FivePointFarms

any help you need contact CDN Member THE MONK he is local and a good guy.

KOZ

The Monk is in Calgary.... the car is in Grande Prairie

dannyman

Now THAT is funny! Almost spilled my drink on the keyboard.


Seriously thought, I've seen the mess left behind from leaving tape stuck on the paint that baked in the sunshine. What a flippin' mess that was! You may as well sand and repaint!

OP; glad you're making the trip! Enjoy it!!



Dannyman

TrackClub

awesome trip and highly recommended. BUT, April can be a challenge weather wise. It is usually OK, but you just never know. Would not risk it in a Vette this early in a year. One quick snow shower and your trip could end in tears. Also, 3 days would be pushing it and the fun factor would likely go down quite a bit. 4-5 is more like it especially if you wanna do some quick stops and actually see something along the way. Ciao!

-=ICE=-

Thanks I'll touch base, the dealership said if I found someone they would allow them access as long as I let them know in advance.


I did, they didn't say who they used and thought the price was a little high. So checking if others had good experiences. Thanks for the suggestion


I agree although that was fugly, the propose is more important... however the blue and yellow did give me a good laugh !




what is good to stop and check out on the way back? there isn't a 'rush' so an extra overnight won't hurt anyone

TrackClub

It depends what time of the year you do it in. April is still full on winter all of the way (and will be especially so this year!), so the choices are somewhat limited.
Again, I would NOT make this drive in April unless the car had winter tires. Even then, a Vette would likely be a very poor choice of a ride...I would wait until May for sure.
You're looking at vast (but beautiful) distances of "nothing" and if you ran into weather issues you could be in a real pickle. We got stuck in Marathon last year and were lucky to "escape" after a day, but even then, the drive was very difficult at 60kmh in an AWD SUV with winters on. Had we missed that short window of opportunity we would have spent a full week there as more snow fell! Another consideration is that the days are short and it gets dark fairly quickly. I don't drive at night as hitting an animal puts an immediate stop to the trip and often totals your ride. Lastly, motels/hotels fill up quickly, so pre-booking them ahead of time is a must. Don't expect to pull up to one at 6pm and find vacancies, even in larger towns/cities. Feel free to PM me and I can give you more details. Cheers!

KOZ

I'm still on board with everyone else, don't drive it this early!

If you get to Calgary and need to park it due to weather drop me a line. Not so worried about Alberta but Sask and Man will not be good. I have no idea what northwest Ontario is like but from the news/weather reports I see I'd hate to see that ZR1 wrapped up in a 40 car crash somewhere....

Had a friend last year in a rush to get his new car from Kelowna to Regina too early. Cost him dearly, crashed truck, trailer and car!

TrackClub

Words of wisdom. See my post above (if missed). As to NW Ontario: it takes 2-3 days to cross it (border to GTA), it is absolutely spectacular in summer/fall, but the highway is 2 lanes, twisty and hilly. Super fun in good weather, but high PITA and dangerous in winter conditions. Another consideration: for the price of a one way trip ($1500-$2000 in fuel, motels and food) you can get the car shipped via rail, save yourself an airfare and avoid any risk. Then if you want a spectacular road trip, take it to T-Bay and back in the summer. SSM to T-Bay is one of the most scenic drives in all of Canada.

-=ICE=-

Well sadly I didn't see the last three posts before I booked my flight.... Booked for April 11th, so I guess i'll be watching weather reports and doing my summer dance daily hoping that does something ..

Was also thinking if needed maybe i'd drive down through the USA if they had better weather. the car will be plated correctly so I won't have to worry about being rejected because of temporary plates.

So hotels along the way you think won't have a room that i Can just pull of to go to? Was kinda hoping around that..

TrackClub

it costs relative peanuts to change an airfare ticket dates and besides a ticket is valid for 12 months even if you were to simply miss your flight.

Driving thru the USA likely won't solve anything, as you still have to cross the Prairies, and then get into North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Have you checked the map? This route is shorter, but weather wise not any better and from what I have heard, more "remote" re services. Do you recall winter scenery in a movie Fargo? LOL!

I can imagine you are just pumped to get the new car over asap, but do think it over, as we have just had a winter of a century and spring is supposed to be slow coming and cold - so they say anyway.

Hotel wise what I said before is definitely the case: if you wont pre-book, you wont get in. I am referring to std motel chains like Best Western, Super 8 and such. Obviously others exist but this doesn't mean I would necessarily wish to sleep there.

I wouldn't do this trip in a Vette in early April even if somebody paid me big bucks for it. And OBVIOUSLY not on summer tires!!! The risk would be absolutely unacceptable for me. Then again, some folks gamble in Vegas and I don't. But enough about me: it is your decision, so best of luck with whatever you decide. Cheers!

-=ICE=-

Hey anyone know anyone in Grande P that might have owned the car?

FivePointFarms

Good Luck! Keep us posted.

Hell, I wouldn't do the drive in the middle of August.

-=ICE=-

Any suggestions of roads and highways for best sights to take?

And must see spots?

-=ICE=-

Oh and a question for those in Alberta, you guys don't have to do emission testing??

TrackClub

you are going to haul the car in an enclosed trailer - correct?

Thorson

Why would hotels, motels be booked up anywhere in the west, in mid April? Any oilpatch or logging work will have been shut down in early April. Kids are still in school everywhere. Who's taking all the good hotel rooms?

-=ICE=-

I'm flying out and driving back..

TrackClub

I wish I knew LOL! But that has been my personal experience: pull up to a decent hotel close to Trans Canada at 6pm or so and they are usually full. I am not speaking of only the "West" here. He will be heading East. Other folks travel just like he will, I have seen motels occupied by Hydro crews, road repair crews, travelling salesmen, sports team, business meetings, etc.

NW-99SS

First, congrats on a ZR1 purchase. I tried a couple years back to pick up a new one from a couple dealerships, but their trade in numbers on my truck were not close enough to make a deal. I ended up getting double what they offered for it by trading it for my Mongoose Grand Sport (see Avatar).

Alberta does not have emissions testing, thank God - got to be a few good reasons to live here! (Taxes, wages also help a lot!)

How much history do you have on the car you are looking at? Reason for asking: a local board member bought a ZR1 from a Honda dealer in Grand Prairie...found out after that it was a Spring Mountain school car - just a word of caution!

TrackClub

A few replies in this thread suggested why early April is way too early.
I would forget about "sightseeing" as a priority and instead start focusing on safety and risks

1) Grande Prairie is 850km North/West from Calgary, it is as far North as the Polar Bear Park on Hudson's Bay Never been to either, but I suspect winter will be leaving these places later vs sooner. Long term forecast calls for snow and minus temps just a week before your arrival. Upon your arrival it could be much better, or it could be much worse. You may not be able to leave for a few days if they get new snow for example.

2) Roads in Alberta are sanded vs salted in winter. This means your car will get pummelled with abrasive crap, by every passing car, truck and semi. Say good-bye to pristine paint and windshield. Many cars in Alta have cracked windshields and that's for this very reason.

3) Roads in Ontario get heavily salted - you will get lots of it all over the car. I suspect the same issue if you head via USA, not to mention situation in GTA itself (which I am sure you can see first hand)

4) A combination of PS2 tires and carbon brakes could be outright deadly in cold and you will likely drive for 4,000km with minus temps somewhere along the way. You may risk spinning out, cracking the tires, etc.

5) You cannot always rely on forecasts this early in the spring. Sometimes a snow shower can come out of nowhere and you will be in REAL TROUBLE on high performance summer tires! Keep in mind there is commercial traffic on the highways - an 18 wheeler won't slow down for you if you can only manage 30km/h due to poor traction - they can't stop on a dime and they won't.

Bottom line: why take such high safety risk to yourself, your car and others?! Anybody can get "lucky", but why take a chance...4,000km is a long trip! I would re-book the ticket for at least a month later, once better weather has had a chance to settle in.

I have pretty much repeated myself twice now, so that's it from me