—Why? A well-maintained, recently inspected and repaired car, with new tires, battery, etc, with ~80k total miles, would not be capable of freeway driving?
That is sort of my view as well. Once you drive it locally enough to work out any original or un-repaired defects. long distance driving at reasonable speeds is fairly easy on the car.
In December 1964, I took leave from Ft. Lewis and want back to the Midwest to get my 1953 Chevrolet, the one which survived my insane testosterone years. I put in a rebuilt engine and transmission, and drove it around for a week or so. It started and ran good around home, except the automatic choke was stuck, so I just blocked it open and started it by pumping the pedal. Not sure if I ever fixed it, can’t remember.
I left one day at noon and 50 hours later had driven 2050 miles to Ft. Lewis. On the way, I picked up a mechanic whose mom lived under the Aurora bridge in Seattle. I assumed having a mechanic along would be a good idea, but had no need of him. He had been rolled in D.C. and needed a free way home.
With a new motor I kept it down to around 50 mph, until we hit an ice storm in Wyoming. We were the only car out there on the Interstate so I boosted it up to 60. Scared the poor Seattle man stiff. In Seattle they don’t know how to drive on ice and snow, at least not back in 1964 I did know how.
Going through the mountains at night, a major blizzard came through, and they kept closing the roads behind us, but we beat it through.
When I got back to Ft. Lewis, a few days later, we did get ice and snow. Those poor California guys, their cars weren’t up to it at all. Hee, hee.
Shucks, I had worked outside in zero weather installing that engine and transmission so 25 degree weather didn’t bother me at all. But, from Ft. Lewis into Tacoma, there were cars abandoned every mile or so.
Anyway, even 50 years ago, an old car could drive across the USA days after new motor and tranny with no problem at all.