New guy from Sweden, soon on a US roadtrip to buy a Mopar

[DanneP]

So in twelve hours we will be on the first out of three flights that will
take us to Los Angeles.
First Luleå to Stockholm, then Stockholm to Chicago, then Chicago to LA.

As usual I do everything at the very last minute, so i have been running
around town all day long to get everything in order for the trip.

Can't wait! And i probably won't be able to sleep tonight either 


Danne

[69charger440]

There is a huge car show this weekend at the LA fairplex!! If you make it in time you can check it out!!

http://www.rodshows.com/gnrs/index.html

[Rolling_Thunder]

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/1538002813.html

[DanneP]

There is a huge car show this weekend at the LA fairplex!! If you make it in time you can check it out!!

http://www.rodshows.com/gnrs/index.html

We'll probably be there   

[DanneP]

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/1538002813.html

Hmm.. With some flat black paint that thing would be pure evil 

[69charger440]

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/1538002813.html

Hmm.. With some flat black paint that thing would be pure evil 

That is like twenty minutes from my house!! Give me a buzz if you end up going to the car show, or are looking at some cars in my area!! I will defiantly save you some money!! I am quite the talker!!    Pm on the way!!!!

[DanneP]

So, now we're in the U.S!

We're staying at the Travelodge in Hollywood.
Haven't had the guts to explore the town on foot though, it's a huge
difference from our tiny little town in the north of Sweden 

Need to get a rental car or buy something to drive around in, maybe then
we'll be a bit more courageous 

So, any tips on what to do?

[Dans 68]

So, any tips on what to do?

Hollywood, huh? Lock the door.... 

Kidding. Have you seen Avatat yet? Should be a 3D showing in your area. And welcome to the USA. Hope to see ya a bit later.

Dan

[DanneP]

So, any tips on what to do?

Hollywood, huh? Lock the door.... 

Kidding. Have you seen Avatat yet? Should be a 3D showing in your area. And welcome to the USA. Hope to see ya a bit later.

Dan

Hah.. Yeah, we saw some funny looking people on the short walk to Wendy's down the road.
We quickly came to the conclusion that we better get a car bfore getting robbed and whatnot 

Well, maybe the daylight of tomorrow will scare some shady characters away 

[elacruze]

You can't bring more than $10,000 cash into the US so I would check with your bank at home and see what they suggest.
Tom

You CAN bring as much cash into the U.S. as you like, BUT you MUST declare it on the appropriate form at customs/immigration. $10,000 is the threshold for reporting. If you fail to declare the cash, it will be confiscated with no recourse.

Here are some useful links;

http://trac.syr.edu/laws/31/31USC05316.html (cash reporting)

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/sample_declaration_form.xml

http://www.fdic.gov/regulations/laws/rules/8000-1300.html#fdic8000mfa5332

Oh yeah, this is west coast but way north; http://spokane.craigslist.org/cto/1578057373.html
They're out there, just keep digging.

[SG1022]

I agree, Craig's List is your best bet. Here are some chargers off CL to give you a sample of what to expect:
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,64957.0.html

Here's a list of some car shows in CA AZ etc.
http://www.pomonaswapmeet.com/the_digest.php

Here's the best site for CA car shows/cruise nights
http://www.socalcarculture.com/events.html

If your in town on 2/14, might find something at the Long Beach Swap meet.

Might want to head up to Oregon to hunt chargers (about 12 hour drive from LA) they seem to have a good selection in the $10K range.
http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/1522895962.html
http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/1524115784.html
http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/1521641039.html

if you head up to Oregon send me a PM!!


There are some good deals up here

[DanneP]

So now we're driving a Mopar!

Not a muscle car though, just a Chrysler Sebring convertible 
Haven't bothered to check under the hood, but judging by the
sound and the complete lack of power, I'm guessing it's a 4-banger.. Yawn.. 

Today we went up to Griffith Observatory, awesome views!
And then drove up to Mount Baldy Ski Resort.
How cool to first sweat like a pig in Griffith Park, and then see snow at Mount Baldy 
Saw an Audi 200 quattro up there, which probably sound kinda lame to the most of
you muscle car guys, but since both me and my friend own Audi 200's, it was cool 

Bought a phone today by the way, the number is (323) 252-6732

Now we're staying at the Travelodge at Santa Monica Blvd.
Watching Smokey and the Bandit on tv and drinking Bud 


Daniel

[greenpigs]

So are you dead set on buying a car? By that I mean will you get a 10k car no matter what the brand. If not a Charger then some other mopar.

[Dans 68]

I'll PM you my cell number. When you get around the San Jose/San Francisco Bay Area give me a call (but only if you want to  ).

Dan

[DanneP]

So are you dead set on buying a car? By that I mean will you get a 10k car no matter what the brand. If not a Charger then some other mopar.

Nah, not really..
I'd love it if I found something worth buying, but if not, that's okay.
It doesn't have to be a 68 Charger, but a Mopar atleast.

I'm checking Craigslist alot, found a few Road Runners and Satellites that looks interesting 

[DanneP]

I'll PM you my cell number. When you get around the San Jose/San Francisco Bay Area give me a call (but only if you want to  ).

Dan

I'll call you when we get up there 

[69charger440]

Well Daniel's is here in southern California, drinking beers and talking about mopars!!! Great guy! You guys need to meet him and his buddy!!!!

[DanneP]

Well now we're on the road again!

We've spent a couple of days at 69charger440's place, cruising around the LA area.
Looked at a lot of crappy cars, but had a great time doing it 
Thank you so much Sean, Kaylee, and Deryk for your help and hospitality!

Went to Piru today, the place where the movie California Kid was shot.
Cool roads, but we soon came to a gate which was closed at sunset, so we
couldn't check it out. Got dark also, so couldn't see much.
Right now we're at the Rodeway Inn in Castaic, CA, and plan to get back to
Piru early tomorrow morning.

Then we'll probably take the scenic route towards San Francisco.

Well, we're off to explore Castaic now.. See ya!   


Daniel

[DanneP]

Here's a link to my friend's photo site with some pictures from our trip.
We'll update it every now and then

http://www.pixbox.se/alb_show_id1160284_page0.html

Cheers,

Daniel

[Brock Samson]

we're due for light rain hereabouts, but i'm gonna pull the 'ol charger out and get her ready anyhow...  
lookin at your pictures,.. What's the story behind the sub-lime Super Bee?... looks like a project that has been sitting for some time...
and if you have time to share, what are your prospects for looking around at cars?.. I'll spend a bit lookin for cars here locally maybe we can check out... Provide any leads you have here locally and I'll help you go see them.

[69charger440]

Well now we're on the road again!

We've spent a couple of days at 69charger440's place, cruising around the LA area.
Looked at a lot of crappy cars, but had a great time doing it 
Thank you so much Sean, Kaylee, and Deryk for your help and hospitality!

Went to Piru today, the place where the movie California Kid was shot.
Cool roads, but we soon came to a gate which was closed at sunset, so we
couldn't check it out. Got dark also, so couldn't see much.
Right now we're at the Rodeway Inn in Castaic, CA, and plan to get back to
Piru early tomorrow morning.

Then we'll probably take the scenic route towards San Francisco.

Well, we're off to explore Castaic now.. See ya!   


Daniel

Anytime!!! You guys were a blast to hang out with. Hopefully we will see you again!!!

Sean

[DanneP]

we're due for light rain hereabouts, but i'm gonna pull the 'ol charger out and get her ready anyhow...  
lookin at your pictures,.. What's the story behind the sub-lime Super Bee?... looks like a project that has been sitting for some time...
and if you have time to share, what are your prospects for looking around at cars?.. I'll spend a bit lookin for cars here locally maybe we can check out... Provide any leads you have here locally and I'll help you go see them.

The Super Bee was at a bondo shop.. excuse me, "car dealership" in National City 
The manager of the place claimed it was a '68 running 11's all day long.
Looked a whole lot like a '69, but what do i know... Hah..

He also had a 318 Duster, a 69 chevelle /6, a 71 Chevelle 350/350, a 68 Cougar Boss 302..
Basically everything he had was "soo fast" and in mint condition.
Over the phone he told us he could fix any kind of car, no matter what it was.
So sitting in his office talking about cars, he actually went on autotrader.com and had a look 

Not a place i would spend my money at, but definitely a unique experience


Right now we're in Cambria, got a great room at some Inn i can't remember the name
of right now.
It's dark and raining here right now, so didn't get a very thorough look of the place.
But it looks kind of like a place where couples spend their weekends, so it feels somewhat
uncomfortable being two guys 

By the way, i don't really understand the meaning of "what are your prospects for looking around at cars?.. "
I'm just a slow swedish guy 

I'm checking craig's every chance i get, but haven't found "my" car yet..
Found a few interesting Satellite's in AZ, might give them a call if we make it there.

Anyway, tomorrow morning we'll head up to San Francisco.
Cambria is just along Highway 1, so we'll keep going that way.



Daniel

[Dans 68]

...Right now we're in Cambria, got a great room at some Inn i can't remember the name
of right now.
It's dark and raining here right now, so didn't get a very thorough look of the place.
But it looks kind of like a place where couples spend their weekends, so it feels somewhat
uncomfortable being two guys 
Daniel

I'll bet you didn't even get a 2nd look. Remember, you are in the "Great Pink Triangle" now so be tolerant! 

Of course I have my dash torn apart at the moment.    Great planning, I know. Probably Mr. Samson is your best bet to getting a ride in a 2nd gen in the area. Any planned stops in Monterey on your way to the City? 17-mile drive in Carmel is a can't miss. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is also a must see. But, knowing your aggressive traveling time table it may not be possible.

Give a call when you get in!

Dan

[hemi68charger]

Daniel..
If you show up in the Houston area.. Give me a shout, we'll go take a ride in that orange thing to the left of this.......

Troy

[DanneP]

Some more pictures
http://www.pixbox.se/alb_show_id1162135_page0.html