My Car Has Over 150,000 miles On It - Any Tips?

[LA TO DALLS]

I'm driving from LA to Dallas soon and would love to hear any thoughts. My car has over 150,000 miles on it. Should I take the chance? Or rent a car? I take pretty good care of the car. It's a Lexus Es-300 (2000).

Many thanks for your kind responses!

[Mark Sedenquist]

I'm driving from LA to Dallas soon and would love to hear any thoughts. My car has over 150,000 miles on it. Should I take the chance? Or rent a car? I take pretty good care of the car. It's a Lexus Es-300 (2000).

It really comes down to whether or not you want to the extra miles to your car. I have a 1995 Infinity Q-45 (with a similar # of miles) -- I usually take it when I run down to LA for meetings, preferring to limit roadtrips in it to ~650+/- miles. Anything over 1000 miles I rent a car -- unless it is an off-highway trip. You sort of have to decide how much wear and tear you want to bestow on your car.

Mark

[PNW Judy]

Mark and I tend to disagree here.

I really like driving my own car. First, because it's fun to drive. Second, because I like the way my emergency supplies and other things are packed in it and I don't want to move these items over to another vehicle. Third, for me to find another vehicle that I would enjoy driving as much as my own car, I would have to rent some kind of specialty vehicle....maybe a Porsche or an Audi TT or something that would cost a lot more to rent than what I would lose in value on my car with the extra miles and I'm too cheap to do that.

Anyway....because of all of this, I can't imagine renting another car for a roadtrip. I didn't buy my car as an investment. I bought it because I like the way it looks and I like the way it drives and it makes a trip more fun than any other car I've ever owned (well, except for my 1979 Scirocco with Recaro seats...sniff, sniff, I really miss that car!).

So, really it's up to you. If your car is road-worthy, I say take it. However, if you agree with Mark's philosophy of saving miles on your own vehicle, rent something else.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Judy is a suberb spokesperson for the "I am gonna drive my own car" camp. What I like about renting -- depending upon where I rent -- I always get a brand new car/truck (less than 500 miles) I can drive as long and as far as I want with zero maintenance issues and if any mechanical issue arises, I can simply get a new one.

The issue of packing to fit one vehicle -- yes, it is much easier when one drives (and packs) the same vehicle and yes, it can be pain to move into a new "house" but, for me, that IS Not that big a pain.

I love the notion of purchasing a vehicle as an investment! I drive all vehicles "hard" -- there is zero forethought given to re-sale value on any our vehicles.

Now, with respect to the Q-45 -- it is built and set-up for speed, with Z-rated tires, lowered suspension and racing enhancements. It is a blast to drive, but it has an uncanny ability to get stuck in soft sand and dirt -- not the perfect vehicle for roadtrips of the nature and frequency I partake in. My off-highway vehicle is built for strength -- not speed, 60 mph is its top speed (at least functionally). So, for a 1000+ mile trip, I look for something a bit more in between.

Mark

[Midwest Michael]

150k miles on a car alone certainly wouldn't stop me from using it. If you are up to date on its maintenance, particualrly with a car that's only 6 years old, there really shouldn't be any problem that stops you from using it if you wish. My roadtrip vehicle is a 2001 with 125k and I'm planning on getting at least another 75k out of it.

Mark and Judy have done a very good job of laying out the pros and cons of renting a car, and that certainly is an option worth considering. But I wouldn't rule out using my own car just because of 150k miles.

[LA TO DALLS]

Really appreciate all of your views! I think I'll trade cars and use my mom's car! :) This way I don't have to rent a new one. My mom also only uses hers sparingly.

This is a great site - I hope more people come on to it. As I mentioned in the previous forum, this is my first roadtrip ever.

Warmest regards,

Tim

[galaxie50059]

I would not be too concerned about that kind of mileage on a car. My main road trip car, at least in the summer has logged close to 400,000 miles on it. I got it from the original owner who had service records verifying the mileage. I rebuilt the engine and transmission and made several improvents and it has served me faithfully(almost) for the past 16 years and about 130,000 miles of road trips and daily driving. The old gal is beginning to show her true age(faded paint, rough interior, etc) and is currently in the shop getting some body work done in preparation for a new paint job. Hopefully it will be done soon so that I can take a good long week off and just drive, destination will be unimportant. All in all, it just depends on how well the car is kept up, a little elbow grease and some mechanical know how, and the car will last for a long time. After all, mine has held up for 47 years(no I am not that old) and should last at least another 35 years or so, fingers crossed.