Cimbrone

I'm taking my 70 y.o. mom to the Georgia mountains from South Florida in a couple of weeks. She has decided that she doesn't trust either of our cars to make the trip. We both have '99 Toyotas with about 125,000 miles on them. We maintain them well and have never had any significant trouble. She thinks they're too old to make this trip reliably. I would never have given it a second thought, but, like a good son, for her peace of mind, I'm giving in and getting a rental car for the week, and we'll split the cost. Just tell me--is this silly?

Honestly, she's even gotten me thinking about what a horror it would be to break down in the middle of nowhere and have to get the car fixed. She would fall apart, no question. Oh yeah...she's also recovering from pretty major surgery. So, is the rental car something you'd do in the same situation?

Dukey

"like a good son, for her peace of mind, I'm giving in"

and apparently if you don't "give in" you'll feel like a "bad son" so silly or not (who cares?) you'll feel "bad" if you don't give in so why even ask?

If anyone tells you this is silly you'll feel even worse!

Perhaps the rental car will break down and THEN you can turn to her with that "I told you so" look that would probably feel wonderful.

Cimbrone

Actually, if someone told me it's silly, I wouldn't feel so terrible. I only ask because I like to see how other people think about such situations. Forget the guilt/mother/son issue. Would you drive one of these cars on an 11 hour trip?

dfrostnh

After a vehicle hits 100,000 miles I get nervous about taking it on a long trip. One time the car's transmission was making funny sounds and we knew it was time to get rid of it. I think it depends on if you can do some repairs on your own or at least feel confident about letting a strange mechanic handle repairs which is not something I would consider on a long trip. I would also think about the vehicle's comfort. Maybe you have a small car that is fine for daily driving but not really comfortable for a long trip. We loved our minivans. We are used to sitting up with a good view of the road. I have rented small cars that are uncomfortable to get in and out of. Back when minivans were new on the market, I had passengers who loved the comfort so much they went out and bought one. It's also great to have storage capacity if you find something big you just have to have. (Still kicking myself we didn't buy those porch rockers we saw in Maine one year.)

gail

For me, it's not a vacation unless I can relax - and if a car made me nervous, even if the reason seemed silly to others, I would rent a car. And it is unlikely that the opinions of all us "experts" is going to change the mind of your mother - anxieties don't work that way. We all have our own level of comfort.

Point of reference - our son drives a 10 year old Corolla with 150,000 miles on it, our new driver daughter a Sienna with 168,000, husband as Camry with 85,000. They are great cars, but I get nervous twice a year when son drives Corolla from Savannah to Boston - and same car is now somewhere in Smokey Mountains.

If your mother has a sense of humor, tell her you think she has too many miles on her for the trip and you are also going to rent a new mother.

tovarich

Take the rental.It's worth both your and her peace of mind in my opinion.Paul

Dreamer2

Yes, I would drive this car on a road trip.

No, I would not drive my worried mother in that car on a road trip.



It's supposed to be fun. Just get the rental. I'd go with an SUV or minivan. It's wonderful that you are taking her. Unsolicited advice: Bring an ipod and wine singles for the evenings.

Dukey

OK..I'm forgetting the guilt/mother/son issue (and just realized who I was talking to...should have paid more attention earlier so sorry about that)

Anyway...in this case I would go with the rental since it would ease everyone's mind and absoltely agree with Dreamer2

Cimbrone

Thanks everyone! I guess we're all of the same mind. If it were just me, no problem. Moms require special handling.

An ipod, Dreamer? My mom would ask why I bothered bringing her! And wine, yes, singles, no

RedRock

A well maintained 8-10 year old car with only 125K miles should present no problem. If I don't get at least 2-3 hundred thousand miles from a vehicle I would consider it a lemon. I have taken many trouble free cross country trips in vehicles that were over 100K. In fact we will take one this summer in one... We also live in FL and will pass thru the North Georgia Mountains, that will just be the start of our trip, we plan on traveling at least 8-9K miles before our return... Just make sure the vehicle is checked out prior to leaving by a competent mechanic. Pay special attention to the transmission especially if automatic and the cooling system and all the parts it contains. Don't forget the belts, tires etc. Many people only do demand maintenance, its preventive maintenance that will keep you on the road for many trouble free miles. Oh and by the way I am close to your mom's age. Happy Motoring.

highflyer

Definitely get the BIG rental car. For long trips bigger cars may guzzle more gas but they also add to the comfort factor which is essential when traveling after surgery or with moms.

Sounds like your mom is lucky!

J_Correa

Like others have said - I would take the car on the trip, no worries. I would not take it on a trip with a mother who would fall apart if something happened. Just not worth the agrivation. I'd definitely rent something. Although I don't know that I would go with a mini-van. Who wants to buy gas for a big ol' thing like that?

nytraveler

I know Toyotas and Honds are incredibly durable and relaible. My SIL has a Honda with over 220,000 miles - and I have driven 2 differnt Acuras to almost/over 100,000 miles each with never a repair.

BUT, I would hesitate to take a car with that mileage on vacation - when time is very valuable and you're not sure when/where you would have access to repairs if needed.

escargot

Gail: thank you for my laugh out loud of the day with the 'rent a mother' line it brought back memories, I could have said that to mine if she was still here and she would have roared - all those yrs driving her south....
And dukey, for the comment about being able to say 'I told you so' if the rental broke down - no matter how old we are, we sometimes love being able to give our parents that 'told you so' look and turn the tables
RedRock, etc - thanks, as my son gets ready to drive to Fla for spring break with a few buddies in his 120,000 plus mile vehicle, that that's not soooo bad - he keeps it in good shape, and what more can you do....

Cimbrone: to me, making the mom comfortable wins out over anything else anyway, even if it seems silly- to have and enjoy her at 70, I say spoil her rotten and give her whatever makes it work for her on this trip - have a great trip with her, nice memories to have- she's a lucky mom.

kureiff

We have 99 Toyota with over a 100,000 miles on it, and we wouldn't (and don't) worry about it.

Good luck on your trip!

rhrd

You guys are making me nervous. We have an '03 Odyssey with 75K miles, and haven't thought twice about driving to Florida in it. We do have AAA, and just got the 75K tune-up and transmission. Spouse has talking about needing to get a new van (new Odysseys seat 8 I hear), so the 3K miles will be its last hurrah.

Hate to say it, but maybe your mom has common sense to want to rent a car. For one thing, you don't have to argue whose car to take, and you can pick a model that you might be interested in purchasing in the future.

My mom was completely unreasonable (I loved her tons), so I know if it was something relatively simple, I'd do it to keep her out of my hair. Just the mere thought of the shocks on your Toyotas and having had major surgery makes me cringe!

AnnMarie_C

When we moved from Maryland to Texas DH and I each drove our respective older cars. An already long and difficult drive turned into a nightmare when, on a barren stretch of I-95, one of them broke down. IMO, it is so not worth the risk I would rent the car. Sweet dreams.

J_Correa

rhrd - I wouldn't worry about your car at all. With modern cars, 75K is just getting started. As long as you keep up on the maintenence, you should easily get 50K more out of that car, probably closer to 100K.

ilovetulips

All I can say is, no one wants an anxious aggarvated mother on a roadtrip. If she is like my mom (whom I love dearly) she will be b*^*@(* the entire way and that will not be good for anyone! Just rent the car.

Pugsly

I'm also the son of an 80 yo cantankerous mother and applaud your efforts. I know in my case if she suggested the rent car, I would go ahead and do it. South Florida to the Georgia mountains is a long drive and the last thing you need is mom telling you what a loser you are for 500 miles. You'll probably be ready to stick a fork in your eye on that long of drive without the brain damage of a breakdown.