Driving to FL from GA

[Despain]

Simple. I'm driving from Atlanta to PCB sometime within the next few months (about a 4 hour drive) to visit someone. However I don't know if my car can make the trip. I've never driven this far before, and I have a lot of worries on my mind about it.

Car is a '98 Honda Civic LX. Recently got an oil change, and everything else seems to be fine with the car. This may be a retarded/useless thread, but I need people's opinion's without having to go to a mechanic. My car has no outstanding problems... it did over-heat a few times about 2 months ago, but the problem seemed to have fixed itself after going through a bottle of anti-freeze.

Anything that I personally can look at to determine if my car's in good condition to make the trip? :/ I want to avoid renting a car...

[Hitoru]

I live in Tallahassee and parents are in Coral Springs. That by itself (in the same state. Fuck you FL) is a 6-7 hour drive. My car is a 98 honda accord that was in a nice front-end-raping crash back in high school but I'm still able to make the drive without issue (power steering sounds like I'm killing a cat when I turn). You should be fine as we're getting a bit on the cooler side lately with temperature and that drive is really not bad at all. If you decide to drive in and take I-10 west there you're in a for a nice straight-shot drive that's boring as all hell. So yeah, don't worry about it.

[Zeb]

4 hour trip is nothing. Just check your tires, make your sure phone is charged and have most of the directions memorized before you go.

[Tyche]

It's a civic, drive it to Tokyo if you want.

[Despain]

Thanks for the quick responses. God knows if I go to a mechanic with these questions, they'll give me a huge fuck ton of shit that my car needs to get fixed to be able to make the trip. :/

[Icari]

Make sure you get your hoses looked at and your fluids topped off before you go and everything should be fine.

[Senji]

If you think your car is old and whomped, just drive the speed limit to keep the stress on it to a minimum. After checking air/rubber/fluids of course.

[gandorf]

Where is PCB?

[Hitoru]

Where is PCB?

He should be talking about Panama City Beach, or at least I hope.

[Cyn]

I've never driven this far before

Wow, how old are you? I'm pretty sure I'd already made several 4+ hour drives by the time I was 17... O.o

[isladar]

Wow, how old are you? I'm pretty sure I'd already made several 4+ hour drives by the time I was 17... O.o

Seriously, I'd racked up DC to Chicago, Chicago to Montreal and back, Chicago to North Carolina and back more times than I care to count by the time I was 18, drove from Chicago to Portland, OR when I was 20, and LA to NC (in one fucking shot, thank you very much) when I was 21. Just did Chicago to CA in August.

Long distance driving is the best thing on the planet. Except through Nebraska. Fuck you, Nebraska.

[Darkevolution]

Sorry if this is late, but if your car is overheating I'd check you coolant levels, it's the green liquid. If you notice your coolant levels dropping after a week, something is obviously wrong. Another thing is make sure your radiator hose or any hoses aren't really frayed or cracking like others have said, some are really hard to see especially if they are up against the firewall. Also it could be a bad water pump if it wasn't replaced within the past 80-120k miles. Hope that helps.

[Takram]

I've driven from Atlanta to Panama City several times, and if you're driving the non-idiotic way(Atlanta -> Columbus -> Dothan, Alabama -> Panama City) I'd definitely do what everyone has said above and get your tubes and belts checked, and also make sure you have a working spare and some emergency water for the radiator, as there's a lot of stretches where you're driving in the middle of freakin nowhere from Columbus all the way down to Panama City. That area's got some pretty terrible roads, and they're doing a lot of construction down there around Eufala and Dothan, so just be careful and such. Now, if you're going 75 down to I-10 and then over you don't have to be as cautious because it's much more highly traveled, so if something does happen you're more likely to be able to get help from somebody.

[Moss]

I'm driving from Baton Rouge > Austin, TX(7 hours) on Friday, and I routinely drive from Baton Rouge > Atlanta(8 hours), and I never take any of these precautions. You guys are making me nervous.

[ZarakiKujata]

I live in Tallahassee and parents are in Coral Springs. That by itself (in the same state. Fuck you FL) is a 6-7 hour drive. My car is a 98 honda accord that was in a nice front-end-raping crash back in high school but I'm still able to make the drive without issue (power steering sounds like I'm killing a cat when I turn). You should be fine as we're getting a bit on the cooler side lately with temperature and that drive is really not bad at all. If you decide to drive in and take I-10 west there you're in a for a nice straight-shot drive that's boring as all hell. So yeah, don't worry about it.

Haha, when my grandparents lived in Coral Springs in the 1990s we drove down there from OH or CT all the time in the shitty old Fords my family owned back then.. and once again to visit family friends in my moms Honda Odyssey like 5 years ago? You'll be fine, japanese cars are fucking indestructible. watch top gear if you dont believe.

[Takram]

Yeah, but Baton Rouge -> Austin and Baton Rouge -> Atlanta is all highway, so you can afford to not be as cautious because people actually drive on those roads. Assuming he drives the not stupid way he's going to be doing a lot of driving on low-traffic middle of freaking nowhere roads where even when you come to a city there's no guarantee there's a mechanic with parts for his car.

[Korietsu]

FL -> GA = what I drive to go home on a regular basis in a piece of shit car that burns oil and overheats on occasion. You shouldn't have any problems if you can use it as a daily driver.

[lovehatehero]

put gas in it, make sure you have tires on it and it starts...and fucking drive you pansy ass.

[Despain]

Haha.

I'm 19, and have never had a reason to ever drive far. Been driving since I was 15. Long drives don't worry me; its my car giving out that does.

[Korietsu]

If you can drive it every day just fine, the car wont give out or magically explode.