I've had them and don't recommend them at all. The temperature isn't great. You're far better off with a traditional cooler and ice or ice packs.

12v coolers will bring the temps down a maximum of 40ð but mine never did that nor have I seen one that does. Keep in mind it's also compared to ambient temperature, so when it's 80ð-90ð is when you really need it and ie performs the worst. Plus they're not well insulated, nor well sealed, contributing to the problem, and there's not much room in them.

It can help a little I guess if you put things in frozen and/or very, very cold but don't expect it to cool your drinks. It won't. 60ð-70ð beverages are to be expected. I would not try to keep perishable food in it. It's bacteria haven. Also if opened often, it's not much more than a heavy tote.

You can't leave them running long periods of time while your car isn't running. They will run your car battery down rather quickly if you don't have a very heavy battery and good alternator keeping it at maximum charge. I tried using my big marine deep-cycle battery with it and it only lasted a couple hours.

As for warming, there too, they won't go above about 120ð (ideally but don't bet on it) and again, if it's a cold day look toward the 40ð maximum so if outdoor temp is 50ð, 80ð-85ð is more like it. And even at 120ð you're right in the danger zone at best.

If you transport short distances and food is at or exceed the optimal hot/cold temperatures, they might help a bit, but you also need to pre-cool or pre-heat the unit too. A cooler will keep it far better for both hot or cold.

Without knowing your specific intentions it's hard to say whether it's a workable solution but from my experience and thoe of about 3-4 others who have had them. Not one of us still uses them nor will we waste the money on another one. Great idea, poor execution.

BTW, the big point most, including myself, don't/didn't realize is they're not a mini-refrigerator. A great idea in theory, but in practicality, they're of little value.

I absolutely agree with everything cynic has offered. Also can say the heat/cooler unit motors go bad very quickly and replacements are nearly as expensive as original heater/cooler.
We went back to a traditional ice chest and use frozen bottles of H2O rather than loose ice or ice packs to keep cold and a smaller chest for warmth when ever it may be needed.

LIL

Wow, I'm surprised at the comments so far. We have a Coleman cooler/warmer. Granted, I've never used the warming feature, but I do a LOT of competition cooking, and we use the cooler frequently when I have to transport perishables. We also use it for taking food back and forth between the house in the suburbs and the one in the country--but that's only an hour trip. It's fantastic, does a great job of keeping things cold (yes, and it chills our drinks just fine, thank you). It's got to be at least 8 years old by now, I think, and still going strong.

I'd highly recommend it, from our experience with ours.

we have two of these coolers and they both work great. one is smaller than the other, but they both keep our drinks cold. Let it cool off before you use it. We have even kept some heavily wrapped frozen food in it for a trip of about two days and it was still frozen.

Oh, and here's a tip, we use. Since it has to be plugged into your car, it's best used when the car is running. so you don't run down your battery, of course. You also have the option of plugging the cooler into a regular wall outlet. However, if your car is off, and you're not near a household plug...... My husband has some sort of rechargeable thing that's supposed to be used for charging a dead battery, but that you can also plug accessories into. We charge that up before a trip, and use it when electricity is not available and we don't want to run down the car's battery. Often, the competitions I go to are outside, and the conditions are slightly 'primative' so that's worked well for us. When we do get to a hotel, we plug the cooler AND the charger thingy into wall outlets for the night and we're ready to go in the morning.

Someone mentioned a Coleman 8 years old--but now the products don't seem to be as efficient as previous. Installation not as good, seals don't last etc. You might check at REI ( outdoors place in Wash or Caballes. Their quality may be better, but will be expensive.

Thanks, everyone. And Azzalea, that's a good idea. We have one of those charger things too. I think I'll give one a try.

I don't really see the need and agree with Cynic and Liljunker.

I transport both hot and cold foods all the time. I have no problem keeping foods hot for up to three hours with the insulated carriers and the hot pouches available. For cold I do the same as Lil. Frozen water bottles do double duty.