Drive route recommendations from SF, CA to Hou, TX.

[1st 5er]

Easy route is south on I-5 to east on I-10.

If you were making this trip where would you deviate?

There's also a possibility for transporting of parts viewtopic.php?f=4&t=159621 .

[vinceg101]

Two important questions:
-How long do you want to make this trip?
-When do you plan on doing it?

As a side question or two:
-Is there anything/person/event you want to see while on this trip?
-Is there anything/person/event you DON'T want to see while on this trip?

[Ibmotoren]

Unless you’re looking for the fastest route, I would avoid I-5 south from the Bay Area as much as possible. It’s just such a boring highway. Like fall asleep at the wheel boring. 101 south is slightly better. The pacific coast highway (HWY1) is much slower, but there’s not a better road to drive anywhere. Check for closures first though.

[mottati]

Two important questions:
-How long do you want to make this trip?
-When do you plan on doing it?

He's doing it next monday, 2/13. Flying in, picking up my (my son's really) 84 733i and attempting to drive it to texas. It's been sitting in my warehouse much of the last two years, and even prior to that it's not been more than an hour away from home since we've had it (6-7 years). Not for any particular reason, however. Oh and it's on old tires, and has half a tank of gas from 4/2021, last time i filled it up. I did just change the oil yesterday, put in some fuel system cleaner and am going to top off the tank with fresh gas today....

[1st 5er]

Two important questions:
-How long do you want to make this trip?
-When do you plan on doing it?

As a side question or two:
-Is there anything/person/event you want to see while on this trip?
-Is there anything/person/event you DON'T want to see while on this trip?

1a - 2 - 3 days (1,912 miles / 28 hrs / Google Map).
1b - Leave Bay area Monday 02/13/23.

2a - Anyone parts express related or
mechanical help if necessary.
2b - Nada.

[1st 5er]

Unless you’re looking for the fastest route, I would avoid I-5 south from the Bay Area as much as possible. It’s just such a boring highway. Like fall asleep at the wheel boring. 101 south is slightly better. The pacific coast highway (HWY1) is much slower, but there’s not a better road to drive anywhere. Check for closures first though.

I considered the 101, is it limited access?

PCH is not for this trip, but it is a bucket list item for a wifey trip one of the days (years). She's not coming this trip due to our last fly in / drive out experience from PHX to HTX.

[1st 5er]

Two important questions:
-How long do you want to make this trip?
-When do you plan on doing it?

He's doing it next monday, 2/13. Flying in, picking up my (my son's really) 84 733i and attempting to drive it to texas. It's been sitting in my warehouse much of the last two years, and even prior to that it's not been more than an hour away from home since we've had it (6-7 years). Not for any particular reason, however. Oh and it's on old tires, and has half a tank of gas from 4/2021, last time i filled it up. I did just change the oil yesterday, put in some fuel system cleaner and am going to top off the tank with fresh gas today....

I'll be flying in with the typical road trip spare parts bag and tools along with my AAA card.

[Ibmotoren]

Unless you’re looking for the fastest route, I would avoid I-5 south from the Bay Area as much as possible. It’s just such a boring highway. Like fall asleep at the wheel boring. 101 south is slightly better. The pacific coast highway (HWY1) is much slower, but there’s not a better road to drive anywhere. Check for closures first though.

I considered the 101, is it limited access?

PCH is not for this trip, but it is a bucket list item for a wifey trip one of the days (years). She's not coming this trip due to our last fly in / drive out experience from PHX to HTX.

Yes, 101 is a limited access highway. Hope you and the wife do get to the PCH one day. It’s one of those experiences that does live up to the expectations.

[1st 5er]

I considered the 101, is it limited access?

PCH is not for this trip, but it is a bucket list item for a wifey trip one of the days (years). She's not coming this trip due to our last fly in / drive out experience from PHX to HTX.

Yes, 101 is a limited access highway. Hope you and the wife do get to the PCH one day. It’s one of those experiences that does live up to the expectations.

Wanna do a St Paddy meet too,
so following that makes the most sense.

[vinceg101]

Yes, 101 is a limited access highway. Hope you and the wife do get to the PCH one day. It’s one of those experiences that does live up to the expectations.

Wanna do a St Paddy meet too,
so following that makes the most sense.

Well shoot; delay the trip a month and you can do both. SPD is 3/17-18. You can likely caravan down with some folks, take in the event then be on your way caravaning with Kohler, Ray and maybe even Adam to at least Phoenix.

[Mike W.]

Having done both 40 and 10, I prefer 40. Much of it's the old '66, which has sentimental value to me, but I do think is more interesting. 5 as mentioned is boring, and is emphatically to be avoided on a holiday weekend, but Valentines day isn't a holiday weekend. But a couple of hundred miles of boring on a near 2K trip is no big deal.

Just looking at the map, I think I'd go for 5, to Calif 58, to I40 at Barstow, to US 84 at Santa Rosa NM, to I 20 to Abilene and down to Houston. Shockingly just a few miles more than 10.

US 101 is mostly freeway, moves pretty well, but once you get down to LA you have to go all the way thru LA, which is a long way. I would not go that way due to that unless you have a reason to.

[1st 5er]

Wanna do a St Paddy meet too,
so following that makes the most sense.

Well shoot; delay the trip a month and you can do both. SPD is 3/17-18. You can likely caravan down with some folks, take in the event then be on your way caravaning with Kohler, Ray and maybe even Adam to at least Phoenix.

I'd thought about this, but wifey ain't down so quickly for another road trip in another, unknown to her BMW shitbox, especially since it's the same year, model, and color of the most recent bad experience.

[1st 5er]

Having done both 40 and 10, I prefer 40. Much of it's the old '66, which has sentimental value to me, but I do think is more interesting. 5 as mentioned is boring, and is emphatically to be avoided on a holiday weekend, but Valentines day isn't a holiday weekend. But a couple of hundred miles of boring on a near 2K trip is no big deal.

Just looking at the map, I think I'd go for 5, to Calif 58, to I40 at Barstow, to US 84 at Santa Rosa NM, to I 20 to Abilene and down to Houston. Shockingly just a few miles more than 10.

US 101 is mostly freeway, moves pretty well, but once you get down to LA you have to go all the way thru LA, which is a long way. I would not go that way due to that unless you have a reason to.

I've done the 84 to Abilene to HTX a bunch of times and that route is littered with small towns with stoplights and/or speed traps. It's saving grace is that between those lights and traps you've got miles and miles of 75 MPH speed limits.
It is a bit more of an interesting drive if your inclined to stop and smell some roses, but when wifey ain't along I'm more inclined towards "east bound and down".

[Mdreamer]

As Mike W. recommended, I-5 to CA 58 to I-40 in Barstow is pretty cool. Barstow is smack dab in the middle of the desert, though, so be ready. Lol. I have always avoided I-10 on my travels east and west, but the route that Mike W. sounds very appealing based on where you'd drive if you went that way. I-10 has always looked like boring terrain (on a map, I mean) to me.

[1st 5er]

To bring this to a close and say to those here and those in real time who assisted in the navigation, bypassing the LA area, here's the drive.

Landed in OAK 9:45ish, 30 minutes early.
Farted around in mottati's storage/shop space for a few: swapped hoods, then unswapped hoods, loaded door and fender in the boot and moved spare tire to the back seat, before pulling out at 12:15ish PST (2:15 CST).

Headed east on THE 580 and picked up THE 5 south towards the LA area, which I wanted to avoid at nearly all cost during a rush hour period that I was certain to encounter due to departure time.
Exited Bakersfield onto THE 58 which took me to THE 15, and a slight backward SW direction for a few miles until connecting with THE 10 east in San Bernardino.
From there, it was "east bound and down", chasing state lines.
After a 3 hour nap about an hour east of PHX, a sit down breakfast in Benson, AZ, and more pedal time I hit the Tejas western border at 2:00 PM MST (3:00 CST).
1,261 miles down w/ 764 miles to go.
It was I-10 (glad to be back in Texas, ) to Houston the rest of the way.

Since there were no parts to deliver, and wifey opted out so no stopping to smell roses, I pulled into our driveway at 12:45 AM CST.

Grand total of 2,025 in 34.5 hours, with nary an issue. Car consumed no fluids other than gasoline (again was glad when I got back to TX prices).
If only the cruise control had worked.

Don't worry guys, I loaded up wifey with card, flowers, and candy before leaving Monday morning.

Again, thanks for the help guys,
and a great car and buying experience Mike.

[Mike W.]

Grand total of 2,025 in 34.5 hours, with nary an issue. Car consumed no fluids other than gasoline (again was glad when I got back to TX prices).
If only the cruise control had worked.

Wow, I'm impressed, you made time. Does that 34.5 hours include the nap?

[1st 5er]

Grand total of 2,025 in 34.5 hours, with nary an issue. Car consumed no fluids other than gasoline (again was glad when I got back to TX prices).
If only the cruise control had worked.

Wow, I'm impressed, you made time. Does that 34.5 hours include the nap?

Driveway to driveway, so yes.
And a sit down breakfast stop at Denny's in Benson.

[mottati]

makes me happy to see that car getting some use.
I 'saved' it from junkyard fate. Abandoned at a friends shop over a few hundred dollar repair bill. Was originally supposed to be a father son project with my younger son, who learned he's really not a car guy, so once we (i mean I) got it presentable, and more or less reliable he drove it to school for a couple years until covid hit, then it parked. I'd pull it out of the warehouse every once in a while, up and down the road, keep the fluids moving and the battery charged.
When Sherman asked if i'd have any reservations driving it to texas, i said 'oh yeah, many reservations' but really only because it'd probably not been outside of a 25 mile radius of my house for the past 10 years. Was really happy to see it made the trek without a hiccup.
Mike