| alphaforcex |
When I first bought the X, I immediately pictured myself sitting in it taking road trip with the family. Now the time has come but my wife said this may not be a good idea.
Our main concern is, if we are driving our car and there's any accidents on the road that makes the car inoperable, we will be stranded and the car will need to be towed and be repaired there. If we are renting, we can get another car from the rental company normally the next business day assuming you have the lost and waiver insurance either from the credit card company or purchased from the rental car company. Assuming the trip is 3500 miles round trip in 7 days, the cost of car rental is
7 x $40/per day - depreciation of 3500 miles on the X (+ optional 7x$15 for extra insurance if your credit card does not provide that).
Is it still worth it to drive the X? By looking at the number, it makes more sense to rent.
My friend who has just completed a road trip ran into some piece of metal left on the highway at night and damaged the bumper, condenser and radiator which resulted in an over $1000 repair bill.
What do you all think? To rent or not to rent... |
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| toXornottoX |
I guess its a matter of preferrence. I for one am looking forward to my road trip from Queens, NY to Orlando, Fl at the end of this month.
I could worry myself and think of the negative things that can happen which is realistic but I'd rather not think of those things and just get in and take a nice long road trip with the family. |
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| MDX350 |
| 3500 miles in 7 days - better to rent. I would take the X for lower mileage and/or longer duration trips. |
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| BaldEagle |
No matter what anyone says it will be your decision to make.
For me I would take the MDX. Odds are it will be safer, more comfortable, handle better, and have more room, than what you will rent.
One of the reasons I bought the MDX was for long trips. I never could get comfortable in our last vehicle (Volvo) on long trips. With the MDX I am very comfortable in both the driver and passenger seats. |
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| mullysalt |
| I must agree with BaldEagle.......I bought the X with long trips in mind and after putting close to 3K on in the last month on three different trips I can't say enough about how much I enjoy the X. I wouldn't worry about depreciation unless you are restricted on miles from a lease. Plus I figured if something happened on any of these trips it would a good opportunity to test out the TLC program. |
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| toXornottoX |
| Take the X, enjoy it.....that is why you bought it of course! |
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| ramesh52 |
This is always the problem with buying a big new and expensive vehicle! It doesn't make sense to use them just for 'local' short distance drives, and it makes a lot of financial sense to rent a vehicle if one is going to put a lot of miles over a fairly short time!
In other words, our expensive car purchases are best considered as a discretionary entertainment expense - not a rational economic decision! Just my thoughts after shelling out $40K of hard-earned dollars on a new MDX. (no regrets) |
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| DEZRVIT |
quote:
Originally posted by toXornottoX
Take the X, enjoy it.....that is why you bought it of course!
I couldn't agree more, if the fear of something bad happening is a concern, why even take it out of the garage? As we have always been told most accidents happen near home anyway, so just get out of the city fast and you should be OK. :2:
Seriously, I would take the X, mechanically it will be fine, as far as some freak accident, not likely. Of course like saying "I never had a flat tire", you may have jinxed yourself by starting this thread.
Good luck, have a safe trip. |
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| hammermdx |
| Agree with my fellow members, take the X and enjoy it! Life is too short. |
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| MDX350 |
quote:
Originally posted by alphaforcex
7 x $40/per day - depreciation of 3500 miles on the X (+ optional 7x$15 for extra insurance if your credit card does not provide that).
Is it still worth it to drive the X? By looking at the number, it makes more sense to rent.
the spirit of the question was financial. From a pure financial perspective, it doesn't make sense to put 3500 miles on a 40K vehicle in 7 days (plus the extra gas cost of an SUV over a car).
Of course, if depreciation of the vehicle is irrelevant for you, then its really an irrelevant question - of course, take the X!!
A friend of mine puts 40K miles on his car every year. He doesn't want to buy an expensive car (sticks to camry or accord), because he figures he kills the car in 5-6 years, so the extra depreciation is too much.
Depends on how rich you are. |
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| whynotmdx |
If you don't want to put a lot of miles on the car then perhaps you should lease....
I plan on road tripping with my X but I hope to find a local source for stoneguard or clearbra first.
Maybe I'll just put some saranwrap on the car and peel it off when we get there :) |
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| toXornottoX |
I'm not so sure you'll benefit financially by renting a car instead of driving the X. You may be putting 3500 miles on the car in 7 days but you'll be safer and more comfortable in the X.
I think that far outways any standard base model minivan. Even if your getting the mini-van for free you have to think of your family.
You can always try to put less miles on your X once you get back to bring it to a somewhat normal miles per year.
hey whynotmdx you think that saran wrap thing will work? LOL |
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| JTM |
3500 miles in 7 days, that in average of 500 miles per day or 8~10 hours of driving.
For me, I would take X on this type of trip. X is very comfort in the long trips. I had done few 500+ miles one day trip with my X and feel it is the best car for it so far. (Compared with any other car I have for long trips) I am planning to have few long trips with X in the coming months (September and October), but still wondering if I want to go North (Boston, Montreal?) or South (North or South Carolina) in addition of one day trip to NYC in mid-September. |
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| xcel |
Hi Alphaforcex:
___I have to agree with most of the above posters also ...
___After 2000 miles in the last 2-1/2 days, there is no other way to travel other than to use what you purchased the X for initially. Size, comfort, safety, luxury, appointments, features, options, or whatever other reason you decided to purchase the X for. If you are worried about a break down, how much more reliable is a rental car from whoever of whatever make going to be? You remember the J.D.Powers survey showing Acura in the top 5 from a few months ago, right ;)
___I might be nuts but renting a junk (well maybe not that bad given my daughter is a manager with Avis and we could have picked up a rental for just taxes), is a heck of a lot more risky than driving the X over any length of any American/Canadian highway that I know of.
___Good Luck from Glendale ...
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net |
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| marktr6 |
I agree with most other posters.........take the X.
Rental car probably has a better chance of breakdown. Acura TLC service should cover any problems.
As DEZRVIT stated, most things happen close (25 miles or less) to home, so get out of town quickly. I once heard of one guy that beleived the 25 miles or closer to home theory so much that he moved 50 miles away.
:2:
Have a great trip in the X and let us know how it went when you get back. |
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| feliz |
| I agree with most of the above comments, take the X and enjoy it. I've had some bad experiences with rentals and would rather feel safe and confident with what I'm driving. We're taking a 10,000 mile 30 day trip through your country next month and I know I'm taking the X and can't wait. |
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| marktr6 |
Feliz,
You'll need an oil change along the way. Have you thought of that and located a dealer along your trip? |
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| Skewbeedeaux |
| We recently came back from a 2000mi. road trip in our '03 X. Went flyfishing and took it offroad on rocky dirt trails. Even used the VTM-4 lock on a couple occasions. The X performed like a champ. |
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| tamxike |
ahh...to rent or not to rent.
It depends on what kind of long trip you're going. I am from SoCal, so if I am taking a trip to Vegas, I am renting. But, if I am taking a trip to San Francisco, I am taking my X because I want to drive my X along Pacific Coast HWY and enjoy the breath-taking view of California coasts on my X.
It should boil down to, will you enjoy driving your X on this trip?
You don't buy a nice new X to keep the mileage low for better resale value.
Have a fun trip. :)
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| feliz |
quote:
Originally posted by marktr6
Feliz,
You'll need an oil change along the way. Have you thought of that and located a dealer along your trip?
I've thought of it but haven't made any arrangement with a dealer. Our travel arrangements are pretty flexible, I was hoping to run into an Acura or at least a Honda dealer some where along the way or even go out of my way to find one if I have to. Don't worry, I'll look after the X. |
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| alphaforcex |
Thanks everyone for the replies. That's what I'm leaning towards.
Mileage is actually not the biggest concern to us. The biggest concern is being stuck somewhere and not being able to drive back home. For rental, I know I can just call the rental car company and I'll get a new car. If I'm driving my X and involved in an accident that makes the car inoperable or the car got stolen, I'll need to wait and get that fix before I can head back home. This is definitely not something that we want to deal with 1000 miles away from home. TCL doesn't cover accident right?
I know this kind of thing doesn't really happen a lot but if it happens, my wife will definitely freak out.
Funny someone mentioned that "25 miles closer to home" theory...we've never driven our X more than 25 miles away from home yet so this definitely applies to us if anything happens to our X. |
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| alphaforcex |
10,000 miles in a month! That's a lot of miles. Are you going from Van to Florida??
quote:
Originally posted by feliz
I agree with most of the above comments, take the X and enjoy it. I've had some bad experiences with rentals and would rather feel safe and confident with what I'm driving. We're taking a 10,000 mile 30 day trip through your country next month and I know I'm taking the X and can't wait.
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| laborlitigator |
Hold on 3500 miles a day in 7 days is 500 miles a day. That's at least 8 hours of driving a day. That's not a vacation, that's work.
I'd take the X for a trip like that. |
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| feliz |
quote:
Originally posted by alphaforcex
10,000 miles in a month! That's a lot of miles. Are you going from Van to Florida??
Probably not Florida this trip but Texas for sure. We like El Paso and I'd like to get to the Space Center in Houston. Tennessee, NC, Mississippi, Georgia are in the plans. I married an American so we've been going down for a month or so the past 37 years visiting friends, relatives and sight seeing. Had a lot of great times and I can't recall one bad experience, just traffic is getting to be a hassle in some areas for a visiting old-timer. Sorry for getting off-topic. |
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| srpbep |
| Hate to tell you this BUT your X is going to depreciate whether you drive it or not. If I remember correctly, the X does pretty good but it still will depreciate 50% ($20,000) over the 1st five years of ownership. |
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| srpbep |
| You mention that you [typically I assume] only drive the X a distance of 25 miles or less. I would think that a nice road trip would be good for the X. Short trips on hard on engines (so I am told). My experience is that occasional long trips are actually better for the engine. Wouldn't hurt for a mechanic or knowledable person to jump in on this and comment. |
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| feliz |
quote:
Originally posted by srpbep
You mention that you [typically I assume] only drive the X a distance of 25 miles or less. I would think that a nice road trip would be good for the X. Short trips on hard on engines (so I am told). My experience is that occasional long trips are actually better for the engine. Wouldn't hurt for a mechanic or knowledable person to jump in on this and comment.
I'm no expert but for years I've been reading that one cold start is equivalent to 500 miles of driving in terms of wear. |
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| srpbep |
I don't know how often you change your oil, but if you change it just before your trip I would think that 3,500 is a swim in the park for today's oils. In fact, I believe that Acura recommends 3,750 for severe duty and a "nice road trip" is not severe duty. I have read many convincing articles that dino oil is indeed good for 7,000 miles!! If you are that concerned, heck, load her up with synthetic oil. That is good for 7,000 or more!! I called Mobil regarding their synthetic oil (put it in our Accord V6) and they say it is good for "the manufacturer's specified interval. I have read articles stating that the synthetics are good for more but that Mobil can't tell an owner to "violate the manufacturer's stated maintenance schedule".
I have a friend who just bought a new 911 Carrera 4S and he told me that it uses synthetic and the recommended change interval was astronomical (it was a big number and it shocked me so that I didn't register the exact number, but I believe it was 12,000 miles)!
If a 911 can go 12,000 miles, I suspect that the X can go 3,500. |
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| xcel |
Hi All:
___As far as getting the oil changed on a trip, I had the X's oil changed out to Mobil1 Synthetic and a Supertech filter at a local Walmart while on our current trip. All I needed to do was hand them a new crush washer and my Discover. I was $27.21 lighter after the fact but at that price, it matched and/or possibly beat any of the Acura dealers prices I could have possibly used and I received a much better filter and much better oil in the process ...
___Good Luck from Glendale ...
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net |
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| alphaforcex |
I know short trips are hard on the engine but most of the places that we go to are within (at most) 10 miles from our house...we don't do that on purpose.
Regarding the 7 days/3500 miles trip, we are thinking about going to Chicago. It's about 2000 miles round trip and we may visit one neighbor city if we got bored in Chicago. In the past, we usually spent the whole day driving to the destination but splitted it into half when driving back. It's actually not that bad when you have two people driving. |
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| maransm |
I would take my MDX for sure..
I bought my MDX in Oct 02 and went for 3000 miles trip in 4 days from Colorado to East Coast during Christmas. I got stuck in the heavy snow storm all the way from Pittsburgh to Colorado and I am sure I wouldn't have survived if I would have travelled in the rental car.
I saw so many accidents on the way. My MDX rocked and I didnt have to stop anywhere on the way even at 8-10" of snow..
I realised my MDX's real performance and the trip made me so comfortable to rely on my MDX !!! |
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| Skewbeedeaux |
quote:
Originally posted by srpbep
I have a friend who just bought a new 911 Carrera 4S and he told me that it uses synthetic and the recommended change interval was astronomical (it was a big number and it shocked me so that I didn't register the exact number, but I believe it was 12,000 miles)!
For late-model BMWs, synth. oil changes are recommended at "about" every 15,000mi. Trigger point for Oil Change light varies depending on driving habits. |
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| norcalchuck |
quote:
Originally posted by alphaforcex
....My friend who has just completed a road trip ran into some piece of metal left on the highway at night and damaged the bumper, condenser and radiator which resulted in an over $1000 repair bill.
That should be covered as a comprehensive loss under his car insurance. People often overlook that.
As an aside, while I have made blitz trips of several hundred and more miles in a day, an average of 500 per with a family sure seems like all you will be doing is driving. |
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| shootist |
I'd definitely take the nice MDX that I'm comfortable with. In the very very rare chance that I had a mechanical problem, THEN I'd rent the car.
Even if the X blows up at the farthest point away from home, you can always have it shipped home for a few hundred. |
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| JTM |
| Supposely Acura TLC will reimburse the $$ for hotel and some other expense if MDX goes wrong during your trip. (as long as MDX still under warranty) |
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| iceman1331 |
Driving your X for its first long trip is the best time to test out your vehicle. Don't be afraid to drive your X under different road conditions to check out all the bugs in your car while it is still under warranty. I do not see saving $ by renting a car versus driving your X for a long trip. You will enjoy the X more than any rental car you can get. I agree with fellow Xers that the X is meant for long trip other than city driving.
Last week I drove 600 miles in one day from San Francisco to Las Vegas, and took about the same mileage on return. I felt the X was very comfortable and dependable. There was not a glitch. I turned the A/C on all the time to counter the outside heat of over 100 degree F. Rental car may not provide enough A/C.
Take your X for the first time long trip, and tell us what your experience after you done.
Have a nice trip. |
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| dvilla |
For short trips to the supermarket and daily driving to work I mostly use my old yet reliable Corolla wagon but for long trips and special occassions I drive my X.
The X is spacious and comfortable. And with the navi I don't worry about getting lost in unfamiliar places. Remember, your most precious asset (your family) will be very safe inside the X. |
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| mdxxxx |
I use a rental for road trips. I put enough miles on my X with short to medium lenghth trips.
I just came back from A ~5000mi trip with a rental. I'm glad I didn't put those miles on my X. |
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| laborlitigator |
MDXXXX,
Where'd you go? |
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| mdxxxx |
quote:
Originally posted by laborlitigator
MDXXXX,
Where'd you go?
I took my daughter off to college... Grambling, LA, via Las Vegas, Albuquerque, and Dallas... |
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| laborlitigator |
| That is a trip. . . hope everything went alright. |
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| paul123 |
I would take the MDX, because to rent a similar vehicle will cost to much. Just be careful in crowded parking lots, and always park far away and give yourself plenty of room.
P.S. - Keep in mind if the trip is really far like New York to Florida, I would personally fly and just rent a Lincoln Towncar. It would be hell with the wife and daughter for a long road trip even in the MDX, and to think what my daughter would do to my interior!! |
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| nwaring |
Back in February I won a silent auction at a fundraiser, the use of a MB SLK230 Roadster for two weeks. I wanted it as a gift to my 20-year-old daughter for getting accepted into medical school (for nursing). She had to take a mandatory summer session this summer and actually only got to use it for one week. So, Mom and Dad are going to use it for a road trip over Labor Day weekend. We are going to head up into the finger lake region of NY on Friday and then spend Sunday in Cooperstown at the BB hall of fame. After that we will work our way back home. Other than driving this thing about 40 miles when she had it this summer neither one of us has spent any time in a convertible. There is a good chance we will wish we had taken the MDX. At least my wife won’t be able to “over” pack as there isn’t much room in this thing with the hard top folded down into the trunk:).
Niles |
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| MikeLastort |
We haven't even gotten the car yet (we should have it the first week of September) but one of the main things we're looking forward to is driving down to Bradenton, Florida from Takoma Park, Maryland for Christmas.
I can't wait to use the navi for a long trip (985.4 miles each way, according to Mappoint :) )
I'm considering buying an XM Radio receiver instead of hauling a bunch of CDs along too. |
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| Ssingh |
I have a 2000 miles trip coming up and finally decided to get a rental (actually a Chevy Minivan) instead. My reasons were primarily:
1) no guild about milege or driving like a maniac in heavy traffic:D
2) Got a good deal via a friend who works at Avis so the cost came less to what I'd accumulate if I took my MDX (gas, maintenance costs, risk of damage, etc)
3) We'll have 3 drivers so I'll be happy if the other drivers do wreck up the vehicle, at least its not gonna be my MDX:eek:
What do u guys normally do....tak your own vehicle or hire rentals?
SS |
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| EXCALIBUR |
Ssingh,
All things being equal, I would go with the rental. You wouldn't have to worry about wear and tear on your MDX. |
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| G. COLTON |
If it is vacation time I usually take my own vehicle. Just like the comfort of driving what I picked out in the first place.
Before I sold my business and retired I would rent if I was going on a business trip. That saved the wear and tear on my vehicles.
G |
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| JL_SS |
| We went from MA to DisneyWorld in FL last month. The 3 of us flew down for $120 each round trip. Then for transporation, I rented a minivan for the 8 days we were there for $250. I driven from MA to FL a few times and used a rental minivan each time to save wear and tear on my own vehicle. Plus you don't have to worry about where you are parking it. Have fun on the trip. |
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| andreseng |
quote:
Originally posted by Ssingh
We'll have 3 drivers so I'll be happy if the other drivers do wreck up the vehicle, at least its not gonna be my MDX:eek:
Be sure to declare all the drivers on the rental agreement and check with your insurance company to see if you are covered. You probably will have to buy the rental companies insurance unless all 3 drivers are on your current policy. But check this out in advance. |
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| BigHersh |
I usually rent vehicles, especially the first 2 times I went to New Orleans... I didn't know what to expect down there, and wasn't about to take my dubbed, blinged-out Expy down there- so it could get stolen, or worse- get hit in the head and have it taken from us. So, I went to Avis, rented a Monte Carlo, and drove it.
I took out their $7.00/day insurance policy, and drove with the piece of mind of knowing, even if the vehicle gets stolen, keyed, dented, or totaled- all I have to do is pick up the phone and say, "bring me another one".
It may cost you more money to rent than it woudl to drive your car, but at the end of the day, peace of mind is priceless... |
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| SilveradoMDX |
| I would rent and save on wear and tear for that beauty SUV. Since you have a friend at a rental, this should save you more money. |
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| mdxforever |
| On a long trip (1000+ miles) I take the mdx only if it involves driving in snow or tricky conditions. Otherwise I'd rent. |
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