Glass To The Arson Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 I have a 96 buick regal with only 95,000 miles. not bad. its in good shape - never failed on me EVER in the past 3 years I had it. I'm planning on the trip to Canton in August. What are some things I should check out before I go? Will it last a 4 hour drive? Should I rest it since its a 96? The only thing I cannot stand is that the struts are bouncy somewhat and it annoys me but thats it Thanks GO BILLS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Have a good mechanic check it out. I once drove a 12 year old car that I had only bought 3 months earlier from Syracuse, NY to Birmingham, AL, about 1000 miles each way. Didn't even have it fully checked out, just hoped it would make it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glass To The Arson Posted May 3, 2009 Author Share Posted May 3, 2009 Have a good mechanic check it out. I once drove a 12 year old car that I had only bought 3 months earlier from Syracuse, NY to Birmingham, AL, about 1000 miles each way. Didn't even have it fully checked out, just hoped it would make it. I figure if i stop every 45 minutes for 10 minutes...it should help it out a bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 It all depends on what shape its in. Just because its old it doesn't mean it wont make it or cause problems. If it has been well maintained, it could be just as reliable as a new car. If you know theres problems with it, have it checked out first, stopping every 45 minutes for 10 minutes won't help much unless theres a cooling issue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drinkTHEkoolaid Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 your way over thinking this.... here are a few suggestions that should get you started in the right direction 1- have a fresh oil change 2- check your coolant level (and flush/fill if needed) to ensure you won't overheat along the way 3- check the air pressure in your tires, make sure tehy are inflated correctly 4- make sure you have a spare tire and jack/tire iron 5- start with a full tank of gas and if gas guage is broken make sure you stop to re-fill 6- maybe bring along a couple extra fuses in the unlikely event a fuse blows 7- give your car a "quick once over" for preventative maintience check all the belts and hoses to see if anything looks like it is fatigued/frayed/loose/worn down and replace if needed you should be good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Support the economy - go buy a new car. Seriously though if you have maintained the car all along there is no reason to believe it will suddenly become unreliable on a road trip. How many miles a weel do you drive? If you are like the average american it is somewhere between 300-500 miles a week. Your roadtrip is then simply a couple of average weeks of driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 You are not going to want to do... BUT, change your timing belt if it hasn't been done... 95 to 100 is a good time. I suspect you won't do it because of price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 You are not going to want to do... BUT, change your timing belt if it hasn't been done... 95 to 100 is a good time. I suspect you won't do it because of price. Good advice -- I changed mine out at around 100,000. It wasn't broken yet, but when it does break, you're screwed. The water pump should be changed at the same time from what I've read and it doesn't add much to the cost. Make sure your tires have good treads and are properly inflated. You'll be fine -- my wife have done the trip from Minneapolis to Niagara Falls a couple of times. In June, we're going from Minneapolis to Washington, DC, and then up to Niagara Falls. She has an '03 Corolla with (now) 127,000 miles and we're not worried about it. Have you thought about buying AAA? It's cheap and they'll help you out if you break down. Bring a GPS too - they're handy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 I have a 96 buick regal with only 95,000 miles. not bad. its in good shape - never failed on me EVER in the past 3 years I had it. I'm planning on the trip to Canton in August. What are some things I should check out before I go? Will it last a 4 hour drive? Should I rest it since its a 96? The only thing I cannot stand is that the struts are bouncy somewhat and it annoys me but thats it Thanks GO BILLS! Too many things to mention. if you are unsure and fretting , you could spend a lot of money making an older vehicle 100% reliable, if that's possible. Even brand new cars aren't 100%. Look around for price, see about your current policy's coverage and make prior arrangements to rent a vehicle from one of the national vendors. I recommend Enterprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Good advice -- I changed mine out at around 100,000. It wasn't broken yet, but when it does break, you're screwed. The water pump should be changed at the same time from what I've read and it doesn't add much to the cost. Make sure your tires have good treads and are properly inflated. You'll be fine -- my wife have done the trip from Minneapolis to Niagara Falls a couple of times. In June, we're going from Minneapolis to Washington, DC, and then up to Niagara Falls. She has an '03 Corolla with (now) 127,000 miles and we're not worried about it. Have you thought about buying AAA? It's cheap and they'll help you out if you break down. Bring a GPS too - they're handy Exactly... Thanks for being more exact! The water pump is only about 40 bucks... But they are in there anyway! And to the guy who said buy a new car... I say: Hurt the environment? The best thing you can do for the environment is drive an OLD CAR! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glass To The Arson Posted May 3, 2009 Author Share Posted May 3, 2009 Well guys... Love the advice. 1. I JUST GOT MY WATERPUMP AND BELTS REPLACED = $600 JOB 2. GOT MY POWER STEERING UNIT AND LINES REPLACED AND INSPECTION = $700 All good tires and no leaks I think I am good to go The struts are the only thing that I'm concerned about but hey... I drive about 350 miles a week and its a 300 mile drive to my destination. I think it will work! My car is fine when driving to Rochester for training camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 The struts are the only thing that I'm concerned about but hey... I drive about 350 miles a week and its a 300 mile drive to my destination. I think it will work! My car is fine when driving to Rochester for training camp. You're only going 300 miles, and you're calling that a road trip.....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glass To The Arson Posted May 3, 2009 Author Share Posted May 3, 2009 You're only going 300 miles, and you're calling that a road trip.....? 600 miles of driving in 2 days is alot for me! There and back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 600 miles of driving in 2 days is alot for me! There and back! My wife's originally from Green Bay, WI, so we used to drive from Minneapolis to Green Bay once every month or so -- about 700 miles over a weekend. And we did that in a pretty crappy car when we were in college -- you'll be fine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 A new KIA . Savings are HUGE . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 My wife's originally from Green Bay, WI, so we used to drive from Minneapolis to Green Bay once every month or so -- about 700 miles over a weekend. And we did that in a pretty crappy car when we were in college -- you'll be fine! Can we quote you on this! Call 1-800-fez-mid9 for 24-hour roadside assistance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Can we quote you on this! Call 1-800-fez-mid9 for 24-hour roadside assistance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Notice I didn't say what price? That Green Bay to Minny-St.P corridor can be a pretty fun time/sketchy... Afterall it is WI... Party in Wausau, party in Eau Claire! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Notice I didn't say what price? That Green Bay to Minny-St.P corridor can be a pretty fun time/sketchy... Afterall it is WI... Party in Wausau, party in Eau Claire! I used to have to travel to Wausau on business. Great town. The people who lived there raved about it. Cheese curds and are nearly as good was wings and . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I figure if i stop every 45 minutes for 10 minutes...it should help it out a bit Get a horse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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