Driving holiday to Scotland - use a Lupo, or a rental?

[DarkStryder360]

Me and the girlfriend are thinking about driving up to Scotland for a week, up into the highlands, camp in our tent in local camp-sites, and just generally drive all over the shop checking out some stunning scenery and roads.

Thing is, with all this camping gear, and generally a lot of weight pushing down on the little thing, would it be better idea to do the Essex to Scotland and back, journey in a rental car, most likely Mk6 Golf from Europcar (doesn't say the litre engine on the site) which is around £110 for a week.

This isn't in my Lupo, 'tis in the girlfriends lovely manly Yellow one, 1.4.

[JoshLoop]

I used to regularly use my gti on motorways for a 4 hour journey, had a mk5 golf gti before it and now im in an a4 avant.

The lupo really isnt the best for motorway/long journeys as you get blown all over the place on motorways, its stupidly noisy from road noise and not that great on fuel but once you get up the highlands and on all those roads i think you would wish you had the lupo rather than the golf as they are good driving roads.

After using the lupo for 1.5 years on motorway you get used to it but going back into a big comfy car its such a nice place to be cruising at 70-80mph and being able to have a normal conversation without raising your voice over the engine/road noise.

Personal preference really but i couldnt do a long what 600+ mile motorway journey in a lupo.

Hope that helps ever so slightly?

[newton]

Wouldn't even consider it, Scottish roads are so bad that it literally destroys any small car, so getting a Golf or a car with some sort of chance against them is a better idea.

[Sp3nny]

i disagree, i went to scotland for the week a few weeks ago in my lupo, did over 800 miles and it was brilliant fun. But it also depends on how much gear you are taking with you, my car was full to the brim and i also had 2 other people in the car. Scottish roads are fun to drive on but like Newton says there are lots of potholes and poor roadsurfaces to look out for. My lupo is also a tdi which made the decision for me as i saved at least £100 on fuel costs

[Mafyou]

Driving through the highlands in a lupo is class. I drove my lupo (lowered all the way on fronts, no adjusters in back) with the boot full with gear and some stuff on the rear seats up to the isle of skye and the car was fine, roads were pretty smooth but guess that depends on where you go exactly.

[JoshLoop]

Wouldn't even consider it, Scottish roads are so bad that it literally destroys any small car, so getting a Golf or a car with some sort of chance against them is a better idea.

Have you ever left Scotland haha? The roads are equally as bad in england aswell and unless you're living up the top of a mountain only accessible by rocky single lane paths i don't know many roads bad enough to 'literally destroy any small car' and I've ran my lupo lowered a lot on coil overs for over a year and a half and also the past 4 years in other lowered cars and none of them are destroyed.

[grantmax]

whats the lupo for? driving ... do it in the loop! ...i went to cumbria in mine ... loved it ... although i did smash my sump .. i do have a 2vt in it though!

[patroddy]

i drive my lupo on the motorway everyday to work and back and it copes fine, take the lupo save your self some money from renting

[newton]

Have you ever left Scotland haha? The roads are equally as bad in england aswell and unless you're living up the top of a mountain only accessible by rocky single lane paths i don't know many roads bad enough to 'literally destroy any small car' and I've ran my lupo lowered a lot on coil overs for over a year and a half and also the past 4 years in other lowered cars and none of them are destroyed.

Well my car was very low and I couldn't go anywhere lmao, whether its the 12000 speed bumps in each street or the pot holes, maybe it's just the area I stay in.

And no they're not, when we wend to UD the roads were fine. Even through the streets.

Edited August 25, 2012 by newton

[RobG]

Bring the lupo. Dodging potholes, speedbumps, sheep and drunken neds is all part of the fun

[newton]

Bring the lupo. Dodging potholes, speedbumps, sheep and drunken neds is all part of the fun

hahaha!

[DarkStryder360]

Cheers all for the advice. Just to reiterate - I wasn't planning to drive my Lupo, but the girlfriends bog standard Lupo (but I find it horrendous to drive after driving mine)

@Mafyou - Not sure how you managed to get around though haha.

@Patroddy - I am more concerned with the 'B' roads up there, getting in and out of campsites, rather than smooth motorway driving lol.

[Silver!]

I toured around quite a bit in the 1.0 Arosa with a roof box and a weekends camping gear for 2 adults and a large dog.

Apart from some big hills it coped admirably, but I am talking the biggest of big hills here.

As you say it's the motorway miles, which I never needed to do, which will be a drag.

That said, my first road trip to Scotland was from Poole in a 998cc Hillman Imp and I done it good few times after.

I say bring the Lupo and use the money saved from the hire cost to pay for a hotel room on the first and last nights or some nice food whilst up here.

Don't forget the Avon Skin So Soft

[treblet]

Take the Lupo.

Ignore the comments that the roads will "destroy" your car, it's a load of rubbish, roads are terrible everywhere!

Get a roof box and you'll have tonnes of room. I moved from Scotland to Salisbury with pretty much everything I own in a Lupo and a roof box and I've done the journey back and fourth many times in a 1.4 and a GTI.