We are trying to figure out which vehicle we should take to Florida for our Thanksgiving trip. We currently have two vehicles – a 2017 F-250 with probably about 190k miles on it and a 2013 Explorer with less than 89k miles on it. A third option is to rent a vehicle.
We plan to bring our family of 5 and our two dogs with us on this trip. It will be a very long drive, but we are really looking forward to spending time with family. We plan to stay in a hotel that is close to my sister and accepts dogs including our 100 lb. lab.
So how do we get there? To take the big dog, we pretty much have to drive (my dog is small enough to fly, but we want to drive). That leaves us with 3 options – truck, Explorer, or a rental (which is still cheaper than flying even if we leave the dogs out of equation).
Let’s look at these options:
The F-250 – this is a big truck and very spacious with great leg room. The problem is that two of my kids are over 6′ tall and the big dog likes her butt on the seat when she rides so that probably won’t fit. The adults will be very comfortable in front. The kids, probably not as much. Hubs wants to drive his truck for his comfort on the long drive, but recognizes it’s a lot of miles and doesn’t 100% fit the bill for space for the kids.
The Explorer – if we take the Explorer, we will put up the 3rd row seating option. This will change our spread out space from leg room to more booty space (for kids and big dog). It also reduces the cargo area. It’s not as comfy for hubby to drive as his truck is. Also, I had an incident with road debris last year that means my new windshield, which was poorly installed, has a weird buzzing sound it makes.
The final option we are trading is renting an Expedition. That will allow more space in all directions. It will be a much nicer ride than the two vehicles we own. The problem with this is that it’s a bunch of money to rent the Expedition.
I have looked at this in a few ways. First, it’s the cost of the trip to rent a vehicle that the whole family will fit in. It will be nice and spacious and comfortable. Renting an Expedition is cheaper than buying a new vehicle we can all fit in for a long ride. Even recent trailer trips where we have had all of us have been in both vehicles.
But…the cost to rent it could also help purchase an Expedition. Why rent when we can apply that money to a purchase? I looked to see what is out there at the nearby Ford dealer. I found a used 2021 Expedition with 96k miles for $26,485. It is newer and has more features than my 2013 base model Explorer, but clearly it has more miles than my vehicle.
We have been planning to have my son use the Explorer when he turns 16. It’s better to have him in a used car we know the history of instead of getting something completely unknown. I have been dreaming about my next vehicle and have been thinking about the Mach-E (and that’s a whole other discussion). An Expedition is not something at the top of my list, but it is something the family needs?
I am not sure we should rush into a new vehicle purchase for our Thanksgiving ride. My son doesn’t even have a permit yet. I also think that it would be fun to rent the Expedition and have the most comfortable ride possible for our trip. I feel weird because of the dog hair we will be dumping into the thing. I think my car is cozy and comfy, but I will just have Pepper in my seat – the extra space will probably be much appreciated by the rest of the family. I can also try driving the Expedition around to see if I like it.
I am guessing we would rent from Monday – Sunday since we are planning to travel Tuesday – Saturday. We will see what we roll up in, but you know I like venting to think about decisions! 🙂