I know people that have done that, especially when car rentals have a weekend special.
Does it make sense to rent a car just for an all around 8 hour drive in order to "not put wear and tear on yours"?
It really depends on the size/type of the vehicle you rent. I am taking such a trip on Sunday and it is 500 miles round trip. I will be driving my husband's SUV that is far from great on gas mileage. I think it get 23/mpg on the highway. Sure I could rent an economy car that gets twice as many miles per gallon, and probably get it at a reasonable rate. The gas savings alone could pay for most of it. I however need the space in an SUV because I am rescuing a 55 lb. Dog. To rent an SUV the cost goes WAY up, and there will be little if any gas savings to off set the cost of renting. 500 miles is really negligible in the grand scheme of wear and tear.
Not to me … the "wear and tear" on a car, for an 8-hour drive, is less than the cost of renting a car.
This is normal. I myself often do so. I advise you to look at this service - they have a good choice of cars
