BakersDozen Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 I posted a few days ago about a friend agreeing to take her dd and my oldest 3 on a cross country road trip this summer. We will pay for gas, food, lodging and fees/admission to sites. I had hoped she would agree to drive our car (Hyundai) as it gets great gas mileage (we had orginally planned to take this trip in the fall when we wouldn't need to use the a/c yet she has requested to go this summer). She wants to take her minivan which has very high miles, needs an a/c, new tires, etc. We just fixed the a/c on our car and it has brand new tires. She also wants a navigation system; I'm willing to buy a system but can it be taken out of her van and put in our car when they get back? It would be nice for everyone to have a van as it provides more space yet the gas mileage difference is substantial. If she takes her van, however, she can take a large cooler so that decreases meals eaten out whereas our car is so small it will only hold 5 people and their luggage. I've looked online for used minivans and am shocked at the price! We got our car for 8K and it had 400 miles on it; I've not found a van for under 10K that has less than 50K miles! We'd love to buy a minivan yet we don't have enough $ saved up yet and really don't want a vehicle payment (our goal is to pay cash for our vehicles). WWYD? If we agree for her to take her van should we buy the tires and pay for the a/c? Part of me wants to take the $ that we would put into her van and just buy our own, accepting that we will have a vehicle payment for a while. We have about 8K saved for our next vehicle so that is a good chunk of $ I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 I would not put money into someone else's car. But does she have $$ or a plan if it breaks down on the road? I might be willing to pay for AAA if I were concerned about the reliability of her car. And no way should you buy one, just to hand it over to her for this long drive, when you haven't saved enough for it. I guess you would have to calculate the money saved by not eating out. And how practical is that, really? Would she make sandwiches, or what? Personally, now that I have had a minivan, I don't think I would want to take a long drive in a regular car. You just have no room to spread out. That's 4 kids, and big kids at that. Also, yes, just get a portable Tom Tom type GPS at WalMart. You plug it into the cigarette lighter and off you go. It doesn't need a subscription service or registered to anyone in particular. Do you know what is wrong with the a/c? Those repairs can run in the thousands depending on what it is. And they could survive without it, albeit uncomfortably. Tires I might consider splitting with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BakersDozen Posted April 24, 2011 Author Share Posted April 24, 2011 I guess you would have to calculate the money saved by not eating out. And how practical is that, really? Would she make sandwiches, or what? She's super good about stuff like this and made the suggestion herself to bring a huge cooler and eat out as little as possible. I would not put money into someone else's car. OK, but how then do I approach the issue of what needs to be done in order to get her van in travel condition? The trip was my idea, the van is her idea...I don't know what to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VA6336 Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 If it were us, I think I would reiterate the offer of the car (lower gas mileage, working a/c). If she wants to take the van, that's fine you-understand that the kids will be more comfortable and that you'll risk the food savings evening out the extra gas money. However, I wouldn't invest in her vehicle. If you do have the money, I'd consider buying a navigation system/GPS thing for her to borrow during the trip. If it's more a question of your comfort level with the trip-readiness of her van, then for peace of mind I might at the very last minute, gift her with a one year AAA membership. I have a friend I can see doing this with years from now, too. What a great idea! Only, I think I'd want to go with her! :auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Do either of you have a cell phone you can add navigation to? Mine is $10.00 a month and it's actually better than my regular GPS.... Also, i would pay for half the gas, but the whole vehicle thing is... well.. her responsibility. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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