Driving to California from North Carolina, what parts should I bring with me?

I missed where in CA you are going, but let's say it is in SoCal. Then you definitely want to gas up on the Arizona side before crossing over. Gas is about $1.50/gallon cheaper in Ehrenberg or Quartzsite than in Blythe, just over the border. If you won't be driving much once you arrive you would only need to buy enough gas to get back to Arizona.

Plus a bit more for safety purposes. You really don't want to run out of gas in the desert southwest in the summer.

Have you taken the heat into account?

Your MPG is going to be well below normal because you will be running your AC nonstop, unless you choose to drive only at night. It will be over 110F during the day for most of this week in Ehrenberg, for instance. Only down to the low 80F's at night.

Is "several gallons of bottled water" on any of the lists above? If not it should be. Also add: sunglasses, big straw hat, and sun screen.

 

Hmmm...California.......may as well bring a jack and a spare catalytic converter.....

 

Not sure how CA specific this is, but yes, I would not drive a gen 2 here without having some sort of physical protection for the catalytic converter. How do I know this? Because I used to drive an unprotected car and they cut the cat off of it in broad daylight in front of my house!

 

Since your driving to calli there is one thing you don't have to pack......your North Carolina sense and sensibility.

 

Here’s the most important tips.

1——make sure you have AAA.

2——-At that mileage the engine is an oil eater. Every day before starting the car check the oil. If it’s even the slightest bit low add oil. I found the car likes to be just slightly overfilled. Be really ocd about the engine oil.

3———The Achilles heel of the G2 is it’s not a very powerful car. It requires a very healthy battery to go over mountains. This car is all battery.

Make sure as you approach big mountains and about to climb the battery level is really Good like 5 blue bars. Giddy up!
Turn off the ac watch the battery level meter as you climb like your life depends it. Cause it does.

If you go into purple climbing pull over and stop. Don’t keep climbing and floor the car if the battery is empty Like it’s a magic carpet ride. You will over heat the engine and trans and inverter.

Let it cool off then gently power brake the car till the battery is charged up and try again. without a really healthy battery it’s difficult.

Good luck.

 

Oh and the more weight in the car the harder it will be to climb mountains. weight and a steep incline will eat the battery power right up.

 

Not quite sure of the intent of that but there may be an element of truth to it.

When the OP hits LA or Orange county highway gridlock at 2:45 PM and thinks "just like back home, this should clear up soon" he will be sadly mistaken. Never mind the cultural differences, the congestion in Raleigh

https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2017/02/22/how-traffic-in-raleigh-durham-compares-to-n-c.html

isn't going to prepare a person for what goes on here.

It might behoove the OP to use the historical traffic feature in Google maps to predict the congestion he will encounter and time the trips accordingly.

 

Ahh good choice. When I use google maps in real time, it always took me to the ghetto... Yeah there's a reason this road is less congested.

 

Any state with a thing for Austen is okay in my book.

 

Like a personal defense tool that lives in a holster or on your person?