I'm in a wedding this summer in St Louis area. Instead of flying I was thinking about burning afew exta vacation days and road trip it. My car is 10+ years old and working on 200,000 miles. Never had a major problem with it. I'm thinking about getting a rental just in case there is a problem. I'd hate to break down out of state with my own car and have to wait no telling how long to get it fixed or worse towed back home at $4 dollars a mile. Flying is a option but it has negative effects on me. So I try to avoid it when I can. And would still have to rent a car when I get there.
I usually rent cars when I go out of town. I always reserve an economy car and usually get upgraded. You should be able to rent for between 14 and 20 bucks a day easy (closer to 14). If you drive an old car you will probably make most of that up in gas savings plus you are saving ware and tare on your car which is an additional savings. I highly suggest renting and preserve your car for your normal daily use.
Definitely rent. I work for a rental car company so its a easy choice for me. The discounts are awesome.
I have about 217,000 miles on my 9.5 year old car and I never rent when going out of state. I've driven to Oklahoma, Arkansas, Houston, Austin, Memphis, Nashville, Louisiana, etc. I figure I bought the car to drive it, so I'm driving it until the wheels fall off. I also like the familiarity of my own car. I have slowed down my travels until I get a new car later because of your same fears, though. If you're worried your car may break down, then I guess drive the rental.
Been on plenty of road trips. All originating from Houston with destinations to LA, Ohio, Miami, DC, and we have always rented.
I think renting is the way to go here. Even if you are almost certain that you wouldn't have any problems, it's not worth risking the pain in the rear it would be if something happened.
It depends on how far for me. If it's around 1-3 hr drive, then I take my 18 year old car (1995 Toyota Camry with 210,000 miles). It gets 32 mpg highway consistently and I take care of all the maintenance plus I have complete confidence that it will make it to my destination and back. But if it's a 6 hr drive, then I'm renting a car. This gives you more assurance that it won't break down plus you'll have 24 hr roadside assistance and not put a lot of miles on your own car.
I always just drop off my car at the dealer and get a loaner whenever I need to make a road trip. I only get 20-25k miles on my tires and they are way too overpriced for me to be taking road trips on. Those guys at the dealer sometimes forget they have my car and I just drive the loaner around for weeks before I hear anything back from them.
Big fan of renting -- put those miles on someone else's car. I always rent with the name your own price feature on priceline and usually get between $12 and 16 per day. For that price, there's no reason for the wear and tear on your car.
Don't rent from an airport you will probably pay more in taxes compared to other sites Reserve online and you can get one for $12-$18/day. The reservation isn't binding on rental cars for some reason. They will most likely upgrade you when you show up, if not ask what your options are
Remember the "low" price per day is for the car itself. Hidden charges not included are insurance and gas. They will get theirs...believe it.
Holy **** is this true. I went to Bush International Airport to rent mine and got ripped the **** off. My friends and I didn't know any better and we were young and stupid.
whenever I look up reserving a rental online it's always a lot more than 14 bucks a day. Which company are you guys going with?
Depends on the purpose of the road trip. If the purpose is to go from A to B, I rent. If the purpose of the road trip is to actually enjoy the journey, I take the car I specifically bought for road trips.
You might have to pay more for going out of state. Adjoining states are usually ok, but past that can add cost
this. i don't think i've ever seen them for less than $50 day. i've only rented twice and they were both picked up from the airport. that's probably why.
If you're driving for more than 6 hours, rent. If you have an old car, you don't want to worry about breaking down. If you have a new car, you don't want to put all the miles on it. Get a reservation for the smallest car they have. Then when you show up, they probably won't have one available and they'll upgrade you for free. If they do have one available, you can always pay for an upgrade. Don't ever buy a car for a roadtrip. You may end up with something like this: Spoiler
