Decisions, Decisions.....

[SID210SA]

Maybe yall can help me out.....

My dilema:

I am taking a trip to Grandma's house next week.....she lives in K.C. MO., and I am going by way of OKC to visit my Dad and go to my Step Brothers Wedding this weekend.

Well I dont know which vehicle to take. I am not looking for economical, just the best one to take as far as comfort and reliability, and praticality. I would also like to point out I need something easy to get in and out of for my Grandmother ( 85 years young) and aunt who walks with crutches.
My choices are:

1. My Suburban that has satalite radio, DVD (for the nondriver) CB and a huge gas tank.

2. My Mom has offered us her Toyota Solara convertable, no top is the only plus I can think of.

3. My Marauder. Satalite radio, sound system, CB, MoonRoof and very comfortable.....I dont get tired driving it....drove 18 hours straight from MV in St. Louis back to SA, and wasnt wasted.

Mike

[RF Overlord]

Suburban: Too high for grandma and auntie on crutches.
Solara: Yeah. Right.
Marauder: Prolly the best choice of the 3

Also consider renting something that's easier to get into and out of for the elderly and disabled...the Marauder's back seat isn't the friendliest.

[Timw286]

No on the Toyota :sleepy:, the Suburdan doesn't offer the driver any pleasure (DVD is for passengers):(...I think it's obvious...:burn:

[gdsqdcr]

Toyota no ...

If not for the crutches, I would argue for the suburban. I drove my 04 Sierra on a 6000 mile trip last summer ... and went places the Marauder could only dream of.

With the crutches, take the Marauder. All around good car.

[RoyLPita]

Shouldn't this be a poll?

MM FTW.

[SID210SA]

So I decided to go witth the Marauder, and she performed nicely.

Washed her Thursday for the trip the next day.

Left here on Friday about 4PM and hit rain and heavy traffic just before getting out of town.....took just over and hour to leave the city limits which is normall less than 20 minutes from my house. It rained just enough to make the car dirty, and to fustrate me from the getgo.

By the time I got to Austin (normally and hour drive) it was almost 7PM. I should have been thru Austin by about 530PM.

The rest of the drive almost up to Ft. Worth was smooth then I hit heavy thunderstorms and thought to myself....wow! on the one day I decide to travel, keep in mind we are in drought and have had less than 6 inches of rain all year, I hit all this rain. Drove in the heavy stuff for an hour and 15 minutes before it let up and dissapeared. The rain was falling in buckets so the highway had a lot of standing water and it was pretty windy as well, but it did not faze the Marauder in the least...she was very smooth at 65 MPH.

Finally getting thru Ft. Worth I had my eyes on the state line and crossed the Red River going in to Oklahoma. We noticed a transformation from brown dry dirt and grass to red dry dirt and grass and all the lights to the casino's. Rosa was like a kid in a candy store...she has never been to a casino and I told her we would be going to one on this trip.

We finally made it to our hotel in OKC (actually War Acres, a suburb of OKC) about 1 in the morning (9 hour drive that is normally about 7 1/2). Got settled in and was quickley asleep.

Then next morning I noticed there was a car wash right outside my window, so I got my morning rituals done and headed to the car wash. Came back with a nice clean car and by the time we hit the hotel bfast they were putting it all away.

My Brother was getting married on this day so we got all dolled up and headed to the wedding. My brother asked me if I could do some shuttle service for them as the wedding was at a house (an outdoor affair) and I said sure. Got lots of compliments from my passengers on the Marauder!! Wedding was short and to the point, then the reception then more rain....shuttled people back to their cars, then off to my Dad's house to watch some football, then back to the hotel.

Then came Sunday, noticed on the wash ticket I got a rain check on the next day the place was opened. So I went back Monday and washed the car again.

So Monday we head off to KC Mo. and fill up with 91, thats all I could find. Made it to KC in about 7 hours with stops and filled up again just outside KC again with 91. Enjoyed the visit with Grandma, saw the sites downtown and went to the casino. No rain, beautiful weather and washed the car again. Grandma loved the Marauder and my Aunt did as well.....no problems with her getting in and out, and got the wide parking spots by the front door so I could run in and get the electric scotter for her.

Friday came and it was time to leave.....left by 430am and filled up, again with 91. Made it all the way past OKC before filling up again (91), did 360 or so miles on that tank, did 22.7 MPG. Then made it to the other side of Austin and filled up again....389 Miles and did 23.2 MPG. I am pretty sure I could have hit about 420 miles on that tank but we hit alot of traffic and didnt want to risk it.....but I used almost all the gas cause I wanted to get rid of all that 91, and was finally able to fill up with 93.

Finally made it home about 8PM

It was a great trip and wasnt tired from the almost 17 hour drive back.

Sorry it was so long, but had to share my great trip!!

Got lots a pics, but I am gonna have to open a photo bucket account to post them and share later.

Mike

[capt512]

Wish I had been in town then to meet up with ya! Glad the trip went alright! Did you find the MM to act any different with the 91 octane? Near impossible to find anything better than 91 octane here, and only 1 station way out that offers ethanol free.

[SID210SA]

Wish I had been in town then to meet up with ya! Glad the trip went alright! Did you find the MM to act any different with the 91 octane? Near impossible to find anything better than 91 octane here, and only 1 station way out that offers ethanol free.

Well let me say this.....since discovering there was no 93 to be found outside of Texas I never pushed the go pedal very hard.....on the way back I could hear some pinging....like when you shake a rattle can or have a ping pong ball in a glass. So after I used almost all the gas on the way home and filled up with 93 and drove back to SA and using a quarter tank, I noticed the next day when I went to wash the car again (5 times in 8 days!!) the ping was gone....and Rosa said, "I guess your car didnt like that other gas" I laughed and said it like the Marauder likes a fine filet mingnon and all it had to eat was ground beef. lol