If you overpack your car, you'll take all the fun out of the trip. My advice: drop the back seat, and keep the heaviest stuff low and in front of the rear wheels. Don't fill the car to the headliner, it will block your rearward vision and increase your stress level every time you need to change lanes. The 3 has plenty of power to pull the mountain passes, but the suspension is not designed to tow a trailer. A roof rack will kill your fuel mileage, but if that's OK with you, you can carry your lightest cargo on the roof. Ship the stuff that won't fit, by truck or UPS.

 

Rent a small uhaul with a trailer, fill up the truck and the car with your stuff the shrink wrap the car to keep the rock chips away.

 

If you're comin from the east, I believe there's been some snow fall in the passes allready. So hope the move goes smooth and safe for ya!

 

I packed mine to the absolute end of possibility... I left a hole just large enough to see my passenger mirror and enough room to have a drink in the center console...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=435396486780&l=41a6009926


If you find your car riding extremely low like you see mine... be sure to watch for those bumps LOL

Good luck on your trip! I went from Hartford, CT to Detroit, MI this way... no problems at all

 

dude you can get a lot of stuff in the 3, i recently moved out of my apartment using only my 3 sedan, over about 8 or 9 trips i got everything from a full size dresser, big craftsman toolbox, tvs, fullsize office desk, diningroom table, chairs ect. you should have even more room in a hatch. and dont worry about packing to the roof thats why you have mirrors

 

I drove from NY to AZ on stock suspension pretty well packed to the rafters. I didn't go all the way up, for visibility and weight shifting reasons, but you probably could and be okay. I was riding pretty low; keeping the heavy stuff forward of the rear axle is great advice. Having a manual DEFINITELY helped; if you have an automatic, learn to use the autostick if you don't already know how to.

I took out the cargo cover and shipped it on the moving truck. I would either fold it and shrink wrap it shut for protection, or do so and ship it if you're able. It will get in the way otherwise

Some of the stuff I had with me:
Two ~190lb men
2 desktop computers, one liquid cooled with 7 hard drives (heavy beast)
A fireproof lockbox (with important papers, select valuables, a legal firearm and ammo, which is heavy in it's own right [if you're taking a gun, make sure to lock it up or take it apart ... you could get in mega trouble otherwise])
Two suitcases with clothes
Cooler with drinks/ice packs/snacks
Laptop
Camera, tripod, etc (not really all that heavy I guess)
Spare tire (in tire well)
Some random tools in a milk crate, just in case
Etc ...


Like I said, I was riding pretty low, but aside from cargo shifting, taking turns was not a problem.