Tell me the truth...

[doublebase]

Some other cars I’ve owned have made it up there, but to keep it simple, I’ll focus on the one we have now, a Volvo XC at 266,000. No rust, good paint, nice interior, so worth maintaining and keeping. Most recent work was a commitment to keeping it past 300,000.

So, in no particular order...

Lots of oil changes (was 7,500, now 5,000)
Lots of transmission, differential, brake fluid changes
Lots of air, cabin, fuel filters
Lots of tires. Lots of tires. The thing eats tires every 30,000 miles.
Front calipers
Brake hoses
Two sets of rotors and pads
Three timing belts
Water pump
Radiator hoses
Power steering pump, hose and reservoir
Cam and crank seals
Complete Flame Trap (PCV system) replacement
Two complete* suspension rebuilds
Rear sway bar bushings
Front right axle
Transmission valve body rebuild
Added transmission cooler and external filter
Front differential seal repair
Engine mounts
Down pipe (with cat)
Turbo compression bypass valve
Silicone turbo hoses to replace rubber
Exhaust manifold gasket set
Three sets of spark plugs
Two new coils (of five COP)
Headlight wiring harness repair
Wire loom (wrap) repair around engine
Vacuum hoses replaced with silicone

Lots of work, much of it as the car went past 200,000 and rubber/insulation simply wore out. The head has never been off. No engine internals. Transmission is still original. Still looks and runs great. Good power, good MPG. No car payment on it, ever. It was bought used in 2007 for $12,000. Even with all the work added up, and considering zero payments for 14 years, it's been a great car, and fairly inexpensive to own.

*Suspension rebuild includes shocks, struts, strut mounts, spring seats, ball joints, lower control arms, inner and outer tie rods and boots, and swaybar end links. Most recent one, this month, included new front and rear springs.

Excellent and a great demonstration of what it takes.

Honestly, a lot of people have had great success at the 200,000 mark, but to get it to 300,000 takes a bit more.

I should have mentioned that a good deal of my repairs came after 250,000 miles...subframe, steering rack, EGR valve, tranny switches, second charcoal canister. Some more.

 

[Astro14]

Excellent and a great demonstration of what it takes.

Honestly, a lot of people have had great success at the 200,000 mark, but to get it to 300,000 takes a bit more.

I should have mentioned that a good deal of my repairs came after 250,000 miles...subframe, steering rack, EGR valve, tranny switches, second charcoal canister. Some more.

In truth, a lot of cars aren’t worth that level of effort.

By the time most cars get to 200,000 miles, they’re over 15 years old. The interior is ragged out and unpleasant. The paint is faded, and often, there’s rust. Putting a bunch of $$/work into a car that you don’t enjoy is a recipe for unhappiness.

It’s an extensive list for the Volvo. Lot of effort. If I wasn’t turning the wrenches, I’m not certain the cost would make sense.

But my wife loves her car. It looks great. The dogs hop in the back easily. She’s running errands in it as I type. She can fit anything in she needs to in the wagon. It suits her needs perfectly, and it’s been paid for for 14 years.

So, barring a wreck, 300,000 miles, here we come!

 

[ecotourist]

Probably spend about $1000.00 per year total ( PM & service inspections ) .......

I kept a record of all repairs and costs for my '86 Volvo which we bought new, kept for 18 1/2 years, and 285,000 km.

It averaged $1100 a year including everything. At the end there were a few things wrong with it (a bit of rust on one fender, the sunroof wouldn't open and a few of the wires in the door openings that controlled interior lights and such needed repair). But it could have been taken on a 1000 mile trip without inspection or worry. Sold it to friends who drove it for 5 or 6 years; then they sold it to a guy who immediately wrote it off in a crash.

Vehicles can be driven a long way but there are costs.

 

[Pablo]

unpleasant.

Unpleasant. haha haha haha Haha

What's that smell?

 

[Snagglefoot]

I’d have to agree that If the rust comes, time to sell. One waste is if you make it to 250,000 the odds of a required tranny rebuild are high, so some money might get wasted if you do the tranny just to get it running again.

 

[The Critic]

Moral of the story: unless you are willing to do your own work, it is often cost-prohibitive to keep a well-maintained vehicle past 200K. Or even 150K. At $200/hr labor rates and shops marking up parts >50%, it rarely makes financial sense to keep vehicles past 150 or 200K.

 

[OVERKILL]

I've had three vehicles with that kind of mileage: '87 Mustang GT, '89 Lincoln Town Car and a 2002 Expedition Eddie Bauer. The Expedition is the only one still on the road, no idea what the miles are on it now, we got rid of it with 346,000km IIRC, (215,000 miles) in 2016 and it is still driving around.

The Mustang was modified, so it's not a great example, things were changed for performance, not because they wore out.

On the Town Car, which I gave away to a friend at ~330,000km:
- Rear air shocks replaced with conventional PI shocks
- Springs were replaced with PI springs (front springs were sagging pretty badly)
- Gas tank leaked at the seam, was replaced
- Tires (no idea how many sets)
- Brakes (no idea how many sets)
- Steering box (used one from a newer cop car, wreckers pull)
- Alternator
- Rad
- Rear brake line
- Coil (twice)
- TFI module (twice)
- Water pump
- Plugs & wires
- At least two batteries

THINK that's it?

On the Expedition:
- Ball joints and tie-rod ends. These were done with Moog problem solver and needed to be done again when we got rid of it
- Muffler rotted off, got a Magnaflow
- Spark plugs
- Lock-n-stitch insert on #4 plug hole that blew out
- Needed an A/C system service when we got rid of it
- Right-rear axle seal
- Alternator
- Three batteries
- Four sets of tires
- Three brake services and then all new calipers
- ABS controller/pump assembly (pulled the fuse, sent the used one I picked up to replace it with along with the vehicle)
- Sub amplifier (had the Mach 460 stereo)
- Drivers side seat heat failed, never fixed
- Rad
- Trans cooler lines needed to be done when we sold it, they were weeping
- Three coils
- Exhaust manifolds & studs, right side needed attention again when we sold it
- DRL resistor module

That's pretty much it I think? It was ridiculously reliable (never left us stranded). These vehicles (and the F-150 of the same platform) were hard on front suspension bits and exhaust manifolds. This was driven extremely hard, towed frequently and never complained. Right up until we got rid of it we wouldn't have a second thought hopping in it and driving a few thousand Km straight.

 

[doublebase]

In truth, a lot of cars aren’t worth that level of effort.

By the time most cars get to 200,000 miles, they’re over 15 years old. The interior is ragged out and unpleasant. The paint is faded, and often, there’s rust. Putting a bunch of $$/work into a car that you don’t enjoy is a recipe for unhappiness.

It’s an extensive list for the Volvo. Lot of effort. If I wasn’t turning the wrenches, I’m not certain the cost would make sense.

But my wife loves her car. It looks great. The dogs hop in the back easily. She’s running errands in it as I type. She can fit anything in she needs to in the wagon. It suits her needs perfectly, and it’s been paid for for 14 years.

So, barring a wreck, 300,000 miles, here we come!

Yeah I agree, yet for someone reason I’ve always been intrigued by the high mileage effort/stories. But 289,000 is the farthest I’ve gone.

You do get tired of them...think that’s why I ended up buying something else when I owned my Honda Accord...at that point the car wasn’t really something I wanted to pull up to my kids soccer games in anymore. And I did for a while, but it just wasn’t practical. And I became a little worried about commuting in it (for fear it would leave me stranded). I still drove it after I bought my Lexus, but it was only as a winter beater or an occasional backup car, type of thing. But part of me wishes I had kept it and squeezed another 100,000 miles out of it, but it would have taken years at the pace I was driving it towards the end.

 

[jagdriver727]

'02 Ranger, 3.0 Vulcan, 5R44E RWD. Rolled over 270k this morning. Built 10/31/2001, purchased 04/24/2002

Oil changes, conventional at 5k until about 100k, at which point I went to synthetic at 7.5-10k intervals. Transmission fluid every 30k with Mercon V. All other maintenance by book.

Front brake pads 4 times
Rotors replaced once
Rear shoes once
Two sets of spark plugs. One coil and one set of wires
Ball joints replaced twice. Inner and outer tie rod ends once. It'll be needing control arm bushings next time.
One serpentine belt
Several batteries
Three full sets of tires, replaced two most recently due to a cut in a sidewall. Will be due for another full set at about 300k.
Shocks replaced twice
One radiator
Thermostat housing, thermostat, radiator hoses and heater hoses
Column shifter bushings
Sway bar links and bushings replaced twice
IAC Valve replaced once
Windshield replaced once
Headlamp housings replaced because the lenses started looking like crap
Had the tape deck rebuilt once
Various light bulbs
Keyless entry remote batteries a couple of times

 

[ls1mike]

1991 S-10 blazer 230,000 miles
brakes
tires
oil pressure sending unit
intake gasket
valve cover gaskets
pitman arm x 2
idler arm x 1
front driver's side wheel bearing
various filters
Transmission fluid change every 50,000
Water pump x 1
Radiator at 200,000
Plugs
wires
cap
rotor
Shocks
Struts
Ball joints x1


2001 Grand Prix GTP (modified, exhaust, smaller S/C pulley, CAI, tune, headers, lowered. 13.40 1/4 miles)
Brakes
tires
Intake gasket at 62,000ish
plugs
wires
transmission fluid change every 30,000 miles.
water pump
supercharger coupler
front wheel bearings at 160,000ish
valve cover gaskets
Transmission at 190,000
Shocks
struts
front passenger side axle


For both there were normal oil changes new batteries 4 for the blazer 3 for the Grand Prix. A few thermostats, belts, hoses and tie rod ends on both of them twice. No rust here. So that makes a huge difference.

The last photo I took of "Big Blue Bob" with 230,000 on it here. I gave it to a buddy who drove it to 410,000 when by then
the paint was bad and the transmission finally failed. I loved that thing.

 

[4WD]

I guess in hindsight if you take what’s listed in the Owners Manual (you can view pre purchase) that’s not even repair to me … that’s Scheduled Maintenance: Filters, spark plugs etc are part of ownership just like brakes and tires …
On select vehicles a timing belt would apply …
Also, many folks do what they think is proactive … many good belts and hoses get tossed each year because they were not so good years back … way better now

 

[4WD]

^^Why is that funny^^ ?

 

[AutoMechanic]

^^Why is that funny^^ ?

Because most people nowadays don’t follow their owners manual like most of us car people do. I have several friends who won’t dare pickup a paper book anymore.

 

[Red Crow]

I would use any good synthetic in any turbo. All I know is the oil return line on the Volvo turbo was severely encrusted with old school group I/II oil. Synthetic not one bit of coke.

Not sure a 1980's Garrett turbo can be compared to a 2020 era turbo though.

I knew a few fellas back in the 80s who were fully encrusted in coke...

 

[doublebase]

'02 Ranger, 3.0 Vulcan, 5R44E RWD. Rolled over 270k this morning. Built 10/31/2001, purchased 04/24/2002

Oil changes, conventional at 5k until about 100k, at which point I went to synthetic at 7.5-10k intervals. Transmission fluid every 30k with Mercon V. All other maintenance by book.

Front brake pads 4 times
Rotors replaced once
Rear shoes once
Two sets of spark plugs. One coil and one set of wires
Ball joints replaced twice. Inner and outer tie rod ends once. It'll be needing control arm bushings next time.
One serpentine belt
Several batteries
Three full sets of tires, replaced two most recently due to a cut in a sidewall. Will be due for another full set at about 300k.
Shocks replaced twice
One radiator
Thermostat housing, thermostat, radiator hoses and heater hoses
Column shifter bushings
Sway bar links and bushings replaced twice
IAC Valve replaced once
Windshield replaced once
Headlamp housings replaced because the lenses started looking like crap
Had the tape deck rebuilt once
Various light bulbs
Keyless entry remote batteries a couple of times

I owned a 2002 ranger for about a year. Those things are legends for their reliability. Bought it with 140,000 miles for mountain biking (needed something to carry my bike around). It was pretty rotted out when I got it. Replaced rear shackles, shocks in the front, put a clutch slave cylinder in it (not fun), changed all the fluids, did front brakes. Then I sold it a year later for $1,200 bucks. I think it had the 4.0 liter in it. Great in the snow with the 4wd.

 

[AutoMechanic]

I owned a 2002 ranger for about a year. Those things are legends for their reliability. Bought it with 140,000 miles for mountain biking (needed something to carry my bike around). It was pretty rotted out when I got it. Replaced rear shackles, shocks in the front, put a clutch slave cylinder in it (not fun), changed all the fluids, did front brakes. Then I sold it a year later for $1,200 bucks. I think it had the 4.0 liter in it. Great in the snow with the 4wd.

Was the slave cylinder hard to do? I’ve got a Mazda B2200 and it’s slave cylinder is super easy to change it conveniently failed on me as I was turning into my street one day and my parents and me had to push it home LOL.

 

[doublebase]

Was the slave cylinder hard to do? I’ve got a Mazda B2200 and it’s slave cylinder is super easy to change it conveniently failed on me as I was turning into my street one day and my parents and me had to push it home LOL.

Yes, transmission had to come out, transfer case. Replaced the clutch while I was in there. Funny thing...I think it was just slightly leaking and needed to be bled. I ended up - after replacing the slave cylinder - having no pedal despite a “normal bleed”, so I ended up finding a small tiny hose and stuck it down into the master cylinder...and then used a vacuum pump to suck the air out of the line to the slave cylinder, and that worked like a charm. A very tough system to bleed system. I honestly think that if I had done that from the very beginning I wouldn’t have needed to replace the slave cylinder. Oh, I also did U-joints while I had the drive shaft out.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Yes, transmission had to come out, transfer case. Replaced the clutch while I was in there. Funny thing...I think it was just slightly leaking and needed to be bled. I ended up - after replacing the slave cylinder - having no pedal despite a “normal bleed”, so I ended up finding a small tiny hose and stuck it down into the master cylinder...and then used a vacuum pump to suck the air out of the line to the slave cylinder, and that worked like a charm. A very tough system to bleed system. I honestly think that if I had done that from the very beginning I wouldn’t have needed to replace the slave cylinder. Oh, I also did U-joints while I had the drive shaft out.

Wow I’ve never seen a car or truck where the whole transmission had to come out for that. Was it internal or just hard to get too? Mine was simple it is on the side of the transmission and two 12mm bolts hold it on. Then it’s off.

 

[ctechbob]

Ok, for my 2003 Accord V6 @ ~240k

Transmission was replaced by Honda at ~100k. I had to foot the labor bill.
New front control arms (in order to replace the compliance bushings)
I upgraded the shocks at about 100k to Koni's
2 Timing belt/water pump/idler pulley kits
2 Sets of spark plugs
1 - Valve adjustment
2 sets of valve cover gaskets (Felpro Honda VC gaskets suck)
1 set(6) of spark plug tube seals
Many sets of front pads and rotors (I'm hard on brakes)
Many sets of tires
A set of motor mounts - Cheap ebay replacements
2 Sets of headlight bulbs
3 Rear brake light bulbs (Oddly, no turn signal bulbs)

It will soon be needing a front drivers CV Joint

That's about it. Other than the transmission, nothing I would consider out of the ordinary for a high mile car. The only reason I did control arms instead of just replacing the compliance bushings, was I was younger, didn't have all the tools I do now, or the knowledge.

 

[Red Crow]

Wow I’ve never seen a car or truck where the whole transmission had to come out for that. Was it internal or just hard to get too? Mine was simple it is on the side of the transmission and two 12mm bolts hold it on. Then it’s off.

Unfortunately, internal slave cylinders are common on most manual transmission equipped vehicles since the mid to late nineties.