If driving cross country, which would you rather?

[iheartdisney]

I am driving all the way across country this summer and trying to decide what to drive. It will be about 6,000 miles. Here are the options and costs:
Rent a standard size car. Cost for rental will be approx. $970. Approx $650 in gas.
Rent a small pickup. cost for Rental will be $805. Approx. $765 in gas.
Drive our truck- F350 diesel. No rental costs. Approx. $1,300 in fuel.

If we rent a car, we won't have as much room, and were planning on taking our camping gear, as the trip ends in a camp out family reunion in Idaho, plus thought it might be nice to stop at campgrounds instead of hotels on our way across country and back.

Using our truck would cost less in the long run, but then we are putting an additional 6,000 miles on the engine and the tires. The engine I'm not that concerned about- it is a diesel engine and is already over 100,000 so it is just starting to stretch it's legs. Plus I'd be more familiar with my own truck than a rental. But i am going without DH (he'll be deployed) so if something breaks, I'm screwed. Unlike with a rental, I could turn it in and get a new one.

Is there a factor that i haven't considered? What would you do, and why?

 

[NorCalGal]

If I was driving alone, I'd rather drive a rental (for the reasons you mentioned.) I would go ahead and rent a car assuming you can fit all your camping gear for one person in the trunk (I could, but everyone's different.) A car trunk will be more secure for your belongs when you are away from the vehicle.

ETA: Sorry, you said "we" so you must not be going alone. LOL, sorry about that! Hmmm, that might change my vote if all your stuff won't fit in the trunk....

 

[amberlynnhawkins]

I say go rental for the reasons you mentioned, but only if all your stuff fits. If you don't have room for all your necessities, then you're screwed by taking a rental, aren't you?

 

[iheartdisney]

Oh yeah, I should have specified. It will be myself and 3 kids on the drive from California to Florida, and then from Florida to Idaho and home my mom will be along for the ride.

 

[rock_doctor]

I am of two minds. If you could work on the truck yourself i would say take it and enjoy the drive. If you can't then i would take the train, bus or fly.

I would like you to go to thedieselstop.com forum (this link is for the 6.0 but there are forums for the 7.3, the IDI, 6.9, 6.4 and 6.7). We are devoted to power strokes and can answer any question you may have and can tell you how to do nearly every repair on the truck. You can fix a huge percentage of problems in your driveway with a little research.

I guess i need to know what year your truck is, pre-2003 then take the F350 if between 2003 and 2007 i am not sure. After 2008 take the F350. The 6.0 was an perfectly fine engine but owning one does require an owner who has a good set of tools and is not scared to take the truck apart on the side of the road. We have an Excursion with a 6.0l and an F250 with a 6.4 so i am intimately familiar with all of the International build PSDs.

I don't know what else to say.

Back in 2004 we were T-boned in NJ by a Chevy pickup doing 60mph through an intersection. They had to chop up the chevy to get them out and then the Coast Guard had to fly them to the hospital. We got out of our Excursion and watched them cut up the chevy. We had dents along the whole side of the truck and a couple on the rear roof. He hit us so hard he almost jumped over us, head over heals. You do not know what is going to happen in the next second. In an accident *nothing* beats 3 tons of Kentucky steel. What does the hubby say?

Lastly, tell him we thank him and thank you for your service to our country. It is greatly appreciated.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

I can't see how a small pickup would even be an option for 5 people? The one my dad used to have with a "back seat"- it was tiny. Even for kids- cross country they're goign to have "stuff", etc, and it would be awfully smooshed.

Is getting AAA or other roadside service an option? I got it when I drove MN>ME without DH. It wouldn't solve every possible "what if", but would give you assistance for many.

Is your truck's back lockable? I'd be concerned stopping, etc if everything was wide open, rain too.

 

[eeyoresmom]

Wouldn't a car be much more comfortable?

 

[kirstenb1]

I have more of a question than an answer. What will fit all your stuff, and is able to be secured? Also, driving that far, you're sure to run into some type of rain/wind.

 

[descovy]

I have more of a question than an answer. What will fit all your stuff, and is able to be secured? Also, driving that far, you're sure to run into some type of rain/wind.

Assuming your truck is in good reliable condition, I would do it hands down.

I have no fear taking my own car, we live in TX and drive to WA semi-annually... It's 5000 mi round trip. We are going in June in a new van and can't wait to break it in! Plus, both my parents and in laws are full time RVers. So my perception obviously skews one way.

You know your truck. You know it fits your family. Neither a sedan or small pickup are conducive to your sized family plus camping.

I find the added costs in tires and maintence to be negligible... Especially compared to the "for certain" price of a rental.

 

[chris31997]

I went with your truck, because if something breaks .........But depending on your insurance it would not be that big of a deal.

Assuming you have USAA, they will tow you and fix the truck, yeah a hassle but it saves you the grand in renting.

Even if you don't have USAA, I would check with your insurance and see what your coverage is for a roadtrip/roadside help. You might be surprised. You also might be surprised about what is covered for/with rental.

 

[3boymthr]

Take your own vehicle. We drove cross country (7,000 miles) camping along the way. Unless you are planning out eating out for all your meals, even while you camp, there is NO WAY you'll have enough room in car to take all the gear. We had a Full Size Van (Ford E-250) and had just barely enough room. There were 5 of us - 2 adults and 3 kids. At the time the kids were 4, 6, and 10. There was just sooo much stuff we had to take to camp, the tent, the sleeping bags, the clothes, air mattresses, cooking gear, the lanterns, etc, etc. Our van was full to the gills. I can't imagine taking all that stuff in a car. ETA - well you might be able to get it all in the car but it might not be very comfortable and/or you'd need to add a car top carrier and there goes the gas savings.

Now you probably get the projected gas cost savings in a car over your truck but another thing to consider is that small trucks don't always get the gas mileage that they report them as getting. DH's small truck only gets 16 mpg that's only 2 more mpg than his van got.

Also, is that absolutely the total cost on the car and/or small truck? Or do you have to add in extra insurance costs, etc.?

 

[iheartdisney]

This is one of the reasons I love this board! So much that i haven't thought of, and I've been thinking since january!

I am of two minds. If you could work on the truck yourself i would say take it and enjoy the drive. If you can't then i would take the train, bus or fly.

I would like you to go to thedieselstop.com forum (this link is for the 6.0 but there are forums for the 7.3, the IDI, 6.9, 6.4 and 6.7). We are devoted to power strokes and can answer any question you may have and can tell you how to do nearly every repair on the truck. You can fix a huge percentage of problems in your driveway with a little research.

I guess i need to know what year your truck is, pre-2003 then take the F350 if between 2003 and 2007 i am not sure. After 2008 take the F350. The 6.0 was an perfectly fine engine but owning one does require an owner who has a good set of tools and is not scared to take the truck apart on the side of the road. We have an Excursion with a 6.0l and an F250 with a 6.4 so i am intimately familiar with all of the International build PSDs.

I don't know what else to say.

Back in 2004 we were T-boned in NJ by a Chevy pickup doing 60mph through an intersection. They had to chop up the chevy to get them out and then the Coast Guard had to fly them to the hospital. We got out of our Excursion and watched them cut up the chevy. We had dents along the whole side of the truck and a couple on the rear roof. He hit us so hard he almost jumped over us, head over heals. You do not know what is going to happen in the next second. In an accident *nothing* beats 3 tons of Kentucky steel. What does the hubby say?

Lastly, tell him we thank him and thank you for your service to our country. It is greatly appreciated.

You are welcome, because you are worth it.
And thank you for the link! it is a 04, but the engine is an 03, as he found out when he tore into her. No problems with her so far, except the one he will have fixed soon, hopefully. So super thanks for the link! And your story about the accident gave me chills!

Wouldn't a car be much more comfortable?

Honestly, not really. I'm a truck kinda girl. I'm 6 feet tall and my first vehicle was an '81 Suburban. I'd rather be up high than down low.

I have more of a question than an answer. What will fit all your stuff, and is able to be secured? Also, driving that far, you're sure to run into some type of rain/wind.

Our truck has a shell, which locks. One of the things I hadn't thought about with renting a smaller truck. i guess we could pack in totes?

I went with your truck, because if something breaks .........But depending on your insurance it would not be that big of a deal.

Assuming you have USAA, they will tow you and fix the truck, yeah a hassle but it saves you the grand in renting.

Even if you don't have USAA, I would check with your insurance and see what your coverage is for a roadtrip/roadside help. You might be surprised. You also might be surprised about what is covered for/with rental.

We were going to switch to USAA for insurance a few years ago but couldn't, since Dh was a new motorcycle rider. I wonder if it has been long enough yet. Might be worth an look-see!

 

[lovegrumpy]

I would drive your truck. That's what you are use to.

 

[usd2bmd]

I would take a rental, but if it's a car something a little bigger... or maybe a van or an SUV...something that if need be everyone could have (sort of) their own little space.

 

[shortbun]

I say take the Ford 350. Camping-take the Ford!! Cross Country-the Ford. Comfort-take the Ford. I'm a Ford lover though.

 

[kirstenb1]

Okay, if your truck has a shell, have your mechanic do a thorough check up for any issues, and drive it yourself. Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[rock_doctor]

And thank you for the link! it is a 04, but the engine is an 03, as he found out when he tore into her. No problems with her so far, except the one he will have fixed soon, hopefully. So super thanks for the link! And your story about the accident gave me chills!

You have no idea. To this day my mom still freaks out when she sees somebody coming close to use on the road. The fact that it is an 03 is good. The 03s had the better egr coolers but their icp sensors are under the turbo. That isn't as good (just makes it harder to change it). I would join that site. Even if you have no interest in working on your own truck it is beneficial to know how to do the repair. You might even consider jumping in and working on it yourself. There are tons of repair videos on youtube. Imho you must do the "blue spring" update. That is a stronger spring that goes into the fuel filter housing. It is a super easy job takes a half hour at best but raises the fuel pressure making the injectors much happier. See if you can get an Edge Insight. They are not cheap but are totally worth the money. It will tell you the true temperatures, pressures and voltages plus it will read and clear codes. Gives you much more control over your truck when you can read the codes and post to the web asking what they mean and how to fix them. I have one in each of my diesels. Also you must install a coolant filter. They seem unnecessary but really are important in these trucks. There are tons of kits that you can buy or build your own. I have a long thread on that site with parts lists and directions plus there a ton of other threads just the same. Once you leave on your trip post us back periodically and let us know how you are making out. It will be nice family time. Pack lots of food and enjoy the trip. I love flying Js and if you get one of their frequent travelers cards the card will give you a couple cents discount plus cash price with a credit card. You also get a book that lists every Flying J and Pilot truck stop in the country. Now that i know it is an 03 i know you will take the truck and imho you will have fewer problems on the trip. People who own diesels are very helpful to others with diesels. Even in a small town you will find a diesel owner and can bet they will help you out in a pinch. We all work on our own trucks. By the way, my daily driver is a 91 suburban, the same as your 81 but with square headlights and it is a 4 speed... Love that truck.

 

[amylevan]

We have a full size Dodge 2500, and it can be tight in there with 2 adults, 2 kids (and our 2 small dogs...). We drove it from NJ to WDW, and we were getting cramped with all the junk in there to keep the little ones happy, food to munch on, etc. I'm not sure I'd want to drive cross country in it.

But I do get that camping requires a lot of stuff. What about renting a minivan or large SUV?

As for USAA, I didn't think they insured motorcycles. We have our cars insured through USAA, but we had to get Progressive for the motorcycle.

 

[donalduck]

I would take an airplane.

 

[lauradis]

Look into Getting a Mini van with the stow and go. With only half seat down in

the back you will have tons of space for gear and leggs. I wouldnt rent 4 door

car unless i was hauling small trailer for the gear. Have fun got to love road trips