! LOL! In reality, I'm leaning towards the NYBS, if I still have it by then.
 
Okc to Minnesota isn't that far, take whatever old mopars you feel most comfortable in. Where in Minnesota are you going to?
 
I would take the NYB too if I had your choices... What ever you decide, I hope you'll have a pleasant road trip!
 
I would choose the Imperial vert.
I the weather seems to be bad: Take the NYB
 
I'm with Carsten.... Imperial, without a doubt. Gas will probably be back to three dollars by then but the journey is worth the cost. King of the road man...
 
ahh first world problems, If it were me the choice would be simple... Imperial conv all the way!!!
 
Convert to modern tunes in the Imp, drop the top and go man go!
 
X? on the Imp for Minisoti. Do the train when Ft. Worth IZ the destination. T'ween restaurants and water holez you can spend ah whole weekend + and never leave the stock yardz and never down the same brand long neck or chew the same steak twice. Trust me on this, Jer
 
The wife and I did 2 cross country trips in a slant six 67 Dart coast to coast. Loved every minute of it.What ever ride you choose go for it !!
 
Where in Minnesota are you going to?

Minneapolis. I've got a BUNCH of relations up there that I've not seen since the mid-'70s. I'm looking forward to it.

The Imp still needs the A/C sorted out and the heater core installed. I just bought what's touted as a "working" factory seek/scan AM radio recently, and will get the original, non-working radio converted in the near future. The Imp is a possibility, no doubt, but right now, I have more faith in the NYBS, as it's 98% road-ready now, save for an exhaust manifold leak...don't know if it's cracked or simply a blown exhaust gasket.
 
When the top is down I don't need a radio

Drove to Moparfest and back from Friday to Monday... no radio and top was up. I was just proud to be driving what I was driving
 
We actually didn't have working tunes in the Imp for Carlisle trip last summer and it was fine, good company.
 
I'm middle aged. I need air. Especially in a black-interior car, which the Imperial and the Coronet both are. Plus, the June humidity in Iowa and southern Minnesota is oppressive as hell! Gotta have the air. But, like I mentioned in my original Imperial thread, the A/C is still R12 and blows cool, just not cold! I have a friend that stockpiled a BUNCH of R12 back in the day, and still has quite a bit left. I'll need to pony up and have him recharge the Imperial when I get ready for that. I need to replace the heater core first.
 
I'm middle aged too Patrick, younger than you however but don't want air ON UNLESS I am sitting in city traffic for hours and even then it's unlikely
 
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