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[corco]

I don't know whether it will actually stop you from shifting while moving and I haven't attempted it. I'm just going based off of having been taught both by my father and by drivers' ed "never change gears on an automatic while moving, you'll destroy the transmission" - i.e., you shouldn't switch while moving, even if the car will allow you to.

That's definitely true from drive to reverse- and I'd suspect that's what your driver's ed teacher meant (which is why they put neutral between the gears). It can be true from drive to the lower gears if you really don't know what you're doing. Shifting from D to L at 60 MPH is probably really bad for the car. At 15...not so much. Do take your foot off the gas when you shift though.This is where knowing how to drive a stick can come in handy- you won't destroy the transmission at all if the revs are in the right place. I can see the merits in not shifting from D to L just to be safe- but shifting from L to D is totally fine, possibly even good for the transmission at all times. The only time you risk damaging is if you downshift while your RPMs are too high- because then your RPMs will be even higher and you're harassing your transmission. Going from L to D will drop the RPMs and you'll be fine. That's why you'll note you have to depress your gear lever to go from D to L but it goes from L to D with just a bump.

[J N Winkler]

Good timing, as well as closing the throttle, helps prolong transmission life when downshifting.  It is much smoother to shift into lower gear at the top of the grade, before the car starts to gather speed from the incline.

When I negotiate hills in the mountains, I have two basic rules:  (1) I shouldn't have to apply the brakes just because of the incline; and (2) if the transition from one gear to another feels smooth, it is good.

[froggie]

No, you don't want to swtich from forward to reverse (or vice versa) while moving, but if you're going forward, you can easily shift gears in an automatic while moving and not have it kill the transmission.  I habitually lock-out overdrive and/or downshift to slow down if I'm coming up on a situation (stop sign, red light, traffic jam, etc) where I need to slow down or stop and I see it ahead of time.  Not only have I gone over 160K in my Corolla without a transmission issue, it also saves on brake wear.  Went 110K on a single set of rear brake pads (which don't wear out as quickly as the front pads in my car).

[djsinco]

I never rent, enjoy my road trips in my Lexus way too much. Pretty solid 31 MPG on the highway, and plenty of comfort. In the last few years I have done 2 trips over 8,000 all over the country, and 3 trips of 4 - 5,000 miles. Despite this, my 6 year old ES still only has 60K on it, as I work from home and combine errands as much as possible.

[BuffaloSabres]

I prefer renting a car even though I enjoy driving my truck on long trips. The way I see it you save money (MPG) and you do not have to worry about a breakdown somewhere along the way. I broke down once on the MI/IN border in mid December and lost my hotel reservation in Chicago. Total loss mounted to well over $400.00 for repairs, a last second hotel stay, tow truck fees, and the lost hotel reservation. A rental would've set me back $130.00 (standard car unlimited miles).

[texaskdog]

Funny they offered us a much smaller car with worse gas mileage for the same $58.  Then offered us a bigger car that cost more but said if we could get it back by Sunday it would be $52.  They charged my card $252 Friday and another $100 today, so supposedly this $352 will only be $52...I think it will be okay.