Is my mom's car safe for a long road trip?(700 miles to and from)

I found this forum online and want to share some details about my mom's car. She is considering taking it on a road trip this winter. It will be through mostly 30-70 degree weather. Some details about her car and its recent care: 137,000 miles 2008 Ford Escape SUV. No check engine light on
but the light for tires stays on even after getting brand new tires a month ago. New Master cylinder - was replaced 2 months ago. New windshield wipers, should be able to handle snow, rain, hail. & a year and a half ago the gear shift was replaced. 3 years ago she put in a new thermostat and freeze plugs. That's all I know. She is concerned about the condition, her mechanic seems to think it'd be okay for a trip but isn't completely confident either. I know there's always a risk of breaking down no matter what, so I'm also curious what insurance would be good since she doesn't know how to change her own tire or any of the basic stuff.

Thanks everyone and happy holidays!

We can't tell you whether your mom's car is up to a long drive. We can't see it. We can't get under the hood. We can't 'kick the tires'. That the car has over 100,000 miles on it is not in itself a show-stopper. However, the facts that a warning light won't go off, and that her mechanic, who has checked out the car in person, isn't completely confident in it are at least caution flags. But then no RoadTrip is guaranteed to have go smoothly. Her best bet, if she decides to go with this car, is to get road side assistance coverage from someone like the American Automobile Association (AAA) and carry a cell phone.

AZBuck

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Originally Posted by AZBuck

We can't tell you whether your mom's car is up to a long drive. We can't see it. We can't get under the hood. We can't 'kick the tires'. That the car has over 100,000 miles on it is not in itself a show-stopper. However, the facts that a warning light won't go off, and that her mechanic, who has checked out the car in person, isn't completely confident in it are at least caution flags. But then no RoadTrip is guaranteed to have go smoothly. Her best bet, if she decides to go with this car, is to get road side assistance coverage from someone like the American Automobile Association (AAA) and carry a cell phone.

AZBuck

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Thanks for your input!

I would not worry about the tire pressure warning light as long as the tires are verified as being inflated to the correct pressure. It probably just needs a new sensor in one or more of the wheels. Those sensors have batteries in them, when the battery dies the light turns on.

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Originally Posted by glc

I would not worry about the tire pressure warning light as long as the tires are verified as being inflated to the correct pressure. It probably just needs a new sensor in one or more of the wheels. Those sensors have batteries in them, when the battery dies the light turns on.

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I figured that was the case. Thank you for verifying.

A tire shop can try to "retrain" the sensors. This is easy with the equipment they have.

I also highly suggest she has a AAA membership, BUT get the next step up, not the basic. The basic allows for five mile tows while the next level is a 100 mile tows. Not knowing where she is traveling the extra amount is worth it.