Engine life threshold where you are satisfied with longevity?
- Thread starter danez_yoda
- Start date
Everybody wants my loser 2001 Tundra.
Caint say as I blame 'em.
Caint say as I blame 'em.
I frequently see million dollar homes with 15-25 year old vehicles in the driveway. Lots of high income teachers also drive beaters. It all comes down to priorities.
I guess I'm a extreme loser when I drive my 83 Caprice. 3 different shades of brown, worst being the original 37 year old paint that covers half of it, some girls even give me a disgusted look when they see it. Who cares, I've already got the best girl I could hope for and she doesn't care what I drive.
I'm doing the body job on the 2005 Silverado only because my boss pays me to drive it and it has our company name plastered all over it. It has to be presentable. It's not to the point of being ugly yet, but I want to get ahead of it and prevent the spread of rust.
I'm hoping for 400k out of the entire drivetrain since I'm maintaining it perfectly now (unlike the first 170-180k where it got nothing but oil changes).
I guess I'm a extreme loser when I drive my 83 Caprice. 3 different shades of brown, worst being the original 37 year old paint that covers half of it, some girls even give me a disgusted look when they see it. Who cares, I've already got the best girl I could hope for and she doesn't care what I drive.
I'm doing the body job on the 2005 Silverado only because my boss pays me to drive it and it has our company name plastered all over it. It has to be presentable. It's not to the point of being ugly yet, but I want to get ahead of it and prevent the spread of rust.
I'm hoping for 400k out of the entire drivetrain since I'm maintaining it perfectly now (unlike the first 170-180k where it got nothing but oil changes).
I see $70,000 trucks regularly in front of $25,000 mobile homes. Who really cares what others think of you. I enjoy driving my 17 year old Tacoma when I can. Its fun to drive and every additional 100,000 is a new milestone met. My goal is to rack up as many miles on my vehicles as possible.
Reminds me of my bosses mentality for replacing the company trucks.....the truck I bought from him (cheap as part of a pay raise/incentive to stay), was 15 years old and almost 200k miles. He tries to stagger the years of the trucks so he doesn't have to replace 2 at once. He knows very little about vehicles. But he was actually very worried my truck would end up lasting until the next oldest truck also failed.
The next oldest truck is a 2010 Tacoma with 120k, and we have a 2013 Silverado with 100k miles. I think it will be a while before the Tacoma needs replacement (fingers crossed). I wouldn't be surprised if the 2013 wore out first, judging by the quality difference between the 05 and the 13.
Anyway he now doesn't have to worry about the 05 at all anymore.
The next oldest truck is a 2010 Tacoma with 120k, and we have a 2013 Silverado with 100k miles. I think it will be a while before the Tacoma needs replacement (fingers crossed). I wouldn't be surprised if the 2013 wore out first, judging by the quality difference between the 05 and the 13.
Anyway he now doesn't have to worry about the 05 at all anymore.
If I am buying a brand new car I only want to keep it for as long as the manufacturer will offer a "bumper to bumper" warranty. I am viewing late model vehicles more and more like disposable consumer items the more I age. I don't trust that all the technology these newer vehicles are packed with will be worthwhile to try to maintain over the long term.
That being said I am currently in possession of three vehicles over 100,000 miles and will soon be inheriting a 1998 Ford Explorer Sport with nearly 300,000 miles. The first three vehicles were poorly maintained until coming into my care and it has been and interesting challenge getting them back into good shape. I know that the Exploder I am getting has been exceptionally well maintained and I am looking forward to keeping it going strong.
I was in possession of a 2003 Audi Allroad with the notorious 2.7L turbo engine within the last year. I had to get rid of it at 294,000 miles but from the time I inherited it I got 60,000 miles out of a car many said that they were shocked that it was still running beyond 200,000 miles. It had major rust issues with an engine that leaked and burned oil like crazy. It ran very well though until the exhaust piping literally rusted to the point of falling off at the downpipe between the manifold and cats.
That being said I am currently in possession of three vehicles over 100,000 miles and will soon be inheriting a 1998 Ford Explorer Sport with nearly 300,000 miles. The first three vehicles were poorly maintained until coming into my care and it has been and interesting challenge getting them back into good shape. I know that the Exploder I am getting has been exceptionally well maintained and I am looking forward to keeping it going strong.
I was in possession of a 2003 Audi Allroad with the notorious 2.7L turbo engine within the last year. I had to get rid of it at 294,000 miles but from the time I inherited it I got 60,000 miles out of a car many said that they were shocked that it was still running beyond 200,000 miles. It had major rust issues with an engine that leaked and burned oil like crazy. It ran very well though until the exhaust piping literally rusted to the point of falling off at the downpipe between the manifold and cats.
Fair to say, thinking 200 -- 250k with the use of approved oils and filters. The rust belt says different though!!!
Depends on my acceptance of problems at any mileage over 125,000. Ed
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
Same with my Jeep. When my grandpa owned it it was parked out on the street and people would ring the doorbell and want to buy it. It’s garages now so no one knows it exists, but when it’s out front when I’m doing stuff in the garage I’ve had a couple people stop and ask
20 years of my average driving
So it did not make it 10 years without a $30K battery replacement. Sure, maybe it was covered under warranty, but for those who don't accumulate miles as rapidly..... Will it make 20 years?
Not here in FL they don't. Although I will admit my 2003 Jag spent the last 2 winters in PA and it has surface rust on all the fasteners now and brackets now.
So it did not make it 10 years without a $30K battery replacement. Sure, maybe it was covered under warranty, but for those who don't accumulate miles as rapidly..... Will it make 20 years?
Not here in FL they don't. Although I will admit my 2003 Jag spent the last 2 winters in PA and it has surface rust on all the fasteners now and brackets now.
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Tell me about it; I can't even afford a mobile home- I have to sleep in one of my cars...
It's a way of viewing the world, and your place in it. An auto loan is easier to get for a vehicle of a different demographic than you exist in, vs a home loan of same proportion. For example, I personally drive a vehicle that is in the demographic of a person who makes $123k annually, per JD power. I live on an estate that based on purchase price I paid, would have an owner demographic average income of $65k, using the US Case-Shiller index formula.
It has to do with multiple factors and priorities, as most people would view my vehicle vs estate as a very well balanced portfolio.
The massive imbalance comes when you look at things emotionally and not fiscally by hard averages. The mobile home vs svt raptor truck, for example. This is about confidence as well as priorities. Maybe this person truly does care more about the truck vs house. They may be away a lot. They may also just not care. I drove a new z06 Corvette while living in a $415/mo apartment. Why? I was moving soon and didnt care. The local economy was horrible and houses there were anchors. No thanks.
Where confidence comes in, is the person simply cannot see themselves in a nice house. They do not view it as possible. However, the dealership is very good at upselling the "possible" of that Raptor. Also, people see vehicles of others far more often than homes, so the peer pressure here is much stronger.
I'm starting to think my cam ledges are starting to wear at 222k. Kind of a rough start and the throttle response is getting quirky. Got much better immediately after putting in a NAPA VANOS solenoid, but that lasted a week. Kind of a big project for a car this old, but the cost is less than two payments for something else...
Generally speaking your return on a home versus a vehicle works out better. Naturally the exception would be rare vehicles and the type that appreciate over time. A $70000 truck that is newer typically will not hold its value. If something happens and you need to get rid of it with also making payments you will find yourself upside down. Some may be able to afford to get out of the predicament others can't.
In Florida the anchors that weren't selling 8 years ago are now worth 4-5 times what they sold for. Meanwhile the $70,000 truck may be worth $20000? An example. We had homes you could buy round numbers $30000. Those same homes now are selling for $100000-$120000.
- $70,000 truck -$50,000= $20000 or maybe $25000 value after 8-10 years. Lets say net loss of -$45000
- Investing same amount in 2 homes at $30000= $60000 before repairs. Lets round it $100000 for each which equals $200000 for a sale and take away $40000 in costs you are still ahead $100000 if I did the math correctly. +$100,000
You can now take the $100,000 and buy a decent vehicle for $30,000 and still be left with $70,000 to reinvest. The goal:
1. Keep that vehicle as long as you possibly can which is the topic discussed here.
Then again we need the economy to move so don't follow my advice which most don't anyways.
I agree fully. I buy a nicer vehicle than I "need" because I spend 30-35K miles per year on windy roads in it, and safety, economy, etc. are #1 to me. Value of a home doesn't much matter when you're dead or worse.
I live on a small farm I inherited from my parents in 1992; I paid it off in 2007. My wife and I don't plan to move unless someone offers us an obscene amount of money. Cars are my main hobby, so I do flip something every 4-8 years. I subscribe to the philosophy of fellow Kentuckian David E. Davis Jr.- "No Boring Cars!
I'd be happy with 250k miles before a major engine or transmission repair given the proportion of highway driving we do. The cars will be pretty old by then and probably have multiple other issues coming up so it would probably be time to move on to something newer.
I have 2 engines in the fleet with over 200K. I believe the engine in my truck is up to 235K now. Engine in my Jeep is at 215K. The truck engine just has to hold together for a few more years and, well, the rest of the truck.
I can't imagine any modern engine made in the last 25 years not being able to achieve 200K --- save for ingesting washers or someone running it out of oil.
I can't imagine any modern engine made in the last 25 years not being able to achieve 200K --- save for ingesting washers or someone running it out of oil.
You can stop imagining because it actually happens all the time. More so in trucks than cars.
GM 6.2L - Failure
have a 2010 Denali 6.2L that just failed. got low oil pressure and checked the oil and it was about 3-4 qts low!! Motor sounds fine, but oil had shavings in it and shop says motor has to be swapped. would try to run for a little while and see what happens but worried we will trash the block and...
www.bobistheoilguy.com
On buying expensive vehicles for leisure, the poor and middle class tend to acquire liabilities and the actual rich spend money on assets.
On the tesla couple things Im curious about
Was/is it really 30K to replace the battery in a P85? I believe they offer an 8 year unlimited mile batt warranty? (not sure)
What happens to the residual value of the car with a brand new battery? How does the market react to that price wise.
What does a typical ice car need maintenance wise to get as far as a whole?
Dave
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I really sabotaged my financial situation buying "expensive vehicles for leisure"- I wasn't able to retire until I was 51.
