Truck on the other side of the country

So I found the tacoma i've wanted with the minimal dealer add-on's. The only problem is, it's on the other side of the country. talked to the dealer and said if it can be shipped here in SoCal. The dealer said he will sell the vehicle to my for MSRP and I will have to pay out of pocket to register the vehicle here. He also, said he is willing to ship the vehicle with a $3000 on top of the MSRP. Should I just fly and do the road trip which is about closed to 3000 miles.

 

I would 100% just do the road trip. Adds some fun ya know? You get to see the country and break in your new truck. Thats what I'd do.

 

depends on how much spare time U have

I drove va to monterey Porsche rennsport in less than 39 hrs ( reord 26 2 people )

$ 3k outrageous $$$

my cuz shipped va to san jose for 1/2 that on a ‘ hot shot ‘= no miles

there are car services that will do it for less than $3k

check closely U might have to meet an hour or so away from home

 

Hell I'd do it for less than $3000.

 

I would ship it, wait to long and it will be gone and you won’t have to worry about it though

 

Reliable auto transport hauls alot of exotics all over the country there not cheep but you'll get it in the exact condition it was in just before loading. Over the last 30 years between myself & my car collector friends they have hauled over 40 cars & trucks just have your departure & destination zip codes when you call, if your far from the interstate where it's being delivered meet the semi truck somewhere on the interstate those guys don't really like driving very far from the interstate in a 80' long truck

If your new truck is a DCLB & lifted it's going to hurt $$$

 

Sounds like a great time for a flight and road trip. Take you time, break your truck in, see the country, sound fun to me.

 

Where is the truck? Where are you? Kinda doubt it’s 3000 miles. Are you in Alaska?

 

So you live in Los Angeles and you're buying a truck in Bangor, Maine?

Sure.

 

I just wanted to say that I did exactly this. I bought my Tacoma in IL, had my brother in law pick it up, flew out to him from CA, and road tripped it back. Had a great trip, stopped and saw people along the way. Highly recommend it! All in all cost me ~$600 in gas/food/ hotels (I got off easy because I stayed only one night in a hotel because I was staying with friends/family along the way). If ya got the time and the will, I’d do it!

 

Greatest distance between any two mainland points in the contiguous 48 states (linear distance): 2,892 miles (4,654 km), from Point Arena, California, to West Quoddy Head, Maine.

Be that as it may, under normal circumstances I wouldn't hesitate to do the road trip if it was a truck I really wanted. With conditions the way they are today I'd be hesitant to get on a plane. Not so much because of the flight itself (aircraft ventilation systems are excellent), but because of the airport before and after the flight. Too many people with varying degrees of "I, me, mine"-itis not willing to take the proper precautions, and too long of an exposure time at the airport. It's a personal choice of course, but that would be mine. I'd rather spend the money on shipping it than going to get it right now. That said, $3k does sound excessive. I'd price it and choose the carrier myself, not leave it up to the dealer.

 

I have driven across the country several times, both in my old 96 Tacoma Xtracab, and once in my 2019 TRD Sport. The short answer to your question is to definitely fly out there and drive it back. And obviously, a lot depends on WHERE you are picking up the truck, and how soon you have to pick it up because as you know, with the airlines, the earlier you book your flight, the cheaper the rates. So that could have an impact. BUT, the major thing that has an impact is how quickly you make the cross country trip. When I drove across the country last, in october of 2019, I drove from the San francisco bay area via I-40 from Barstow CA to Raleigh NC and back. My exact costs for the roundtrip, were $782.62 gas, and Hotels $2101.86, for a total of $2890.48. I was gone for 15 days. So you could basically cut that in half and that would be what it costs to drive one way. Obviously what adds to the cost, is hotels. The longer you take to drive, the more it will cost you because of another added night in a hotel. I usually just budget for $100 a night for a hotel. Yes, you can easily find a cheaper hotel, like Motel 6 Red Rood Inns, etc, for less, but I found that after they add in the taxes, etc, it usually runs up to at the very least, around $75 for the cheapest. I also admit to once I arrived in the Raleigh area, that I did get a little better rooms and was averaging between $150-$200 a night. Oh yeah, I have driven across the country now 4 times, and each time, coming back from Raleigh NC to the SF Bay area, I did it in 3 days. While I admit that is a lot of driving, because of the gaining of an hour every time you cross the time zones on the way back, it was always too early for me to check into a hotel, so I ended up driving more! On the other hand, driving west to east, it always takes me 4 days that way. Hope this helps a little...

 

For that distance, I'd ship it. The government mileage rate for 2021 is $0.56, bring you to around $1600, before you factor in your time.

 

To be fair: I've always treated the airport as a cesspit to begin with so these days are really no different to me.

To OP: a road trip sounds fun to me. However, the bigger question will be: do you have the time? You also have to likely consider hotel costs as well because it's not like these trucks are capable of doing the Cannonball run in anywhere near the record time. Fuel costs would definitely be cheaper than $3k and likely hotel costs as well.

 

I did the same thing over the 4th of July weekend. San Diego to Austin Texas and back. Totally worth it to get what I wanted without paying the $5000 "because we can" market adjustment. Only drawback is I'm still in dealer plates 2 months later. Cal DMV wanted smog, vin verification, and weight masters certificate (really? Are lbs different in Tx?). Anyway, congrats on the Tacoma! Almost got the exact same truck except they threw in an extra pedal and discounted it $1500. Haven't stopped smiling from seeing that Army Green.

 

$600. for gas, I'd do the road trip.

 

I have driven across country twice, do it. Make it a fun trip and see the sights

 

I assume you mean as a crow flies because google maps suggests it is longer than that by road.

 

Yes sir, that's why it said linear distance.

 

At the risk of being a smart ass, I’m assuming you mean the shortest distance along the surface of the globe because a line would take you under the ground.

In any case, I think distance by road is more useful in this context.