More questions you might not be able to answer... Living costs/budgeting?

[Elrohwen]

You can do better than 25mpg if you get a really small car, but yeah, it's a pretty typical mpg and probably better than average. My Honda Civic easily gets 30+ which is pretty good for a car that isn't diesel and is too old to have any fancy technology (not a hybrid, not electric, etc). When I rent cars I always ask for the smallest size they have, especially if I'm traveling alone and don't need to worry about driving people around. Gas is so much cheaper here, though the longer distances add up.

You can definitely stick to $50 or less per day for food if you eat a free hotel breakfast and buy your own food and snacks for lunch. That should leave you enough for a pretty decent dinner at a place that isn't McDonald's.

Do you plan to book all of your hotels in advance or look for them once you arrive? Booking in advance will give you a better chance of getting the cheapest rates and in places that aren't sleazy.

 

[*blackrose]

My 2013 Civic gets about 40mpg on the highway. I think when we made the move down south (close to 900 miles) I filled up 2-3 times, I think. On the highway, I can get around 400 miles before I need to fill up. In town, it's more around 300 miles (depending on how I drive ). A fill up costs me around $30.

So, in short, I don't know what kind of rental car you'd be getting and I don't know how many miles you'd be driving...but I imagine your gas estimate is sound. Also depends on how expensive gas is. In Indiana, we were pushing about $3.80 a gallon when I left. Down here, it's only $3.10 a gallon and I noticed it getting significantly cheaper the farther south we drove.

Also, for hotels: rates will likely change depending on when you are booking, too. I like my hotels to be NICE, or else I get creeped out. When I went to Missouri to see Michael for graduation, the first night room rate was $80 for one day, then it jumped up to $120 for whatever reason (on a Thursday, of all things). My father-in-law hadn't prebooked a room at any hotel and he asked me what the room rate was, and I said roughly $100 - he about had a fit. He ended up finding a place that was only $30 a night...but I wouldn't have stayed there had you paid me. LOL I think my mom routinely spends over $100 per night (or would be, if she wasn't sharing a room with another mom) when she travels with my sister for her competitions - she's in cities like Chicago, NYC, Atlanta, Myrtle Beach, etc.

 

[Greenmagick]

You can do better than 25 mpg while still driving a nice car - I had a civic for a year that averaged around 36 mpg. I have a Volt now so can't really compare to that lol.

Food, well a lot of hotels have a free breakfast. You can also get memberships (free) to hotel chains where you accrue points for stays. I almost always stay at Holiday Inn just because I have always been pleased with them and I get free rooms sometimes after a certain amount of stays. They also have a big and varied breakfast that is included in the room cost.

When travelling I very often do a bigger late lunch and then light dinner. You could easily do that for $20-$25 a day I would think, cheaper if you just have prebought snacks and munchies for a lighter meal.

 

[Dizzy]

This has all been super helpful! So thank you.

I have a good idea of what money I need now. Ideally going to prebook and pay for everything before I go, so I only need spends and emergency money.

 

[Dizzy]

Omg I just booked my first hotel

I was looking at yosemite, and they're all booked up all ready!!! So I've got it booked now to save being in some hovel somewhere. Possibly my most expensive stop over too.

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH butterflies!!!!

 

[GingerKid]

well our cars are twice as big and the distances we travel daily are easily twice as long as well.

I'm surprised that diesel hasn't caught on here more. It's trying. Audi and BMW have made a recent push into diesel sedans, VW has had a few models for a while now, but not really popular.

It's less refined, you get longer lasting engines because they don't combust at such high temperatures and you can get a lot better fuel economy. When we buy a new car, i'm looking very closely at the new lines of clean diesels, but historically people have viewed them as noisy, stinky engines for semi's and buses in this country.

Diesel engines actually run at a higher temperature than gasoline engines, not lower, which is part of why they burn cleaner. It also makes them more difficult to start in cold weather because diesel requires a higher temperature than gasoline to vaporize (so that it can be ignited in the engine). When I was living in England, we had a week of below freezing weather, with night-time lows down to -10C...and a lot of people in my office had to find alternate routes to work because their diesel cars wouldn't start. Its less of an issue in Canada (here cars are all fitted with block heaters anyway), but there are quite a few areas in the USA where gasoline cars don't normally have a problem starting, but during the winter a diesel might and adding a block heater = adding expense.

Diesel-engined vehicles have usually been more expensive than their gasoline counterparts, although I think that gap is starting to narrow. Sure, taking into account fuel consumption, diesel vehicles usually work out to be a better value, but a lot of people don't look at the cost of something over the long term, just what the price tag says on the day of purchase. Audi and BMW, and even VW, are not particularly affordable brands in North America.

Booking a trip is one of my favourite parts. Aside from actually GOING, of course!

 

[release the hounds]

maybe i'm wrong

 

[Romy]

maybe i'm wrong

You're both right, the temperature of the engine varies a lot based on the type of engine and fuel/air mixture, not just the type of fuel. Both fuels ignite at a similar air temperature (250-280C?).

 

[-bogart-]

do you have a smart phone? if so you could use google maps for the GPS.

 

[release the hounds]

hmmm, seems maybe I wasn't totally wrong?? I've had a great time reading about diesel and gasoline engines

http://www.diffen.com/difference/Diesel_vs_Petrol

210C for Diesel 246C for Gas

This one says this
http://www.wcengineering.com/articles/dieselturbo.html

Diesel burns at low temperatures and exhaust temps are typically in the range of 500-800ºF and the volume of exhaust gases is quite high.

and this

Gasoline is much more volatile than diesel fuel: it burns hotter, ignites quicker, does not need to be atomized for combustion, and also uses a lower air-to-fuel ratio than diesel fuel.

and

Gasoline exhaust gases are HOT, in the range of 1000-1400ºF when under load, but they are of a comparatively lower volume to a diesel.

and this talking about generators

Gas units burn hotter than diesel units, and hence they have a significantly shorter life compared with diesel units.

http://www.dieselserviceandsupply.com/why_use_diesel.aspx

but it also says this

This results in a very high temperature in the engine, much higher than the temperature attained in a gasoline engine.

so after much reading, it appears I was right and wrong. Diesel engines do appear to be able to hit higher temps in the combustion chamber, a good part because of the pressures used to raise the temp to get combustion in the first place.

But they don't use the same amount of fuel to do the same work and don't create as much waste heat as a gasoline engine. So they do create higher combustion temperatures, the overall engine seems to run cooler than a gasoline engine because of lots of factors that it seems even some experts give different levels of blame to some being that it takes a lot less RPM or combustion cycles to create power in a diesel.

So you get high temp combustion, but less of them, resulting in less heat transferred as waste to the rest of the engine that it must deal with.

They also last longer because they're built more sturdily, not because of anything to do with operating temps, I had that completely wrong But because of the pressure used to create combustion, things are just built more heavy duty.

I don't know. It's been fun reading

All i know is it takes 5 minutes of driving for my gas vehicles to warm up and 30 minutes in a diesel

 

[Dizzy]

do you have a smart phone? if so you could use google maps for the GPS.OTE]

Pretty sure it still uses data so would be HUUUGE expensive. But I am getting a new phone very soon I think....



As for diesels.

I love driving my diesel. Its up to temp in icy conditions within 3 miles (approx) of driving. I am a total convert, will never own petrol again I don't think.

They drive so much smoother, I love the growly engine, they pull up hills like troopers and feel more car! Petrol cars feel like needy children compared to driving diesel.

And they're not sluggish, they just don't have that immediate kick, but the right engine and you wouldn't notice. My car is a 1.6 but feels like 2litre (according to far more qualified people than me who've driven it).

I'd only go petrol again for something special. My daily car now will always be diesel. We have 13 cars (business/personal/pleasure - I live in a car enthusiast family!!) and I think only 1 is petrol off the top of my head.... It goes like poop off a stick (which is funny as its his mums) but is just totally inefficient to drive. Lucky she doesnt go far

 

[joce]

My moms always complained that we could have good gas mileage, that they had it in Europe years ago!

Our only current diesel is our towing vehicle and while mileage is much better than a gas truck, it ain't great lol!

I've been looking at cars and am really thinking diesel. But can't find anything I like and really don't know if I should give up 4x4. We finally got diesel jeeps but they are pricey!

 

[GingerKid]

So much learning!

I'll admit, most of my experience with diesel engines is in construction machinery. In the spring when its still below freezing they take over an hour to warm up (but the engine itself is also the size of a small car).

Emissions legislation for diesel cars in NA were much stricter than in Europe, so there weren't many cars that met those standards and which is why a lot of diesel cars were not available here (trucks had to meet a different, less strict standards). But according to my husband (who is a bit of a gear head), the diesel car emissions standards in NA were relaxed for the 2014 model year so there will subsequently be more diesel models available. Subaru makes some diesel models, and I think all of their cars are 4x4, but I don't know if the diesels models are available in NA quite yet.

 

[release the hounds]

no kidding, while my son and wife napped last night I read for about 2 hours on diesel engines

 

[Dizzy]

Diesels aside.....

I think I have a spare day in my itinery as I'm going to fly out a day earlier, do Vegas a day earlier (avoiding the weekend so cheaper hotels!!!)!!

Yosemite is already booked, so i have an extra day between Vegas and there.....

Where to spend it?! My route is LA -> up the coastal road -> yosemite.

Extra day in LA? Or drive more slowly up the coast?!

Maybe I could do a day in DISNEY :yikes:

Can you do Disney on your own, or is that REALLY sad lol SPARKS?!

 

[Fran27]

For the hotel, it really depends on where you're going to stay. If you're planning on staying on the West coast, it might be more than $100 a night (I don't really know, just that everything is so expensive there).

For lunch a lot of chains have huge $7 lunches. You can probably pack half and eat that later too (definitely stop at walmart and get a cooler, you should be able to get ice at the motels for it).

Honestly I'd make some sort of plan - look at where you'll be which day/night, look at the hotels in the area and check their websites for rates. Look at restaurants in the area too to figure out cheap ones. Just make sure to overestimate how much driving it will take. The west coast can be pretty packed up.

For gas just make sure to ask for a small car - it will still be bigger than what you get in the UK, but at least the gas won't kill you.

For Disney, I went to Disneyland ages ago and I thought it sucked compared to the French one, hah. I'd probably do Hollywood Studios instead, personally. But alone... eh I don't know, lol.

 

[RedHotDobe]

I'd rather go to San Diego Zoo than Disneyland. Mostly because I remember Disneyland sucking compared to Disneyworld. But I'd also rather spend time in SD than LA, so maybe I'm not much help.

 

[Dizzy]

I'd rather go to San Diego Zoo than Disneyland. Mostly because I remember Disneyland sucking compared to Disneyworld. But I'd also rather spend time in SD than LA, so maybe I'm not much help.

Nothing is booked except yosemite and San Francisco (just done that woop!!). Googled san Diego and would say it's too much of a detour really........

I might scrap the Disney idea but depends on money... I'm currently working out that if I am right on my accommodation costs/car/food/fuel/flights then add in a healthy budget for spends and surprises, I will max out my savings!

So, I'm on target lol

I have also got a credit card now for emergencies.... But ideally I don't want to be in any debt so don't plan to factor it in to my budget.

Will have a closer look at San Diego... What's the attraction?

 

[Dagwall]

Agreed, San Diego over LA if I have a choice. LA was okay but San Diego was so much nicer. If you go down to San Diego check out the zoo for sure.

 

[Dizzy]

Think san Diego is out.

So far I've booked LA and a stop over in Monterey! Decided to go for hostels and saved myself quite a lot of cash!! Hotels for yosemite and san Francisco all booked, will enjoy some privacy for last part of my holiday!

Decided to spend my additional night in Cambria and enjoy the coast a bit more waiting for the place to get back to me with booking details.

Just Vegas to book, but think I know where I want to stay

Oh, and flights... Still not booked those yet lol.

And a car...

Squee!