Euro Roadtrip Car

dh0011

I am planning a road trip in Europe in about 6 months time. Something like the link below.

I think the posters on this forum might be able to offer me some advice for the trip. I have an avensis with 115,000 miles on it. It will be over 120K by the time the trip comes around. Herself Has a corolla with 20000 miles on it and will probably have 21000 miles on it by the time the trip comes around.

Anyone have any advice about which car to bring? Perhaps suggest another. I will need to fit 2 bikes in the boot of the car on the boat. Will have bike rack on the back of the car for the rest of the trip. Aside from that just want a reliable car that will go anywhere on the trip.

If anyone has done a similar trip and has any other advice I would love to hear it.

https://maps.google.ie/maps?saddr=Lower+Glanmire+Road%2FN8&daddr=48.6161506,7.51968+to:44.384669,1.817432+to:45.065231,5.241076+to:45.2895386,8.570905+to:49.4578593,11.1169642+to:50.9117365,4.3989437+to:52.4924935,6.0156014+to:57.4688784,10.1076794+to:52.7828215,18.2603519+to:54.647724,21.2720821+to:48.7103489,20.4825538+to:46.877625,19.9820059+to:50.120651,14.5016189+to:48.283082,11.6914137+to:47.1598363,14.7665925+to:38.2745924,-5.6225306+to:48.5750029,-4.306456+to:Bd+Winston+Churchill%2FD6015&hl=en&sll=53.904338,10.283203&sspn=42.72041,74.707031&geocode=Ffb4FwMdZlJ__w%3BFdbS5QIdwL1yAClhvrrw4K-WRzGUvgr-fgRrzA%3BFZ1BpQIdWLsbAClzq4t8X1WsEjGQGSKDjynrMA%3BFQ-krwId9PhPACnBRDLBX7CKRzFa6724mivvfQ%3BFUIQswIdGciCACnBH1FdRFOGRzEwJqNjOQMCGw%3BFcOq8gIdpKGpACnpFMeNiVefRzHkhZDJgbmHJA%3BFfjZCAMdXx9DACmp6KMQucLDRzHf7PzC4R_Rxg%3BFc34IAMdccpbACkjhau3ptnHRzHRwTzI9c7Kew%3BFc7nbAMdHzuaACmBR6Sy38xIRjHResWv3pNPKA%3BFeVmJQMdf6EWASlfl_jp61ADRzFGpLydG3n--Q%3BFazbQQMdEpZEASk5Zc7C9qLjRjH1aV03hEoHZg%3BFcxC5wId-Yk4ASmvBqRsy7E_RzGgyPO3q69S0w%3BFblLywIdteYwASk3kx7XSOFDRzFGhoR5MM_p2Q%3BFcvH_AId8kbdACl3X0b0vuwLRzFsYGZ2O4SzWQ%3BFcq94AIdlWWyACnRNFuEoHKeRzHKkvWwU5km-w%3BFRyazwIdAFLhACklnYPz9sxxRzEwAWKNjD5mbQ%3BFSAGSAId_jSq_ym_ImgzZnETDTHNg4F-3MF6Aw%3BFRoy5QId6Em-_ymPT8lBmasWSDH6091xgAhUNA%3BFYQ48wId2hsCAA&doflg=ptm&mra=dpe&mrsp=13&sz=4&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17&t=m&z=4

dingding

Looks like a great trip, Enjoy. How many days are you taking.

dh0011

the paln is about 6 weeks

somecreep

What year are they? 115,000 is nothing really especially for a toyota

dh0011

avensis 03 corolla 06.
The avensis feels like new. I am not worried about the car breaking down but someone might have advice like congestion charges might be worse on a bigger car parking in Europe etc.

CiniO

If you are planning to go in 6 months, it will be late November.
6 weeks will cover end of November, December and beginning for January.
You will definitely need winter tyres then.

Great route BTW. It's over 9000 miles so you will be averaging over 200 miles per day.

I would take Avensis as it will be just more comfortable.
Are they diesel or petrol?
Maybe avensis has more mileage but chance of breakdown are equal IMHO.
Just get some reasonable breakdown insurance, and in worst case car will be towed to the garage and fixed. It should still come cheaper as fixing anything in Ireland beforehand as there's hardly any place in Europe where garage prices for fixing cars are more expensive than here

I can see also you are planning a visit in Russia. This is outside EU and you will need to get visas for that.

Congestion charges are only in London.
There are umweltzones in Germany in bigger citied. But all I know that you might need some stickers - but where can you get them, how much they cost and if you can get them at all - I don't know.
In Slovakia, Czech republic and Austria you need to display a vignette when travelling on the motorways. You can buy those vignettes on petrol stations.

dh0011

Hadnt thought of the tyres - thanks for pointing it out.

both cars are petrol.

the visit to Russia is the piece of the trip I am not sure about. I am a bit worried about security more than anything else there. Have heard a lot of stories about lads having to bribe policemen to get their passports back etc...

Thanks for these three points:
Congestion charges are only in London.
There are umweltzones in Germany in bigger citied. But all I know that you might need some stickers - but where can you get them, how much they cost and if you can get them at all - I don't know.
In Slovakia, Czech republic and Austria you need to display a vignette when travelling on the motorways. You can buy those vignettes on petrol stations.