The Scooby

Our chariot throughout our travels is my 1999 Subaru Outback Sport. 

It's been a faithful friend and good companion on many a long journey.   I bought it in October of '99 and of the start of this trip, August 19, 2001; there will be close to 30,000 miles.  For this trip, we looking at driving an additional 8000-10000 miles.  So, I can't stress enough the need of preventative maintenance before, during, and after a trip like this.

Here's what I did to prep the car for the trip:

1)  Performed a majority of the 30,000 mile checkup myself (ie: oil, air/oil filter, synthetic gear/rear diff. fluids,  coolant flush, etc.) and what I didn't have time for I had the dealer perform a "road trip" checkup.

2)  Hella Optilux Model 1500 driving lights running 70w "all-weather" (read: yellow) bulbs

3)  Hella 80w/100w headlights from www.rallylights.com

4)  Heavy-duty headlight wiring harness to handle the extra bulb wattage

5)  Picked up a Thule Frontier cargo box from REI which is mounted on a Yakima rack system.

6)  One can always use a good radar detector and there's also Garmin Legend GPS that's velcroed to the dashboard.

7)  A 400w power converter hooked up to the cigarette lighter to provide juice to a laptop (that can be hooked up to the GPS; nothing like real-time position tracking on a map) and what ever else may need to be plugged in.

8)  Rotated tires

9)  And just time spent getting familiar with the engine compartment and electrical components.  **This is perhaps one of the most important things to do on a road trip.  You have to be familiar with your vehicle incase something happens far away from help.  And we all know cars break down in the most inconvenient moments and places.**

10)  A toolbox of assorted car tools and car paraphernalia in case an automotive emergency occurs far away from civilization.