Problem was than neither the plane nor the pilot was IFR rated and the weather was not at all cooperative.
The Mooney *was* IFR rated, but not the pilot at the time. Plus, the pilot was a little bit cocky about his chances of beating the mighty GTI, actually stopping for lunch and shopping in Charleston. As they took off for the final leg to Daytona, a line of t-storms popped up over southern Georgia. Imagine my surprise when a rental car pulled up alongside me in Jacksonville, with my little sister waving out the window. At that point, put your money on the GTI driver with a bag of warm Krystal's burgers who knows where he's going, and not the grounded pilot trying to navigate I-95 from a sectional chart who had never driven the route before.
Seriously though, I used to call all of my late father's planes "almost" whenever he took a long trip. Almost made it to Florida before having to land due to weather, almost made it back from the keys before having to land in Atlantic City and rent a car due to weather, almost beat the GTI to Florida.....
Didn't realize it until it was too late to go back. 
