Road Tripping Your 996?

I like doing long road trips. I just got back from two weeks rolling 3,500 miles through the southwest. I did it in my Grand Cherokee Overland (with 5.7 Hemi) which is a pretty nice rig for long trips. I've done long road trips in Corvettes in the past and found they make pretty good grand touring cars. Lots of room inside, comfortable and almost 30 MPG on the highway. I just read this Petrolicious article on a guy taking his BMW M Coupe to the arctic Circle. https://petrolicious.com/articles/ta...s-a-great-idea While I don't think I'd want to do that trip in my 996 (well, maybe I would) I plan on doing some road tripping this summer. I am trying very hard to get over being **** about my car and worrying about getting it dirty, driving in the rain or a rock chip here or there. I live on a dirt road so it is hard to keep it dust free anyway. I have to keep telling myself that it is a sub $20K car and treat it accordingly. I'm replacing all the standard PM stuff with the exception of the IMSB (it's a '99 double row car) so hope to eliminate all potential problems. I have triple A too just in case. Just wondering how many of you have taken long road trips. How many miles did you log and did you have any problems? I've seen the guy on YouTube with 200K+ miles and he just drove his across the country. I'm only at 66K so figure I should be able to do many trips with no issues.

Hey there, Don't worry too much about road tripping your car. I bought mine, then immediately set off on a 7000 miles roadtrip across the country (with a few loops and whatnot inbetween). This car is capable of far more than we tend to give it credit for. I drove highways, scenic byways, desert dirt roads, up into the rockies (hail storm included, still looks quite good), down onto the lowest point of the US (death valley); I've killed a hundred thousand bugs, refueled with 87 octane (Kansas doesn't have many 89+ gas stations once you're in the boonies), drove through rainstorms and some odd snow. The frunk full of harddrives, photo negatives and a cast iron pan (?!), the back seats full of our luggage. It performed like a charm. Bought it at 83k miles, got a quick oil change and a look over, then serviced it again at 90k miles and every 5k miles since. I'm planning to one day do BC down to Patagonia in my 996. So yeah, hit the roads!

Elumere BC to Patagonia would be an absolutely epic trip! Be sure to video document the entire thing! As far as long road trips in the 996 I have driven from Milwaukee to Asheville, NC, and to Oklahoma City and back. The car drove beautifully for the trips. In my 986 Boxster I drove it from Milwaukee to San Diego when I moved there a few years ago, and then drove it all the way back six months ago when I moved back. Both cars performed wonderfully, aside from the Boxster breaking a clutch line 60 miles outside of Phoenix. But the seats suck. I mean they are absolute **** for comfort on long drives. To be fair I have longer legs than most, and that can definitely contribute, but compared to 997 seats my Boxster and 996 seats are about as comfortable as sitting on a seat made of concrete. This year I am going to be definitely trying to source some new seats for the car since I enjoy long trips, but also simply because the stock seats make me feel like I'm riding on top of the car instead of in it. In my brother's Cayman S or my dad's 997 S the seating position just feels so right.

I have the sports seats in my 996 and they are close to perfect in fit for me. Hugging me tight, but I don't slip an inch. Plus, it's good to take a break every two hours or so. Stretch your legs, check if you're still awake enough to drive, etc.

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Up to a couple years ago I was a destination oriented traveler. Always trying to get there as soon as possible and racking up the miles. Because of that I missed seeing many things and having experiences. Now I stop as often as I can to check out stuff, even the tacky stuff. The side benefit is that you tend to meet interesting people. Many times these people will direct you to things that only locals know about.

I've driven my 996 C4S on many road trips as well as my narrow body 996's - Porsches are great long distance cars. In my 35 years of Porsche ownership, I've driven my 356, early 911's, 911sc's, 993's, 996's back and forth from Seattle to LA or SF. Done the trip 25 times. All trouble free experiences. Only issue was 356 engine getting hot in the Siskyou Mountains during one hot summer drive. Secret to solving that problem was to hit the Siskyou's at night. Have fun!

Spork, threads like this make me laugh...hard. Like you said yourself, this is a sub $20k car with 66k miles. What are you scared about? If it ****s the IMS, well too bad; sell the roller for $5k and move on to miata. If anything, your car will benefit from extended freeway driving. Engines are designed to work under load and their optimal environment is cruising on the freeway. Mobil 1 did a study where they ran BMW for 1 million miles on the rollers to simulate the freeway driving. See the results. You Tube My 996 had over 115k miles when I got...I drove the **** out of it throughout Arizona. Don't be a *****, drive the car and enjoy it. DSC00892_zpsaaf11bba.jpg DSC00681_zps6f71862f.jpg DSC00338_zps3f2f1ab9.jpg DSC00343_zpsb353e7c1.jpg DSC00443_zps339e9a5d.jpg DSC00445_zpsfe5c37be.jpg DSC00535_zps4a7ddedd.jpg DSC00631_zpsb4fa3fcd.jpg DSC00626_zps7211ab2f.jpg DSC00643_zpscae3d0af.jpg DSC00098_zps28da4356.jpg DSC00224_zpsbdb1a812.jpg

I was actually planning on road tripping my 996 but it got cancelled due to extreme weather. Anyway I just planned to bring: ratchet set, duct tape, cable ties, portable jump starter and my torque wrench. Also make sure your tyres are all at the right pressure and so is your spare

>>I have to keep telling myself that it is a sub $20K car and treat it accordingly. Respectfully disagree. You might instead keep telling yourself Porsches love to run and hate to sit; regular road trips are just sound preventive maintenance. Or head out on a patrol because it's raining, and there's nothing quite like the way a 911 talks to you in the wet. Rock chips? You didn't buy a tiny sliver of the world's greatest endurance-racing heritage because you really really care about rock chips. Hell, you were gonna refinish the nose every few 100k anyway, right?

Just drive your car. Get AAA coverage if you're worried about breaking down. My first summer season trips: SLC-->St George (700mi) SLC-->Glenwood Springs (900mi) SLC-->Telluride/Ouray (1,200mi) The 996 is a pleasure to drive on extended trips. It chews up miles with ease. My biggest concern on road trips is tickets Drive your car.

Great photos, Kalash! I'm not really worried about breaking down. I have AAA and if the motor blows I'm going LS swap! I was more wondering about comfort, storage, etc. I think between the frunk and back seat area storage won't be an issue. As far as comfort, the seat seems to be okay as well as driver position. I'm upgrading the stereo for bluetooth so I can play my Pandora.

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Get onto Rt 12, it's Utah's best road (all the way in the south). And maybe on the way there drive through Mt Zion, it's always worthy a visit.

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I need these sports seats you speak of! And ditto on the break every two hours. On my longer cross country trips I had a little exercise routine at rest stops of some jumping jacks and squats to make sure the blood in my legs was still going. Of course other travelers probably thought "who is this jumping a-hole next to the porsche?"

I'll admit, I have the same problem - I bought a really clean low mileage 911. I find it much easier to buy a 100k-mile 911 and then road tripping it. You might kick yourself if these cars' values are double on 10 years. So I would split the difference over the next few years, definitely don't worry about road tripping it, but also, share the mileage with another vehicle. Road trips aren't just about the car. But you get to take your Pcar with you for the special ones. As time passes, you'll be able to adjust.

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Funny you should mention that. I just did a road trip a couple weeks ago (in my Jeep), Zion, Bryce, Escalante, etc. Some amazing scenery and a great drive.

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One of the sweetest road trips - Rt 12 from Torrey to Bryce Canyon. What a road and what scenery!

I took my 05 C4S on a 7000km trip a week after I bought it last summer - I thought it was the perfect way to get acquainted with the car. Drove through Maine, NB, Nova Scotia (Cabot Trail), Newfoundland, and back. Not a single issue except for needing a new set of rears halfway through. The 996 is actually a fantastic road trip car, I find it comfortable, has plenty of space for 2 ppl and their luggage, is fairly good on gas when cruising, and of course it reminds you it's a 911 whenever you hit the twisties! I had a similar internal debate to yours... for about 5 seconds. My C4S is pristine, but I decided to drive the hell out of it and maintain it properly. Best decision I've made concerning this car, as this was the best road trip I ever did.

Well I just completed a 1,500 mile road trip this weekend, during which I turned 164,000 on the odometer. Other than a flat tire (potholes!), and outstanding help from a fellow Rennlister (outlined in another thread), the trip was great. Drove through torrential rain on the first leg, but that's never a problem. My car is sitting now, filthy but happy, waiting for a bath. I drive mine everywhere, with no fear. Life's too short to not enjoy what you have. I'll probably have my front bumper painted again this year, for the third time. I like my cars to look just about perfect, and periodic touch ups are well worth the price of being able to use these cars every day. Don't save it for the next guy!

Great photos!! I have a set of Recaros in my '03 which make any drive a pleasure. I've done a few road trips in it, but none that extended out of Florida.

In 2015 I did 6,500 miles in 3 weeks. The route was basically Milwaukee, Seattle, LA, Milwaukee. I wanted to drive the entire Pacific Coast. It was timed so I'd be in Monterey for car week. I camped almost every night. My only problems were the gas cap tether broke in Oregon (where you're not allowed to fill your own gas...) and the review mirror fell off on a rough road in the Mojave desert.

Nice. I put 5 hours and a few hundred miles on my 996 yesterday...it was the PERFECT day for a PCH drive. Clicked past 81K miles.

Last year I did a 2000 mile week long drive around Colorado and Wyoming. Fantastic with no issues. Had another 996 with us that did 3000 miles on the same trip. Great times! This June we have a trip planned through Idaho, Montana and more of Wyoming. Can't wait!

Looking forward to a CT to NC run early this summer with Skyline Dr and the Blue Ridge Parkway....baby's got new shoes, new AOS, waterpump, and IMS bearing...ready to go.

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Done a few (more than a few) longish road trips in my 2002 Boxster and my 2003 Turbo. Even before I bought the Boxster new in 2002 I did road trips in my other cars. My usual route (or routes, I had some back up if weather was bad or I just wanted a change of scenery) had me covering around 2K miles each way. Early on I could do it in 2 days but then I started taking the better part of a 3rd day both going and coming. For many trips I had no problems. But sometimes bad luck just caught up to me. Hit some road debris -- tire carcass -- with my Boxster on 50 highway just a few miles west of Strong City KS. Had to get a flat bed ride to Wichita KS and the Porsche dealer to get a busted radiator replaced. The other outstanding problem was when I was in the Turbo and I hit a mule deer west of Ely, NV on highway 50. (Note to self: Stay the heck off of highway 50!) That was kind of mess but I won't bore you with the sad details. Thankfully hitting things is rare. My biggest concerns are a tire problem or an engine problem. For the best chance to avoid tire problems always be sure you leave home with good tires. I tried to nurse a couple of thousand miles out of my Turbo's rear tires and ended up with some metal in the right rear tire. A slow leak but not wanting to set off across CA from 99 to Barstow and then on to Needles and points east I backtracked from Fresno to eventually a night and day later to Sacramento where the Porsche dealer had a set of tires suitable for the Turbo. To help keep engine problems at bay I keep the services of my cars up to date and my cars in good repair and have them road worthiness inspected before heading out. The techs check brake and tire condition, look for any leaks, and check/top up vital fluids. (It was one such inspection the tech told me the rear tires on the Turbo were very close to the wear bars and he recommended I replace them before heading out. I thought I could get another 2K miles and replace them at a dealer in the mid-west who had offered me a good price on a set of tires the last time I was there. When the Turbo was on the rack at the Fresno dealer and the tech showing me the bad news -- metal in the rear tire -- and telling me there were no tires in stock -- I regretted the decision to not listen to the tech who did the road worthiness inspection before I left home.) With the Boxster I had an AOS fail after I reached my destination. A 90 mile tow to the Merriam KS dealer and a day or two later the car was fixed and back on the road. Another time after nearly a month back in the mid-MO area in the dead of winter I headed home with a bit of a diversion to Springfield MO to get the Turbo's oil/filter service done before pointing the car west and towards home. The oil/filter service gets done every 5K miles pretty much regardless of where I am. But before I left the hotel for the 60+ mile drive to Springfield I spotted what proved to be coolant leaking from the radiators. At the Springfield dealer it was found all 3 radiators were leaking and I had all 3 radiators replaced. (I had 2K miles of driving ahead of me some of it across some pretty empty country.) After the radiators were replaced and I gave the car a thorough shakedown to ensure no other problems on the way home I made it to Barstow when after filling the gas tank the CEL came on. Error code pointed to an O2 sensor. I pressed on with after every fill up the CEL coming on and with the same error code. Got home with no drama and booked the car in and had all sensor replaced. Might mention I got caught in a horrific traffic jam -- freeway shut down -- just west of Albuquerque. Waited an hour but after talking to some big rig drivers who had info about the situation -- a tanker fire at one spot ahead and a fatal big rig accident further west with the freeway backed up nearly 20 miles -- I scouted out the median for any thing that might puncture a tire then slowly crossed over and back tracked to nearly Albuquerque and found an alternate route south, then north and west (through some Indian reservation) which brought me back to the freeway but still where it was backed up and ended up taking back roads -- some unpaved and rough as all get out -- to where I could finally get under the freeway -- still backed up -- and on old route 66 and after 10+ miles of slow going finally was directed back on the freeway and clear sailing. The only other problems were once I came down with the flu and spent a miserable night and day and another night sicker than a dog in a hotel in Williams AZ. And this reminds me of another time food poisoning struck after a rather white knuckle drive through snow -- with Turbo on summer tires -- on I-40 from not too far east of Albuquerque to just a few miles west of Santa Rosa NM on I-40. Once the city lights of Santa Rosa appeared I felt just queasy enough to not press on further -- the road was clear then and I wanted to get to Tucumcari, NM or even Amarillo TX -- but decided to stop for the night. Got into my hotel room and spent the next 12 hours hugging the porcelain and, well, let me just draw a curtain over what transpired. I have never been sicker though that's for sure. Then there are the tickets. Actually compared to hitting critters, tires, or getting the flu or food poisoning from Hell tickets ain't bad. I have a system that involves enlisting the legal help of an attorney near where the ticket will be adjudicated and fighting the ticket with very good results. Since 2002 when I started my Porsche experience I only once had to pay a small fine and get one point for a speeding ticket in AZ when I negotiated with the DA and went before the judge. Didn't even have to pay an attorney he gave me the legal advice on how to deal with the DA at no cost. In Texas it has a probation before adjudication and after a phone call to the court to work out the details -- the clerks are very helpful -- and mailing in a small amount of money after 6 months ticket free the ticket is dismissed. At night when I stop I watch the Weather Channel for the latest weather. Rain I don't mind but in the mid-west/southwest hail can be a real problem. Wind can kick up some pretty bad dust storms and even though these aren't that big in size the grit can really pit the windshield and the headlights. Snow/ice storms can come down anytime almost. (In my 2001 Camara Z28 one Sept. just days after 9/11 encountered snow in eastern Montana.) In the winter I often "time" my leaving to catch a few days of clear weather between storms but sometimes I misjudge and end up like one time in my 2006 GTO (on summer tires naturally) driving in a bad ice/snow storm on I-40 in Shamrock TX. Managed to get off the freeway just before accidents west of town shut it down and grab a hotel room and sit out the storm. Late the next day the freeway was still icy -- TX road crews don't believe in sanding/salting the freeway -- at least I-40 -- but the other roads were pretty clear so I headed south down the main drag of Shamrock and just a mile or two further the roads were clear and after some few more miles found a good road that took me west and I came out at I-40 just a few miles east of Amarillo TX that was missed by the ice/snow storm.

I am getting ready to start my 996 life with a long road trip. I am picking up my 40 AE in Charleston SC this weekend and driving back to my home in Kansas City. The map shows me going through Ashville, the Smokies, and through Nashville and Kentucky before I hit Saint Louis to KC. I am really looking forward to the long haul in the new machine. Is anyone familiar with that route that can advise on specific roads that I can't miss while I am in the area?

The Tail of the Dragon (rte 129) on the NC/TN border or the Cherohala Skyway

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Check scenicbyways.info

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I didn't realize that was so close. I little reroute on google maps tells me this only adds 1 hour to my total drive time to capture that beast. Definitely in the "can't miss" category. Thanks!

Spork, Look at the 3rd image (hippo dash shot). I see aliens (or ghosts?) falling from the sky. haha!

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I took a road trip down there last summer from NY. Blue ridge parkway through the Asheville area. All of the roads down there are amazing If you hit up tail of the dragon, go early. It gets VERY crowded after about 10 AM. Everyone hangs out to watch the cars go by. It was a blast though, the girlfriend got seasick haha

The only mod needed for "Road Tripping Your 996?". A 2nd cup holder.

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The 2-spot cupholder insert for the center console looks like an easy solution. The dash ones are a little wonky.

The passenger-side cupholder in my 996 is passenger-shaped.

I had my 996 for 2 years before I realized the pull out cupholder could be "more pulled out" to reveal the second holder. I tried the "wife in the passenger seat as cupholder" method but found it caused spills and then gave me grief about it.

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Careful using the factory cupholders, things can drip or spill and you have all the electronics below. Ask me how I know this? A painful replacement of a ruined Pioneer 8200nex HU. Thankfully we were able to get the unit warrantied but I had to pay labor (happily I might add). This was from a few drops of coffee that splashed out of my thermos when I forgot to close the valve and went around a corner a little spirited. So instead I bought a couple holders from Ultimatecupholders.com. No affiliation with them, just a happy customer. Brilliant product and the drink is actually easier to get and return as a bonus!

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Exactly. Helps that the SO doesn't drink coffee; mostly her drinks have caps and it's not so critical if they wind up sideways.

5,469 miles; 78 hours 58 minutes; 26.9 mpg ave mileage and ave speed would have been better if it wasn't for Columbus and Minneapolis traffic (nearly an hour delay in both cities) why North Dakota? it was the last state I need to have been in all 50

/thread.

~800 miles on the C2 this weekend. Girlfriend, 70lb dog & climbing gear all fit without issue. Checked out Unaweep Canyon, picked up some wine in Palisade. With a little help from radar no tickets were collected. 25mpg for the 300 miles home from Grand Junction over the mountains and into SLC. Next to nothing in terms of oil consumption. 84,000 and counting . Fresh DT40 change last week + injector cleaner in last week's tank of gas has it purring like a kitten.

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What's a cup holder? And what are these things you guys call "gloveboxes" some of you speak of?

The picture in my signature is from when I moved from the Oregon coast to Detroit, MI. I did the drive with three bikes on top and my two 60lb labradoodles in the car. The only scary point was crossing through the dessert in Nevada at midnight in the middle of nowhere, when my dog hit the automatic window open with her nose. The sudden, unexpected rushing wind noise at 80mph in the pitch black night made me jump about 2 feet. Other than that, smooth sailing - I was driving 10-12 hrs per day with no discomfort,

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Did you go through Dinosaur, Vernal, Duchesne, etc? That's a beautiful drive. Did it last summer. Does your dog just ride in the back seat? I have a 50 lb Blue Heeler and I put him in a crate in the Jeep or pickup (he loves his crate and jumps right in when I open the door). The crate won't fit in the back of the Porsche so I thought about just putting down a couple blankets to keep the dog fur to a minimum.

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Your car looks great with a little road wear on it!

In the last 6 months I have driven my Boxster from Seattle to Palm Springs and did the reverse in the 911. Although both cars were fantastic the Boxster wins the road trip award hands down with better handling and it's so much quieter that I could actually listen to the radio and talk on the phone. My old 996TT had the same loud rear tire noise. Dan

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That's the northern route. We almost did that, but it's still early spring so we'll do Steamboat area in the summer. I'd like to check out the Zirkel Wilderness a bit more, then try & fit in a Green River weekend fishing trip. One of the first things we did last year was take it to Steamboat in the spring. The pup is kind of big but very mellow in cars. He travels with us a lot in the Element, so he has learned how to behave. Blankets down & make sure he doesn't get too hot & he'll sleep in between stops. He hasn't been crated in years though. Pointers can be very lazy between weekends.

some great road trips are to be had in a 996. very jealous of some of the routes mention in North America. I put around 25000 miles on mine in euro roads trips. Now looking to add some in New Zealand. The good things about the 996 I ve found. Ground clearance, no issues in most car parks, speed bumps, Enough luggage capacity in the back seats. Comfortable for 2 people, good air con, and sound system, and good lights for night drivers. The fuel efficiency is actually pretty good even at autobahn speeds. The bad, the road noise can get a bit much for more then 10 hrs driving. finding somewhere to put your luggage if you want to go around the berg is also an issue. Also I always look for a gear higher as it does seem to rev pretty high at decent cruise speeds. A seventh gear would be a nice addition but still very drivable as it is on long distance. longest continuous drive was London to Krakow via Berlin. still felt ok at the end of it. But make no mistake this is no GT car, it is much sportier in focus. thus expect a firmer ride and more road noise. for me this is more enjoyable.

In three weeks of ownership i've driven the C4S almost 4k miles. Flew down to Phoenix, bought the Porsche, drove it up to Portland, OR, same weekend took it to a trip up to Seattle, then the following weekend another trip down to Grants Pass, OR and it's also my daily driver with a 70 mile commute. It took a bit of getting used to the dual mass lightweight flywheel with a heavy performance clutch. Lowered on H&R Coilovers, Headers and high flow x-pipe cats, PSE and short shifter this thing is a blast to drive. The beauty of it is that it launches like no other car i've ever driven but the clutch pressure takes its toll in bumper to bumper traffic. I used to think the clutch on my '68 Chevelle was heavy now that i've been getting my daily leg press exercise on the Porsche the Chevelle with it's SBC 406 and heavy linkage clutch setup seems like a tamed japanese import. Good thing my left leg is now a beast and twice as big as my right leg! Love the Porsche and i drive the heck out of it. I bought it with 76K miles and i expect to drive it till i break 200K. If something major happens then it's either a LS swap or buy another Porsche! It was meant to be driven and enjoyed. All i can say is i've waited 30+ years to own and drive a 911 and i'm not wasting my time with it just parking it in the garage! Near future road trips are up to Vancouver, BC, Salt Lake City, San Francisco. I have a full winter tire setup so not worried about snow or anything else. So i will be road tripping the Porsche year round! See you out on the road!

In three weeks of ownership i put over 4K on my C4S. I flew down to Phoenix bought the Porsche and drove 1,400 miles back to Portland, OR. following weekend drove up to Seattle and then last weekend drove down to Southern Oregon. It's also my daily driver with a 70 mile round trip commute. It took a bit of getting used to the dual mass light weight flywheel and very heavy clutch. Clutch pressure is more than double of the old boxster. In fact it's as heavy if not heavier than my '68 Chevelle with a 406 and heavy linkage clutch setup. Between to the two heavy clutches my left leg is now twice and big as my right leg so i've finally toughened up to handle both clutches. The C4S is also lowered with H&R coilovers and very tight suspension but I'm used to it and it drives soooo tight and nice that it's worth the little discomfort. I plan to drive the heck out of it and have plans for more road trips to San Francisco, Vancouver, BC, Salt Lake City, etc... with a full winter tire setup as well i plan on road tripping the heck out of it year round. I waited over 30+ years to own and drive a 911 and i'm not going to waste my time parking it in the garage. I bought it with 76K miles and plan to break 200K with it. If something goes catastrophic along the way to 200K then i'll either do a LS swap or get another Porsche and continue on my dream ownership. See you out on the roads, Mark

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See you out there indeed! Ps: I love all the spirited road tripping of 996s here. This car is fantastic, both on track as well as on some dirty gravel backroad. My plan is to take it to a million miles (most likely remains a fantasy, but who knows), once around the whole continent. Or the world.

I did a couple thousand miles last week - SF-->Seattle-->Spokane-->SF - and I gotta say, this car is wonderful for those 12+ hour days. Comfortable seats, great sound, ~26mpg including hills and occasionally touching the posted speed limit... It's also wonderful for those "I'm stuck behind 5 semis on a 2-lane road and the center paint is dashed on my side" moments, and before you know it you're breaking 120 passing the last of 'em. Can't recommend it enough. The last time I did this drive, it was in a Chevy Cruze, and even passing 1 semi just wasn't gonna happen.

Just did CT to VA Beach and back this weekend, my first long run in the 996. Fantastic. honestly, more comfortable overall than I would have been in my G37. I have standard seats...very supportive. Top down in the evening and morning was truly nice.

Just take a small tool kit, a couple liters of your favorite oil and hit the road. Maybe check to see if your spare tire set up is in order. Share your pics if u go anywhere cool.

Planning a trip to Victoria BC from Casper. Love driving the car. Ive driven many long trips, Atlanta to Wyo and back several times. I was wanting to take my clubs and my FF gear but going to have to be a bit creative on how I put that in there. Not a lot of storage space in the Cab.

My wife and I completed our first road trip over the weekend, 986 miles. Central VA to Watkins Glen. I will be finding a cup holder solution. I can't post pictures yet...

Certainly make sure your spare tire and toolkit are all present and in working order. I had to use my spare last month on a small road trip (600 miles).

Have done a few lengthy road trips in my Targa, which I believe that car is built for. So much room to haul all your gear, with the airiness of a cab and the security of a coupe.

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I would perform some maintenance before going anywhere far. Change the oil, change the coolant. I understand you�ll be replacing the thermostat with a low-temp version, but have you replaced the water pump recently? If not, I�d consider changing it too. I would also pressure test the cooling system to see if there�s any possible sources of leaks. Inspect your cooling system�s hoses to see if any are in need of replacement. I�d also replace the serpentine belt, engine air filter, and cabin air filter. Recharge your A/C system if you�re going to be going somewhere warm and you have doubts about its capability. I would also consider replacing the fuel pump (and fuel filter) if you�re unaware of its history. Inspect your brakes to see whether there�s enough pad to withstand your estimated trip, but be honest about your braking habits (I�m heavy on the brakes, so I don�t feel comfortable leaving with less than 60%). Check your tires, too. As others have mentioned, bring some of your favorite engine oil. If you have one, bring a portable battery jump-starting pack. If you don�t have one, buy one - you may need it. Ideally, you would have the work completed on your car about a week before your trip. The remaining week is a good time to drive your car around town to double-check for anything that needs to be addressed as well. I didn�t road-trip my 996, but this was the checklist I went through when I prepped a different car for a weeklong drive. I was pleased to find out my proactive water pump replacement was timely because its bearing was starting to go bad.