pipincan

Has anybody on here ever done this.?

I'm thinking of driving from Toronto to Vancouver in the summer/autumn just for the sheer hell of it and to explore this huge country. I also have friends in Vancouver that I want to visit as well.

I've tried various car hire companies who don't seem to have anything available to use, probably because they don't want an Ontario plated car stuck in BC. I've thought about taking the train, but I was hoping to do that as a return journey.

Are there any companies that want cars delivered to the West Coast or specialise in this sort of thing.?

Any other ideas or comments would be appreciated.

Butch Cassidy

u tried alamo?

hot wasabi peas

Thumb it! It's a fantastic way to see the country... well half of it (there's that whole eastern bit and way up north too. ).

Or... what about buying a used vehicle, doing the trip and then selling it when you get back? I've done similar trips in an old camperized van and imo, that is the way to go - not chained to having to find a hotel or a place to eat, not cumbersome like an RV, can go where cars can go and, at least on the west coast, they're very easy to sell on at a good price.

Have fun!

My old road-tripper and groovy view:

Atlantic Xpat

Yeah, Road Trip across Canada indeed. Roadtrip across part of it is what you mean. There is life east of Toronto!

Tableland

In the US it's called "Autodrive" (or was once). You drive someone's car across the country for them. Maybe Canada has something similar.

dbd33

I've driven from Lewisport Newfoundland to San Diego and on all sorts of long trips involving small bits of Canada and large chunks of the US, it's generally too slow and expensive to drive anywhere across Canada so one goes south into the US and then north again near the destination.

Several friends visited and drove on car deliveries. One problem is that they're not usually to Vancouver but to Florida, Arizona, California; places Canadians want to go. The other is that the time allowed for delivery is quite limited so it's only good if you want to see the country from the window of a moving car. Of course, many people would say that the view from the car is quite enough to see of the bit from Lake Superior to the Rockies.

Daveyboy_The_Red

i did it 10 years ago on my bicycle. well it was a tandem but it was a very interesting way to see the country. the first 100 miles of prairies is much the same as the rest but theres still plenty to see and the slower you go, the more you see and the more people you meet. took me 3 months.

dbd33

That sounds an adventure, did you camp along the way?

heritagefarmer

Buy an RV then sell it when you're done.
We did it from Toronto -to the Maritimes and Newfoundland but after 3 weeks I'd had enough. The prairies gone on for weeks, and they ain't very interestin'

Tidge

We recently bought an RV, and will be making a similar trip, but we will be keeping ours for good. You can buy an old 1980's banger cheaply ($10,000), but it may be a bit battered... the new ones are extremely good value compared with the UK, but we're talking around $60-80,000 for a brand new one, so that's probably out!

We got a real bargain on our 1995 Firan, but it took weeks of searching! And you may find insurance a problem, RV insurance is hard to find - make sure you have your proof of no claims letters from your previous insurers!

Lapsed Canuck

We're thinking of doing the same thing and have been looking online for relatively cheap vans. Any ideas where the best place is to get one? We'll be in ONtario

squidlet

We spotted a very lovely little trailer bubble thing recently which we went to look at...its called a T@B:

http://www.tab-rv.com/

It might not be the kind of thing you're after but it sure is cute ! There is someone making his own version of these here in AB...

Squidlet

hot wasabi peas

I just bought mine through an ad in the local paper - off a woman and she cried as I drove off in it. I cried too when I sold it. Many good vibes in that van!

Dorothy

I have done this trip a couple of times by car or train and once by motorcycle. There are plenty of scenic routes to be taken along the Canadian side of the border. As for slow, if you are going for a drive across the country to see the country, then you will probably not be in a hurry. I would suggest you sign up with CAA and go to their office nearest you for "TripTiks". Ask for the most scenic routes and you will find some really neat places to stop along the way. It's also a good idea to have CAA in case your vehicle breaks down along the way. I know it came in handy when our car blew the transmission in Gaspe on the Sunday of a holiday weekend.
If you want to PM me, I can give you the name of a wonderful railroad inn on the north shore of Superior. I worked there the year it was opened.

Butch Cassidy

You wouldnt be refering to those toys again???