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I am a college student from Philly planning a trip to Tucson. I plan on bringing one friend, maybe two. I have a '98 Volvo s70, a decently reliable car, I just don't know if it could handle all of the miles. Also, I have seen on other threads that it's very hard to rent a car if under age 21 let alone 25. Do you have any suggestions as to what to do? I really wanted to go with the fun road trip, but since funds are also low, I might have to fly =/ .
If you are under 21, you won't be able to rent a car, and under 25 it's going to be quite expensive - so plan on taking your Volvo. Why do you think it wouldn't handle the miles?
How long do you have for doing the round trip? What do you WANT to do and see? What kind of budget can you handle?
Without knowing the mileage, I would think it could handle the drive. I would try and recruit a friend or two and have them chip in for gas money. The bunch of you could split a hotel room to help cut costs. Any thoughts on your route? If you give us an idea of your route, we may be able to give you an idea of what to check out on your way. I've personally, well with my uncle anyway, hit a fair amount of IL, IA, MO, AR, KY, and to an extent even Texas. Other states as well, but I figure those would be the most likely states across your route. It also depends on how much time you have. If you have the time, stay off the Interstates as much as possible, go thru the smaller cities, and see some of America. The plus side to that, if you plan it correctly, is you are through a city roughly every 15-25 minutes should something go wrong. You get away from civilization, but are close enough to get help quickly should something happen. Plus, small town America is pretty cool to drive through. I've seen 18 states by road over the years, some of them by Interstate, most by 2 lane, and I have to say, the two lane drives have been some of the best, most interesting trips. You plan it so you're in a "big city", read as big enough to have a major hotel chain, at the end of the day, but you get off the beaten path enough to actually see some of the country along the way.
Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !
Volvo's are known for being "decently reliable" cars and can manage high miles if serviced properly at the correct intervals [ if not in many cases but not advised] so unless you are aware of a particular reason that the car won't make the trip it would be money well spent to have it checked over and serviced [if need be] by a competent mechanic and see what he has to say. If it's your daily drive then it is worth getting a "health check" anyway and will be money well spent. Doing a lot of miles cruising on open roads is a lot more "user friendly" on your car than the stop/start driving of a daily commute as well.
The other thing you have to factor in is time and budget as it will be a 9 to 10 day journey there and back by the quicker routes and with funds being tight you will have to work out where you will spend your nights and at what cost. Camping is an option but we don't recommend sleeping in the car on long multi day trips, you just can't get the rest your body deserves.
The reason I am skeptical about my volvo making the trip is because it has 160,000 miles on it, and I don't know much about cars, but it makes a decent amount of noises. Also, my mechanic is very cheap, but is old fashioned. He does whatever is needed to make the car run. As long as it runs in his mind, I am in good shape. So for me to go to a Volvo dealer and get the correct work done would literally cost a fortune. I also am low on funds being a Penn State student. I think the most practical thing for me to do is fly, until I get a better car.
Thank You all for your help, I really appreciate it!
Derrick
Well, flying will likely be cheaper for a solo traveler, and it really sounds more like what you're looking for anyway.
If you don't trust your mechanic, then you should find someone else. A car with 160k miles can have a lot of life left in it, if its been properly taken care of. I think if you really wanted the experience of the roadtrip, you could make it happen, but the roadtrip isn't for everyone or every situation. We wish you the best.