I plan on going to Los Angeles in 2 weeks with my 1999 Honda Civic. Is it safe? Any tips?

I've taken my car to la 2 times already and no problems whatsoever. My parents are trying to convince me not to take it this time because it's "old" and other stuff about the mileage. I got a smog check and it passed and now I'm getting a oil change soon before the trip. I'm just wondering, is taking my car a safe choice?

Arrange to have your oil change done by a mechanic and also have him check your car over while he's at it. We can't tell what condition it's in from here.

As it is, just because it's getting elderly doesn't mean it's not up to the job. It might be better than others half its age.

Just because it is old it does not mean it is not capable of the trip.
The smog test adds nothing to this argument though.
The engine oil deals with just one of many moving parts on the car and helps that but not the rest.
Nothing short of a full maintenance service will be enough to check out the condition of the car.
No one here can see where you live so the distance of your trip is unknown.

No problem at all if you're going from Burbank.

Where are you coming from? Phoenix? Dallas? Chicago? Oxnard? That makes a difference.

Sure. It's fine. It will run forever. Oh, wait. NO IT WON'T.

Your parents are probably right. If you do drive it on a long trip, better have AAA membership or a good credit card, just in case.

When I lived up in the Angeles National Forest, I used to drive to LA with some regularity in a variety of cars that were 1965 models on up. Never had a problem.

I had a 1974 Audi that I used to drive back and forth between Phoenix and Huntington Beach all the time.

As already mentioned, a car's age by itself doesn't mean it's unreliable.

Of course, had you bothered to mention WHERE you are coming from, it MIGHT be of some help.

There's no way to tell without physically inspecting the vehicle, you can have this done wherever you live.

If you've kept up the maintenance on it and don't need the cam belt replaced soon, the clutch is good, the water pump doesn't leak, I wouldn't worry. You didn't say where you're travelling from.

A well maintained car can make the trip regardless of age or mileage. There's no way that anyone can predict a sudden failure of a crucial part.

I don't know if it's safe or not, but you should rent a car anyway. Los Angelenos are snobs when it comes to cars. I lived there 20 some years ago and worked at a Kinkos. A co worker of mine actually drove a Jaguar, complete with the shiny hood ornament. I come from New England. I had never seen so many Porsches in my life. Cars are a huge (and in my view, ridiculous) status symbol out there.