Dealing with a vehicle emergency

[hgjjgkj]

I do not have an emergency currently, but would like to plan. I have a long commute and a high mileage hybrid. My Prius currently has about 115k miles. I hold sufficient cash for repairs, even if the hybrid battery failed ($2k expense). But my question I guess is how could I most cheaply  travel to work for a week or 2 if I did not have my car. I live in the south so sensible public transport is out of the question sadly

[ixtap]

Van pool. Car pool. Bike to a park and ride location if you work in the city. Borrow a car from a friend. Rent a scooter. Double check on public transportation, many Southern cities have a limited good system of light rail that are under utilized (specifically thinking of Atlanta and Miami for that). Pay the extra few dollars a year for rental coverage with your car insurance.

[Paul der Krake]

Even you do not have rental coverage (usually stupid, but it may make sense for your situation), in the event of an accident where the other party is at fault their insurance company will typically pay for a rental car.

[GetItRight]

If you need your vehicle to get to work and this is a serious concern I suggest you get a more reliable and cost effective vehicle. I chose a vehicle which there's effectively no failure that can't be repaired on the side of the road of worst case overnight.

[MrsPete]

- Since you have a long commute, I'm guessing that sharing a ride probably isn't realistic. 
- Is working from home an option?
- Do you have some vacation days you'd be willing to burn?
- Could you alter your hours a bit so you could work four 10s instead of five 8s?  Wouldn't remove the problem, but it would remove the number of days you need transport. 
- Could you stay overnight with a friend who lives nearer your work?  Of course, by the time you cook dinner as a thank you, you could've rented the car. 
- Do you have a relative who doesn't use his or her car on a daily basis?  Again, you'd owe some sort of favor. 
- I'd just break down and rent a car.  I just checked Hertz' website; in my area you could rent a Nissan Versa from them for $126/week ... hmmm, I didn't click through the end, so I'm not completely sure whether that includes taxes and any required fees.  Clearly that's more than you spend for your own car, but it's also not out of the question for a last-minute emergency. 

[YttriumNitrate]

But my question I guess is how could I most cheaply  travel to work for a week or 2 if I did not have my car. I live in the south so sensible public transport is out of the question sadly

Become friends with someone whose family has more vehicles than drivers. If it's only for two weeks, it doesn't really matter that the borrowed hunting/firewood truck you are driving gets terrible gas mileage.

[sequoia]

I do not have an emergency currently, but would like to plan. I have a long commute and a high mileage hybrid. My Prius currently has about 115k miles. I hold sufficient cash for repairs, even if the hybrid battery failed ($2k expense). But my question I guess is how could I most cheaply  travel to work for a week or 2 if I did not have my car. I live in the south so sensible public transport is out of the question sadly

It does not really answer your question, but how is your car maintained? I do not mean nothing is broken, so all I have done is oil change. The owner manual should have a schedule maintenance for severe use, like every 15K, 30K etc, that would be a good starting point.

I used to commute 50 miles daily, has AAA membership incase I need towing, plus extra cash for rental cars. I then switch strategy where I focus on the maintenance to keep it in top shape. I never have problems. I dropped AAA and put that money into maintenance cost. 

For reference, my car has 180K, my wife SUV has 230K (both are Toyota). imo 115K for a Toyota is not high mileage and should not cause any problem. I would not worry about it as long as it is well maintained. The hybrid battery though, that is unknown to me how long those last.

[I'm a red panda]

Renting a car for 2 weeks is cheap most places. Can your carpool? Spouse drop you off? Ride in car to spouse's office and bike from there?

But what are you expecting to happen to your car that will take 2 weeks to repair?

[Retire-Canada]

Renting a car for 2 weeks is cheap most places.

This ^^^.

[acroy]

I have a long commute and a high mileage hybrid. My Prius currently has about 115k miles.

That Prius is barely broken in. don't worry about it ;)
In the event of a catastrophe, rent something. no biggie.

[ketchup]

I have a long commute and a high mileage hybrid. My Prius currently has about 115k miles.

That Prius is barely broken in. don't worry about it ;)
In the event of a catastrophe, rent something. no biggie.

Definitely this.  A rental car is maybe $300/week absolute worst case (and $100/week best).  And if you have a long commute and only 115k on your Prius, chances are it's still rather new.  Prius batteries usually last about 10-15 years from when I looked into it a while ago.  Maybe start worrying a little at 200k/10 years, but even then it's not a giant deal.  Figure out what would actually happen in your worst-case scenario; chances are it's not that bad.