Older car daily drivers

[01rangerxl]

My actual commute is short, but both of my vehicles are in the two decade, mid 200K miles range and get driven a lot more than just my work commute. The Ranger is 18 years old with 244K or so, and the Explorer is 26 years old with 257K miles.

Both are rust free and pretty trustworthy. The big issue with the Explorer is that it needs all of the AC lines and evaporator replaced, but as far as running/driving, it's great. It actually runs and shifts better than the Ranger, and even the auto 4WD works like new. The only thing I really need to deal with is the AC, other than that it's a really good driver and very solid truck. The Ranger has some oil leaks and typical 3.0 Vulcan V6 behavior (not the smoothest engine), but excellent AC and has been a really good truck as well. The only time it has broken down on me was the alternator, which I replaced in the parking lot where it broke.

Ironically, I did sell my other older Ranger due to reliability issues. It should have been the reliability holy grail for Rangers too...4.0 V6 with all manual everything. Only 170K when I bought it and a little over 200K when I sold it. Numerous, and mysterious breakdowns, and just all kinds of random problems. It did have a bunch of previous owners and was run hard and put up wet, but it still seemed like an anomaly. The Explorer has all the "bad" stuff like the A4LD auto and Touch Drive push button 4WD, but aside from the AC is just ridiculously smooth and reliable for its age and miles. It shifts like a perfectly broken in new truck, and the A4LD is supposed to be the worst transmission ever. Not mine, and this one has towed before. I don't know how, but it shifts better than just about every vehicle I've ever driven.

I am getting to where I might rent for trips. The 02 Ranger has always been my trip vehicle and has covered all of the east coast, but not having to worry about some random old age/high miles failure on a trip is more of a concern now. For example, the HVAC blower motor quit last week, and while it was not too bad of a driveway job, I'd rather not do it in a hotel parking lot.

 

[Red91]

Beater 05 impala here that looks like total crap. Lots of things to dislike about it, but I'll be danged if it isn't tough and reliable. The most Money I've spent on it in the two ish years I've owned it was a few weeks ago when I finally replaced the shaky rotors and glazed over pads on the front. Other than that it's been oil changes, a coolant change, and a couple of cheapo tires.

 

[OppositeLocK]

Certainly a pretty sharp looking car!

Nothing lasts up here so I tend not to care--just going to rot away anyhow. Somehow though most everything on my fleet is still working--I killed the rear defroster on my while removing window tint, the CRV will only blow cold while moving, and the good Camry is getting rather creaky these days. TPMS is mostly dead too. All of them have untold amounts of cosmetic damage. But none of them are valuable cars that anyone would want to pay much for anyhow. Run of the mill junk, just enough to do their purpose in life.

I still think spare cars are a necessity. Pretty much all independent garages I have dealt with are of the "drop it off and we'll call you in a day or three when it's ready". Thankfully I've only had to have 3 tows in 20 years but still, even routine work means finding a larger shop with a comfortable area to wait for the day and hoping nothing else breaks, or dropping it off for a few days and wondering how I'll get around.

You should balance the cost of having to insure and maintain a backup vehicle in case you need it, as opposed to just renting when the occasion arises.

And if you buy new, the dealership will give you a loaner while they do warranty work.

 

[supton]

You should balance the cost of having to insure and maintain a backup vehicle in case you need it, as opposed to just renting when the occasion arises.

And if you buy new, the dealership will give you a loaner while they do warranty work.

Problem with renting is going to get the car. I guess if I ride with the tow truck driver I can get to where there might be a rental place? That's assuming I have it towed to where a car rental place may be. Quick look shows it's a 35 minute drive from home. Maybe if I break down while in the city? Then that might not be too bad.

Problem with buying new is, well, cost. There is a high cost for a "free" loaner.

 

[ulflyer]

I have a 20YO old truck and I'm an old driver. Does this qualify?

 

[OppositeLocK]

Problem with renting is going to get the car. I guess if I ride with the tow truck driver I can get to where there might be a rental place? That's assuming I have it towed to where a car rental place may be. Quick look shows it's a 35 minute drive from home. Maybe if I break down while in the city? Then that might not be too bad.

Problem with buying new is, well, cost. There is a high cost for a "free" loaner.

I find most rental places will pick you up.

 

[doublebase]

My actual commute is short, but both of my vehicles are in the two decade, mid 200K miles range and get driven a lot more than just my work commute. The Ranger is 18 years old with 244K or so, and the Explorer is 26 years old with 257K miles.

Both are rust free and pretty trustworthy. The big issue with the Explorer is that it needs all of the AC lines and evaporator replaced, but as far as running/driving, it's great. It actually runs and shifts better than the Ranger, and even the auto 4WD works like new. The only thing I really need to deal with is the AC, other than that it's a really good driver and very solid truck. The Ranger has some oil leaks and typical 3.0 Vulcan V6 behavior (not the smoothest engine), but excellent AC and has been a really good truck as well. The only time it has broken down on me was the alternator, which I replaced in the parking lot where it broke.

Ironically, I did sell my other older Ranger due to reliability issues. It should have been the reliability holy grail for Rangers too...4.0 V6 with all manual everything. Only 170K when I bought it and a little over 200K when I sold it. Numerous, and mysterious breakdowns, and just all kinds of random problems. It did have a bunch of previous owners and was run hard and put up wet, but it still seemed like an anomaly. The Explorer has all the "bad" stuff like the A4LD auto and Touch Drive push button 4WD, but aside from the AC is just ridiculously smooth and reliable for its age and miles. It shifts like a perfectly broken in new truck, and the A4LD is supposed to be the worst transmission ever. Not mine, and this one has towed before. I don't know how, but it shifts better than just about every vehicle I've ever driven.

I am getting to where I might rent for trips. The 02 Ranger has always been my trip vehicle and has covered all of the east coast, but not having to worry about some random old age/high miles failure on a trip is more of a concern now. For example, the HVAC blower motor quit last week, and while it was not too bad of a driveway job, I'd rather not do it in a hotel parking lot.

I had a Ford Ranger with the 4.0 as a beater car and you’re right...it is an anomaly to have one go bad prematurely.

Mine had only 135,000 on it when I sold it, but it was also 14 years old at the time. Guy I sold it to drove it another three more years until finally it bit the dust. The only problems I had with mine was rust...lots of rust, rear shackles, rear frame (had to fix it all with patches and replacement parts). I had to put a slave and master cylinder into it. That wasn’t the funnest. A U joint. And the hose for the pcv valve collapsed on itself...stuff started leaking everywhere, but it was an easy fix for me. Did have the coolant leak at the thermostat, pretty common, fixed that. Oh, and the door hinge on the rear barn door wasn’t right...never did fix it, still closed and everything, but it needed replacement. Had a power window switch that went bad too. Honestly that was it thought. That’s not a heck of a lot for a truck that ended up lasting 17 years.

 

[jeepman3071]

I drive a 2009 BMW 328i 100 miles a day. By many people's standards on here, being both German and 10+ years old it should've self destructed into a ball of fire by now. I just drove it 6+ hours yesterday to Upstate NY and back without issue, hammering on the car on the twisty roads and passing by all the Camry drivers going 10 under the speed limit swerving all over the road trying to put their addresses into their GPS.

 

[doublebase]

I drive a 2009 BMW 328i 100 miles a day. By many people's standards on here, being both German and 10+ years old it should've self destructed into a ball of fire by now. I just drove it 6+ hours yesterday to Upstate NY and back without issue, hammering on the car on the twisty roads and passing by all the Camry drivers going 10 under the speed limit swerving all over the road trying to put their addresses into their GPS.

Is it high mileage?

 

[MCompact]

I drive a 2009 BMW 328i 100 miles a day. By many people's standards on here, being both German and 10+ years old it should've self destructed into a ball of fire by now. I just drove it 6+ hours yesterday to Upstate NY and back without issue, hammering on the car on the twisty roads and passing by all the Camry drivers going 10 under the speed limit swerving all over the road trying to put their addresses into their GPS.

We have a 2009 328i in our family. With over 120k it’s running fine.
Still, we should probably listen to the BITOG “experts” who have yet to sit in a BMW.

 

[javacontour]

In pandemic times, you are NOT riding with the tow truck driver.

Ask me how I know...

Not even sure the rental car place will still pick you up given the social distancing recommendations.

So all prior assumptions must be validated against the current reality.

Problem with renting is going to get the car. I guess if I ride with the tow truck driver I can get to where there might be a rental place? That's assuming I have it towed to where a car rental place may be. Quick look shows it's a 35 minute drive from home. Maybe if I break down while in the city? Then that might not be too bad.

Problem with buying new is, well, cost. There is a high cost for a "free" loaner.

 

[supton]

Good point. I did have to ride with the tow driver once (dead on highway), luckily my wife was able to meet me halfway so I could get a ride home (20 mile tow to the garage, 20 with the wife to get home? something like that). The other couple of times I didn't (broke down in town).

 

[tbm5690]

I'm not sure what qualifies as "older" but I tend to buy vehicles that are in the 4-6 year old range and keep them for another 6 years or so before I'm ready for something new. This to me is the sweet spot for minimal maintenance needs, and I do enjoy cars and don't think having the same vehicle 10 years plus would excite me. I won't ever buy new...I'll let the other guy eat the depreciation for me. In regards to safety, it's not just "newer is better"...try getting t-boned by a Suburban in a brand new Accent vs a 10 year old pickup and it'll be obvious what the safer choice is. At the end of the day, however, you can buy the safest car, live in the safest neighborhood, make the safest choices, and still die much younger than you expect from a myriad of reasons. It's not supposed to be stressed over.

 

[jeepman3071]

Is it high mileage?

It is not, but I'm not worried about it. I maintain several older bimmers for friends who drive them daily, one E91 with 160k that gets driven daily through Western MA, and a few E46's with close to 200k on them. They key with these cars is opening the hood once a week or so and looking everything over. You can spot a leaking hose and buy the part online for cheap, plan when to fix it, etc, way before it actually becomes a break down. Another friend has a 335i making close to 600hp that he daily drives. The only issue with that one has been the low profile tires. He has been through quite a few of them with our nasty pothole-filled roads in Hartford. The key with daily driving older or more maintenance hungry vehicles is just looking them over once in awhile. Inspect things, look for worn parts, look for leaks, etc. If you look after the vehicle, it will take care of you. I have more confidence in my 11 year old BMW and my 22 year old Jeep than a lot of other people's 5-8 year old cars, because I've personally touched everything on my own car to make sure it is in serviceable shape.

 

[MCompact]

It is not, but I'm not worried about it. I maintain several older bimmers for friends who drive them daily, one E91 with 160k that gets driven daily through Western MA, and a few E46's with close to 200k on them. They key with these cars is opening the hood once a week or so and looking everything over. You can spot a leaking hose and buy the part online for cheap, plan when to fix it, etc, way before it actually becomes a break down. Another friend has a 335i making close to 600hp that he daily drives. The only issue with that one has been the low profile tires. He has been through quite a few of them with our nasty pothole-filled roads in Hartford. The key with daily driving older or more maintenance hungry vehicles is just looking them over once in awhile. Inspect things, look for worn parts, look for leaks, etc. If you look after the vehicle, it will take care of you. I have more confidence in my 11 year old BMW and my 22 year old Jeep than a lot of other people's 5-8 year old cars, because I've personally touched everything on my own car to make sure it is in serviceable shape.

Exactly; a proactive maintenance regimen is the key.

 

[admzn]

To be honest if I had a new car that never required any work I would be bored (especially with the cars I could afford). The comments I used to get at the office (before covid) were always things like "if you sold your 4 old cars you could buy 1 new one". The 04 VW (265k km) is my daily, and was my brother's car before he moved into an apartment with no parking, so I grabbed it from him. It was oil sprayed since new and is very clean for an Ontario car. This vehicle probably takes the most of my money being a 16 year old German car but I still love driving it. And since it was in the family since near new, I know all of the work that has been done (because it was mainly me doing it, LOL). But I would still drive it across the country without hesitation (A friend and I took it to Cape Breton NS in the fall).

I drove my 1994 Nissan daily until it had well over 500,000km. The frame rust is what did it in at the end. I had patched it many times over the years. Unfortunately it wasn't rustproofed by the previous owner. I bought my 95 Nissan from the original owner in Toronto, but was pleasantly surprised to find out she had come from Victoria BC only 2 years prior, no wonder it was so clean. I've since driven it cross country several more times. It does not get driven in the winter at all. I don't drive my Xterra in the winter either because of the salt here. Though I take it on trails and long off-road trips it has proved to be extremely reliable even with the supercharger.

 

[Kurtatron]

I don’t daily drive my 91 Toyota Previa. It’s my camping/hauling vehicle only. It’s got 194k miles and runs great. I expect it to make 300k without engine or transmission failure (stick shift manual). I don’t drive it in the winter, because even though undercoating works well, it doesn’t work as well as total isolation from winter sludge.

I love my old van because It’s unique for one thing, not many 90’s cars on the road up here. it’s got excellent utility as a hauler, tower, and people mover. And best of all, it has absolutely no rust, so working on it is bliss. No torch, or penetrating oil required. That’s why it’s my baby.

to me there’s a certain 90’s nostalgia the old can gives me that no modern car can give. I’d expect it’s similar to older guys and 70’s 60’s and 50’s cars. I can’t afford those old classics though, so I’ll just stick with my 90’s antique.

 

[doublebase]

It is not, but I'm not worried about it. I maintain several older bimmers for friends who drive them daily, one E91 with 160k that gets driven daily through Western MA, and a few E46's with close to 200k on them. They key with these cars is opening the hood once a week or so and looking everything over. You can spot a leaking hose and buy the part online for cheap, plan when to fix it, etc, way before it actually becomes a break down. Another friend has a 335i making close to 600hp that he daily drives. The only issue with that one has been the low profile tires. He has been through quite a few of them with our nasty pothole-filled roads in Hartford. The key with daily driving older or more maintenance hungry vehicles is just looking them over once in awhile. Inspect things, look for worn parts, look for leaks, etc. If you look after the vehicle, it will take care of you. I have more confidence in my 11 year old BMW and my 22 year old Jeep than a lot of other people's 5-8 year old cars, because I've personally touched everything on my own car to make sure it is in serviceable shape.

I like high mileage BMW stories, but I do think it takes a little more to get them there. I think it depends on which BMW you own, too. The 535's had the fuel pump problems. The older 7 series were some of the worst built cars on the road. But they have made some great cars for sure...love the way they drive. Love the paint system they use...probably the best paint I've seen on production cars.

 

[MCompact]

I stick with 2 Series and 3/4 Series cars- I4 and I6 only. My wife is partial to their SUV equivalents the X1 and X3. The only really expensive fix I’ve dealt with was a bad transfer case on the X3 at around 140,000 miles.
That’s not an issue for me as I prefer RWD BMWs.

 

[antonmnster]

222,000 on my rwd 335i. Taking it up to the UP next week. I'll try to have it up to 223k by the time we get back.

Which reminds me... I'll pop the fan out tomorrow to try to track down what sounds like a small supercharger. I've changed the idlers but it still sounds like a rough bearing. I almost think it might be the vacuum pump.