7 answers

Car Trip Advice Needed!

Hi fellow mamas. I am taking a road trip with my son. We have a hatchback that's awesome during the rest of the year, but for this one week trip, there's not enough room for all our stuff. I have two choices... I can either install a good roof rack and get the cargo box for about $500 - $600, or I can simply rent a roomy SUV for about $600. And it might even have a roof rack already on it, then I only need to buy the Thule bag/box. What should I choose? I am driving a few hundred miles and don't take more than one road trip in a year.

What can I do next?

So What Happened?™

You ladies are so great! Thanks for advice so far. Seems like renting is THE way to go. Plus I may have lots more cubbies in the front seat, for snacks and stuff. Thanks for mentioning the wear on my car that I'd save, plus the fact that I can just trade in the SUV for another one if there's any problem! Didn't think of that earlier, and that's a lot of peace of mind. Really grateful for all feedback.

More Answers

I'd rent the SUV. You'll put the miles on the rental and if you have mechanical problems on your trip, you won't be stuck waiting for parts at a garage, you can trade it for a working vehicle at the next rental location. Plus, it would give you a chance to try out an SUV for future reference.

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I have a great cargo box from Sears and it was only $150. It is one of the big ones.

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Rent.......that way you arent putting the wear and tear on your vehicle.

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I second renting, or, how much stuff are we talking about?

Your cheapest option might be to just mail a box of stuff there, and then mail your dirty laundry back home.

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I agree on the renting, since you won't be doing this often, and your car won't have the wear and tear.

If you want to go and not spend the extra money, take less. I did a month long cross country road trip with my husband and 3 year old son in our Subaru Outback, our bikes on the back and my son's bike trailer that took up half of the space in the back of the car. We even took all of our camping gear, which took up pretty much the other half, which we never even used. Didn't use the bike trailer either. So basically we wasted all of the space in the back and had our clothes and food in the back seat.

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An SUV will have tons more room inside and the rack won't be needed. I would go that way.

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Have you seen the soft roof carriers? They're really nice: roomy when you need it AND fold small for storage.

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