Driving vehicle with High Milage

[ahake]

I am seriously contemplating driving from Central PA to Disney in our 97 Grand Voyager with 157000 miles on it....Crazy? Its a good van and doesn;t give us trouble and is maintained.. Anybody drive high mileage vehicles long distance?

 

[dis75ney]

We drove our Toyota Corolla from Chicago to Miami when it had over 175,000 miles on it. As long as it's well maintained, you shouldn't have a problem. I'd get it in for an oil change and fluid check before you go, though. Have fun!

 

[kidd_freeper]

Our 2001 Windstar with 115,000 miles will be driving us to WDW this summer.

Do a full maintainance check before and you'll be fine. My list:

check belts & hoses,
oil change,
radiator flush&fill,
are tires ok for 2200 miles? (enough tread, no repairs)
check spare tire pressure,
check timing belt,
air conditioning ok for Florida heat,
lights ok,
wipers ok,
wheel alignment ok
inspect fuel line
brakes ok for 2200 miles
top off fluids
no chips/cracks in windshield

 

[Harryo]

Got you all beat we're taking our Chevy Venture with 220,000 miles on it!!!!!

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Our 2 vehicles are routinely maintained and have let us down only a few times over the last 7-10 years. We have AAA as a little insurance for the unexpected.

The truck has about 105k and the car has 165k. We are leaving in 2 weeks for our next Disney trip.

 

[tinkerbell615]

We have also driven our Toyota Corolla many times and it just turned over 200,000 miles. We drove it in April of 2009. We would drive it again this year, but have too many people so needed to rent a van.

DH always had everything checked mechanically before we left. I love my little old Corolla!!

 

[skiingfast]

Have you replaced anything on it yet? Have any wierd noises, grinding rattling, squeling?

Still original alternator, cv joints, starter? Those are usually the first things to go out that don't get replaced until they do.

That 150K mark is pretty critical. I'd check any hoses that leak of have leaked closely. Somone mentioned the timing belt. If that hasn't been replaced it's time.

 

[Alesia]

Honestly, I wouldn't do it unless I had a significant emergency fund to work with

A friend of mine drove her mom's van to Florida 2 years ago. They broke down in the middle of nowhere in Georgia. They had the car towed to the nearest shop (because, let's face it, it was not the time to shop around,) rented a car, and arrived in WDW about 6 hours later than scheduled.

On the way home they stopped to pick up the van and were presented with a $2000 repair bill.

They really should have just flown.

 

[beccab]

WOW! You people are brave and I don't mean that condescendingly. I guess I was traumatized with too many clunkers.

 

[sharadoc]

If it's well maintained and you get a really good once-over, then go for it. Last year, we drove our 99 Caravan with 115,000 miles on it and it was absolutely perfect. It's still going strong, and we have no intention of getting rid of it.

Our mechanic told us that with good maintenance, those Dodge Caravan / Plymouth Voyager engines and transmissions will go for around 250,000 miles at least.

Good luck!

 

[APB513]

Our 2001 Windstar with 115,000 miles will be driving us to WDW this summer.

Do a full maintainance check before and you'll be fine. My list:

check belts & hoses,
oil change,
radiator flush&fill,
are tires ok for 2200 miles? (enough tread, no repairs)
check spare tire pressure,
check timing belt,
air conditioning ok for Florida heat,
lights ok,
wipers ok,
wheel alignment ok
inspect fuel line
brakes ok for 2200 miles
top off fluids
no chips/cracks in windshield

I'm just curious about this one. I am thinking about driving to WDW from MI in December. My 2008 Saturn Vue has a cracked windshield. The crack is below my sight line. Is this a problem?

 

[Alesia]

I'm just curious about this one. I am thinking about driving to WDW from MI in December. My 2008 Saturn Vue has a cracked windshield. The crack is below my sight line. Is this a problem?

That can turn into a huge problem very quickly. You really should get it repaired. If the crack is small, they don't necessarily have to replace the entire windshield.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

A cracked windshield should be fixed and at least part of it should be covered by your insurance.

The crack can grow due to hot/cold temps and from bumps in the road.

On modern cars (like your 2008) it provides structural integrity to the car and quite often the passenger side airbag relies on that integrity to help protect the passsenger.

If you have to, start a windshield fund to pay for the repair in the future.

(I am refering to a crack that has some length to it. A "star" crack can generally be repaired cheaply and that can prevent the star from growing into a full blown crack)

 

[BYC]

I drive a 1990 Ford E250 van with over 250,000 miles on it. I will drive it anywhere! Love my Fords! It is wise to have AAA Plus, no matter what vehicle you drive. Check oil and fluids regularly. And talk sweet to it. Old vehicles love that.

 

[Brian Noble]

I have an '01 Honda Odyssey at about 122K miles. I'm not taking it to Florida (it's a 2-day drive from here, and I'm too old to drive through the night), but I am taking it to Williamsburg. I'm pretty religious about the maintenance, and fix things earlier rather than later. I'm expecting to get to 200K. My brother just got his Subaru legacy to 300K (but did it only 8.5 years---he has a one-way commute of about 75mi.)

You should take it in to your mechanic to give it a good once-over, unless you've done that very recently. Having roadside assistance is also a good thing---AAA, through your insurance, or a few credit cards offer it.

 

[sharadoc]

Honestly, I wouldn't do it unless I had a significant emergency fund to work with

A friend of mine drove her mom's van to Florida 2 years ago. They broke down in the middle of nowhere in Georgia. They had the car towed to the nearest shop (because, let's face it, it was not the time to shop around,) rented a car, and arrived in WDW about 6 hours later than scheduled.

On the way home they stopped to pick up the van and were presented with a $2000 repair bill.

They really should have just flown.

This is a great reason to have AAA. It would cost extra to be towed to a repair center, but SO worth the cost. Be aware of national chains - Tires Plus, Aamco, Pep Boys. While you're waiting for the two truck, call AAA and consult with them regarding the best and closest one. Sorry, but your friend could have taken a few minutes to shop around.

Leaving a vehicle and not knowing what or how much you'll be paying is a recipe for disaster!

 

[Alesia]

This is a great reason to have AAA. It would cost extra to be towed to a repair center, but SO worth the cost. Be aware of national chains - Tires Plus, Aamco, Pep Boys. While you're waiting for the two truck, call AAA and consult with them regarding the best and closest one. Sorry, but your friend could have taken a few minutes to shop around.

Leaving a vehicle and not knowing what or how much you'll be paying is a recipe for disaster!

They did have AAA. They had to wait more than 2 hours for the tow truck (with their kids) and went to the shop that AAA recommended.

 

[mrodgers]

About the cracked windshield.

Yeah, most insurances will cover it, but with most I would imagine your deductible would also apply.

Over the last 4 years, I've replaced 4 windshields. All of them cost $250 through the insurance and I have a $200 deductible. I didn't go through the insurance and called Safelite myself. All of them cost me $199, same as the deductible, and it didn't cost me higher premiums later because I had a claim.

I've had 1 chip fixed by Safelite. Insurance covered that 100%. I can't even see the chip anymore.

 

[kydisneyfans]

About the cracked windshield, it needs to be fixed before you leave. The extreme heat will spread that crack quickly. In KY, the windshield must be replaced, per your insurance policy, at no cost. My only cracked windshield was 2 years ago, the company came out to my driveway, fully replaced it, and not a dime came out of my pocket. We pay a little more for insurance here though.

My 2002 Saturn has 249,300 miles on it an I have no problem driving close to 300-400 miles a day. I'm not sure that it would be trusted for a 2,000 mile trip.

If you don't have AAA, you can get roadside assistance through most cel phone carriers for $3-4 a month. My Verizon plan is $2.99 and offers free towing as needed a couple of times a year. $36 a year is nothing for piece of mind.

 

[APB513]

That can turn into a huge problem very quickly. You really should get it repaired. If the crack is small, they don't necessarily have to replace the entire windshield.

A cracked windshield should be fixed and at least part of it should be covered by your insurance.

The crack can grow due to hot/cold temps and from bumps in the road.

On modern cars (like your 2008) it provides structural integrity to the car and quite often the passenger side airbag relies on that integrity to help protect the passsenger.

If you have to, start a windshield fund to pay for the repair in the future.

(I am refering to a crack that has some length to it. A "star" crack can generally be repaired cheaply and that can prevent the star from growing into a full blown crack)

About the cracked windshield.

Yeah, most insurances will cover it, but with most I would imagine your deductible would also apply.

Over the last 4 years, I've replaced 4 windshields. All of them cost $250 through the insurance and I have a $200 deductible. I didn't go through the insurance and called Safelite myself. All of them cost me $199, same as the deductible, and it didn't cost me higher premiums later because I had a claim.

I've had 1 chip fixed by Safelite. Insurance covered that 100%. I can't even see the chip anymore.

About the cracked windshield, it needs to be fixed before you leave. The extreme heat will spread that crack quickly. In KY, the windshield must be replaced, per your insurance policy, at no cost. My only cracked windshield was 2 years ago, the company came out to my driveway, fully replaced it, and not a dime came out of my pocket. We pay a little more for insurance here though.

My 2002 Saturn has 249,300 miles on it an I have no problem driving close to 300-400 miles a day. I'm not sure that it would be trusted for a 2,000 mile trip.

If you don't have AAA, you can get roadside assistance through most cel phone carriers for $3-4 a month. My Verizon plan is $2.99 and offers free towing as needed a couple of times a year. $36 a year is nothing for piece of mind.

Sorry OP for highjacking your thread

Thank you to everyone who has responded! That's why I love the DIS!! You learn about so many different things

I should have said that the crack goes the entire length of the windshield. Since it is below my sight line I wasn't going to replace the windshield until it was time to turn the car in.