drive my 225,000 mile Sienna or rent?

[Lmans77]

Driving from Houston for spring break trip. I have a 2010 Toyota Sienna that has 225,000 miles and drives like a champ. never had issues, we do regular maintenance, would get a check up before we leave if I drive it. I drive it 60ish miles a day commuting.

Should I drive it or rent?

Could rent a standard suv for about $300 from the airport (about 30 minutes away from home) for 9 days.

DH's truck isn't an option as its gas mileage is not great, its not super comfy for road trips and we're trying to keep the miles off it.

 

[SteveH]

Only you can really decide, you know your vehicle best. Here are the factors that I would weigh in.

• How nervous are you that it will survive the trip?
  
• What if it breaks down, how does that impact your trip and do you have the budget?
• Will a rental get enough better MPG to offset the expense?
• Keeping the miles off your car is a plus, if you want it to last longer.
• Long trips like that seem to bring out the worst in some vehicles.
  
• Is the rental more comfortable for the driver and passengers?

 

[Holly]

Rent.
Once there was a family who did a trip report on here and their vehicle broke down on the way. I read it as a cautionary tale.

 

[jerseygal]

Rent. Better to be safe than sorry with a vehicle with high mileage.

 

[AngiTN]

Even if you aren't concerned about it on the trip you are putting quite a few miles on it and that is taking time off it's life in the long run. I mean face it, cars do not go forever. They do go out eventually. Even the best of them do. I have a car with 200,000 that I trust totally but we quit driving it for long road trips (+2 hours) at about 100,000 to be sure we made it to over 200,000. I would not do it. I would rent.

 

[sam_gordon]

Even if you aren't concerned about it on the trip you are putting quite a few miles on it and that is taking time off it's life in the long run. I mean face it, cars do not go forever. They do go out eventually. Even the best of them do. I have a car with 200,000 that I trust totally but we quit driving it for long road trips (+2 hours) at about 100,000 to be sure we made it to over 200,000. I would not do it. I would rent.

It's ~2K miles round trip. We just took our 2013 Sienna with ~190K miles to WDW. Benefits to using your own vehicle...
* Cost
* You "know" your vehicle
* If you do get a ding or dent, you can decide if it's worth fixing
* If you make a mess (spilled milk shake or something), again, it's your vehicle.

I agree it's up to each individual. It seems strange to me not driving a vehicle for more than two hours once it hits 100K miles.

OP, I would get it checked by a trusted mechanic and if they say it's good to go, I'd take it. However, if you'd fit in a full size car comfortably, I'd be tempted to rent one for the better gas mileage. Let's see...
Van
2000 miles @ 20mpg = 100 gallons @ $2.50/gallon = $250

Car
2000 miles @ 35mpg = 57.14 gallons @ $2.50/gallon = $142

So you save ~$100 in gas with the car (assuming it gets 35mpg).

 

[North of Mouse]

Car
2000 miles @ 35mpg = 57.14 gallons @ $2.50/gallon = $142

So you save ~$100 in gas with the car (assuming it gets 35mpg).

What kind of car gets 35mpg and is still a comfortable size? Not sure of OP's occupancy size, but you do need luggage room. Dh's Chrysler 300 got 26mpg, was super comfortable for 4 people, and we thought that was great mileage. Even at that, the trunk would have been super packed.

Have never had a vehicle with that much mileage, but would never set off on that long a trip with 200k+ for sure. I would rent for safety and peace of mind. It could check out perfectly, but age has a way of changing everything at a moment's notice.

 

[sam_gordon]

What kind of car gets 35mpg and is still a comfortable size? Not sure of OP's occupancy size, but you do need luggage room. Dh's Chrysler 300 got 26mpg, was super comfortable for 4 people, and we thought that was great mileage. Even at that, the trunk would have been super packed.

Have never had a vehicle with that much mileage, but would never set off on that long a trip with 200k+ for sure. I would rent for safety and peace of mind. It could check out perfectly, but age has a way of changing everything at a moment's notice.

My 2006 Sonata (so full size) still gets high 20's on the highway. That's for a 12 year old car. I bet something a couple years old (which rental cars should probably be) will average 30, which on the highway means you probably get 35.

 

[mom2rtk]

When our minivan got over 150K miles we started renting cars for road trips. I figured the sooner we tore through the life span of the parts on our older car, the sooner we'd end up replacing it. Better at that point to put the high miles on a rental.

My friend got stranded in a city several states from home when the transmission went out on her older car on a road trip. She had to get a room and wait for them to get and install a new transmission at great expense. It definitely was a bad end to her trip.

 

[Dean1953]

I have a 2003 Honda Odyssey with 230,000 miles on it. A friend of mine is a Honda mechanic and performs maintenance on it. I plan on driving it another 7 years until I retire. I drove it 3 times in the last 3 years from Kansas City to Orlando. On the second trip, the alternator started to go out while in Orlando. I dropped the kids off at the Park and went to an independent Honda garage and had it replaced. Nothing else happened on those 3 trips. We plan on driving to Orlando this June and, depending on how many go, I’ll either drive the Odyssey or our Honda Civic, which has 83,000 miles on it. I’ve never had an engine problem but the transmission went out 6 months before the first trip, with a high quality replacement transmission (Honda Odyssey’s from the early 2000’s were notorious for their transmission problems). Since I fixed the one major problem with Odyssey ‘s, I’m willing to take my chances on the road, at least for now.

 

[lovedisney123]

I have been thinking of this issue. What happens if your rental breaks down along the way? They they just get you in a new vehicle as soon as possible along the way? I was on a trip (where I flew) and I saw someone in an accident and it made me think if we had drove our car and that happened, it would be really hard to get home. That 'vision' made me start thinking of renting, but have never done it. So what happens if you have a problem along the way in a rental?

 

[nacho113]

Driving from Houston for spring break trip. I have a 2010 Toyota Sienna that has 225,000 miles and drives like a champ. never had issues, we do regular maintenance, would get a check up before we leave if I drive it. I drive it 60ish miles a day commuting.

Should I drive it or rent?

Could rent a standard suv for about $300 from the airport (about 30 minutes away from home) for 9 days.

DH's truck isn't an option as its gas mileage is not great, its not super comfy for road trips and we're trying to keep the miles off it.

1000+ miles each way at highway speeds can put a lot of stress on old seals, gaskets, belts and hoses.
Even if your vehicle has been meticulously maintained by a reputable mechanic, I would still have that nagging worry in the back of my mind that something might be ready to break down and put a damper on my vacation.
If it were me, I'd spend the $300 and rent for the peace of mind.
As a bonus, the better mileage of the newer vehicle could help cover some of the rental cost.

 

[bigbabyblues]

In your situation, I would probably rent, but I would probably rent a minivan, depending on what a "standard SUV" actually is. If it is a Ford Escape or similar, that wouldn't be enough room for us to be comfortable on a long car trip. FIL has a CRV that we borrowed for 2 days when DH's car was in the shop and there is no way we could do a road trip in something that small. We won't take DH's Camry anywhere if more than 2 people are going, for the same reason. Too cramped.

We had a 2004 Sienna that we drove from Ohio to WDW with 185,000 miles on it a few years ago with no problems, but I don't know if I would chance it again.

 

[North of Mouse]

My 2006 Sonata (so full size) still gets high 20's on the highway. That's for a 12 year old car. I bet something a couple years old (which rental cars should probably be) will average 30, which on the highway means you probably get 35.

Ok, not going to argue the point, but we sure haven't found any full size vehicles with that type mpg - would like to know what they are!

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

Ok, not going to argue the point, but we sure haven't found any full size vehicles with that type mpg - would like to know what they are!

My 2016 Optima(cousin to the Sonata) gest about 37 when DH and I drive from TN to FL, doesn't do as well around towns with all the ups and downs but nice flat interstate is great for the MPG

 

[North of Mouse]

@sam_gordon & @HappyDznyCamper, guess we are on different wave lengths - those are both considered mid-sized cars and I was thinking more full size - we prefer a little more room. Thanks for replies.

 

[sam_gordon]

@sam_gordon & @HappyDznyCamper, guess we are on different wave lengths - those are both considered mid-sized cars and I was thinking more full size - we prefer a little more room. Thanks for replies.

I honestly haven't gone looking, so I don't know what's out there. Doing the math at 30mpg means a cost of $166, so a $90 savings over a van getting 20mpg.

 

[AngiTN]

I have been thinking of this issue. What happens if your rental breaks down along the way? They they just get you in a new vehicle as soon as possible along the way? I was on a trip (where I flew) and I saw someone in an accident and it made me think if we had drove our car and that happened, it would be really hard to get home. That 'vision' made me start thinking of renting, but have never done it. So what happens if you have a problem along the way in a rental?

We have had one with a mechanical problem. The rental companies handle everything, including getting you a new vehicle. One phone call. Doesn't eliminate the hassle or wait time mind you, just eliminates the $$$

 

[jtopp]

Rent. No worries if the vehicle will make it or not. A rental also seems like your vacation starts as soon as you get behind the wheel. Enjoy and have a safe trip

 

[Ralph&Pam]

@sam_gordon & @HappyDznyCamper, guess we are on different wave lengths - those are both considered mid-sized cars and I was thinking more full size - we prefer a little more room. Thanks for replies.

Mid-sized in the automobile industry, but full size as rental cars, along with the Toyota Camry. Rental companies call the Toyota Corolla a mid-size car. My rule is to assume a rental car class will be one size smaller than the industry classification, so I generally rent a "full-size car" to get something comparable in size to my DW's mid-size Honda Accord. To get a true full-size rental, I would have to upgrade to a premium sedan, but since it's just the two of us, a full-size rental works fine.