Older cars on road trips?

[Corporateburnout]

Anyone notice how incredibly dependable cars are today vs say the 50's, 60's and 70's? If you went on a road trip the highways were dotted with signs "mechanic on duty" or you saw people broken down all over. Admittedly we currently have late model cars, but even with DW's 13 yo Acura it was never even a thought that it might break down on a trip.

Took a trip to Canada in our 7 years old 1971 Pontiac Bonneville with 65K miles on its clock. The car was burning a quart of oil for every gas fill up then the transmission went about a month after we returned. The cars are so dependable now that in 2012 we drove almost across country to deliver our son's car a 2002 Honda with a 160K miles without any problems other than a flat tire.

 

[dm]

Not a car, but I take my 55 year old plane on cross country trips often. Next month I plan on flying from SW Florida to Chicago and back.

 

[HFWR]

Drove a '71 Impala, with around 200k miles on it, from Indiana to Texas, pulling a U-Haul trailer.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I had a '94 Ranger that I routinely took back and forth from ATL to Little Rock (about 1,000 miles round trip). I did that about once a month until I sold it at 210K miles...it still ran like a champ when I sold it.

I have a friend that has a '01 Accord with just shy of 260K miles on it. He takes it every other weekend from Lubbock, TX to SW Oklahoma (about 600 miles roundtrip). I don't think he's ever had an issue.

For me, I wouldn't think twice about taking a high mileage vehicle on a roadtrip (our cars don't qualify at 82K and 42K miles) by myself but I don't know that I would take the wife and kids (if I had kids) anywhere too desolate with a car over 150K miles.

 

[GravitySucks]

On a road trip now. Maiden voyage for my 1978 Airstream Argosy.
NY to Ohio went well so continued on to Colorado. Blew a hose on the way but all seemed okay so onto California.
About 200 miles from my destination the alternator started acting up. Just replaced it today, it was the only new part on the engine. I think the radiator fluid got in there and help ruin the bearing.
The previous most silly ride was a 10 year old rusted to pieces Chrysler Newport I took the wife and kid to Disney World in.


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[Sarah in SC]

So excited for you!!!
Holler if you need anything, we learned quite a few tricks with our 76.
Yay for the Argosy getting on the road!! Not bad to just have a hose and the alternator go on you.
If you get that weird "won't start when warm thing" we've got tips.
Hope you are having fun!

 

[harley]

I'll be taking my 2004 (168K) Toyota Highlander down to FL in a month or so, towing our 2002 VW TDI Beetle on a dolly. We've done this 1100 mile trip a few times with no problem, although I'm knocking on wood as I type.

 

[FUEGO]

We packed our family of five into our 15 year old Honda Accord with 160,000 miles on it and drove from North Carolina to Quebec City, Canada via NYC and Philly. I believe we racked up about 2,500 miles on that trip.

No mechanical problems but we did have a big boo boo in the middle of the Adirondacks. Unbeknownst to me, the car (my wife's car) had an alignment problem and the tires wore unevenly. They blew out half way through the Adirondacks. The spare was rusted into the tire well in the back but I eventually bashed it loose. NY State Police hung out with me while I was getting the spare installed. Fun times - the kids sat on a grassy slope eating leftover Taco Bell watching daddy fix the car. Fortunately that cop stopped by because cell phones don't get reception out there.

We limped into Montreal a few hours later on that spare. I guess we could get a flat on any car new or old, but I probably should have replaced the tires and fixed the unknown alignment issue before leaving on a 2500 mile road trip that was supposed to last 5 weeks (we came home after 2.5 weeks). I got to negotiate the purchase of new tires and an alignment in French, so that was cool.

I'm really thinking hard about getting a newer car since the primary purpose of our car(s) in retirement is road trips (local driving is only about 100 miles/month). If it was just me or DW and me, no biggie. But with 3 young kids, I don't think spending the night in the car if it breaks down and we can't get help is a good plan B.

 

[harley]

I'm really thinking hard about getting a newer car since the primary purpose of our car(s) in retirement is road trips (local driving is only about 100 miles/month). If it was just me or DW and me, no biggie. But with 3 young kids, I don't think spending the night in the car if it breaks down and we can't get help is a good plan B.

I don't know, that sounds like the kind of adventure they'll remember for the rest of their lives. Family bonding.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Exactly! And if you are lucky, those girls will remember that Daddy got the car going again and be sure to marry men who can fix things!

Or even better yet, those budding little engineers will want to learn how to fix things themselves!

 

[FUEGO]

I don't know, that sounds like the kind of adventure they'll remember for the rest of their lives. Family bonding.

It was a really really nice day in the Adirondacks. We didn't even know we were crossing through the Adirondacks or that it was in upstate NY (just blindly following the GPS). So yeah, I guess they will remember that time. I know I will! For the first hour or so of bashing on the spare tire assembly, I wasn't sure I could get it loose from the tire well. And wasn't sure I could get a tow truck or taxi to come out to the middle of the Adirondacks (it was starting to get late on a Saturday afternoon on a holiday weekend).

All's well that ends well but we were almost 6 hours late getting to our Airbnb in Montreal (the bridge into Montreal was closed for the fireworks display, GPS had a hard time rerouting us into the city; we went through downtown where the fireworks watchers crowded the streets and traffic was crazy, etc).

Exactly! And if you are lucky, those girls will remember that Daddy got the car going again and be sure to marry men who can fix things!

Or even better yet, those budding little engineers will want to learn how to fix things themselves!

They're learning how to fix stuff themselves. Just had the 3 year old outside yesterday pressing on the brakes for me so I could troubleshoot the brake light in my 15 year old Civic. Don't worry - keys not in the ignition so he couldn't drive anywhere.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I don't know, that sounds like the kind of adventure they'll remember for the rest of their lives. Family bonding.

This reminds me of a "when I was a kid story". My Dad used to LOVE running around with less than 1/4 tank of gas. Not sure why, but he did. So...one Sunday, we were heading to lunch after church when we run out of gas. Well, thankfully, the house is just a couple of miles away, so Dad goes to get another car to get us. Well, just as he pulls up, that car too runs out of gas. To this day, I am not sure WHY he didn't bring a gas can instead of another car (I would guess it was empty too). To make the story even BETTER, the guy who pulled over to help us was our church's preacher! I guess that's why I NEVER run around with less than a 1/4 tank and after driving for 26 years, I have yet to run out of gas!

 

[GravitySucks]

If you get that weird "won't start when warm thing" we've got tips.
Hope you are having fun!

I did have that happen. Squirt of started fluid got me back on the road.
Thanks for you and the husbands help.


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[Sarah in SC]

I did have that happen. Squirt of started fluid got me back on the road.
Thanks for you and the husbands help.

Anytime, anytime!
You got this!

 

[Walt34]

Exactly! And if you are lucky, those girls will remember that Daddy got the car going again and be sure to marry men who can fix things!

There was a Dave Barry column about that a while back. "Cavemen" types who can kill tigers and bring back bear meat are no longer desirable. Now women want men who can set up a home network.

 

[Birchwood]

I have a 5 year old truck(22,000 miles) and a 8 year old Honda Accord(42000 miles). Both are actually low miles for their age. Learning from the past, for trips more than 200 miles, I make sure of the following:
1. Oil change & all fluid checks before a long trip.
2. Tire pressure check before a long trip.
3. Spare tire air check
Once I embark on a long trip with my old Mitsubishi. About one hundred miles out, it was very obvious that my alignment was off so bad, the steering wheel was shaking.
In another trip, Toyota, the car was turning to the right, and the wheels needed balancing.
I also will not hesitate to stop by a dealer service for any minor quirks that develop during the trip. I do not want to have a breakdown in the middle of Montana or Wyoming.

 

[aja8888]

Exactly! And if you are lucky, those girls will remember that Daddy got the car going again and be sure to marry men who can fix things!

Or even better yet, those budding little engineers will want to learn how to fix things themselves!

Or better yet, marry a guy who was a Boy Scout and understands the meaning of "Be Prepared!

 

[splitwdw]

Or better yet, marry a guy who was a Boy Scout and understands the meaning of "Be Prepared!

Exactly! We always check our vehicles before a road trip. I don't want to sit on the side of the road and hope someone comes by that's not a psycho.

 

[doneat54]

1949 VW Beetle, drove 500+ miles Round trip between Northern Belgium and Germany. Have done this this past summer, 2013 and 2011.

Part of a vintage VW weekend event... but since you asked...!

(I also own a '57 Beetle that I spend 7+ years restoring, and have driven 16k miles in the US since I finished the restoration in 2000)

 

[kcowan]

1993 Ford Explorer but with less than 100k miles. Drove from Vancouver to Puerto Vallarta on a 16 day trip in 2008 and left it there. Only problem was 2 flat tires, one in Sonoma and the other in Mazatlan. Both handled without emptying the vehicle.

 

[Sunset]

We have an 18 yr old Camry.
While I'll use it to go get groceries, etc. I feel a LOT more safe driving our 2015 Toyota on long trips.

I worry that rubber/plastic/cork seals or hoses will decide to finally give way due to brittleness/rot etc.
While the engine itself is fine and I changed the oil 2x a yr minimum, its the rest of the car that is a concern.

For example, the frame often can rust away. I jacked up a friends car once and the jack pushed/crushed the frame where the jack was supposed to go.

 

[Badger]

A 1970 VW bus when it was about 8-10 years old for about a month each time for 3 years. Great times traveling and camping around the Southwest and Canada. Before that it was a 1972 VW bus. Those were the days.

Cheers!

 

[retiredinnyc]

1977 Pontic ventura

In 1994 we took a 17 year old Pontic with 51,000 miles to Canada. It had manual everything but it did have air condition. I had to wire up the muffler when it fell down, in those days the clothes had metal hangers I haven't seen one on my clothes in years lol. I remember checking the oil and putting air in the glass belted tires. The car sat outside its entire life. The trip was nyc to Canada to some amusement park the am radio was nice to sing to, no problems. A garbage truck rear ended it during a snow storm, I got I think 400 dollars from the city

 

[Car-Guy]

In my younger days, I didn't have much of a choice for any road trips. We had two vehicles but only one really comfortable enough for long road trips. I guess the oldest vehicle we took on a really long road trip was a ~10 year old pickup that had over 100k miles on it when we started. We drove it to Key West from Houston and returned. We actually drove it "non stop" on the return trip from Key West back to Houston. Made this trip several times over the years but only once non-stop. If I remember correctly it took us almost exactly 24 hours on the return trip, only stopping for fuel, food, etc. That's long way in an old 4 wheel drive truck.

These days, my older vehicles rarely travel further than 100 miles from home. Just got back from Vegas last month but that was in a new 2015 SUV.

 

[Tom52]

The longest road trip with an old car was in 2001, we drove from Chicago suburbs to Winnipeg Canada in our 1965 Chevy Impala. So, that would be a 36 year old car at the time driving a total of at least 1800 miles round trip. Never had a mechanical problem. We still have the car, it is 50 years old now. Here is a picture of us at the casino resort in Winnipeg with our car.