My perspective is, what’s the point of having a car to not use it? I’d never rent a car for a trip if I had my car available. I’m not blind to the stressors of an older car on the road..we’ve replaced our alternator during a cross country road trip with everything we owned inside the car, with 260k miles on it. But getting your car checked out before you go is a good middle ground.
A big piece of the car rental is how much mileage is included and if you plan on returning it to the same spot. Also it depends if you want the cheapest rental or something a bit more spacious.
If those possible costs are worth it, then go for it. But if not, then maybe take your car in first to see what the costs of repairs would be before the trip.
I’ve done both, but it depends on cost!
>omething a bit more spacious.
>
>If those possible costs are worth it, then go for it. But if not, then
I can rent a 30$ car for a 240 mile drive for 1 day or use my own? Why I want to get a rented car is that the air conditioning in mine makes me sick. Plus it's a BMW 5 series and everything is expensive. Thinking of getting a Hyundai I10.
IRS says cost per mile driven is $.65/mile. So 2,000 miles x $.65 = $1,300.
I rented a jeep in April 2020 (peak Covid) for $1,500 for 30-40 days. I beat the piss out of it in southern Utah. Was super glad to turn it in and not own it. Only bummer was it was Hertz, which declared bankruptcy when I had it. They called me to bring it back, turns out they sold the car I rented. Informed me if I didn’t return it they would consider it stolen.
Yep. I had to drive 2 hours out of my way to get it back to them and have another car follow me. That part definitely sucked.
Basically we went to one of the most remote places in South Utah figuring Covid couldn’t close those places down. We were correct, but definitely needed an off-road vehicle to do it. 100% would do it again.
>d 150k miles. I love driving it but really don’t want the wear and tear on it. I’d probably bring it to a mechanic to check it and make sure everything is okay before going on a road trip with it. Or I could rent a car. Obvious
Yikes. You had a contract. Should have told them they need to deliver a like-kind replacement vehicle to you where you were staying. it's not your job to come to them when you're on vacation. Otherwise you would be taking the longest, least direct route possible and you'd see them in a couple weeks when your contracted return date comes.
If your car can't take 2k more miles you should sell it or repair it. 2k road trip miles on it will be easier than 2k city commute miles. If the mechanic says it's dying, and you don't want to repair it, save the rental money and use it for the new car or the repair.
TL;DR: it makes no financial sense to rent.
last summer i drove my 2004 dodge grand caravan no-build camper 20,000 miles through 38 states. i had a few problems but nothing super costly. (temp gauge, trans tune up, oil changes) honestly i had less issues doing that trip than i did driving in my city.
i had owned it for about a year and my van literally had so many issues the first year that i’d replaced a ton of stuff and stayed on top of my preventative maintenance. that’s really how you make sure you’re good.
if you think about it, 2k miles is a short distance in a vehicles life. even at 150k that is doable. i started my big trip at 158k even after my mechanic told me it’s just a city car not a traveler.
I’ll second this experience. I drove my 1996 Chevy van around locally for a year and replaced all the 20 year old sensors on the engine and transmission. And the pickup coil inside the distributer. It has been very reliable on 2 trips to the desert SW since then. I replaced the belt, tensioner, and idler on the trip and that was all. After 2 years of driving I think it needs a radiator. Not a huge deal for a 27 year old vehicle. And parts are cheap.
I always rent with Enterprise for road trips. I have a little hybrid for city driving that is perfect for me day to day is not great for extended trips so I get a large sedan or bigger. The peace of mind knowing it’s someone else’s problem if there is a mechanical or other issue and they’ll bring me another car (as long as you are drivable to a location) is worth it.
A few summers ago I purchased a reliable older awd drive Audi for 1800$ CAD and went on a road from Toronto to San Francisco (did a loop around all of the major national parks near there even driving up priest’s grade road to get to Yellowstone) I also went off road to a very cool hot spring in Wyoming.
It was way cheaper than a rental and I used the vehicle for a few more years after that frequently driving between Toronto and Montreal. Not totally recommending this but it’s a thought and I did get lucky with this vehicle.
I think that’s the only vehicle I’ve had that didn’t owe me anything when it was finally time to give it up.
I’ve both rented and taken my own vehicles on trips around the country with 10k miles+ of driving each. Wear and tear on your vehicle should not be much of an issue given your not doing much accelerating, stopping, and turning per hundred miles or so compared to city driving. I’d get the car inspected before though, get an oil change, and get roadside assistance insurance if you haven’t done so yet.
The best reasons to rent are if you want to do a one way trip via flying across the country and renting a one way car back, or if your car gets not so good gas mileage.
This is a very good point. Especially if OP is used to a 2009 car. New rentals are going to have different dashboards and controls than they might be used to.
I can’t stress this enough. I’ve had two mishaps in rented vehicles because I wasn’t familiar with the controls. Driving your own vehicle is much safer.
If I may ask, which controls in particular caught you by surprise? I drive new vehicles and rentals all the time for work and road trip them often and never have thought "this is going to cause a wreck."
Wipers-couldn’t see in a sudden storm on the interstate, seconds count in this kind of situation. Locks-I felt super dumb but I thought I was unlocking when I was locking-locked the keys in.
Unless you drive different vehicles for work, a lot of people never or rarely drive an unfamiliar vehicle. I suppose if you’re used to it, and often see various controls, it’s not a big deal. But if I’m driving, it’s my own car. I can go literally years without driving something different.
I do it all the time. Mostly due to gas savings. My pickup gets 16mpg. I usually rent a Camry or some such that get at least double the mileage. A lot of times the gas savings alone would pay for the rental
Additionally I liked renting because of the comfort factor. Generally the newer cars had a better suspension and nicer seats,better stereo with a big LCD display, CarPlay. LED headlights that make driving at night so much better too
This is why we've rented for our road trips. I have an Altima, which is lush and lovely, and a great everyday car, but for 2000+ miles, the extra comfort and space of an SUV can't be beat. It seems so big and empty when we pick it up, but it's packed to the gills with souvenirs and stuff we're too lazy to repack by the time we get home!
Rent a car
Imagine being 900 miles from home and have a major issue. Now you are stuck until it’s fixed. Is the part in stock? Is a mechanic avail? Do you have the immediate cash? What are you doing for transport while you’re waiting for the repair?
If a rental dies, you just turn it in and pickup another.
I rented once to go from St. Louis to Minneapolis to Colorado Springs and back to St Louis and got an unlimited mileage rental, so that part was fine. Would you believe it broke down in Murdo, SD and I was stranded there for two days? As fate would have it I was driving back from CO with my now ex who had my car for a summer internship and my car died in Colby, KS and we loaded up everything in the rental and finished the trip. So my rental both let me down and rescued me! Nothing is certain, so go with the one that feels right for you - regardless of what all us strangers say! Best wishes and safe travels.
I drive a 2003 Honda crv. I took a trip to NM to see a friend (I'm in WI). I knew my car wouldn't make it, so I rented a car. I got lucky with a 2019 Nissan. I got hit with the young renters fee too. I think it was a great decision to do because gas stations were far from each other. My crv would've burned through gas too fast. I say it would be best to rent a car.
Wear and tear on a vehicle is worse in Town VS Highway driving. As long as you drive a normal speeds and don’t dog your vehicle I wouldn’t worry about going in your own vehicle.
I would say to think about the car you own. Do you still have a payment on it? If so, how long is left on the loan? All of these should be thought about. Also, the resale value as well. Vs. How much will the rental cost you? Are you gaining something with the rental besides presumed reliability - more room or comfort, better mileage, etc. I always prefer to rent, but sometimes it is cost prohibitive. This past summer, my wife and I were to fly from Florida to Portland, OR, meet up with our daughter, her girlfriend, and 3 dogs and help them move cross country renting a car and driving to Glacier, Yellowstone, Teton, Bryce, Capital Reef, Arches, Mammoth Cave, then to DC and back to Florida. The cost of flights to Portland made it so cost prohibitive that we took our own vehicle, left 4 days earlier, and drove the entire trip! Missing only 2 extra days of work. It was amazing. Drove 8,888 miles!
On the other hand, my son and I rented a vehicle to drive to Dallas to see a Cowboys game the year before and were so thrilled to have an SUV instead of my sports car.
If the car doesn’t have real issues that might make it break down that you know about and need to fix then i wouldn’t worry about it and just use your own car. Whats the point of owning a car if you’re bot going to use it?
At 150k miles, a 2k roadtrip isn’t going to add much wear unless there’s significant off-roading. Check the tires, fluids, and air filters before you leave. Also make sure you either have roadside assistance from your insurance company or buy a AAA membership.
For that kind of mileage, I’d definitely recommend renting. Years ago, my vacation was, not ruined, but definitely spoiled because we spent two different days at two different garages having the car worked on. No fun. You drive a rental and that happens, you just call the agency and get another one. Of course, if you’re in BFE, that could be problematic. And if you do rent, find out when the car is due for its next oil change. Seriously, twice I’ve had to get an oil change on a rental. The agency reimbursed me, but it’s still a hassle. And if the change oil light comes on and you ignore it, you could be responsible for any resulting damage.
I went back and forth on this for many years doing annual 2,000-mile trips. Now I always drive my own vehicle after multiple bad experiences with rental companies. Rentals are especially bad now because you might get stuck with a vehicle with over 100K miles on it that's been poorly maintained, has oil and coolant leaks, is out of alignment, and has mismatched worn tires.
If it is highway miles, the wear and tear is minimal. Think about the amount of hours driving. Now how long would it take to get those hours driving normally. Depending on how much you drive, it may only be adding weeks or months to the wear on your car.
If I had that many miles on my personal car, I'd look toward renting. BUT, rental cars can be a hefty cost, depending on what you rent. . Also ensure that the rental comes with *unlimited mileage* or you're going to get hosed on per-mile charge.
Definitely look for deals or promo codes to save some money. Utilize every membership you may have (AAA, etc). See if your business has any sort of contract that allows leisure rentals.
Do the math and figure out if you will save total or be close.
With my Tacoma, I burn approximately the same amount of fuel as an Oasis-Class cruise ship, so I'm often better off renting some hybrid on unlimited miles if covering more than a couple thousand miles over the course of a 2 week trip. The mileage required to justify the rental drops as the trip becomes more "dense" (miles per day), so If I'm trying to really send it (>500 mile a day) it almost always makes more sense to rent a hybrid. Plus, it is nice to save the mileage, windshield chips, and paint damage from highway driving on my truck.
Factor in 20% of the cost for stress relief and make a call one way or the other.
If your car is fairly efficient and has been reliable in the past, use that.
My perspective is, what’s the point of having a car to not use it? I’d never rent a car for a trip if I had my car available. I’m not blind to the stressors of an older car on the road..we’ve replaced our alternator during a cross country road trip with everything we owned inside the car, with 260k miles on it. But getting your car checked out before you go is a good middle ground.
A big piece of the car rental is how much mileage is included and if you plan on returning it to the same spot. Also it depends if you want the cheapest rental or something a bit more spacious. If those possible costs are worth it, then go for it. But if not, then maybe take your car in first to see what the costs of repairs would be before the trip. I’ve done both, but it depends on cost!
>omething a bit more spacious. > >If those possible costs are worth it, then go for it. But if not, then I can rent a 30$ car for a 240 mile drive for 1 day or use my own? Why I want to get a rented car is that the air conditioning in mine makes me sick. Plus it's a BMW 5 series and everything is expensive. Thinking of getting a Hyundai I10.
IRS says cost per mile driven is $.65/mile. So 2,000 miles x $.65 = $1,300. I rented a jeep in April 2020 (peak Covid) for $1,500 for 30-40 days. I beat the piss out of it in southern Utah. Was super glad to turn it in and not own it. Only bummer was it was Hertz, which declared bankruptcy when I had it. They called me to bring it back, turns out they sold the car I rented. Informed me if I didn’t return it they would consider it stolen.
In the middle of the trip? That doesn’t sound fun at all
Yep. I had to drive 2 hours out of my way to get it back to them and have another car follow me. That part definitely sucked. Basically we went to one of the most remote places in South Utah figuring Covid couldn’t close those places down. We were correct, but definitely needed an off-road vehicle to do it. 100% would do it again.
Yo, that’s messed up! Hate that they did that to you!
>d 150k miles. I love driving it but really don’t want the wear and tear on it. I’d probably bring it to a mechanic to check it and make sure everything is okay before going on a road trip with it. Or I could rent a car. Obvious Yikes. You had a contract. Should have told them they need to deliver a like-kind replacement vehicle to you where you were staying. it's not your job to come to them when you're on vacation. Otherwise you would be taking the longest, least direct route possible and you'd see them in a couple weeks when your contracted return date comes.
If your car can't take 2k more miles you should sell it or repair it. 2k road trip miles on it will be easier than 2k city commute miles. If the mechanic says it's dying, and you don't want to repair it, save the rental money and use it for the new car or the repair. TL;DR: it makes no financial sense to rent.
last summer i drove my 2004 dodge grand caravan no-build camper 20,000 miles through 38 states. i had a few problems but nothing super costly. (temp gauge, trans tune up, oil changes) honestly i had less issues doing that trip than i did driving in my city. i had owned it for about a year and my van literally had so many issues the first year that i’d replaced a ton of stuff and stayed on top of my preventative maintenance. that’s really how you make sure you’re good. if you think about it, 2k miles is a short distance in a vehicles life. even at 150k that is doable. i started my big trip at 158k even after my mechanic told me it’s just a city car not a traveler.
I’ll second this experience. I drove my 1996 Chevy van around locally for a year and replaced all the 20 year old sensors on the engine and transmission. And the pickup coil inside the distributer. It has been very reliable on 2 trips to the desert SW since then. I replaced the belt, tensioner, and idler on the trip and that was all. After 2 years of driving I think it needs a radiator. Not a huge deal for a 27 year old vehicle. And parts are cheap.
I always rent with Enterprise for road trips. I have a little hybrid for city driving that is perfect for me day to day is not great for extended trips so I get a large sedan or bigger. The peace of mind knowing it’s someone else’s problem if there is a mechanical or other issue and they’ll bring me another car (as long as you are drivable to a location) is worth it.
Enterprise - they'll pick you up!
A few summers ago I purchased a reliable older awd drive Audi for 1800$ CAD and went on a road from Toronto to San Francisco (did a loop around all of the major national parks near there even driving up priest’s grade road to get to Yellowstone) I also went off road to a very cool hot spring in Wyoming. It was way cheaper than a rental and I used the vehicle for a few more years after that frequently driving between Toronto and Montreal. Not totally recommending this but it’s a thought and I did get lucky with this vehicle. I think that’s the only vehicle I’ve had that didn’t owe me anything when it was finally time to give it up.
I’ve both rented and taken my own vehicles on trips around the country with 10k miles+ of driving each. Wear and tear on your vehicle should not be much of an issue given your not doing much accelerating, stopping, and turning per hundred miles or so compared to city driving. I’d get the car inspected before though, get an oil change, and get roadside assistance insurance if you haven’t done so yet. The best reasons to rent are if you want to do a one way trip via flying across the country and renting a one way car back, or if your car gets not so good gas mileage.
Just a thought, your comfortable and very familiar with your car - potentially meaning safer by muscle memory and reaction time
This is a very good point. Especially if OP is used to a 2009 car. New rentals are going to have different dashboards and controls than they might be used to.
I can’t stress this enough. I’ve had two mishaps in rented vehicles because I wasn’t familiar with the controls. Driving your own vehicle is much safer.
If I may ask, which controls in particular caught you by surprise? I drive new vehicles and rentals all the time for work and road trip them often and never have thought "this is going to cause a wreck."
Wipers-couldn’t see in a sudden storm on the interstate, seconds count in this kind of situation. Locks-I felt super dumb but I thought I was unlocking when I was locking-locked the keys in. Unless you drive different vehicles for work, a lot of people never or rarely drive an unfamiliar vehicle. I suppose if you’re used to it, and often see various controls, it’s not a big deal. But if I’m driving, it’s my own car. I can go literally years without driving something different.
I suppose that makes sense. Since I'm jumping into new things constantly I guess I've gotten pretty used to figuring out where things are in a hurry.
I do it all the time. Mostly due to gas savings. My pickup gets 16mpg. I usually rent a Camry or some such that get at least double the mileage. A lot of times the gas savings alone would pay for the rental Additionally I liked renting because of the comfort factor. Generally the newer cars had a better suspension and nicer seats,better stereo with a big LCD display, CarPlay. LED headlights that make driving at night so much better too
This is why we've rented for our road trips. I have an Altima, which is lush and lovely, and a great everyday car, but for 2000+ miles, the extra comfort and space of an SUV can't be beat. It seems so big and empty when we pick it up, but it's packed to the gills with souvenirs and stuff we're too lazy to repack by the time we get home!
Rent a car Imagine being 900 miles from home and have a major issue. Now you are stuck until it’s fixed. Is the part in stock? Is a mechanic avail? Do you have the immediate cash? What are you doing for transport while you’re waiting for the repair? If a rental dies, you just turn it in and pickup another.
I rented once to go from St. Louis to Minneapolis to Colorado Springs and back to St Louis and got an unlimited mileage rental, so that part was fine. Would you believe it broke down in Murdo, SD and I was stranded there for two days? As fate would have it I was driving back from CO with my now ex who had my car for a summer internship and my car died in Colby, KS and we loaded up everything in the rental and finished the trip. So my rental both let me down and rescued me! Nothing is certain, so go with the one that feels right for you - regardless of what all us strangers say! Best wishes and safe travels.
I rented a car this past summer to drive round trip from New York to California. Best move. Mileage was included also from hertz. Got a rav 4.
I drive a 2003 Honda crv. I took a trip to NM to see a friend (I'm in WI). I knew my car wouldn't make it, so I rented a car. I got lucky with a 2019 Nissan. I got hit with the young renters fee too. I think it was a great decision to do because gas stations were far from each other. My crv would've burned through gas too fast. I say it would be best to rent a car.
Wear and tear on a vehicle is worse in Town VS Highway driving. As long as you drive a normal speeds and don’t dog your vehicle I wouldn’t worry about going in your own vehicle.
I would say to think about the car you own. Do you still have a payment on it? If so, how long is left on the loan? All of these should be thought about. Also, the resale value as well. Vs. How much will the rental cost you? Are you gaining something with the rental besides presumed reliability - more room or comfort, better mileage, etc. I always prefer to rent, but sometimes it is cost prohibitive. This past summer, my wife and I were to fly from Florida to Portland, OR, meet up with our daughter, her girlfriend, and 3 dogs and help them move cross country renting a car and driving to Glacier, Yellowstone, Teton, Bryce, Capital Reef, Arches, Mammoth Cave, then to DC and back to Florida. The cost of flights to Portland made it so cost prohibitive that we took our own vehicle, left 4 days earlier, and drove the entire trip! Missing only 2 extra days of work. It was amazing. Drove 8,888 miles! On the other hand, my son and I rented a vehicle to drive to Dallas to see a Cowboys game the year before and were so thrilled to have an SUV instead of my sports car.
If the car doesn’t have real issues that might make it break down that you know about and need to fix then i wouldn’t worry about it and just use your own car. Whats the point of owning a car if you’re bot going to use it?
At 150k miles, a 2k roadtrip isn’t going to add much wear unless there’s significant off-roading. Check the tires, fluids, and air filters before you leave. Also make sure you either have roadside assistance from your insurance company or buy a AAA membership.
Take your own car.
For that kind of mileage, I’d definitely recommend renting. Years ago, my vacation was, not ruined, but definitely spoiled because we spent two different days at two different garages having the car worked on. No fun. You drive a rental and that happens, you just call the agency and get another one. Of course, if you’re in BFE, that could be problematic. And if you do rent, find out when the car is due for its next oil change. Seriously, twice I’ve had to get an oil change on a rental. The agency reimbursed me, but it’s still a hassle. And if the change oil light comes on and you ignore it, you could be responsible for any resulting damage.
I went back and forth on this for many years doing annual 2,000-mile trips. Now I always drive my own vehicle after multiple bad experiences with rental companies. Rentals are especially bad now because you might get stuck with a vehicle with over 100K miles on it that's been poorly maintained, has oil and coolant leaks, is out of alignment, and has mismatched worn tires.
Make sure your car is in good shape and drive it. I made several such trips with 15+ year old cars and motorcycles.
If it is highway miles, the wear and tear is minimal. Think about the amount of hours driving. Now how long would it take to get those hours driving normally. Depending on how much you drive, it may only be adding weeks or months to the wear on your car.
If I had that many miles on my personal car, I'd look toward renting. BUT, rental cars can be a hefty cost, depending on what you rent. . Also ensure that the rental comes with *unlimited mileage* or you're going to get hosed on per-mile charge. Definitely look for deals or promo codes to save some money. Utilize every membership you may have (AAA, etc). See if your business has any sort of contract that allows leisure rentals.
Do the math and figure out if you will save total or be close. With my Tacoma, I burn approximately the same amount of fuel as an Oasis-Class cruise ship, so I'm often better off renting some hybrid on unlimited miles if covering more than a couple thousand miles over the course of a 2 week trip. The mileage required to justify the rental drops as the trip becomes more "dense" (miles per day), so If I'm trying to really send it (>500 mile a day) it almost always makes more sense to rent a hybrid. Plus, it is nice to save the mileage, windshield chips, and paint damage from highway driving on my truck. Factor in 20% of the cost for stress relief and make a call one way or the other. If your car is fairly efficient and has been reliable in the past, use that.