Me and some mates are planning a road trip through Europe in the summer, and none of our cars are exactly spring chickens. My car is an F reg Mk2 Fiesta (only 39k on the clock and it's in good nick) and the other 2 cars are both Clio's (M and P reg).

The route we have planned at the moment is, get a Ferry to Calais and drive up to Amsterdam, have a couple of nights there then drive to Berlin (that leg is going to be a bit of a bitch), spend a night there, then drive onto Krakow, spend a night, drive to Budapest (through Slovakia) and spend 2 nights there, drive to Vienna - 1 night, drive to Strasbourg - 1night, drive to Paris - 1 night, then make our way back to Calais for the ferry home - shopping for booze on the way.

We're going to be 3 people per car so they aren't too overloaded (and if 1 breaks down we can cram in the other 2), and luggage-wise we'll be travelling light.

Is there anything I should know about Mk2 Fiestas before I go driving for 2500 miles (assuming we don't get lost/distracted) before we go? Any parts that are likely to fail? Judging by movies, it always seems to be fanbelts I'm going to get European breakdown cover, but if it's something simple like a fanbelt, I'd rather fix it myself than wait 2 hours for some guy called Hans to show up who doesn't speak a word of English

So, what would you guys say is essential inventory if you're going to do 2500miles in a 19 year old car in summer heat?

Also, does anybody have any ideas how much we could load the car up without causing imminent death to beloved car? I don't want to knacker the suspension (it's got the original springs and 2 original shocks) and I don't want to burn the clutch out trying to drag the car up slovakian mountains

Advice is welcome


-- Nice forums btw, I haven't been on here for a while, it has changed quite a bit

 

Any advice? Good luck mate thats all i can say. Give it a good service before you go,and if it was me i would put new tyres on too. I would also carry a few spare wheels with you.

 

I'd service it and fit new wheel bearings all round if it was me and make sure you take some tools, jacks etc and good luck let us know how ya got on when ya get back

 

i think you would be surpised how many people in europe speek english mate. I go to norway every year and the do it very well. Also in germany and other countrys. So don't worry about it.

p.s
I go to norway this year in a orion from 85.

 

If it were my car, before I left I'd change......... the cam and alternator belts, check discs, pads and tyres, change plugs and leads, new o&f, check exhaust to see if it's likely to go imminently, fit a new thermostat and change the coolant. All sounds a bit bit obvious and maybe I'm being a bit anal about it but if it's all done then there's less chance of anything kicking up on your trip. I'd also do all that lot at least a fortnight befiore I left so if there are any problems after you have time to get them sorted in the UK.

Take a spare alternator belt with you and some tools. Oil and stuff you can get anywhere so don't worry about that.

 

I would purchase good European Breakdown cover as you are asing your car to do 2500+ miles in a week. In addtition to the points above ask yourself some questions such as:

Does my car have 2500 miles worth of tread in the tyres, 2500 miles worth of braking power in the brakes. The most important bit is, are you going to be able to drive that distance in the small amount of time and enjoy yourself?

 

best EVER bit of advice:tu

 

i'd say hire out a car , no stress on your own car

ok it will cost u a bit, but it will be worth it for the peace of mind

 

The tyres are near-enough new, and I won't be doing much driving on them before the summer, so they should be ok I guess, how many miles do you reckon you could get from new tyres? I recently replaced the front pads too, I need to have a look at the back pads, IIRC, they still have a bit of meat on, not sure if it'll be enough for 2500 miles though.

Do you know of any good and cheap breakdown cover? Most of the companies I have found won't cover a car as old as mine. AA will do it for about £90, but that seems a bit steep.

To the last point: Definitely I love driving.


glennshute: Unfortunately, there is only room for 1 spare wheel (which of course I'll be taking) but with 3 people in the car and 10 days worth of luggage. There really won't be enough room to carry any extra wheels with me.


Mr S1: I'll definitely check those things, most of them should be ok as there are quite a lot of new parts on the car. I'll take it in for a service a couple of weeks before we go and I'll take a new belt with me just in case. Quite a major problem is the money though to be honest, I am a uni student and therefore don't have the money to replace a bunch of parts on my car and go on a road trip. So depending on the state of the current parts, I might have to call it off until I've got some more money saved.

 

Mk2 fiestas are a piece of cake to work on! - just be sure to take a decent basic socket, and screwdriver set too!

 

I would also recommend staying in the places you mention a bit longer. It seems a lot of driving with not much rest time, and exploring the places you are staying at. I would say spread it out a bit more.

 

Not to good at staying their 4 wheels tho