If you had to drive to DC from Ft. Lauderdale,

[PeteinMD]

what would you take time out to see? I'm going there Sunday, will likely bring back a car, and have two plans:

A: Drive to Atlanta area, see Panoz, then Zentrum, then Tail of the Dragon;

B: Straight shot up I-95 to DC.

Is there anything along I-95 that would be worth seeing, or is it one longe stretch of highway, ending in DC?

Best.

PeteinMD
'00 M coupe

[Jed]

I-95 is one long boring stretch from FL to DC. Although you get to see a million flourescent "South of the Border" billboards on the way to the NC/SC border. :rolleyes:

Can't miss it when you get there. A giant sombrero with a bunch of cheesy shops. Good tacos though...

[GoBLue]

Are you selling your 00' Coupe?

[PeteinMD]

Nope, looking at a prepared E30 for a track car.

I really wish I could continue using my coupe on the track, however, 'my head's just too big' and won't fit in the car with a helmet and a rollbar; I've been tracking with just a helmet and have been advised to begin to think more about safety...

hope that isn't a comment on my driving. Anywho, I've had some people look at my coupe, and where they would mount the roll bar won't allow me to have the stock and most aftermarket seats installed. So, another car is necessary, at least for this year.

Best,

PeteinMD
'00 M coupe

[Neil]

Pete -

Why not talk to James Clay at Bimmerworld (near VIR in Radford, VA) about putting together an E30 Spec Racer for you?

Neil

[PeteinMD]

The car I'm looking at is pretty well sorted out, and it's ~7k. It should be fine for DEs; then, after a year or two, I'll make the decision which way to go.

I agree, its a long way for a car, but I already missed a comparable one in NC about a month ago and don't want to take the chance of missing another opportunity.

See above (somewhere) for description of the car.

Any thoughts on what to see on the trip, other than the inside of an Amtrak?

Best of Luck with your 'new' baby!

PeteinMD
'00 M coupe

[LTrain]

I did that almost exact same drive. I came up the florida turnpike (mad tolls), into GA, rounded atlanta, went up to the gap, then up 81, and to 66 and home. It was raining when I went up 81, otherwise I would've taken the blue ridge parkway home.

Larry

[PeteinMD]

How did you decide which route to take? Why not a straight shot to DC via I-95?

Curious.

Best,

PeteinMD
'00 M coupe

[Juan ///M325]

Pete,

Tail of the dragon (deals gap) is a must if you have the time :buttrock

[LTrain]

Originally posted by PeteinMD
How did you decide which route to take? Why not a straight shot to DC via I-95?

Curious.

Best,

PeteinMD
'00 M coupe

Pete,

I-95 is boring as hell! I was staying over in orlando overnight, and I went from there to gainesville to visit a buddy, and seeing as I had ridden Deal's Gap on my motorcycle before, I KNEW I had to drive through there in my new(to me) M3. The time difference was negligible, and I got to see more of the country that I'd never been to before.

It took me two days, one from Orlando to Deal's Gap, with a stop at UFL for a few hours (I left late). My route had some amazing backroads-through-the-mountains-of-GA roads that lead up to the Gap. Then I stayed at a hotel in the gap, got up at 10am, ran the gap 3 times, then headed home. Like I said, I wish I could've hit the BRP, but its all good.

The trip did contain a lot of highway, but the Gap made it worth it, and I hate I-95 in general. Straight shot, how boring! Make sure you bring a radar detector, though! I almost got popped in GA, but for some reason he never pulled me over. I guess the shady temp tag from FL was something he didn't want to deal with.

Hope that helps. PM if you have any more questions. I can dig up my map, if you want the exact route I took.

Larry

[PeteinMD]

LTrain,

Thanx for your offer. I'm leaning towards going to at least Atlanta/Marietta for an evening, then I guess it's up to how much faith I put in this 14 yr old car! I'd like to see Panoz & Zentrum, and the 'Tail is the premier reason not to do the trip in a straight shot.

If you have your route somewhere, I'd appreciate having a copy. I've had a few suggestions, won't have a chance to look them over until I'm in FL.

TIA,

PeteinMD
'00 M coupe