Route 66

[Letouldren]

Hi has anyone thought about doing Route 66? I am thinking of taking my Cali to the USA for around 3 months. Shipping costs are around £2k. Any information on sites etc

 

[Alibee]

Sorry, haven't any info on Route 66 (much as I'd love to do it) but wondered how you're thinking of shipping as we had considered a US visit? I thought a Cali was too big for a 20' container, meaning RO-RO would be the only option. We shipped a Landy in a container before but that went in no problem.

 

[DM]

I'd be very interested about what you find about shipping. We have a long term plan to take ours to the US

 

[Letouldren]

Sorry, haven't any info on Route 66 (much as I'd love to do it) but wondered how you're thinking of shipping as we had considered a US visit? I thought a Cali was too big for a 20' container, meaning RO-RO would be the only option. We shipped a Landy in a container before but that went in no problem.

Yes you are right it is on a Ro Ro just over £1200 Southampton to San Francisco 24 days, waiting on a price New York to Southampton

 

[Borris]

Would you be allowed to do that?
Being an ignoramus on this matter, I am wondering if the same stringent American emission standards that are inforced on the imports of new vehicles would have any implications if you tried to use a second hand non compliant european vehicle on their roads? I imagine not but it might be worth checking.

 

[Alibee]

Would you be allowed to do that?
Being an ignoramus on this matter, I am wondering if the same stringent American emission standards that are inforced on the imports of new vehicles would have any implications if you tried to use a second hand non compliant european vehicle on their roads? I imagine not but it might be worth checking.

Always worth checking, but temporary imports aren't usually an issue. We've used a Carnet de Passage before, which is registered in your passport, so you can't leave the country without the vehicle but you don't actually need one for the USA. Looks like the only stipulation is that you export it within one year:

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1664/~/temporary-importation-of-a-car-for-personal-use

Will be very interested to see how this pans out as we'd love to do this but have always been concerned about ro-ro shipping due to damage. Wouldn't have been an issue with the T4 but the thought of someone hooning around the docks in our shiny new T6 gives me heart palpitations!!!

 

[Borris]

Always worth checking, but temporary imports aren't usually an issue. We've used a Carnet de Passage before, which is registered in your passport, so you can't leave the country without the vehicle but you don't actually need one for the USA. Looks like the only stipulation is that you export it within one year:

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1664/~/temporary-importation-of-a-car-for-personal-use

Will be very interested to see how this pans out as we'd love to do this but have always been concerned about ro-ro shipping due to damage. Wouldn't have been an issue with the T4 but the thought of someone hooning around the docks in our shiny new T6 gives me heart palpitations!!!

Thanks Alibee,
That is very interesting. You learn something new every day. It would be a great way of exploring the USA.

 

[Letouldren]

Would you be allowed to do that?
Being an ignoramus on this matter, I am wondering if the same stringent American emission standards that are inforced on the imports of new vehicles would have any implications if you tried to use a second hand non compliant european vehicle on their roads? I imagine not but it might be worth checking.

Hi good point, I haven't checked. I have a US address for insurance but as it is only a holiday I didn't think about passing US emission standards

 

[Alibee]

Hi good point, I haven't checked. I have a US address for insurance but as it is only a holiday I didn't think about passing US emission standards

Not required, see link above:

"Vehicles imported under this provision that do not conform to U.S. safety and emission standards must be exported within one year and may not be sold in the U.S."

 

[Jonathan Duke]

Cool! I did coast-to-coast on a rented Harley, back in Summer 2013. Below is the route I chose, Route 66 is nice to see, but the National Parks like Yellowstone & Yosemite offer much more IMO.

Good luck with the planning, and interested to know how shipping works out.....




Plenty of info, and photos on my Facebook album, feel free to nosy.

 

[Letouldren]

Brilliant, thanks for the info

 

[barry]

80% of R66 is through the wilderness of middle America. Mind blowingly boring. There are fantastic places to go in a camper van though and R66 is not one of them. Do the canyons in the South West. Zion, Arches, Grand (even) etc etc. Do the West Coast of California highway - either coastal or inland - and end up in Arcata and take a deep breath in the Central Square Market (but don't drive for an hour or two).
Just my tuppence worth.
I decided I wanted to do R66 in a hire car about 20 years ago but a friend who had done it warned me against it. Over the last twenty years I've done bits and he was right.
The canyons and desserts were the DBs!

 

[Letouldren]

80% of R66 is through the wilderness of middle America. Mind blowingly boring. There are fantastic places to go in a camper van though and R66 is not one of them. Do the canyons in the South West. Zion, Arches, Grand (even) etc etc. Do the West Coast of California highway - either coastal or inland - and end up in Arcata and take a deep breath in the Central Square Market (but don't drive for an hour or two).
Just my tuppence worth.
I decided I wanted to do R66 in a hire car about 20 years ago but a friend who had done it warned me against it. Over the last twenty years I've done bits and he was right.
The canyons and desserts were the DBs!

Thanks for the info,think I will take your advice

 

[johnyboy]

I too did some research and was disappointed to find most of the old Route 66 doesn't really exist - lots of backroads bypassed (have you seen Pixar Cars? hah!) +1 for route 101 from SF north to Seattle

 

[Letouldren]

Thanks, I think I will change my plans and plan my own east west route taking in part of Route 66

 

[Alibee]

So what do you think the must-do activities are?

I'd like to include the following in any cali-based US adventure;

1. Drive through NY, NY
2. Sail in San Fran bay
3. Drive Route 1
   
4. Hike Yosemite
5. Drive the strip at Vegas, at night
6. Colorado (no idea why, it just appeals!)
7. Santa Fe, NM (to try and track down an old friend)

I'd estimate that at around 7,000 miles, so about eight weeks minimum working on the basis of 2 x 500m driving days per week, including a week to get there and back from our little rock. Ship to NY, back from Galveston. About £14k budget for four of us....

Maybe next year!

 

[B J G]

As has already been said most of the old Route 66 has been upgraded to motorway.

Recall watching a programme on TV where they tried to follow the old route and had numerous abandoned Cafes etc. They also had great difficulty getting onto the old sections from the new route.


You tube documentary gives history of the route.

 

[MartinMere]

The whole region around Utah and northern Arizona (the four-corners region) is fantastic, as well as much of California. My advice is to buy an $80 national parks pass which gives entry for a car and 4 occupants for the whole year. There are a few privately-owned parks such as Monument Valley that are excluded, but nearly everything else is free with the pass. There are numerous national parks/monuments apart from the well-known ones (Zion, Grand Canyon, Bryce, Sequoia, Yosemite) that are worth visiting e.g. petrified forest between Arizona and New Mexico, Sunset Crater volcano near Flagstaff, Escalante/Grand Staircase, Death Valley, Mesa Verde,... I'd love to go back with a camper and spending 6 months going from park to park. I'm a bit of an astronomy nut and the dark skies out west are something else.

There are some well-preserved bits of Route 66 to the west of Flagstaff that reminded me of Pixar Cars.

 

[BerndRos]

This thread has me interested......

Just got a quote off 'auto shippers' for £1006 Southampton to New York.....plus about £200 other fees to clear docks/customs in US....and documentation looks very easy....

 

[kave]

Another UK resident, MikeO shipped his bmw motorbike to the us many years ago. He has written an excellent ride report here:
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/89-Mike-O-s-Inspection-of-the-Colonies

 

[Letouldren]

Still trying to sort NY to Southampton, one company wanted to put my Cali in a container. Don't know if it would fit but the thought of it falling off a ship and ending up at the bottom of the Atlantic scared me Southampton to San Francisco is £1200 on a RO RO so about £1000 NY to Southampton sounds about right.

 

[Alibee]

I would much prefer a container if you can get it to fit. According to the official diagrams the T6 is 190cm wide without mirrors, but I don't know what the dimensions are with the mirrors folded in. The inside of a 20ft container is 235cm wide, so you've probably only got c. 15cm each side to lash down, which is tight by anyone's standards.

The benefit of a container is that, assuming your van is well lashed-down, it should be much less likely to be damaged than via ro-ro. It can also be moved between ships which makes a big difference for us as we could have it shipped all the way from Guernsey to NY, and back from Galveston without having to load/unload in the UK. It also doesn't get to be driven by anyone else, or lashed to the deck of a ship in high seas.

 

[Jonathan Duke]

After a quick Google..... It looks like, if the van goes via a RO-RO service, it has to e empty! Whereas, if containerised, then personal items can be left in the van. I would expect it would be pretty annoying to have to bring all your personal effects, via a suitcase on the plane. Plus hassles like gas canisters, bikes and other large items.... bedding also I suppose..... Would be great to be corrected.

 

[Alibee]

I'm been doing a bit of googling..... It looks like, if the van goes via a RO-RO service, it has to e empty! Whereas, if containerised, then personal items can be left in the van. I would expect it would be pretty annoying to have to bring all your personal effects, via a suitcase on the plane. Plus hassles like gas canisters, bikes and other large items.... bedding also I suppose..... Would be great to be corrected.

That's correct, although I doubt the gas cylinder could be left inside. Ro-ro is empty car as others drive it and they can't guarantee that your items remain in the car. Each time I packed my landy into a 20ft container it was chock-full of far too much rubbish!

Some countries require a full manifest of everything inside the van but I'm not sure if the US is one of them.

 

[Amarillo]

The inside of a 20ft container is 235cm wide, so you've probably only got c. 15cm each side to lash down, which is tight by anyone's standards.

A container is also 238cm high, the T6 is 199cm high with 19cm clearance below. You could raise it on planks giving sufficient access below for lashing.