Man, $85 a night adds up so fast it's scary. Do that math for a whole week and you're looking at almost $600 just for a bed and a tiny soap. I did a road trip last summer and started sleeping at rest stops instead of motels and it honestly wasn't as bad as I thought. The minivan thing makes sense if you're hitting a few cities in one go, that $1,700 is basically a whole other vacation. Only thing I'd worry about is finding safe spots to park overnight, that part takes some planning.