Do you drive the new car or the "clunker"

[Hillbeans]

Ok, I think you all are convincing me to drive next time

My question is, we have a car that's 1 year old, will be 2 at the time we're ready to go to WDW again. We also have a 6 year old car with 110,000 miles on it. I was thinking we'd drive the older car as to avoid wear and tear on our newer car. We're probably going to just get rid of the older car at some point next year anyways.

Which one do you drive? If you take the older one, have you ever broken down

 

[mudnuri]

never would I drive an "old" car to Florida...too many risks, with the newer car, it's still under warranty and should anything happen, at least you dont have to fork out $$$$$ to get it fixed!!

I'll be driving my new GMC Envoy that I just got today ...

Brandy

 

[christinadei]

Definatly drive the new car. Do you know how inconvient it would be on the side of the interstate in the heat broken down, waiting for someone to come tow you a hundred miles to the nearest service station where they don't have the part in and can't get it until tomorrow? Heck, it could cost you all of your trip money to have it towed and fixed. Definatly drive the new one, not worth it! Can you tell I'm a little paranoid

 

[mom2mira]

We'll be driving the older of our 2 cars, a 1999 Saturn LS1, but it will only have 30,000 on it or so by the time we go. We are giving up the space we would have in the Aztec, but not putting miles on a leased car this way. If it weren't for the lease, we would be taking the Aztec for the room and the fact it is under warranty. I think keeping miles and wear and tear off a newer car is a good thing, but only if you have a second car is extremely reliable. With the heat especially, I would worry about a break down.

 

[disneysteve]

Definitely take the newer car. Why risk ruining your vacation by taking a "clunker" on a 2000 mile journey?

We always take our minivan. I drive a Camry but would never use it for the road trip - not nearly enough space.

Steve

 

[Nebsky]

We drove our 3 week old Mitsubishi Endeavor rather than the 2000 Honda Accord.

Great ride....similar gas mileage between the Car and SUV.

Go with the new car. With 110k miles on it, something might give out. You just never know.

Good luck

 

[Disney Debbie]

A trip from NJ to FL is what a new car is for IMHO!! We have a clunker that my DH drives around town - because he know if he breaks down he won't have far to go to get help (usually someone we know drives by and helps him!) But when he goes out of town to the Dr. or something he takes my car so he doesn't have to worry about it.

I moved to GA when I was 8 and our first summer here we went to FL for the first time. We were about an hour away from home when something went wrong with the car (I don't know what - I was only 9 ) So we got someone to pick us up and arranged to have the car towed home. Got in the other car and broke down an hour across the FL line!! We had to spend the night in whatever dinky town that was waiting on a part! Luckily Dad was a college professor on summer break and mom didn't work at the time - can you imagine that happening when you only have a certain # of days to take? It would really put a huge damper or maybe even cancel your trip!

 

[swilshire]

We travel in a large van that is mostly used just for trips. If it were not converted, it would be a 12-seater. It was converted with nice leather seats all around and is very roomy for luggage and legroom. It is a 1997 model that we bought used with about 40,000 miles on it. It's now up to about 75,000.

Driving home from Orlando last Sunday it started to make a funny noise. Long story short, the transmission disintergrated. We were 175 miles from home. AAA Plus will only tow you 100 miles for free. The local repair shop there wanted $3600 to repair the van. My husband and youngest drove with the tow truck the 175 miles (which cost us an extra $200 tow fee) and had neighbors pick them up at midnight at the local transmission shop. The other three kids and I spent the night in the only hotel nearby, which was a real dump. The next morning, my husband and son had to drive back to get us. There was no rental car available on Sunday within 50 miles, so we decided to just let him drive back down on Monday. Just got the van back today and we are about $2300 poorer. At least it happened on the way home instead of at the beginning of the vacation.

In case you haven't guessed, my vote would be to drive your newer vehicle or rent one to drive. It was all a bit of a headache.

Sheila

 

[Hillbeans]

Thanks for the advice. The "Clunker" isn't really a clunker, but by next year it'll have probably another 10,000 miles on it. We had a total overhaul done on it last year which cost us $2,000 which included a new everything. It's a 1999 Cutlass with leather. It's tuned up regularly and we change the oil frequently.

Unfortunately the car was involved in a bad rear end accident when it was newer and it's been repaired. We'll get nothing for it when we do go and sell it because of the trunk area being fixed (looking at you'd never know, but Carfax will know it had). I'd just figured we'd take it on one last long trip and then donate it to the Blind for a tax write off - the Blue Book value would be more than we'd ever get for a trade.

This point may be moot, because who knows come next winter what we'll be driving or if we get a great deal on airline tix. If you see me on the side of the road with my lime green ribbon, please stop and give me a ride!!

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by Hillbeans
I'd just figured we'd take it on one last long trip and then donate it to the Blind for a tax write off - the Blue Book value would be more than we'd ever get for a trade.

FYI - The IRS is apparently cracking down on folks pulling stuff like this - donating a car and taking a deduction for the book value when the car is worth nowhere near as much.

Also, very often the charity gets next to nothing from your donation. The car is sold at auction by a 3rd party usually for a fraction of book value. The auction company takes a cut and what little is left goes to the charity. I've seen reports of the charity getting less than $100 for most donated cars.

Steve

 

[Hillbeans]

Originally posted by disneysteve
FYI - The IRS is apparently cracking down on folks pulling stuff like this - donating a car and taking a deduction for the book value when the car is worth nowhere near as much.

Also, very often the charity gets next to nothing from your donation. The car is sold at auction by a 3rd party usually for a fraction of book value. The auction company takes a cut and what little is left goes to the charity. I've seen reports of the charity getting less than $100 for most donated cars.

Steve

Believe me, i'm not trying to "pull" any scam with the IRS and i'm not "folks like this". I was just stating that getting a $500 trade in from the dealer is not worth it in my opinion. I'd rather drive the car into the ground and then donate it. It's not my problem that the charities advertise this as a service and then get nothing for their time. They shouldn't offer it then. I bet the Director of that charity is driving around in a nicer car than my 1999 Cutlass.

I know there's not a huge market for an american car with 120k + miles and one that's been repaired from an accident. I'm not trying to scam the IRS either...just figured it's at least better to write something off at the Blue Book value of "Fair" and get credit for it. The IRS wouldn't offer this as an option if it wasn't legal and something that honest people like myself may do to save the hassle of a trade in. I've never done it so I don't even know what's involved. I certainly would never do something illegal.

Hmm...sort of got OT here. Oh well.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

We have donated three cars to the kidney foundation and we would never try to pull anything. It's easier than trying to sell it and we like the idea of helping someone. What we have been advised to do is to take the blue book value, and subtract what it would cost to get the car in good runable shape. I have no idea what the organizaion gets from the cars but they solicitate them so it must be worth it to them. There is a special place on the tax form to claim the cars and they are very specific about details. A big thumbs up to those who try to help out others.

Jordan's mom

 

[FatCow]

when I've bought a new car, I want to use it. Take the new car, will be my opinion.

OTOH, I've been blessed to never driven a car with more than 100,000 miles, so I can't really judge.

 

[disneysteve]

I didn't mean to accuse anyone of anything - sorry if it came across that way. And I certainly didn't mean to criticize anyone for supporting the charity of their choice by donating a vehicle. I've just read a number of reports in recent months about problems with the car donations both from the standpoint of people claiming more than the car was worth and regarding how much actually goes to the charity. Apparently, this is an area the IRS is actively investigating because the practice has become very popular in the past couple of years.

Sorry to stray OT.

Steve

 

[Hillbeans]

Sorry...I didn't mean to snap back either. Disneysteve, i'm sure you were just pointing out the very obvious way people try to scam the IRS, this being one of the ways. Heck, I bought this car with only 22,000 miles on it and thought how lucky I was to get a car like that. This was before I knew about Carfax, and the car, after taking it in one day months later to a jiffy lube, they ran the VIN # for whatever reason and told me it used to be an Alamo Rental car in Florida. If i'd known that i'd never have bought it. Jordan's mom, I'm glad to hear that donating a car can be a good thing for a charity. The car itself is still in great condition, and could be used by a charity to drive around someone or to something. We still use this car every day and don't want to part with it so we may just keep it a little longer. I also have a 16 year old nephew who may like a car when he's old enough to drive, and this would be a good "donation" to him.

As far as driving it on a 16 hour drive to Disney, i'll probably pass.
Thanks for the great advice everyone!

 

[Mickey527]

I just got back from my drive to FL in my what seems to be everyone's definition of "clunker".
My 1997 Mitsubshi Galant just turned 100,000 miles before my trip. It now has 103,000 miles on it.
I take good care of my car, oil changes every 3000, new belts at 50,000, tire changes as needed, etc... So if you feel that having excess milage on a car makes it a clunker then yes, take your new car.
But if you take care of your car don't be afraid to drive it. I have no fears when I go to FL with my "clunker", and I have been driving alone to Fl for years. I used to take my three young sons before they grew up and refused to go as often as I do.
On my drive down to FL last June I hit a large piece of metal in South Carolina along I-95. It tore my tire apart. I put the balloon on and drove to the next exit, got a new tire and proceeded on my way.
I always have extra oil in my car and windshield washer fluid, Rain-X (I love that stuff) and windex and a scrubber to get off those nasty bugs. I think these things are much more important than a VCR for a long drive.
Hey, by the way, I am a single woman, and not afraid of making the drive alone, but always looking for someone to share the trip. Peggie

 

[CindyKansas]

I think it depends on how much you trust your vehicle. In December DD and I drove our 1989 Ford Taurus (It now has 65,000 miles on it) to California from Kansas. DH had flown out earlier in the month so we drove out to spend the holidays with him. We also have a 2001 F150 SuperCrew with only 30,000 miles on it and I could have driven it, but chose to drive the car. Now if DH, DD and myself would have driven out we would have driven the SuperCrew. DH is a tall man and he likes his comfort. We are planning on driving the SuperCrew to Florida in June.

 

[Local_Girl]

We drove to WDW in December in our '95 Honda Accord wagon...with over 200,000 miles on it. DH would kill me if I called it a "clunker", LOL!! It's a great car in great shape and DH takes good care of it, making sure to have all the routine maintenance done at the dealership. I admit, I was a bit nervous because of the high miles, but DH is also a "car guy" and his confidence rubbed off on me! Our only problem now is that we are outgrowing this car...

 

[disneysteve]

Initially, I agreed to take the new car. But I have to agree with others who have said that mileage alone doesn't make a car a clunker. When I hear the word "clunker" I think of something old and run down. Cars are made quite well today and most will log far more than 100,000 miles. I kept my last car, a '91 Camry, for over 127,000 miles and only traded it in when repair costs started escalating. I intend to keep my current car, a '98 Camry, for as long or longer.

So if you know your car is in good condition and has been well maintained, taking it on a long trip isn't such a bad idea. Just be sure to get it thoroughly checked out before you go. Also be sure to check the tires and air pressure.

Steve

 

[Blueberry]

We have driven to WDW several times in cars with over 100,000 on them as we do so much driving in our rural area. It all depends on what shape your car is in...

Once we did have trouble, but it was in our new car and the transmission had trouble, car was still under warrantee luckily, so you can never tell.

We are driving our brand new 2004 Taurus to WDW this weekend, it has under 2000 miles on it, I think we will be ok...