Get up and go

My daughter is buying a 2020 car (possibly a Ford Escape, Subaru Forester, Mazda CX-5, or a couple others also in the running) later this year to drive to a new job 2,000 miles away. She’s planning to make the final buying decision about a week before she leaves because she wants to finance as little as possible and wants to be able to apply her final paycheck to the down payment. The problem with that: I estimate it’ll take at least six weeks for her to accumulate the 3,000 miles of break-in required for a new car. How vital is that?

There are a few factors to consider.

First, I’m not sure she’ll need such a long break-in period. Decades ago, the break-in period was much longer than today; she should find out from each of the carmakers she’s considering what the break-in period is. It varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and even some of the breakin details vary. My guess is the break-in is shorter than you think it is.

That said, I never recommend hitting the interstate for distant parts (even after the requisite break-in). Here’s why: it’s best for people to be more familiar with the technology and aspects of the new car before having to navigate rush hour traffic in, say, Kansas City.

But just as important: brand-new cars sometimes need a little tweaking for things that slipped past quality control.

I once drove a brand-new car from Maine to Florida in April about two weeks after buying it. In Georgia, we ran into one of those deluges that happen only in the South in the spring. And we discovered the windshield wasn’t correctly sealed. Water poured into the cabin, and we had to interrupt the trip to find a dealership that would help us.

Last year, a friend bought a new car in Colorado and three weeks later headed to Louisiana. When it came time to turn on the air conditioning, it didn’t work. That was a snafu they wished they’d gotten fixed before it became a time-eater in a state with which they had no contacts and no familiarity.

Stuff happens. But such discoveries are easier to address on home turf when there’s no deadline to get someplace.