Has anyone driven a clunker to WDW?

[dutton]

I have a 1996 plymouth van w/120,000 miles on it and we plan to drive from Savannah,Ga to WDW. We can't afford to rent a van, so we are going to try it. What are your thoughts?We just had a new transmission put in it, but some other minor things have broken(back wiper,a/c,door paneling) I realize this probably seems ridiculous, but if anyone could give me advice, I'd appreciate it!

 

[Andrew_Lubow]

I'd be concerned if you haven't changed the timing belt/chain yet.

 

[ducklite]

This is not a flame...

You say you can't afford to rent a van...then how will you be able to afford to have a repair made if something happens while you are on the way to or from WDW? It could mean several hundred dollars in towing fees, extra nights in a hotel, extra meals, missed work, and very likely a rental vehicle anyhow. Not to mention having work done someplace that would be hard to get a warranty enforced.

I think if my finances were so tight that I couldn't afford to rent the van, I would seriously rethink my priorities, and taking the trip to begin with.

Remember Murphy's law...

BTW--in 1996 the transmission went on our car as we pulled into the airport an hour from our house. It definitely put a crimp in our trip, knowing that we would have a thousand dollar repair job plus a rental car for a week when we got home.

Anne

 

[rhw]

We started to drive to WDW last year with a 91 van with 168,000 miles on it. Also just had new transmission. I got 2 hours from home and knew I wouldn't make it. Rented a "full size" (really small) car for 2 days, to get to WDW, at a cost of 297.00. Had to rent another car to get us to the ship and then had to go to the travel agent at Epcot to get plane tickets home. As long as you budget a problem in, you can always rent a car and pick up yours on the way home. Also, from where you live, you should be able to drive in a day. I would try it, 120,000 miles doesn't seem bad. I am approaching 200,000 now and believe it or not, I am taking the same trip again this winter, with the same van. I hope you have better luck with your trip, but keep in mind, it did not, I repeat...did not, ruin our vacation. It was wonderful, perfect and freezing cold.

 

[Ted and Holly]

I just remember when we tried to take Ted's (old) 1996 car with 120,000 miles on it three hours away to Connecticut. It broke. One time there was a problem and it wouldn't stay running. It was a Looooong trip back. The second time, it decided to have a MAJOR oil leak and it was a SUNDAY! It ended up being an $800 repair job for a new head gasket and other things, as well as a rental car for almost a week.

ANother time, same car, less miles, at my paren't house 1 1/2 hours away, the car's radiator went and leaked antifreeze all over my parent's driveway. We barely got it home again, having to stop to refill the antifreeze and let the car cool several times. Again, it was on a Sunday. Arrrghh!!

I wouldn't do it. I'm nervous enough driving this winter and we BOTH have new cars with tiny mileage!

Holly

 

[GEM]

A 1996 actually sounds like a new car to us!

We are driving down in December in our 1992 Nissan Sentra. It has just over 160,000 miles on it - and the odometer didn't work for one whole year! We love our car and we have never had any major problems with it. This will be our 5th trip to WDW in this car. It is about 20 hours each way for us. We aren't worried about it all. We had the transmission replaced a year or so ago and the timing chain about the same time. Other than that, we've had no major repairs - just routine maintenance. We always have it completely checked out before the trip to try and avoid any surprises. It's a great car and it is still in great shape. It even still looks good, inside and out. If something happens on the way down or back, we will be able to afford repairs or a rental car or whatever. We are probably getting a new car this summer, so this will probably be our last WDW trip is this car. Sort of sad, because we have had lots of fun in that car!

 

[tar heel]

Our 1994 Caravan has made the 1,120 round-trip to WDW four times since hitting 100,000 miles -- you only have to drive about half as far!. I guess it had about 140,000 the last time we went. We're lucky in that the air-conditioning works wonderfully, and it's in pretty good condition except for the paint. We always have our van checked out before we go on any long trip, so I feel perfectly safe traveling in it. None of the things you listed have anything to do with whether the car will go. You also have replaced the thing most likely to break on this vehicle -- the transmission. There's no guarantee that you won't have a problem, of course, nor is there any guarantee that you wouldn't have a problem in a brand new car.

I'm sure you already have an AAA card, a virtual requirement for those of us who drive high-mileage cars, so you're not going to be hit with hundreds of dollars of towing charges if you have a problem. I also suspect that your saying you can't afford to rent a van is referring only to your trip budget. I say I can't afford a new van. What I really mean is that I don't want to pay a $500 a month payment b/c I'm enjoying using that $ in other ways.

 

[Disnydad]

About 10 years ago my BiL drove an old Mazda pickup w/more than 100,000 miles on it down from Massachusetts. It's still down in Florida. They abandoned it at a motel there after it broke down. They took a bus home.

 

[goofyrn13]

No,but we drove one to Greenwich Ct.and NYC this past June.1000 miles each way.We have a 95 Ford Contour with about 100,000 miles at the time.It was an interesting trip but we made it with no problem.

 

[Beckles]

Considering I put over 200,000 miles on my previous car (a 1989 Oldsmobile), including many trips much longer than Savannah to Orlando, I'd say go for it!

BTW, I never changed the timing belt in that (had it since 100k miles, and I'm pretty sure the previous owners, my grandparents, didn't change it either).