Do you drive your older cars on long trips or always opt for the newer car? I always hear people say they don’t trust their older car on a long trip. Do you think an older car is reliable for a vacation or long travel if it has been maintained properly, or would you still take the newer ride?
I often rent a car for a long trip. That way I get a new car, and I pile the miles on it and return it.
I’ve done both. A few hundred, or even a few thousand, miles on a car that’s in known decent shape is really not very much, even of it’s old.
A properly maintained older vehicle can make the trips just as easily as the newer ones. In March, because we needed to use our slide-in camper, we took our 1995 one ton truck, down to Texas. Made the trip with no issues at all. Once a vehicle becomes unpredictable or unreliable, then I assess the situation and usually get rid of it.
I guess I keep my cars about 12-15 years. I have never had one become less reliable. You choice of cars and how well you maintain them could cause someone to have a different experience.
For me age and mileage are not the issue. I keep all the cars maintained and deal with problems as they occur. Therefore any car in the barn is an option. I have a high mpg car ('03 Honda Civic), a fun car ('04 T’bird convertible), and a hauler ('01 Toyota Sequoia large SUV).
Tomorrow is take the kid to camp day. That would be perfect for the mpg car since it is 6 hours and 300 miles round trip. Or, the convertible on a nice day. But this day there is an open house as our home is on the market. Therefore the 2 dogs, the wife, and I are all making the round trip in the “room for everyone and everything” SUV.
I pick the vehicle based on the situation and sometimes which one could use a little “exercise”. I’m very comfortable in a high mileage car that is maintained and in good shape. I’ve only had a few breakdowns over the years and none were avoidable. Keeping your belts, hoses, fluids, and tires in good shape reduces your “stuck on the side of the road” factor by about 90%. Fuel pumps can quit. Junk in the road can kill a tire. You can get stuck with any car at anytime, new or old, but most problems are avoided with good maintenance.