We are planning a long road trip and we need an assessment of what needs to be done on this older CRV. It has only a little over 100,000 miles on it. Hoses, belts, timing belt, etc may need attention.
Check rental car rate, might be a safer route.
However, if you choose to take the Honda, yes get any and all delayed maintenance performed, transmission fluid, coolant, brake fluid flush, tire age, battery&alternator, inspect hoses, and if your vehicle has a timing belt check age/mileage since last changed.
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Depending on how long of a road trip, I’d seriously consider renting a car.
About $325.00 a week and unlimited mileage, That’s how my wife, her sisters and mom used to go to Vegas from Seattle, 2000 miles round trip, 2 days down, a week in Vegas, 2 days back.
Probably cost you more to get your car ready for the trip.
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Good advice. I’ll consider rental. Thanks
Thank you Purebred. Good advice.
I own two cars older than yours. I’ve always used a rental car for week-long road trips. Always has been less than $500 per week, usually around $250-$350. Cheap in other words. Reports here however that rental cars have become much more expensive.
If you find it is too expensive to rent a car for a week in the Covid era, pretty good chance you’d get by ok in you 2000 Honda CRV as long as it has had the recommended maintenance consistently on schedule. Can’t speak to the CRV, but if I were preparing my Corolla for such a trip
- Fresh engine oil and filter
- Fresh engine air filter
- Fresh spark plugs
- Fresh coolant if more than 2 years since last change.
- Replace tire(s) that don’t have enough tread
- Visual check for cracking in accessory belts, timing belt.
- Inflate all tires to correct psi (including spare)
- If driving in snow-covered road areas sometimes requiring chains, bring a set.
- Make sure jack works.
- Google-maps the route, find the telephone number of police stations & tow trucks spaced along the path, store those in your cell phone memory.
I will add to @George_San_Jose1 's excellent advice and suggest you add an AAA membership to that list (and a fully charged cell phone in case you need to call AAA).
I own 3 cars with 149,000 & 85,000 & 41,000 miles. I would not hesitate to take any one of them on 2000 mile trip. And the high mile one is only 4 years younger than your CRV.
But all 3 are obsessively maintained. All have spare tires. And I have a cell phone with data so I can summon a tow truck if needed.
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If you find a car rental for $325 a week let me know. Going rate right now is around $1000.
But if it needs all that stuff just have the shop do it.
Bing,
We were just getting suggestions from other. I haven’t check therental prices and we may end up buying a newer car.
thanks for the price update.
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You can check car rental rates online with Dollar Car Rental, Hertz etc.
From my location a full-size car or mid-size SUV is $370 per week.
In Cherry Hill NJ, Hertz is $252 + tax (6%) for 7 days.
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You don’t need an “assessment” to tell you if the timing belt is due (assuming that’s what your car has). The replacement schedule is explained in your owner’s manual.
For a Honda CRV or a sub-compact car?
It’s about $350 for a week in a Mazda CX-5 “or equivalent “ in Dallas from Avis.
That carries it own risk, who knows how the previous owner maintained the vehicle.
Compact car
Purebred,
Used cars are indeed a crap-shoot. Aside from paying a mechanic $200+ to test everything these is still no guarantee that some major problem may be overlooked. In the computerized systems there are many hidden problems, chips that may fail, etc. How well a transmission works in different situations can be hard to predict. Many things can go wrong…ah …here it comes…But a long and critical test drive can reveal much. Don’t forget to insist on a “cold” start" test. If buying from a private seller one can try and evaluate the honesty of the seller by their appearance and demeanor. Yes there are good CON men and women out there but those of us with good eyes and ears can usually pick up the signs. I’ve had some very good luck with used purchases, and some problem purchases, and a couple of disasters. My current CRV has been a very good buy as well as my previous car, a used Rav 4. I turned 79 this year and I doubt in my lifetime of owning many used vehicles that I’ve spent the price of what a new car costs today. So your warning is appreciated. There is a “Lemon” risk. I would probably stick with a CRV or maybe a used Toyota Highlander–ˆthey get high ratings from the CR research.
Thanks for your input
Thank you Texases
Thank you Nevada_545. I called them and they still offer that price.