@DaniMcc, it doesn’t cost much to fly to Cali if you use big airports only. It will cost about $400 for both you and your child to fly from Chicago O’Hare to Los Angeles (LAX). Then you can find a car in Cali. This is for 2 tickets on United, BTW. If St Louis is more convenient, you can check there. And you might travel to San Francisco or San Diego and should check their ticket costs, too. Mid-week travel is cheapest. Then you have $2600 or more to find a ride on the other end. Rust won’t be much of an issue in Cali. You can find 50 year old cars in great shape, and you don’t have to make the big drive. Note that you also save money by avoiding hotels, paying for gas, and eating restaurant food along the way. That could easily add up to the cost of the plane tickets. Fly now, buy there.