[Bob Tanner]

Gee. An entire new forum? Let's kick it off, shall we? Let me set a couple of ground rules for our first thread: You don't have to be a "gear head," know how to change your own spark plugs or oil, or know anything about NASCAR, F1 or racing in general. Just have an experience in a car...

Now, the question is... {drum roll} What is the best time you ever had in a car? Was it a trip across country, cruising your local drive-in restaurant, broke down in some strange spot or situation, or something else? (Happiness in the back seat counts but, for heaven's sake, clean it up. We have good administrators at GTG!)

I'll start... Back in 1970, while in the Navy, I got orders taking me from Alameda, California to Jacksonville, FL. I elected to travel at my own expense because back then you could usually make money on a move by living frugally. Also, back then, there were companies who shipped cars privately. If you had a good record and a license you could go to these companies and they'd give you a car to drive to another city, at your expense. They gave you a place and time to turn the car in, patted you on the butt and said, "Be careful." My wife had my car and I had time on my hands so I went to see what they could do for me. WOW!!!

On 8/25/70 The Bobster pulled out of the Bay area in a Midnight Blue 1970 Cadillac Eldorado 2drHT with every option except auto butt-wipers! Talk about traveling cross-country in luxury!

Discretion prevents me from relating some of the experiences I had rolling across the fruited plains but suffice it to say the trip was a good'un. There was a tear in my eye when I had to turn the car in, in Jacksonville.

[Racer Duck]

In the lap of luxury? Yeah, I had one .. but I had to pay a bit more than you.

back in the early 21st century (that's just a few years back for those who can't figure it out!), my son, his wife, their 2 boys and I decided to "vacation" in Washington D.C. and stop by Mooresville to see some friends along the way.

our vehicles were not conducive to traveling that distance with minimal wear and tear on our physiques and psyches so we opted to rent a vehicle of reasonable size. soon it became apparent that a mini-van or other similarly sized vehicle was way out of our price range.

then we stumbled upon the Lincoln Continental. turns out they are rather roomy, rather economical at the gas station and float down the road. and all that leather was icing on the cake! and the kicker was it was also a very cheap rental!

what a great trip. and so relaxing. it could have been better only if there had been a paid chauffeur and free booze. and it was so different from my trip from Owego, NY to Texas in a Pontiac Firebird there's no comparison.

after that trip I had dreams of putting one in my garage for "those" occasions. but sticker shock brought me back to earth and I went back to my diesel dually.

we still talk about that trip...

[Bob Tanner]

The Caddy wasn't exactly cheap. It had the 454 c.i. engine with a really thirsty 4-barrel. But, gas was, as best I remember, around 39¢-42¢/gal. for premium, too. Of course I was making a screaming $240, a month to, not counting ComRats, BAQ ans sea pay, so everything is relative.

You brought up a salient point which we have lived by since I retired from the Navy. Vacations and long trips = rented cars! We have always figured that when you take into consideration depreciation and possibility of inconvenience if something happens to your primary ride during an extended trip, a rented car is a cheap investment. Plus, for example, we just came back from Branson and we took the trip in a rented Charger. It was a heck of a lot more comfortable than either our Cherokee or my Dakota truck!

If you shop the various car rental agencies, you can almost always find a good deal for unlimited mileage for a week or two if you return the car to the office where you rented it.

Also, if you're going one way, you can sometimes find good one-way deals. For example, in April we're cruising out of Miami to Aruba and Panama. Rather than rent a car for two weeks, we're renting one for two days to drive to Miami where we'll drop it at the same company's office. No drop charge. Ditto when we disembark and return to Mobile.

Some people swear by OPM (Other People's Money) as a way to live. We believe in OPC (Other People's Cars). Works for us, anyway.