Road Trip in my C or a rental?

There's a saying among married people... when the wife's happy... everyone's happy.

 

Happy wife, happy life.

If that's what she wants, that's what you want too.

If it were just me, I would just take the car. Why rent a car and bother with the extra insurance premium, lower fuel mileage, unfamiliar car in emergency situations, a car that has probably been abused by hundreds of previous drivers, etc.

You know your car, you maintain your car, you know what is done and what needs to be done. You know its limitations, you know its strengths. It is a no brainer. I drive my Prius thousands of miles in single trips with only being turned off for the 5 minutes to refuel, otherwise constant 25-30 hour drives at high speeds.

Keep in mind with the C, you have the smaller engine so your highway is more similar to a GenII than the GenIII with its bigger engine. Highway driving, loaded with people and luggage at 80-100 miles per hour will net you closer to 42-45 mpg.

 

It was making sense until you said you will rent a Yaris in place of your C. It would make more sense to rent if you needed something different for the trip (bigger car or SUV). Otherwise what's the point unless you wanted to not put extra miles on the C, especially if you're leasing it. You say you would have to buy a bra for the car - it seems to me you may want to do that anyway? As far as crime goes at your destination, if a theft or vandalism of the rental occurs, I think the hassle of dealing with that will be just as bad as dealing with it on your own car. I agree that you won't have to deal with any physical damages to a rental car, but they won't let you just walk away without paying for it.

 

I initially worried about putting miles on my new C (only about 250 miles round-trip every few weeks), but then I realized that I bought the C to save on gas, and the main limitation wear & tear-wise, the traction battery, seemed to be more limited by time than miles, and it doesn't suffer much wear & tear on the highway. Especially if the alternative is paying to rent basically the same car plus spending more on gas, I'd just take the c. If you're worried enough about bugs/scratches to buy the bra for the trip, you'd benefit from having one anyway, and it'll last longer than just the trip.

 

Plus it's probably a wash on price anyhow. Get the chip guard and install or rent a car and pay the extra in gas for 2 fill ups.

 

Driving your car makes the most sense in several ways, but it's not a big financial difference considering total trip and vehicle costs. It sounds like it makes more of a difference to your wife than it does to you, so the smart thing to do would be to graciously do it her way

If you want to try one more discussion you could tell that if you buy a bra, you will still have it to protect your car after the trip. If the long haul, fewer front end chips if you buy a bra for your car than if you didn't drive your car on that one trip.

 

My basis for that was mostly reports of Prius taxis getting 300-400K miles in just a few years on the same battery, and the batteries currently failing seem to be mostly those from the 1st generation Prius. The other main battery enemy seems to be hot climates.

 

There is no way I would enjoy a roadtrip in a tiny Yaris. Typically, you can get pretty nice rates going through Priceline for a rental car, and usually the better deals are for the better cars. If traveling in your car requires so many accessories, it is best to just rent a car.

 

I too agree that it made sense until you mentioned renting a Yaris.

Then again I hear wives don't make sense often. But what do I know. I'm a guy

 

Why would two people traveling 450 miles each way need anything larger than the c?

Also, unless "better cars" are cheaper than renting a Yaris, they're going to end up costing more because they'll use more gas.

 

There have been times that I have lied to my other half, telling him that I don't mind driving, that I love driving this car in the city, it won't be so bad. Yeah...it was bad. We aren't old, I travel around for Marathons and now he is the whining one. It is amazing how small and uncomfortable a car can be when you aren't the only one in it. I can handle a 12 hour drive better than he can a three hour drive and I am the one running 26.2 miles and driving afterwards! Check out your deals, you can get much better rates outside of AAA. But, in the end it is up to you. You could rent the regular Prius.

 

99% of the time, your own car insurance and/or credit card covers the insurance. Never get it from the rental company. I am surprised at how many hybrid rentals are available, even in smaller markets. I have noticed C-Max, Ford Fusion Hybrids, Kia Optima Hybrids as well as the Prius available more and more. The Kia Optima isn't bad at all, even the gas version. I am not a Chevy fan. It is painful to drive regular cars most of the time now. I loved the Ford Escape and the Ford Edge, but the gas mileage wasn't so great. They were so comfortable though. Check the tips on Clark Howards website (under travel). He knows a lot of tricks to getting a great deal. The first trip we took in my Prius, my other half didn't see the curb in the parking garage that marks the spot and dragged the bumper across it, and I needed to get the bumper replaced. I had my car a month. So, that is part of the reason I am so passionate about driving a car you like so much cross country. If a Yaris is your cup of tea, go for it, but I liked having more space than I was used to.