Anyone ever put their XF on the AutoTrain? Or any other car for that matter. I have 2 trips to Tampa that I want to take the XF on, and I was thinking of reducing the mileage with the autotrain.

Anyone know where I can get a discount for it?

 

Never did a car but took the train for bike week. Everything was great. Get the cabin, lot easier to sleep.

 

That's the plan. I was going to take the Sebring Convertible, but it was 6 inches too long, and they wanted to charge another arm/leg for 6 inches! Now that I traded that car in on the XF....

I am more concerned about the ground clearance. The Amtrak site says 5 inch clearance minimum, and I don't know if the XF has that or not, but it has such a short wheelbase, so that it probably doesn't need all 5 inches, but Amtrak may not let it go if it doesn't have the 5 inches.

SO

What is the clearance (I guess I can go an measure the car - LOL)

How strict is Amtrak on their specifications? Do they measure the car, or do they look up the specs in some database?

How well do they treat the vehicles? Anyone reporting damage of any kind?

 

Scott, the automotive magazines say the Crossfires clearance is 4.9".
If you live in VA. I'd say just drive it and enjoy the ride. Our cars have such a low resale, I wouldn't worry about putting miles on it. But then that's just me. I'd be worried that my car would get some sort of damage on the train, but then I worry about something happening to my car all the time. (Murphy's Law)

 

One trip is a cruise, and I am defiately taking the car for the drive , We are taking the loooong way either down or back, not sure which. The other trip is a week stay with friends near Tampa and we will be driving the car all week with a possible drive to Key West. So I will not mind taking the train one-way.

Thanks for the official data =)

 

Scott, I enjoy driving my Crossfire so much, that if somebody suggested a "Cruise" to the West Coast, I'd probably be ready to leave tomorrow.
So far, I haven't found the point where my body says "enough already".
I've never got out of my Crossfire feeling tired, and I've driven it for more than 12 hrs at a stretch.
Of course I drive for a living, so maybe I'm just use to long hauls. But the Crossfire makes even the "looong" trips so much more enjoyable.
Good Luck with yours.

 

I agree. I have only had the car a little more than a month!

I don't drive for a living, and I am getting a bit older so 16 hrs in that tiny cabin is probably going to be tough.

Last year we drove the Sebring to FLA, and had to stop in SC to break up the trip. As it was I was tired of driving when we got there. It was for a cruise so I rested for a week before I had to drive back.

I am looking foward to the drive in the mountains, but the interstate is just the interstate. Whenever we drive somewhere and there is no deadline on getting there, we always stay off of the interstate as much as possible. Unfortunately for this trip, I can only afford to that on the drive back, and if there is a chance of driving to Key West, I wanna be rested for that!!

 

Oops - not sure what happened here, got posted twice

 

OK, just booked it. We ended up taking the PT Cruiser to Tampa for the Cruise in January. There just wasn't enough room in the trunk for all the ^%$#^%$# that we have to cary for a cruise. This coming week, there will be no formal night etc...so we should be able to fit everything in the car.

I booked the cabin-ette on the autotrain, I just want to do this once, and we will take the long way home, possible stopping by the dragon again on the way

I was reading where they recommend that you take a video ov the car before loading it on the train.

The long planned trip is in June, Wish us luck =)

 

Scott - keep in mind how long drive to Key West is even from Miami. I used to live in Key West & it would take me 6+ hours to drive to see my family in Miami. Most of the speed limit is 30-40 mph & they have NO sense of humor when it comes to speeding down there. I have driven my boat & my RV down there - every time I do it I question my sanity. It is a great drive - esp. once you get on the other side of Key Largo, but know that it is REALLY long!

 

we are going to KW by boat from Marco Is. where we will be staying for the week. The KW trip is just a day trip.

From sanford(autotrain) to Marco is almost 4 hrs. I would live to make that drive one day but there are 4 people going, and they ain't gonna fit in my car!

 

I live about 20 minutes from where the A-Train comes in .... please let me know if you need anything!