Key West, FL --> Prudhoe Bay, AK. What Vehicle?

[Morris Minor]

The map: http://goo.gl/ebkB3y
5,500 miles.

The sting in the tail is the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay: 400 miles of tire destroying crappy gravel road.

What vehicle would you choose?

Since I'm middle-aged and risk averse, I'd go with a Lexus GX 460 with the optional tire repair kit.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Miata with a lift kit and cruise control.

[Rupert]

Why would I want to go to either Prudhoe Bay or Florida?

[Eye of the Tiger]

Why would I want to go to either Prudhoe Bay or Florida?

For the hydrology of it.

[Raza]

Probably this:

[Rupert]

The only answer is WRX with a spare set of wheels with burly tires.

[Raza]

The only answer is WRX with a spare set of wheels with burly tires.

Part of me wants to say TT 3.2 Roadster 6MT. There's bound to be a lot of good top down time on one end of the trip.

[Eye of the Tiger]

You don't need 4wd for that dirt road... Unless it is winter/spring.

[Rupert]

Clearance would be more important, yes, but 400 mi of bumpy shitty roads at the speed I would want to drive would benefit from AWD, and I'm not driving a lifted anything from FL to AK.

[Soup DeVille]

Yes, I'm serious.

[Rupert]

Actually, that's brilliant.

[Byteme]

Simple, tough, capable

[Morris Minor]

You are going to want good clearance and all terrain tires for the Dalton Hwy... but 90% of the journey is going to be on ordinary roads. So I favor something 4X4 with room to carry a set inside until they're needed; 4-Runner, Yukon, aforementioned Lexus.

[SVT666]

WRX STi....because rally stage!

[SVT666]

Can I give you a suggestion? When you get to Canada, don't go through Alberta. Go just a couple hundred miles west and go through BC.  The scenery and the roads are far superior and a shit ton of fun.

[Morris Minor]

Google Maps is telling me I can't drive from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina to Prudhoe Bay, AK.  WTF?

[MexicoCityM3]

Range Rover of course.

[Morris Minor]

Google Maps is telling me I can't drive from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina to Prudhoe Bay, AK.  WTF?

This eliminates most vehicles from consideration. You'd probably need bodyguards too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dari%C3%A9n_Gap

[Soup DeVille]

You are going to want good clearance and all terrain tires for the Dalton Hwy... but 90% of the journey is going to be on ordinary roads. So I favor something 4X4 with room to carry a set inside until they're needed; 4-Runner, Yukon, aforementioned Lexus.

I'm quite sure theres a tire store  somewhere in the US thats closer; be a bit silly to carry four spares the whole trip.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Clearance would be more important, yes, but 400 mi of bumpy shitty roads at the speed I would want to drive would benefit from AWD, and I'm not driving a lifted anything from FL to AK.

If you put stock NB Miata shocks/springs on an NA, it will lift it 1-2". Throw on some 185/70R14 tires and add rally flaps. Drive over anything a semi-maintained dirt road can throw at you.

[MX793]

Raptor.

[Soup DeVille]

I like full size Broncos. I like the Raptor.

However, if one is under the impression that these are required in order to drive on a gravel road, then one might reconsider taking a trip like this at all.

I'd rather take the chance of becoming stuck, stranded and frozen than subject myself to 5000 miles in either vehicle if it would mean passing up the opportunity to make such an epic trip in an equally epic sports car.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I like full size Broncos. I like the Raptor.

However, if one is under the impression that these are required in order to drive on a gravel road, then one might reconsider taking a trip like this at all.

I'd rather take the chance of becoming stuck, stranded and frozen than subject myself to 5000 miles in either vehicle if it would mean passing up the opportunity to make such an epic trip in an equally epic sports car.

Raptor would probably be a pretty nice ride, but a Bronco would be horrible. Anyway, sports car.

[Soup DeVille]

Spent a lot of time in Broncos; i don't mind them at all.

However, using one for this trip would be a horrible waste of an opportunity.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Spent a lot of time in Broncos; i don't mind them at all.

However, using one for this trip would be a horrible waste of an opportunity.

I would rather do it in a Festiva than a Bronco.

[Eye of the Tiger]

But, the answer is, of course...

[Soup DeVille]

I would rather do it in a Festiva than a Bronco.

I wouldn't go that far. Although the idea of doing it in a Festiva is so ridiculous that it becomes appealing, it would nevertheless be a horrible experience.

It would have the benefit however of shutting up once and for all my coworker who insists he needs an H2 because he has a gravel driveway.

[Soup DeVille]

But, the answer is, of course...

I do have a better chance of affording one of those than i do a 1973 911 RS, but a man can dream, cant he?

[Eye of the Tiger]

I wouldn't go that far. Although the idea of doing it in a Festiva is so ridiculous that it becomes appealing, it would nevertheless be a horrible experience.

It would have the benefit however of shutting up once and for all my coworker who insists he needs an H2 because he has a gravel driveway.

I can send him pictures of a lifted Accent towing a trailer down a muddy logging trail.

[MX793]

I like full size Broncos. I like the Raptor.

However, if one is under the impression that these are required in order to drive on a gravel road, then one might reconsider taking a trip like this at all.

I'd rather take the chance of becoming stuck, stranded and frozen than subject myself to 5000 miles in either vehicle if it would mean passing up the opportunity to make such an epic trip in an equally epic sports car.

You don't NEED a 4X4 or Raptor to drive on a gravel road, but a Raptor will devour a rough, pock-marked gravel road at 75 mph without any drama whereas a sports car, well, won't.  They're supposedly also pretty capable on pavement, though I doubt any match for a sports car.