Older car, long trips

[Stanley Rockafeller]

Originally Posted By: JavierG
Why have a car if you never take it on long trips? Who cares about depreciation on a 16 year old car anyway?


Why take a "trip"(holiday) if all you doing is worrying about a breakdown or repairs needed while trying to enjoy yourself? And it's not just about depreciation, i used that as an example of purchasing a newer car and driving it over renting can be pretty silly, esp when you consider the depreciation on a new car vs. renting a car IF reliability on long trips is the only justification one might have for purchasing a new car.

I dont' really enjoy myself if all I'm doing is worrying about a possible failure of various components that could potentially break but, i dunno, maybe you guys are self-masochistic or something...

Consideirng the price these days to rent is STUPID cheap, why not try out a few different brands? makes? etc? And with most credit card companies offering insurance coverage when reting with their cards meanign you can refuse the insurance they offer...why not?


I tend to enjoy LESS stress when on trips/vacations than MORE...but that's just me...I've been told I can be weird like that sometimes

 

[MNgopher]

What, I'm supposed to worry about my older car on a trip? Why would I? I maintain them, take care of them, and know them in and out. My vehicles range from 7 years to 24 years old and 112 to 172,000 miles, and I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to get in any of them for a cross country trip.

I'm less worried in those then I am in a rental that I have zero clue how its been maintained or treated in its life.

 

[Stanley Rockafeller]

Originally Posted By: MNgopher
What, I'm supposed to worry about my older car on a trip? Why would I? I maintain them, take care of them, and know them in and out. My vehicles range from 7 years to 24 years old and 112 to 172,000 miles, and I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to get in any of them for a cross country trip.

I'm less worried in those then I am in a rental that I have zero clue how its been maintained or treated in its life.


Ya never know when something electrical can fail...and do you really wanna be dealing with repairs when something fails on the side of the road?

And as for a rental, it's a new car...what are you expecting to fail?

 

[JavierG]

Yeah, cuz new cars never have problems. And rental cars are all brand new. Lol

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: MNgopher
What, I'm supposed to worry about my older car on a trip? Why would I? I maintain them, take care of them, and know them in and out. My vehicles range from 7 years to 24 years old and 112 to 172,000 miles, and I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to get in any of them for a cross country trip.

I'm less worried in those then I am in a rental that I have zero clue how its been maintained or treated in its life.


This. I always feel much better in my own vehicles than I do in rentals or "others". Since I know how mine have been maintained.

 

[rslifkin]

As long as you're up to date on maintenance, I wouldn't worry. Just plan your OCIs around when you'll be at a convenient spot to do a change, and give everything a once over (hoses, belts, fluids, etc.) before you leave, and at some point during the trip.

I routinely make 350 - 400 mile runs in my aging Jeep, and I have never worried about it reliability-wise, and would have no issue taking it on a longer trip.

 

[Vikas]

If you are really worried, you could do research and find out the known problems in your car. For example, 3.2TL; the transmission can fail without much or any warning. If you have maintained it well, there is nothing more that you could do.

 

[01rangerxl]

I wouldn't worry. 12 years isn't THAT old. Unless the car has given signs of an impending mechanical issue, I think it will do fine. Highway driving is the easiest driving a car can do. If it works fine for daily driving, it should do fine on a trip. The car doesn't know it's far from home.

My truck has around 110K miles on it and is almost 10 years old. I would drive it anywhere without a second thought. I used to take my '95 Explorer with over 150K on it on 300+ mile trips all the time. Never had a problem aside from almost running out of gas in the middle of nowhere (thing was a gas hog with an iffy gauge). My boss has a '00 F-150 with over 250K that goes on 2-500 mile trips all the time.

 

[someguy]

Originally Posted By: JavierG


Yeah, cuz new cars never have problems. And rental cars are all brand new. Lol


If a rental car breaks down then the company brings you another one and you are on your way with several hours delay.

I also suggest rentals unless the 3K mile trip will spread out into weeks. Shop in advance and use discount codes, they also typically offer upgrades at the counter. We went from a Corolla to a Rogue for a 1K mile trip for like $20 more for a 4 day weekend trip.

 

[PandaBear]

If the car is regularly driven, 12 year isn't a lot and especially with only 88k. However, I'm going to be a bit concern about the transmission as it is TL's known issue. If you are not feeling any problem with the transmission in daily commute then I'd say go ahead, but if it is iffy, I'd take another car.

 

[Danh]

The transmission is a wild card, but: it performs just fine, it's been given annual (I.e. Every 7 -10k miles) fluid changes with Honda ATF, the car sees mostly highway miles in the flatlands of the Midwest, it's driven gently and the TL's lousy transmission reputation is mostly because of the 5 speed used 2000 and later, not the 4 speed I have.

Who knows, it could fail tomorrow. Or in 10 years. Or never. Seems like the odds are pretty good for it surviving a couple of long highway trips in moderate temps, though.

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

We have a 2000 Ford Taurus wagon (120K miles) that all we use it for is long trips (100s of miles). Original hoses and radiator, no problems so far.

I wouldn't worry too much with 88k miles. Most cars made in the last 10 years can go 200k miles easily.

 

[SS1970chrysler]

I manage alright with older cars.

All the cars I see broken down on the highway are far newer than any of mine.

 

[andrewg]

Truth is....it's all a gamble. A well taken care of vehicle that is not driven hard should do just fine on a long trip.....yet it still IS an older car with higher miles (wear). You'll find people that have complete confidence in a car that may have well over 150k miles and then find another person that worries the whole time even if it's under 100k. I've got a seven year old Grand Marquis that I purchased used a few years ago. It's only got about 55k miles on it. Next month I'm driving it from Seattle to Phoenix and back with my girlfriend and two dogs....plus loaded up with some heavy items in the trunk. Am I concerned? Yes, a little. I thought about just renting a car and not caring about wear and tear and/or a breakdown. But the expense of a rental for eight days added to my trip is not cost effective. Plus, using my brain instead of emotional worry, I know that my car is well taken care of. And being a Grand Marquis it should be reliable well into 150k plus territory as long as I take good care of it. (However being that I didn't own it since new, I really don't know if it was abused or not in it's early life).

 

[Whimsey]

We yearly use my 1996, bought new Ford Contour, for our vacations plus I do other driving with it. This vehicle will be 15 years old this December. It has about 90,000 miles on it and has been very well maintained since new. It had it's 60,000 mile timing and serpentine belt as well as water pump change service done at the Ford dealer. It runs great and looks great. I take it to my indie mechanic every year before vacation to have him inspect it, peace of mind insurance. I ask about the hoses and he tells me that the factory ones are all in good shape and will most likely last longer than the replacements. Since I took care of this car I have no problem driving it the 3,400 mile RT Florida vacation. The vast majority of it's miles have been highway most of it's life.

It's the 4 cyl Zetec with the 5 speed manual tranny. I've maintained the fluid/filter and tune-up services. It's been a great car and hope to get many more years out of it. It's really comfortable for long trips and gets 36 mpg on the highway at 75-80 mph. Plus it can hold a ton of luggage

.

Whimsey

 

[L_Sludger]

Originally Posted By: Danh
I'm planning 2 trips this spring, each of which will be about 3,000 miles. I plan to use our 1999 Acura TL. The car has only 88,000 miles, and has been extremely well cared for since new. Fluids will up-to-date, belts are newish, hoses look fine even though original, tires and brakes are fine. The car runs and looks pretty much as new.

I'll confess a little anxiety about taking a car of this age on a long trip. While 88,000 miles isn't a lot, some things do deteriorate with age and the car just turned 13.

What do you guys think? Anything in particular you think I should take care of or be aware of? Or do you think I should use a different car?

Thanks!
I've taken old cars on long trips plenty of times. And by old, I mean twice as old as your car, with twice (or thrice) as many miles.
All's ya gots to watch out for are the tire condition, fluid levels, spare tire condition, and an eye on the gauges. I had ZERO problems with mine. You shouldn't worry about a thing.

 

[hsd]

I drive my 2000 Honda Accord with 138k miles on 2500 mile trips twice a year for the past 5 years. Its always run perfectly on all of these trips. The Honda auto trans is very similar to the Acura trans. Only extra maintenance I do is change the ATF every 20-30k and run a Magnefine filter.

 

[Danh]

Originally Posted By: hsd
I drive my 2000 Honda Accord with 138k miles on 2500 mile trips twice a year for the past 5 years. Its always run perfectly on all of these trips. The Honda auto trans is very similar to the Acura trans. Only extra maintenance I do is change the ATF every 20-30k and run a Magnefine filter.


Thanks for the comment. That transmission is a 4 speed, right? How long have you been using the Magnefine filter? Any complications with it? Just splice it into the ATF return hose from the radiator?

 

[Ramblin Fever]

If you think a 99 with 88k miles is old....wonder what you'd think of our 97 with 202k miles....hehehehhe!

Seriously...my 97 Isuzu rodeo runs and looks brand-new, we too have kept it in immaculant condition and it IS our cross-country expedition vehicle, so it's ready to go at any given time.

I would have no issues jumping in mine right this very minute and going for a 4-6k mile journey, this truck hasn't skipped a beat.

However, I did replace all the coolant hoses, radiator, timing belt, etc a few years back because we are known for going into wide open country with no cell phone service.

 

[Vikas]

On an older vehicle, these are the things which eventually wear out and *can* leave you stranded. Unfortunately, they can last 100K or 200K or 300K; one never knows.

Here is the list (eel free to add more):-

1) Starter
2) Alternator
3) Fuel Pump

It is almost impossible to ascertain their health unlike belts and hoses and fluids. It is also NOT a good idea to replace them preemptively *unless* you get the exact new OEM replacement (extremely high price). Putting an aftermarket part for a working OEM is NOT a good idea. It is highly likely that your existing OEM would have lasted longer than the new aftermarket i.e. you would be buying more problem.

Either you accept this or buy a new vehicle every few years.

- Vikas