Alan Schorr – 3,000 Mile Journey in Used Corvette from Runde’s

Alan with his New Corvette. Alaska, here we come!

Alan Schorr recently purchased a used Corvette from Runde Auto Group.  The trouble is he lives 3,000 miles away. If you wanted to go on a nice, long drive, that’s a straight 60 hour non-stop drive from our PreDriven store in Hazel Green, WI. It wasn’t the frigid climate that got this Alaskan away from home to come to the states. It was fate, met with a ridiculously hot deal that not even 3,000 miles could stand in the way of.

Alan, I hear you had quite the trip to get here?
I live in Juneau, Alaska. Alaska is a big place, we live in a part of Alaska that’s actually close to the United States at just 1,100 miles north of the border.

How was the flight?
I took three planes to get here. I flew from Alaska to Seattle then from Seattle to Chicago and another flight from Chicago to Dubuque. Someone from the Runde dealership picked me up from the Dubuque airport and that’s how I arrived! I started the trip by leaving Juneau on Sunday afternoon and arrived to Dubuque on Monday at 10am, it was long trip.

What made you want the used Corvette you picked up today?
I originally wanted a Porsche Cayman S. But I decided against it for a few reasons – everyone from Juneau thought it was crazy for anyone to buy a Porsche since there are no dealerships for them in Juneau. A new Porsche cannot be worked on in Juneau,  there’s warranty but there’s no place to work on them so you have to ship it back to the states to get repaired. We have a Chevy dealership in Juneau so it’s a little more reasonable to get that manufacturer.

Why this used  Corvette LT3 from Runde’s?
I’ve never owned a Corvette but was always curious. I wanted a color that I liked so I started looking online at places like AutoTrader.com and Cars.com, etc. and narrowed it down to what I was looking for. I didn’t care if it was automatic or Manual but I did want a convertible.  The vehicle Runde’s had was perfect and was priced very reasonably. It was even the beautiful burgundy red that I wanted. Luckily, the Corvette should remain in great shape because I will be storing it in the garage most of the year.

When did you move to Alaska?
In 1979. I moved because of a job opportunity at the University of Alaska. It rains or snow’s 300 days a year. Where I live it is more cool and cold opposed to some parts which can actually get warmer. After 40 years it kind of wears thin sometimes but it is a nice place to life. The people there are very nice.

What’s the plan to get the car home?
I’ll be staying the first night in Iowa City. I lived in Iowa City for 5 years. My wife and I actually went to Iowa City for our PHD’s. It’ll be nice to go back and check out what’s new – it’s been 42 years since I’ve been there. After that I will be heading down on Highway 80 to Denver where I’ll be spending a few days with a friend in Los Alamos that works at a lab there. I’ll then be continuing into Arizona, cutting into California with some stops along the way. I want to drive along the coast and go to Los Angles where I used to live, then to Monteray. From there I’ll cut inland and visit Sequoia Peaks Canyon National Park in Nevada until I’m ready to head to my final destination in Seattle, WA.

The ride home will look something like this…

How long of a trip are you planning?
The trip will be about 2 1/2 weeks long. I have two options – I can barge the car back from Seattle which is a 3 day barge from Seattle to Jeno, then I would fly back to Jeno and pick up the car when I arrive. Or, I can drive 1,100 miles to Prince Rupert, British Columbia to drive the Car on a Ferry and come back with the car on the Ferry. But it’s an extra 1,100 miles so I’m debating if I want to spend the extra time and save money or just go with the barge.

When does your little joy ride come to an end?
I have to be on the barge by the 25th or on the Ferry by the 28th depending on which route I decide to take back home. It’s not fixed in stone yet.

Is this your first time doing a trip like this?
No, I actually bought a car in Wisconsin about 10 years ago and drove it to Seattle. This is my first time with a used car though, but I’m somewhat familiar with the route getting it back.

Red Marker = Juneau

What car did you get 10 years ago?
It was a Mini and Wisconsin was the closest place that had one. So I picked it up and drove it to Seattle.

I’m assuming you have an all-wheel-drive vehicle in Juneau?
We have two all-wheel-drive vehicles. We live on a hill overlooking the city so that was definitely a necessity.

Don’t see many sports cars in Juneau?
I think i’ve seen 1 or 2 C5’s and maybe 1 C6. But no, you don’t see many. The Chevy dealer in Juneau can order vehicles for you if you wanted something like a Corvette but it has to be special ordered and they don’t typically have used sports cars laying on their lot.

You mentioned that you are married?
Yes. Tuesday, the 10th was my anniversary. We’ve been together for 47 years.  In the late 60’s we went to Iowa City together.

What do you do in Juneau?
I’m retired. I had a publishing company for a bout 20 years. Before that I had a 18 year academic Carreer, I was Dean at a couple of universities.

Do you have any kids?
One son and three grandchildren. He works as an attorney in Washington DC. We visit him around 6 times a year.

Do you travel a lot?
We’re probably gone on vacation about 15-20 weeks a year to the East Coast where we have a little place we like to visit. I have a sister-in-law that lives in England and France so we go there fairly frequently.

How did you like your experience with Runde’s?
It went very well. This is a huge dealership, much bigger than I ever expected. My salesman was very straight and honest. We talked pricing and worked something out. What he described the vehicle as is exactly like what it turned out to be. Also, Nate Elder answered some questions I had about my used Corvette, he was very helpful. 

When I was shopping, I saw that there was a Corvette in Tacoma, WA. but it didn’t have what I wanted and the price was a little bit higher. Then I figured, it’s been so long since I’ve driven a car a long stretch of distance so I thought it would be fun to pick up the car that was more aligned with what I wanted and take it on a joy ride and experience some nice dry roads.

What would you rank your experience on a scale of 1-10?
Definitely an 8+, I’m just not a “10” kind of guy.

What does your wife think about all of this?
She thinks it’s perfectly fine, no problem.

Great wife!
*laughs* Yes.

All of us at Runde’s wishes you a safe and fun trip home, Alan! Thank you for sharing your fascinating story, we hope you enjoy the Corvette!