im planning on taking a 3000 mile road trip next month, and kbb estimates the depreciation of my car to be about $300...

if i can rent a car for less than $300, would it make more sense to rent and save the depreciation on my car?

i bought the car to drive, of course.. but i can understand how it makes more sense to rent a car in this situation.. i'm not sure what to do.. (assuming similar gas milage)

thanks for the thoughts/opinions

 

3000 miles? I say definitely rent. I would.

Just my opinion tho, e.

 

I'd rent, & save the wear & tear on your car. I have done the same. Be carefull though, some rental places have limits on taking the car out of state.

 

I would not rent for a few reasons:

1) I own a car so I don't have to ponder issues like this (!)
2) I don't give a rat's ass about depretion. I'm keeping my car for more the 5 years, more like 10 - 15. What about you? My car is not an investment, it's a tool/product/thing.
3) It'll cost you a lot more the $300 to rent a car that is as comfortable as the CL-S. We don't drive an Olds Alero, a Chrylser Intrepid, or a Daewoo something or other (three recent full class cars that I rented). You'll need to fork out the bucks to rent a luxury car to get even close to the CL-S.
4) I own a car so I don't have to ponder issues like this (!)
5) I own a car so I don't have to ponder issues like this (!)

Now if you're talking about taking your car into Mexico or some bad parts of town for a while, I'd think twice (because I don't want my car stolen or trashed, not about depretiation issues).

 

I agree 100% with Slimey....

I have a 1999 Audi A6 that I am currently selling to get my Acura CL-S. It has 112,000 miles on it.....

I could have rented cars when I had long distances to go, but I purchased an expensive, comfortable car just for the long drives....if I wanted a cheap ride for the long drives, then I would have purchased a cheap car to begin with....I appreciate the ride and comfort of my car on the long drives more than the short drives. I got every penny's worth out of my car as far as I am concerned....

Doing the math, I spent about 2800 hours driving my car (that is assuming an average overall speed of 40MPH). I would rather spend that time in a nice car that I enjoy rather than a tin can from a rental car company.

Also, you can't put a price off of KBB on a trip like this......sure you will put 3000 miles on it this month, but if you go away on vacation somewhere without the car in a couple of months, you will put no miles on it during that time. If you are concerned about depreciation, just watch your average miles per year...you can do long drives, but then rest it up a bit (take the wife, girlfriend, parent's car) for a lot of the little crap driving.

 

I'm with Slimey and company. 3000 miles is a lot of miles, but the engine is made to go for a long time, so go for it. If you're keeping the car, the easy highway miles won't take much from the real life of the car. In the meantime, you get the climate control, leather, and all the other creature comforts of a luxo-cruiser.

If you had a true sports car I might say go for the rental because it might not be comfortable to go for real long drives in a harsh-riding sports coupe. You've got a GT type car, though, so go enjoy it!

 

Honestly... for a 3000 mile trip... I'd fly.

 

yeah, 3000 miles, fuck driving, yuo arent saving any money considering gas/tolls, etc and you certainly wouldnt be saving any time, a 1500 mile one way trip is at least 20 hours, thats a full day wasted at least!! you can fly 1500 miles in 4 hours or less. any particular reason why youd want to drive that far??

 

I took my CL-S from NH to TN, GA, and back last summer. 2,400 miles in a week. I thought about renting a car, but I was glad I didn't. The CL-S cruises along very nicely on long trips, with very nice comfort.

 

probably doesnt matter much to you, but it's about 1500 each way.. so 3k total. just to clarify

 

I for one HATE TO FLY! I drive if I can. I have driven alot of 3K+ mile trips. Like 6 or 7 a year. The point isn't
I own a car so I don't have to ponder issues like this (!)
I think about rock chips, worn our tires, bug guts all over my car, wearing out the seats, stuff like that. I have rented an Intrepid, & a few other cars, & yes they aren't the CLS, but they have suited me just fine. Also for me driving is about the same $$, or cheaper then flying.

 

Holy crap.. where are you going? I thought airlines were lowering their prices lately. Damn.

 

up from philly to pei, ca

 

Hmmm - I was planning on taking a 1 - 2 week driving trip in July from Philadelphia, through Maine, into Quebec to Montreal and Quebec City, back down through Ottawa and then Niagra Falls and upstate New York, and back home. It sounded fun to me.

I guess most of you would think I'm crazy to contemplate such a trip.

I've done many similar trips cruising through Europe and North America without a thought. You really get to see more then you would if you fly -- of course you need more time to get the same area covered, but I think it's part of the enjoyment of travel.

 

Definately take your car, you know what maintenance has been done to it and whatnot, plus the CL is soooo nice for a long trip, better than some pos ford or whatever you'd get. Plus you can't show off a rental where ever you go.