Road Trip - Drive My Own Car or Rent?

[dogememe]

I'd trust either of my cars to make that journey. In fact, I'd drive either of them across the country and back with no hesitation. And for those on mobile who can't read my signature, one of them has 93k miles and the other one more than a quarter million miles...

 

[Snagglefoot]

Sometimes the weekend specials are so excellent, I'll rent. My insurance provider covers rental cars so that cost is already spoken for. I'll do a 500 mile round trip on a rental car with unlimited mileage. The rental company doesn't care. They just want to get revenue across the weekend. I choose small peppy cars that hug the curves on the paved mountain roads really well.

 

[AZjeff]

Originally Posted by caprice_2nv
Anything can happen with any car really.


Defensively says everyone driving old cars. Especially guys driving 35 year old cars!

 

[occupant]

Last time I took a car I didn't trust on an 800 mile round trip it was when I was 18 back in Wyoming in 1996. I had bought a rusty and worn 1980 Caprice sedan with an air pump choked 267 small block for $300 from the local Ford dealer. But I had to get somewhere and it would've been a $180 bus ride or $500 flight and I'd still be riding my bike to school. I picked the $300 car I could keep instead. Chose the Caprice over a 1980 Cutlass with the Buick V6 because the air was ice cold in the Caprice and the Cutlass had no interior door panels and was copper colored with a white hood and blue driver door. At least the Caprice being all faded and scraped up and rusted, was all one shade of metallic blue. It was, however, too bad that chilly AC couldn't cool the radiator. Tank ruptured on the left side (the one with the trans cooler lines) and I toasted that engine but it got me there and back running the heat full blast and topping off the coolant and oil every 50-100 miles. Got it home, drained the oil and coolant, changed the swiss cheese valve cover gaskets, somehow didn't crack the block or either head (but gave it fresh head gaskets and a quickie valve job anyway), threw in a used radiator from a Bonneville, filled up the fluids, and it got me around for a couple months after that. But I nicked one of the condenser lines and the AC didn't work anymore. Oh well. Traded it even for a 1979 LeBaron and then traded that plus $500 for an 1985 Delta 88 to take me back to Texas.

 

[Silverado12]

I would drive the Prius. You seem to be mechanically inclined and have sense enough to do all the proper maintenance on your car. I do realize that even a good mechanic can be stranded by most things that break, though, which leave you on the side of the road. For example, I would take my 2000 Mustang 4.6 automatic anywhere with confidence, but I understand the Prius has some complicated components. I've found over the years that good maintenance is the most important thing overall to do to help prevent breakdowns. With all that being said, I think it's safe to take your own car and put the 180 bucks in your back pocket to have fun with once you get there.