80000 mile car

[cirrrocco]

Hello wonderfl folks,

I have a 82000 Nissan Altima, now I got this car when it was 67000 and except for some brake issue, the car has been okay. Not a lot of problems. Now I have been changing oil regularly , like every three months.

I am planning to undertake a 2200 mile trip between WI to CA. Now when i take it to the mechanic what shoud I ask him to do??? I checked the fluids and except for power steerig fluid everything else seems to be okay...

tires are abt 3 months old..I have a check engine light on for abt 6 months and the mechanic is going to take a look at it tomorrow.


any suggestions ...

 

[IronWing]

Tell the mechanic that you intend to make this road. Checking fluids, belts, hoses are the big things. How are Altimas on timing belts? Is your radiator in good shape? How about tires? Also, when is the last time you checked the air pressure in the spare? 82k is just training miles and unless I knew of a serious problem I wouldn't hesitate to drive a car with 82k cross country.

 

[Jumpem]

I would just rent a car for $50 with unlimited mileage for the drive.

 

[MovingTarget]

Belts, hoses, fluid levels/service, tire wear/pressure, air filter, etc. At that mileage though, you should be fine if these check out.

 

[cirrrocco]

Originally posted by: Jumpem
I would just rent a car for $50 with unlimited mileage for the drive.

Jumpem I am relocating for work..

Thanks again for all your comments and suggestions I will let him know what you guys asked me to check.

Originally posted by: IronwingAlso, when is the last time you checked the air pressure in the spare?

Good point, I will check that today.

 

[SirPorl]

I just drove cross country and I just basically had my tires rotated and oil changed. I had a nissan maxima so I didn't have to worry about a timing belt. I had 98,000 mile on it when I left.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Jumpem
I would just rent a car for $50 with unlimited mileage for the drive.

Considering a rental car will probably be in worse shape and more unreliable...why?

I wouldn't even blink at driving my 163k MR2 cross-country tomorrow. I drove the Celica from Indiana to Seattle with over 200k on the odo, nary a problem. Getting it up to 200k had taken several long-haul road trips and plenty of abuse to begin with.

High mileage does NOT mean unreliable...check out how many recent model cars you see stranded by the side of the road every day. Also, the mechanical problems that you're likely to come across on older cars are MUCH better than electrical problems, because (a)Proper maintenance usually prevents them entirely, (b)You can usually catch+fix them with a proper inspection, and (c)Even if you don't catch them, they usually give you plenty of warning and steadily worsening behavior before the car is undriveable, so you ought to be able to get to a town at least.