matt_a

Rent a car and leave the xB at home locked safely in the garage! My family and I are driving out to Chicago this weekend to visit friends for 5 days. It's about a 12 hour drive each way. I was debating about buying a bra to protect the front end, I was worried about possibly getting caught in a hail storm, and I'm not sure where I might have to park while at our friends house (maybe in the street along the curb). Just for the heck of it, I called my local Enterprise rent-a-car. Turns out, I can rent a standard size car (Dodge Stratus, Pontiac G6, or Chrysler Cirrus) for the entire week, with unlimited milage for $172 total by using a coupon! SOLD! The cars are all new '05s or '06s with A/C, cruise control, and CD. Now I can just relax and drive the crap out of it while the xB is safe at home. That's going to be about 1,500 miles NOT going on the box.

VTECnik

but when you see that other box on the highway your going to say i wish i drove mine

but you are saving the miles and any headaches

good luck on your trip.............

Max

I parked mine on a long trip to Iowa recently, and was glad I did.

I know someone's gonna post something saying something like "what's the point of having a new car if you don't use it" but the way I see it, renting a car for a long trip keeps your new car newer for longer.

Box_of_Rain

We rented a car to take to NC so I wouldn't have to break in our Box on the long trip. 5 day rental for only $125. It was a nice Nissan Altima which I'm positive was better on our rear-ends than the Box would have been.

matt_a

Hmmm...that deal was even better than mine. Who was that through?

Box_of_Rain

It was through Enterprise. I was shocked at how cheap it was, plus the 4 banger in the 05 Altima was getting 29 mpg @ 90mph.

bBsactoguy

I think renting a car is a good idea for some long trips. I don't think I can stand getting my xB hurt hehe.. it already is... but oh well...

frday13

Ahh i'm going to look into this. I'm going on a 4 day cruise to kansas city,mo and then sandusky ohio.

blitz_xb

i ve driven my xb back and forthfrom NC to NJ 5 times now and regret doing it maybe 2 times but enjoyed it and i think it does great on long trips but i know have racked on a lot of miles oh well

frday13

i've been looking and i can find no good rental deals..can someone help me out for a 5day deal?

matt_a

Try going here: http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/home.do
Also, try to find coupons for them in your local "Clipper" or whatever.

rdclark

This is why we have a minivan and an xB. The MPV rocks on trips, we can carry bikes in the back with the wheels on, plus all our luggage, three people, it's reasonably quiet and still fun to drive, gets 27mpg on the highway. The xB gets used more for local driving -- it commutes 5 days a week, while the MPV stays home if I ride my bike.

I know, not everybody is a 2-car family, but for us the combination is ideal. And for a minivan, the MPV is reasonably small and agile. But the stereo doesn't play MP3s.

RichC

HoTBoX009

You are paying to keep your low miles on your XB.

matt_a

We are a 2 car family. I have a new xA and she has the xB. The xB would be a great car to take on the trip. I have no doubt about that. The reason I'm renting a car, is because we LOVE the yellow box and I don't want to see anything happen to it. Plus, we save the milage and wear-n-tear.

matt_a

It's not just about the milage. Like I said, it's also about the possibility of road chips, hail storms, vandalism and about 20 other things my paranoid mind can come up with. The way I see it, it's a worth while investment. Heck, if you do the math, it makes sense. Lets say you take one long road trip per year of 1,500 miles. Now let's say you have your car for 5 years, but you rent each year instead. Over 5 years, you'll spend about $750 on rentals, but you'll have 7,500 fewer miles on your car and it will be in better over-all condition. That will pay for itsself in resale value.

rdclark

People have different reasons for buying the cars they buy. Personally, since we keep our cars until they turn into junk (I have owned 11 cars and only ever sold one of them; the rest were all used up and towed away), I have no good reason to "preserve" them. The xB, especially, was purchased as an economy car, so the more we drive it instead of a more expensive car the more it serves its purpose.

But I absolutely get that a lot of people feel differently about their cars and have different approaches to ownership. And driving a rental can be fun just for the chance to drive something unfamiliar that you don't have to baby. On the other hand, if you dent a fender or ding a door, you get no choice about whether or not to pay for the bodywork.

RichC

matt_a

Ah, but that's the great thing about a rental. They have this dirt-cheap insurance you get that basically gives you total freedom. If the car is damaged you don't worry about fixing it.

killermethod

Get roadblocker and drive the Box >i drove from CT. to Toronto Canada and didn't regret the drive one bit . but also add two hours to your drive with kids depending on thier age of coarse

KYfirefighter

has anyone heard of coating the front bumper with vaseline while on road trips to protect it from bugs and small rocks? I have never tried it but i have seen it done once on a vehicle with a custom paint job and the guy swore by it. if anyone tries it let me know if it works and how hard it is to clean off.

rdclark

Depends on what you consider "dirt cheap." Especially since you're already paying for a car insurance policy that probably already covers rentals.

RichC