Extreme not maintained

[E150GT]

Originally Posted by tiger862
My niece just brought her 011 Kia Forte to me for oil change. Vehicle has 172000 miles with no maintenance. Engine is noisy so I checked oil and it was barely on stick so at least 2 qts low, checked vehicle to prepare for winter. Things I found would surprise anyone. Never had coolant change, air filter clogged, brakes low, plugs burnt. Talked to her and she stated oil changes were done when oil got low at jiffy lube or quick5 with 5w20 according to one receipt I found in car. Transmission never serviced and will not be at this mileage. I have to put 300.00 just in maintenance products as she just gave it to her sister who only drives to church and back. Will be going with Maxlife semi synthetic 5w20 and Napa Gold filter. Will not pull covers since no leaks. She was told cam was bad around 150k but no miss or check engine light and I don't plan on replacing top end on an ill maintained engine especially one that will see so low mileage now. She just replaced the Kia with a 2018 Dodge Journey 6 months ago and has 25k on it now. (New)

Are you sure your niece isnt my sister? She has a focus that has 168k with almost nothing ever done to it. No working AC, every motor mount shot, oil all over the engine and no trans service ever. It still works but it isnt pleasant to drive. Her husband just murdered his 2005 Escape by running it to less than 30 oz of oil in the sump.

 

[Jimzz]

I would also do a drain/fill on the trans. Maxlife and other Syn fluids work fine in those trans.

I would probably also use a 5w30 HM oil at first and then 10w30 if it still uses a bit.

 

[SonofJoe]

Here in the UK, the average car, after 7 years, will be worth about 27% of what you pay for it new. So no, it's not worthless exactly but if your £10,000 (new) car is only worth £2,700 after 7 years, it's hard to justify lavishing too much by way of maintenance & repairs on it (servicing here is way more expensive than in the US!).

And maybe it's just me but does it honestly make sense buying a 7 year old car when not one of us would ever consider buying a seven year old mobile phone or a seven year old computer? Yes the car might get you around but it's innate tech will be old. Will you have a USB port, Bluetooth, a touch screen, electronic stability control and all the other goodies that technology has brought forth? Will you get decent fuel efficiency and emissions which may not be important to you personally but may be crucially important to the people that come after us?

 

[28oz]

Originally Posted by SonofJoe
Here in the UK, the average car, after 7 years, will be worth about 27% of what you pay for it new. So no, it's not worthless exactly but if your £10,000 (new) car is only worth £2,700 after 7 years, it's hard to justify lavishing too much by way of maintenance & repairs on it (servicing here is way more expensive than in the US!).

And maybe it's just me but does it honestly make sense buying a 7 year old car when not one of us would ever consider buying a seven year old mobile phone or a seven year old computer? Yes the car might get you around but it's innate tech will be old. Will you have a USB port, Bluetooth, a touch screen, electronic stability control and all the other goodies that technology has brought forth? Will you get decent fuel efficiency and emissions which may not be important to you personally but may be crucially important to the people that come after us?


I get what you're saying, and I can't speak to keeping "older" vehicles in Europe. The average car payment in the US is now over $500 a month. That's absolutely insane, IMO. Comparison to computers and phones is apples to oranges. As for "innate" tech, all my vehicles have anti-lock brakes (even the '90 300ZX), and one of them does have traction control. Bluetooth? USB Port? Aftermarket radios for $100 will get you those. Touch screen? I couldn't care less, honestly. My cars are tools. They provide transportation. I don't need or want the latest and "greatest". I'm absolutely not going to bankrupt myself when I'm raising a family to gain a touchscreen (also available on aftermarket stereos for cheap) or to gain a couple MPG........maybe.

 

[dogememe]

Originally Posted by SonofJoe
Here in the UK, the average car, after 7 years, will be worth about 27% of what you pay for it new. So no, it's not worthless exactly but if your £10,000 (new) car is only worth £2,700 after 7 years, it's hard to justify lavishing too much by way of maintenance & repairs on it (servicing here is way more expensive than in the US!).

And maybe it's just me but does it honestly make sense buying a 7 year old car when not one of us would ever consider buying a seven year old mobile phone or a seven year old computer? Yes the car might get you around but it's innate tech will be old. Will you have a USB port, Bluetooth, a touch screen, electronic stability control and all the other goodies that technology has brought forth? Will you get decent fuel efficiency and emissions which may not be important to you personally but may be crucially important to the people that come after us?


Seriously? My 2010 Escape came with Bluetooth, traction control, USB, and I like how it looks and trust it to be reliable. What's the issue? I don't want a new Escape that doesn't look as trucky, has some stupid little turbo engine, all for a few MPG better and fancier tech?

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

All things in moderation.Now where did I leave that bottle of 3M silicone grease that I was using on the door seals? And as long as I have the car doors open, I might as well lube the door hinges.And that reminds me, I need to pick up a set of wiper blades at Walmart with winter weather coming soon.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted by Yah-Tah-Hey
All things in moderation.Now where did I leave that bottle of 3M silicone grease that I was using on the door seals? And as long as I have the car doors open, I might as well lube the door hinges.And that reminds me, I need to pick up a set of wiper blades at Walmart with winter weather coming soon.

Get out of my head!

 

[28oz]

 

[JTK]

It makes you cringe, but that is awesome getting to that level of mileage with little to no maintenance. I know my luck wouldn't be nearly as lucky.

I can't even take a dusty dash or a sticky, creaking door hinge...

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted by 28oz
I rarely buy a vehicle that isn't at least ten years old! LOL.

And I wager you're doing it for the significant discount.

 

[28oz]

Originally Posted by Garak
Originally Posted by 28oz
I rarely buy a vehicle that isn't at least ten years old! LOL.

And I wager you're doing it for the significant discount.


Of course! New vehicle values drop like a rock for several years. They are generally our largest purchases that drop in value. Why not let someone else take the financial hit?

 

[Garak]

Exactly. Joe was just exaggerating with the worthless remark.

 

[tiger862]

I just bought my newest vehicle since 97. 2018 Grand Caravan with 3k for a discount of 10k at 19k was looking for SUV with more mileage same price so couldn't pass up. With me driving around 6k a year we treated ourselves to what we hope will be our last vehicle. Hopefully I didn't make a mistake but so far we are happy.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted by Donald
I would change the transmission fluid at any mileage. But I would either add a Magnefine or plan on changing the filter a second time in 10K miles.


So would I. Saved an Oldsmobile tranny that was on death's door because the filter was so plugged with silt. New filter= more pressure= ran good again.

 

[Brigadier]

Wait, wut? I have been told on this forum that KIA/Hyundai are cheap junk. This must be fake news....

 

[SonofJoe]

We don't get the Kia Forte here in the UK. The closest equivalent is the Kia Ceed. I had a quick look on AutoTrader at how much a 2011 Ceed with 172,000 miles on the clock would be worth. The answer appears to be about £1,200 ($US 1,560). Given that the absolute cheapest Kia Ceed you can buy new is £14,600, I don't think I was that far off the mark with my 'next to worthless' comment.

Nor do I think my 'old tech' comment was without merit. The only examples of 2011 high mileage Ceeds I could find were diesels. Back in 2011 these were hugely popular. Today in 2018, most folks wouldn't a touch a diesel with a ten foot barge pole!

Oh and regarding the comparison with seven year cell phones & computers, I still have my first T-Mobile smart phone from 2008 & whilst I haven't checked, it probably still works! I bet I could still make calls on it (if I put a SIM in it) & I'm sure the calculator & calendar work just as they did ten years ago. I also still have a 2007 HP laptop which runs MS Office, sends emails & plays Far Cry quite happily. Yet both the phone & laptop, despite their apparent functionality, both lurk in cupboards gathering dust. There's a lesson there...

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted by SonofJoe
... And maybe it's just me but does it honestly make sense buying a 7 year old car when not one of us would ever consider buying a seven year old mobile phone or a seven year old computer? Yes the car might get you around but it's innate tech will be old. Will you have a USB port, Bluetooth, a touch screen, electronic stability control and all the other goodies that technology has brought forth? Will you get decent fuel efficiency and emissions ...
My 7½-year old car has all six items you named except touch screen, which I don't want. It also has a bunch of annoyances my earlier cars didn't have.
[Written on a ~14-year-old computer ...]

 

[SonofJoe]

I'd argue that a Prius (which I presume you're driving) isn't an 'ordinary' car in the way a Kia Forte is.

Here, a 2011 Prius with 94,000 on the clock is worth about £8,000 (vs £24k to £35k new), a lot more than a high mileage Kia. You've done that 'pre-investment in future tech longevity' thing so yes, it would make sense to maintain such a vehicle. However my primary point was that investment in maintenance isn't always a sensible or logical thing. Use and discard (the Kleenex approach) is sometimes your best friend.

PS - how's that computer of yours fare running Assassin's Creed Odyssey in 1080p? Sometimes new tech is worth opening your wallet for!

 

[GZRider]

Many of the Japanese GT cars (Lexus IS/GS/LS, Infiniti G35/37, Acura TL/RL ect) can be maintained for 12-15 years/ 250,00 miles for the cost of fluids and wear parts, have all the creature comforts most drivers could ask for. More importantly, they have revvy engines hooked to reliable drive-trains ranging form excellent to bulletproof along with decent handling and brakes in stock form. Purchased used for 20-40% of their original value, they are a very good automotive value. I've driven the new Dodge Charger AWD and Altima turbo and Mazda 6 turbo and they do nothing better then a maintained 7 year old IS350 or G37 that can be had with low miles for about half the money and will probably prove at least as reliable.

 

[RDY4WAR]

Here's the way I see it. We own a 2006 Nissan Altima 2.5L with 228k miles. We also have a 2002 Chevy Tahoe 5.3L with 237k miles. They both get us from A to B just the same as a new vehicle. I don't care for bluetooth, USB ports, touch screens, or any other fancy crap. I just see all of that mess as a distraction from driving. My radio stays off 90% of the time. Combined, they aren't worth $5,000. I don't care though because we have no car payments, insurance on them is dirt cheap, and we plan to drive/maintain them as long as possible. Both can seat the family comfortably, the Nissan gets 32-33 mpg highway, the Tahoe gets right around 20 mpg highway, and both run smooth and quiet. Mission accomplished.

If one of them does break down, we'll just drive the other one in the mean time, and take a small fraction of the $50,000 we saved by not making 2 car payments for the last 6 years to fix it.