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I agree, design and engineering is unfortunately very important. I’ve tried proving that excellent maintenance and care can make up for poor design and build quality. Didn’t work.
Older car daily drivers
- Thread starter doublebase
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I have a customer with a '90 Mazda B2200 & over 350,000 miles. I wish it would die as I hate working on it & parts are getting hard to find.
There does not seem to be a Post Your Dipstick thread, (maybe there should be?) so I will post my car's dipstick and beautiful, almost 9000 mile old oil (less than three months time.)
It really should be changed, but first comes the money and then we figure out that kind of thing. I have a trans drain bolt too that does not require removal of the whole pan.. so I can change both whenever I feel, easily.
It really should be changed, but first comes the money and then we figure out that kind of thing. I have a trans drain bolt too that does not require removal of the whole pan.. so I can change both whenever I feel, easily.
Yeah, the 2nd and 3rd generation Escorts were bad about dropping valve seats, It was usually on cylinder #4 and overheating the engine increased the chances drastically. I've got an '02 with 202K and haven't had any valve seat issues.
No, TCO of vehicles is now much higher than it used to be, unless you rack up those 100K mi mostly on highways and you're essentially putting more miles on so you end up replacing whole vehicle sooner so you still paid more from higher (re)purchase price, which is looking at reliability from the other parameter of age rather than mileage. The relevant parameter should be cost per year since a vehicle will not last twice as long driving it half as far on city streets stop and go, instead of highway miles.
Collision repair costs are up.
Parts costs are up. Unless you get Chinese junk.
Repair labor rates are up due to increasing disassembly needed.
More electronics systems means more parts to break, more specialized repair skills, and potential programming needed.
20-25 years ago it was more true that all you had to do was change the oil, or the tranny fluid if you picked something with a weak tranny.
Power windows - I've had to repair them. Adding even more things to break does not subtract that they did fail.
Now here is the big question. If they are so reliable until 100K, then why that cutoff? That seems quite arbitrary to me, that if it's a good vehicle you keep it and if you sell it to get a new one at that point, you suffer the most in yearly TCO from another newer vehicle depreciation period so the expected expenses were just shifted, but somebody's still going to pay them one way or another.
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My neighbor has a brand new Ram Warrior (classic body style). The touchscreen radio started failing on it. Volume randomly blows his eardrums out. I guessed it would be a software update but the dealership told him they've had several others fail, needs a whole touchscreen assembly. If it fails, almost everything stops working they told him. He asked how much it cost if it wasn't under warranty. They said about $7000 (Canadian). This is why I'm spending hours sanding and priming/painting the frame on my 05 truck while the box is off. I do not want a modern truck anytime soon.
Focus's with the SPI are just as bad, some do get lucky. Our 02 Focus dropped #4 couple years ago, 140k I think. Spark plug issues caused it. Fixed it with a new head and piston but sucked in another piece I missed in the intake. Just smoothed it out and slapped it back together. My wife is still driving it with 160k, leaks oil and coolant disappears but it still runs good. And the AC is great is why she's not giving it up yet lol.
my newest cars are 2003 and no plans to update till I die. my tundra has only 69k and will go the distance my daily 99 Silverado 5.3 has only 90k. I am good
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9,000 miles in less than three months? Amazing.
I really can’t tell by looking at that picture how dark that oil is...I mean, it does look dark, but it’s just tough to really tell. But 9,000 miles, wow. What kind of oil and what kind of car (if you haven’t already said)?
I have 200k and 8700 hours on my 05 Silverado, hoping for like 400k+. Currently it's getting the body done (new cab corners and rocker panels and one fender (just starting to rust from Ontario winters). While it's getting worked on I'm driving my friends 01 Sierra Reg cab 4.8. It's a tight fit with no back seat (our office on wheels for 2 people and all our gear (occasionally 3 people but obviously not with my loaner truck). Don't think I could own anything but a 99-07 gm truck now for work (maybe a Toyota since they seem to be the only other one that can hold up as well as long as the frame doesn't rust).
agree totally 99-o7 are best chevy truck of all time. don't have to worry about frame rust on my tundra here in florida thankfully
I was told that fixing a semi tractor after a deer hit (note: it was driven back to the drop yard, the trailer unhooked, then it was driven to the shop) would run 5 figures if it had adaptive cruise control. One LED headlight is "only" about $500, though.
Of course...it costs as much to replace the exhaust filters as it does to in-frame the engine.
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I handed my 16 year old son keys to a 2010 Tundra that had 470k miles. It’s got 475k now and other than burning a little I’d have zero issues driving it again.
I run between GA and Arkansas and several times per month with work so it’s all highway cruise control.
yes, I bought another tundra.
I run between GA and Arkansas and several times per month with work so it’s all highway cruise control.
yes, I bought another tundra.
Have a 06 MB E class CDI Diesel with 122k miles, I am of theory if it isn't broke don't..... Just oil change in time, transmission filter/fluid once and on my 3rd main battery, tires. Yes MB did SBC brake system under 25 years warranty. I am 67 still go anywhere I want all over US & Canada.
AutoMechanic
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Lol yes I will agree they are getting hard to get parts for fortunately for me whenever I have needed a part RockAuto or Advance Auto has had it and the Advance Auto in my area always has a lot of stuff in stock that the other auto parts stores don’t do that makes me go there more.
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That’s insane! 470,000 miles in ten years!!?? Wow.
yeah, the company I work for sends me from Arkansas to Georgia 1st first and 3rd week of the month with the occasional run into Phoenix AZ at our factory there. I have a choice between a company F250 that’s basically a stripped down work truck with just a basic radio or can choose to drive my own vehicle (they pay my gas...I’m responsible for all maintenance). Id rather have satellite radio and leather seats because Interstate 40 gets BORING with no Bluetooth/satellite radio between Memphis and Flagstaff before turning south.
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Too bad they don't pay mileage. I get paid $0.55/kilometer and they pay my gas but I don't get anywhere near as many miles. I do have a lot of idle time in winter or heat of summer. 8700 hours on my 05 that was in service on this job since 2011.
I commute in a 2000 Mustang GT with 132,000 miles and it does the job reliably and economically. It averages 19-22 mpg on my commute and it sure beats a car payment. I like projects and this car was a wreck I fixed up.