Road Trip

[BlvdKnight98]

Hey guys,

So I'm taking a road trip up to Reno, NV (from L.A. about 450 miles) to visit family and I'm not sure whether I should drive my dear 98 beauty or rent a car. The decision would be a no brainer if I was over 25, however, being that rental rates are substantially higher for those of us younger drivers, it will almost cost me twice as much to rent than drive my own car (even with worse mileage). My 98 has about 104,000 miles on it, well maintainted engine, recent oil change, and brand new tires a wheels put on. So mechanically I think it will survive but I'm not completely comfortable with the idea of all the wear and tear on my engine and tires/wheels. I really would love to drive my car up there, but honestly how much stress will I be putting my car through If I decide to take it up there? (Also, I should add that flying is not an option unfortunately).

Thank you!

 

[waggs]

i'm not sure if i would help but i've taken my car to 3 long distance trips within a month. phoenix-l.a, phoenix-el paso, and phx-lubbock(tx). mines got 85k and it's been very well maintained. i don't think it would do much wear and tear on your car as long as you've taken car of it. if you trust your car i say go for it

 

[BurningRubber]

For what it's worth, I took my 'Stang with 125k at the time from Myrtle Beach , SC, to Franklin, NC, and down into GA and TN all in one trip and it performed flawlessly. 25mpg on the interstate on the trip up, and similar on the way back, with 4.10's.

I would do it.

As long as your tires and properly inflated, I wouldn't worry about tire wear. Interstate travel is nothing compared to curvy roads and stop and go traffic.

 

[mr-mike]

I have taken 190,000 mile 90 mustang on 1250 mile trip , never a worry if you have taken care of that car ...... milage means nothing if all is OK , actually cars with high milage fare better ..... have a spare belt & gas filter as you can always get some bad gas ...... few tools are always handy , check your spare tire & enjoy the ride .....................................

 

[Greenscobie86]

I would go for it. Like many have said: If it is maintained and you trust it... GO for it!

 

[Mustang5L5]

I'd rather drive my Mustang. It's a great highway car. I used to take my '03 GT on 300+ mile trips all the time. With the stock 3.27's i would cruise at 2K RPM's at 80MPH and get 25-27MPG.

I wouldn't have driven anything else

 

[BlvdKnight98]

Wow thanks for the responses everyone! I never thought I'd get such a unanimous vote in favor of driving it. I've been kind of stressing about this for a few days so It's really refreshing to hear that other fellow stangs have withstood and thrived on similar trips. Now I'm actually excited about driving up tomorrow! It's been a dream to drive since I put my eibach's and Fr500's on. I did want to ask though that even with my car being in good shape, what are some things I can do to make sure my engine doesn't overheat? Pull over more frequently than just for refueling? Alternate between AC and windows down? Is there anything I should be doing tomorrow to help prevent this?

 

[bhuff30]

You shouldn't have to do anything to keep the car from overheating, AC on or not. The cooling system should be well overdesigned for highway travel. If it does overheat, then you shouldn't drive it until you fix the problem.

I recently got back from a trip to Chicago (from KC) which was about 550 miles each way. I drove my 97 GT with 162k miles on it. I keep it well maintained, but with a car of this age, there is always a chance something will break. I had absolutely no problems during the trip, and even got an average of 25mpg with the AC on. Then, the next day, I drove to my parents house 7 miles away and on the way home the cooling fan started making a terrible electrical smell while smoking. Go figure, the fan motor burnt up.