The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Share Your Badassity => Topic started by: Milspecstache on February 08, 2014, 11:27:49 AM
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Most of my co-workers love to talk about buying new or very fancy cars. Have had many poke fun at me as the poorest guy they know. As moustachians I thought we could maybe use this thread to brag on our high-mileage cars (since no one else will ever envy them!).
Me:
I have a 2000 Toyota Sienna with 215k miles as our family car. Still running strong and we did a cross-country trip 2 years ago from coast to coast and back (my job paid for the trip which was a vacation for my family!!). Only major repair has been the AC compressor.
For my farm truck (and what I use to haul building materials when building my house) I have a 2001 Ford F-350 with 260k miles. Bought used in 2008 for $7k and kbb is more than that even now... Bad mpg but I only use it for hauling and towing (very good money-maker). Wouldn't recommend it from a MMM perspective due to somewhat poor reliability but a steady diet of parts keeps it running!
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We've got an old diesel suburban thats done 475000 miles and still rumbling along. We dont do any big miles on it, just as a beast of burden, but its great and you get great respect on the road.... no-one pulls out in front of you!
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Since my daily driver rolled over this fall, we no longer own a vehicle under 200k.
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I never seem to be able to get that many miles from a car, just because I don't drive enough.. I sold my 90 Maxima when it was about 18 years old, it only had 150,000. I drive an 03 Golf we've had since it was new. It only has 97,000. My mom and I split a 2000 Sienna that I bought this year with 140,000.
Otherwise, great job. It's crazy that people constantly buy new cars. I understand why you needed a new car every 6 years in the 70s and 80s when cars hardly ever hit 100,000. But even the lowest GM offering should be able to give you 200,000 these days.
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327,000 miles on my 1992 Honda Civic. Still gets ~ 40mpg. Manual transmission, manual windows, manual locks. 4 doors, spacious trunk. Trailer hitch on the back. I hear all the time, "you need a new car." Once I point out the fact that my car is paid for, gets 40mpg, and my insurance is $38 a month, the tone of the conversation changes and they get it. My fiance is driving a 2006 Focus with 194,000 miles on it. Same deal, everything is manual. She gets 35mpg in hers. We both plan to drive our vehicles until it doesn't make any sense to repair them anymore. They're the only cars we own, and they're driven daily.
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94 Mazda Protege and a 97 Dodge Neon both with close to 200k miles.
Last year a boutgh a "New" Neon for $350 with fanctastic bodywork and a cosmetic dent in the front.. Repainted the front half of the car and rebuilt the engine and put new synchro cones in the manual transmission.
The engine had 130k miles... When I stripped it down everything was still in standard spec.. still had the original honing marks in the bores! These new blocks simply don't wear like they used to. I put new pistons, bearings and rings in it and put it back together with a rebuilt cylinder head.
Total cost $1400 and its basically new!
Frank
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I have a low mileage brag. Bought a car over 10 years ago while in high school, and I only hit 100K miles last year. Helped that I walked to college for 4 years. I hope to be driving it for another 10 years and 100K miles :)
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any idea how much you guys have spent over the lifetime of the car to maintain it those miles? i wonder if the costs adds up...
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My Vanagon has over 305K on the odo. Original engine as far as I know, but I've only had it about 4 or 5 years. I use it for work and for family trips etc. There's nothing else on the market like it, seats 7 or 2 + 1 ton of materials and tools (I'm a contractor and designer). It's old enough that you don't need special computers to fix it, and new enough that the body is relatively safe, despite no airbags. I do my own work on it which is good and bad. There are a few places that specialize in parts.
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any idea how much you guys have spent over the lifetime of the car to maintain it those miles? i wonder if the costs adds up...
I've rarely spent more than $200 a year on even my expensive to maintain VW Golf. Brakes are about $150 an axle for pads and rotors. I use OEM parts and I've done them twice in 11 years. Oil changes are about $35 (I can't get big jugs of 5w-40 synthetic so I have to pay more for quarts) every 9 months or so. Other fluids are fairly cheap to replace, $6 for brake fluid, $20 for gear oil and those are only every other year. Coolant is a lifetime item on VWs.
Otherwise I spent $200 on parts and tools when I had to replace my water pump last year (hit the timing belt and accessory belt also). Plugs, wires and ignition coils were about $400 6 years ago. I spent $300 on a new cat a while ago and I did new front struts this year for about $250 ish in parts and tools.
I've had to replace various sensors over the years to the tune of 50-100 dollars (german cars...). And I've replaced the tires twice (and I bought snow tires on rims when I moved to colorado). Still, I'm well under $4000 in mx costs on this car for 11 years of use. I expect it to go another 6-9 years with similar costs.
The absolute cheapest, easiest car to maintian so far has been my 07 Honda Civic Hybrid. We've had some major repairs but they were all under warranty. Otherwise I've found that it's really easy to do all my own mx on the car. Basically oil changes, transmission fluid, filters and I finally have to do the brakes at 82,000. The brakes are hardly ever used with the regenerative braking.
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any idea how much you guys have spent over the lifetime of the car to maintain it those miles? i wonder if the costs adds up...
My daily driver : paid $1,200 for it fifteen months ago at ~150k miles. Three oil changes at $25 each (we can buy the big jugs of oil, and filters aren't much). I don't know whether the oil changes should factor into your question, though, since new cars need oil changes, too.
Older car maintenance includes brake pads (maybe; I drive over two mountains every day, three if you count the one I live on, so anything might have needed pads). That was $29.99 plus tax. This weekend we put in new spark plugs, a legit older vehicle issue. Four plugs at $1.98 each comes to $7.92 plus tax. Also, last summer, I replaced the wiper blades for $8 each, and I've replaced one tail light bulb, $4 for a two-pack.
Total out of pocket for over 50k miles, including purchase price: $1,341 rounding up. Tax on the car is under $40 a year, by the way.
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'92 Honda Prelude base model. Manual transmission, but it does have power windows and a sunroof :) Bought it a little less than a year ago with already 22x,xxx miles on it. The odometer is broken so I don't know exactly how many miles are on it. I do need to replace the brake master cylinder, just haven't done it yet.
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My household's daily drivers are a 1998 VW Beetle TDI with ~210K (its been a while since I looked at the odometer; I don't quite remember) and a 1996 Ford Ranger 4x4 with 195K. Both have manual transmissions and 4-cylinder engines (the Ranger is the most efficient 4x4 truck I could find); the Ranger has manual windows and door locks.
Coolant is a lifetime item on VWs.
There is no such thing as a "lifetime" item -- or, thought of another way, manufacturers define "lifetime" as "100k miles."
Transmission fluid, for example, is also listed as "lifetime" on automatic transmission VWs... but the transmission will last longer if you change it anyway.
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We have a 1991 Honda civic wagon, with 252K miles, (bought at 161k in 2003), and a 2004 Prius with 225K miles (bought at 185K in 2010). Prius is the daily driver, we don't drive the Honda much, but license and insurance for the year are way less than the cost of renting a car for the times where it's come in really handy! Honda eats a little oil, I think it's a slight leak and not burning it.
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In the comments of the blog's last post, MMM says he's driven under 70k miles in 20-something years of driving. If you were to keep your car's mileage at under 2,500 milles/year (not hard at all when you live locally and don't commute), you could theoretically buy a car with 80k for 7,000 dollars or so in your twenties and make it your first and only car. Now THAT would be badass.
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My 1996 Volvo wagon is at 164k, only bought it last summer with 155k on the clock though. My dad's still driving his 1994 Buick LeSabre with 142k on it (he got it for free from his father-in-law about 11 years ago with 41k on it, doesn't get much better than that). My girlfriend used to have a '93 Volvo with 211k on it before she moved across the country. I'm sure it's still driving around Phoenix.
I see no reason why my Volvo won't last me well past 200k. It's a *very* well-built car, and it's been very well taken-care of in the past. I'm also babying it pretty hard. Textbook maintenance. If you treat a car like you'll have it forever, you probably will be able to.
The main problem with old cars (at least in northern Illinois) is rust. Get something built decently, and without rust (or minor rust that you fix right away), take care of it, and no reason it can't run forever. My Volvo had only two very small spots of rust when I got it, and I fixed them easily before winter came to make them bigger.
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My 1996 Volvo wagon is at 164k, only bought it last summer with 155k on the clock though. My dad's still driving his 1994 Buick LeSabre with 142k on it (he got it for free from his father-in-law about 11 years ago with 41k on it, doesn't get much better than that). My girlfriend used to have a '93 Volvo with 211k on it before she moved across the country. I'm sure it's still driving around Phoenix.
I see no reason why my Volvo won't last me well past 200k. It's a *very* well-built car, and it's been very well taken-care of in the past. I'm also babying it pretty hard. Textbook maintenance. If you treat a car like you'll have it forever, you probably will be able to.
The main problem with old cars (at least in northern Illinois) is rust. Get something built decently, and without rust (or minor rust that you fix right away), take care of it, and no reason it can't run forever. My Volvo had only two very small spots of rust when I got it, and I fixed them easily before winter came to make them bigger.
I'm driving a '92 Volvo with 230k (plus the three years when the odo was broken) up here in Wisconsin. I've heard they do very well w/r/t rust, but it'll be a sad day nonetheless when it first appears.
If mine ever bites the dust, I think I'd "upgrade" to one of those mid-late nineties wagons.
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any idea how much you guys have spent over the lifetime of the car to maintain it those miles? i wonder if the costs adds up...
Part of the reason I drive a Honda...It's reliable and replacement parts are dirt cheap. My biggest expense so far was replacing the engine. $250 for a used motor and I replaced it myself. I had a tie rod go bad, so bought a set of inner/outer tie rods for both sides for $35 on ebay and again, did the work myself. With everything being manual, there's not much to go bad electronically. Timing belts can be changed in the garage in about an hour and for less than $40. All told, I have less than $1800 into the car including the cost of purchasing the car itself, maintenance, and repairs. I'm getting ready to have to replace the tires, but I can put a Bridgestone on it for $38/tire.
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A Toyota pushing 20 years old.
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any idea how much you guys have spent over the lifetime of the car to maintain it those miles? i wonder if the costs adds up...
Labor is free...:)
Frank
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I have a 2003 honda accord with only 80k miles. Replaced the front brake rotors once. Otherwise, no other issues over 11 years and should last at least another decade (likely more if my long-term plans of living close to work pans out).
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Camry Hybrid after 200k+ kms on my wagon. Wagon was a faithful car but got sick of the repairs. Even my mechanic was giving me a strong hint after 2 timing belt changes. Enjoying the cruising range on hybrid. Next step would be a Holden/GM Volt or Tesla...but aiming for 200k+ for the hybrid too. Maybe they'll make a wagon version then. Probably the first and last Aussie-made hybrid :(
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Coolant is a lifetime item on VWs.
There is no such thing as a "lifetime" item -- or, thought of another way, manufacturers define "lifetime" as "100k miles."
Transmission fluid, for example, is also listed as "lifetime" on automatic transmission VWs... but the transmission will last longer if you change it anyway.
True, but I end up changing the majority of it with a water pump change. I have changed the gear oil twice and that's a lifetime item. I was getting some second gear grind so I switched over to pennzoil synchromesh (vw vortex recommendation), it's smooth as silk now.
Still, I wouldn't recommend this car to anyone. I only get 27mpg city (I don't do much highway) and there have been a fair amount of repairs in the last 11 years. I'd much rather drive a honda or a toyota and take the performance hit. But, this thing was cheap and I knew the history.
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I have a 2002 Honda Crv with 145000 miles on it. It doesn't have that many miles yet and the fuel economy could be better. But I just paid the yearly fixed costs (license and insurance) at $300, so I'm happy. Aside from maintenance, which I do myself, it has only had $800 in repairs in its lifetime.
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2002 4Runner with 340k miles
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These maybe aren't very mustachian, but I've got a 1991 K-1500 5-speed with 240k miles on it that I got for $1500 (used for work), and had a '71 olds 88 with that eventually rang up 280k miles.
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2003 Impreza 2.5TS Hatch 200km (mine)
2009 Forester 2.5X 60km (hers)
I'll probably have to ditch the Impreza in Aug as we're getting a new car (company paid) and I get the Forester. Too bad as I really love the impreza... cheap, hauls and very nice handling. Just a bit thirsty in the gas department.
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Mine's a 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix with 125k. It drives better on snow than our Hyundai and gets the same gas mileage. Its not winning an beauty contects and some things aren'tso much broken as they have tricks to them. But since I bought it for $2000 in 2010 and have only had to put in about $700 in work on the front wheels & axle I can't complain a bit. Extra bonus, in Montana my car is old enough for permanent tabs so I never have to pay for registration for it ever again.
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Still, I wouldn't recommend this car to anyone. I only get 27mpg city (I don't do much highway) and there have been a fair amount of repairs in the last 11 years. I'd much rather drive a honda or a toyota and take the performance hit. But, this thing was cheap and I knew the history.
If you don't mind dealing with the maintenance, TDIs are the best VWs. My TDI is quicker than a stock GTI and gets 40+ MPG (combined city+highway).
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I drive a 2004 Sebring with 80,000 miles. I hope to never own another car this nice again. It's a big improvement over my last car - a Town and Country - because it gets like 50-60% more fuel economy.
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Still, I wouldn't recommend this car to anyone. I only get 27mpg city (I don't do much highway) and there have been a fair amount of repairs in the last 11 years. I'd much rather drive a honda or a toyota and take the performance hit. But, this thing was cheap and I knew the history.
If you don't mind dealing with the maintenance, TDIs are the best VWs. My TDI is quicker than a stock GTI and gets 40+ MPG (combined city+highway).
Yeah, I'm just really tired of how much even cheap cars cost and I would be absolutely fine with a mid 90s civic hatchback that got around the same mpg as a TDI. Really, I'd love to just ride my bike everywhere, but there's a lot of places my kids and I go that we just can't ride to.
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My 1996 Volvo wagon is at 164k, only bought it last summer with 155k on the clock though. My dad's still driving his 1994 Buick LeSabre with 142k on it (he got it for free from his father-in-law about 11 years ago with 41k on it, doesn't get much better than that). My girlfriend used to have a '93 Volvo with 211k on it before she moved across the country. I'm sure it's still driving around Phoenix.
I see no reason why my Volvo won't last me well past 200k. It's a *very* well-built car, and it's been very well taken-care of in the past. I'm also babying it pretty hard. Textbook maintenance. If you treat a car like you'll have it forever, you probably will be able to.
The main problem with old cars (at least in northern Illinois) is rust. Get something built decently, and without rust (or minor rust that you fix right away), take care of it, and no reason it can't run forever. My Volvo had only two very small spots of rust when I got it, and I fixed them easily before winter came to make them bigger.
I'm driving a '92 Volvo with 230k (plus the three years when the odo was broken) up here in Wisconsin. I've heard they do very well w/r/t rust, but it'll be a sad day nonetheless when it first appears.
If mine ever bites the dust, I think I'd "upgrade" to one of those mid-late nineties wagons.
Nice. I do love the older RWD Volvos. They're even more tank-like than mine.
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I have a low mileage brag. Bought a car over 10 years ago while in high school, and I only hit 100K miles last year. Helped that I walked to college for 4 years. I hope to be driving it for another 10 years and 100K miles :)
Me too! I have a 2001 Echo that just hit 100K miles.
Bourght used for $5500 in 2004, with minor-ish dent.
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2001 Honda Insight w/ just under 320K miles on it. Manual, and has averaged 59 MPG for me. Bought it for $4400 3 years ago with 225K on it. Doing the math, the ROI on this car compared to a Civic or similar for the same price, and I've come out VERY well.
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We don't drive much and so had old cars with low miles, but still too much chit went wrong one year. DH drove his small Nisson truck 20 years but it just barely tapped out over 100,000 miles. We could never play the "high miles 'stache game" but we could play the "many years old" game.
Then in 2009 both of our autos went kaput and we temporarily acted like consumers rather than Mustachians and we bought two new vehicles in the same year. For cash, of course. But honestly, we are old and we didn't want the hassle of running around town looking for a good used vehicle. I prefer "used" but this time just did not want the hassle.
We bought them from our friend who is a car dealer who really IS a "friend" with whom we go out to dinner, he and his wife have us over to their house, we spend Xmas Eve with them and etc. We didn't shop around for the cheapest thing. He earned a commission and that's fine. He has been in the car business for 40 years because he gives great service to old farts like us who value "no hassle" sales. For instance, he drove across the river (he's in another state) 2X to meet me at work to sign paperwork for one of these cars. He will come and get a car for service or detailing (but we never do that.)
However we did act like Mustachians and bought low end, stripped down vehicles. I fully expect that this is DH's last truck, he will die with it. We'll have 1 or 2 more family cars, though because we trash then rather fast--dogs, and garden dirt and etc. do no keep them nice.
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92 Ford Explorer - 520,000 miles! Replaced engine once and tran twice.
The explorer was actually my Dad's which he gave me. I drove it for 5-6 years until I got married. Now my wife and me car pool a much smaller (and efficient car).
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My car is a '99 Ford Escort that has 117k miles. My family bought this car as a third one for our family in 2004. It's really beaten up after being driven by my brother and I in our teens and also from a hit and run incident while parked. My parents gave it to me when I graduated college. It gets about 30-33mpg and the insurance is $36/mo. I drive it 1-2x per week in the winter and much less in the summer. It has issues that aren't worthwhile to fix but it's still going for the time being!
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Windawake, our cars should high five. 96 ford escort, just hit 180k. Actually looking to sell it though, since I drive it just a few times a month now. Would rather have a grand in the bank and use a new car from a car share for my highly infrequent 170 mile driving trips.
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Windawake, our cars should high five. 96 ford escort, just hit 180k. Actually looking to sell it though, since I drive it just a few times a month now. Would rather have a grand in the bank and use a new car from a car share for my highly infrequent 170 mile driving trips.
Car high-five! I've considered selling mine and car sharing but figured it would be just about as expensive (I spend about $750/year on car stuff) and much less convenient. I use the car to visit family in the suburbs so it's totally worthwhile. Plus my car is such a POS I can't imagine anyone actually paying me money for it!
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We had 2 ford escorts that lasted until almost 200k. In 2003 I bought a 1999 Volvo thinking I could drive it until 400k but that did not happen. Just got rid of it at 178K because I fixed it in Nov for 1,000 & in Jan it needed $4000 more work. Figured that was crazy as the last few years I spent about 2k each year. This time got a 2010 HOnda Accord-spent alot of time reading about reliability, low repairs, etc. Hope it is true!
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Windawake, our cars should high five. 96 ford escort, just hit 180k. Actually looking to sell it though, since I drive it just a few times a month now. Would rather have a grand in the bank and use a new car from a car share for my highly infrequent 170 mile driving trips.
Car high-five! I've considered selling mine and car sharing but figured it would be just about as expensive (I spend about $750/year on car stuff) and much less convenient. I use the car to visit family in the suburbs so it's totally worthwhile. Plus my car is such a POS I can't imagine anyone actually paying me money for it!
There's always a college student out there. I'm going to try to sell it for KBB, and not be terribly disappointed if it doesn't go, and simply drop the insurance on it until it does go or I find a replacement and am actually motivated for it to be out of my garage. If my family was closer and I saw them more often I'd probably reconsider.
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My '97 Odyssey is older than my kid who can drive it. I bought it in 2006 when it had 147,000 miles, and now it's pushing 240,000 and going strong (knock on wood!) Lots of road trips in that car - it's been all over the US twice!
We're selling my husband's Saturn this year, to replace it with a hybrid - it's an '01 with almost 190,000 and also going strong, but he has to commute (no face punch required - it is truly unavoidable in our case due to custody arrangements) and we need to get something that gets better gas mileage. I've been stalking craigslist for months, waiting for the perfect deal.
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We have a 2001 Acura TL with 200+ miles and it runs strong!
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Gee, y'all put me to shame. I drive a '95 Corolla with 190k miles, and we have a 2001 Odyssey with 150k. Of course, we've only had the Corolla for 11 years (bought it at 87k miles) and the Odyssey for 8 (bought it at 70k miles), so we've a long way to go.
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99' corolla i picked up for $2000 2 years ago with only 38,000 miles on it now! A friends grandmother who only took it to the grocery store, but no longer drives and it sat for 2 years. Only needed a battery and a headliner. This is the first vehicle i ever owned with less the 150K miles on clock when i bought it. Was a lucky find
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I love my old cars: http://www.millionaireeducator.com/2013/12/10-happy-years-with-couple-of-old-nags.html (http://www.millionaireeducator.com/2013/12/10-happy-years-with-couple-of-old-nags.html)
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I've had my 2002 Civic from the beginning, it's our only family car, and it has 94,000 miles. Love it!
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Mine is a 1996 Subaru Outback with the 2.2L 5-speed and almost 221,000 miles on the odometer. I bought it for $3000 and insurance payouts for a couple of minor fender benders have made up for about 2/3 of that. The reputation of the EJ22 engine is such that I'm hoping to get 250,000 miles or more out of the car. :^)
The gas mileage is nothing to write home about (around 20 MPG in the winter, and up to 25 MPG in the summer), so I mostly use it for winter, biking as much as possible in the spring/summer/fall. Since I've been wussing out of winter riding for much of this season, I'm seeing what I can accomplish with the tips in the Hypermiling blog post.
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I drive a 2002 Chevy Silverado. It's not that old, but I figure I'll have it for at least another 5 years.
My wife drives a fairly late model BMW (2010?). She's frugal on everything except her cars, so I forgive her that frugal failing :).
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I drive a 1999 Honda Accord EX sedan with 28k miles on it. Got it 2 years ago from a relative.
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My car is neither old nor high mileage, but its still pretty frugal. '98 Saturn with 141k miles.
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97 civic. I do all the reparations myself with a friend. It is still pretty reliable. last thing I changed was my front brakes last year. And 2 spark plug 2 months ago.
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My beloved and many-times tuned up bicycle now has 25k+ on the meter, which equals the circumference of the earth!
It also used to be pink, has been orange one summer and now lives as a blue sparkly bicycle. It (she) has seen Belarus, Poland, Germany, Denmark and of course the Netherlands.
I do plan on buying a 2nd bicycle soon to accompany her
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For our family, we drive a 2001 Ford van. It has 81,000 miles on it and we have so far replaced the transmission, the a/c and last week, the power steering. Other than regular maintenance, it has served us well and we will continue to drive it -- its paid for and I don't have nearly enough money set aside to replace it anyways. Its worth a pittance if we sold it -- maybe $5000 if we were lucky.
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A new transmission after 81,000 miles? That hurts.
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1989 Volvo wagon, with 200K and a little more on it. We use it to haul wood.
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My beloved and many-times tuned up bicycle now has 25k+ on the meter, which equals the circumference of the earth!
It also used to be pink, has been orange one summer and now lives as a blue sparkly bicycle. It (she) has seen Belarus, Poland, Germany, Denmark and of course the Netherlands.
I do plan on buying a 2nd bicycle soon to accompany her
Badass!
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I have a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. Not sure how this car doesnt make the Mustachian list of cars. The EPA estimates are all wrong. in the winter i get my worst Gas mileage at 35MPGs YES IN AN SUV. If the weather is over 45 degrees this bad boy puts out 40-45 MPGs depending on how frugal i drive YES IN AN SUV. No clown car needed. Plus i picked it up with 150k miles on it from my companies fleet sale last winter for a cool 5400 bucks. Yes its still worth more than that. On top of this i drive to some client sites for work. and they pay to the tune of 56.5cents a mile and i estimate i profit 35cents a mile minimum if i keep it above 30MPGs on the highway. So now my company has paid for the car i bought from them in gas mileage.
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I have a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. Not sure how this car doesnt make the Mustachian list of cars. The EPA estimates are all wrong. in the winter i get my worst Gas mileage at 35MPGs YES IN AN SUV. If the weather is over 45 degrees this bad boy puts out 40-45 MPGs depending on how frugal i drive YES IN AN SUV. No clown car needed. Plus i picked it up with 150k miles on it from my companies fleet sale last winter for a cool 5400 bucks. Yes its still worth more than that. On top of this i drive to some client sites for work. and they pay to the tune of 56.5cents a mile and i estimate i profit 35cents a mile minimum if i keep it above 30MPGs on the highway. So now my company has paid for the car i bought from them in gas mileage.
Have you verified that mileage? That's incredible.
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Yes i have verified this mileage. For the first half year i tracked it and compared to what the guage in the car said and it was always within .5 MPGs on either side which tells me my car MPG meter is accurate. b/c gas quality and when the pump stops can easily allow for that variance. i just filled up on my way in to work today and reset it. since the car was half warm when i filled up i always get insane numbers after fillup so i'm at 50 but that will avg. back out down to probably 38-40 since cold weather is coming back.
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I have a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. Not sure how this car doesnt make the Mustachian list of cars. The EPA estimates are all wrong. in the winter i get my worst Gas mileage at 35MPGs YES IN AN SUV. If the weather is over 45 degrees this bad boy puts out 40-45 MPGs depending on how frugal i drive YES IN AN SUV. No clown car needed. Plus i picked it up with 150k miles on it from my companies fleet sale last winter for a cool 5400 bucks. Yes its still worth more than that. On top of this i drive to some client sites for work. and they pay to the tune of 56.5cents a mile and i estimate i profit 35cents a mile minimum if i keep it above 30MPGs on the highway. So now my company has paid for the car i bought from them in gas mileage.
Have you verified that mileage? That's incredible.
He's an outlier, that's for sure. http://www.fuelly.com/car/ford/escape%20hybrid
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I'll brag about my car one more time. Two weeks ago we had a mix of snow and ice which left my wife's Hyundai Sonata sidelined. Every time we tried to move it, the fairly new (and gigantic) all-season tires would just polish the ice below. But my 2000 Grand Prix on second-hand all seasons would glide over the stuff like it was blacktop.
We're replacing the Hyundai in a few months with a Honda Fit, but we will never get rid of the Pontiac.
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I have a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. Not sure how this car doesnt make the Mustachian list of cars. The EPA estimates are all wrong. in the winter i get my worst Gas mileage at 35MPGs YES IN AN SUV. If the weather is over 45 degrees this bad boy puts out 40-45 MPGs depending on how frugal i drive YES IN AN SUV. No clown car needed. Plus i picked it up with 150k miles on it from my companies fleet sale last winter for a cool 5400 bucks. Yes its still worth more than that. On top of this i drive to some client sites for work. and they pay to the tune of 56.5cents a mile and i estimate i profit 35cents a mile minimum if i keep it above 30MPGs on the highway. So now my company has paid for the car i bought from them in gas mileage.
Have you verified that mileage? That's incredible.
He's an outlier, that's for sure. http://www.fuelly.com/car/ford/escape%20hybrid
arent we all outliers on this site. It isnt the car or anything special i put in it. Its how i drive the car. Just like how you live in a cooler house in the winter as a mustachian or a warmer house in the summer. Driving this car efficiently has much much more upside than driving a regular gas engine efficiently. i drive 20 miles to work each day. i drive down a road with a 45 Sp Lim. at 40 so when i see red traffic lights i can brake quickly and get under 40 to turn off the Comb Eng. then on certain hills on my way to work i can coast down 100% on battery. And obviously this route is to and from so its not like going downhill both ways. some tricks and secrets with the FEH can help it get there and it really isnt that hard. I drive 55 on an interstate for about 6 miles. total it adds about 3 mins to my commute vs going the speed limit.
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For real. How you drive it has a huge potential to make a difference. 20% or more above the fuelly/fueleconomy.gov estimates isn't unusual, and this is just a bit past that.
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It is legit. and you can see others posting the same thing. now i feel like i live a good distance to maximize my mileage and have the roads that can get me there with this driving style. It isnt for everyone.
This isnt for you if you
1. mainly drive over 55 MPH
2. Don't want to take the time to learn the car
3. Can't drive with a light foot... i mean very light.
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My current commuter car is 10+ years old now. The old EPA MPG estimates on the sticker were 25/31. With today's new measurements, the estimates have been revised down to 22/28.
I do probably 80% freeway (speed limit only in the slow lane) and 20% in-town driving, a lot of coasting, no jack rabbit starts, etc. and consistently get 32-34 MPG per tank.
Just adding my two cents that driving style has a huge impact on fuel economy.
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Keeping the car at or under 55 MPH is definitely key for the two toyotas I drive regularly. Especially if you allow it go slower when going uphill on the highway so it never needs to shift down. We averaged 41 MPG when driving through mountainous West Virginia in a corolla that's rated for 35 highway EVEN though we drove at the posted speed limit (65-70) the majority of the time.
EPAs are for people who haven't yet heard of coasting.
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EPAs are for people who haven't yet heard of coasting.
(http://www.vwvortex.com/Anthony/Smilies/thumbup.gif)
What drives me nuts is when I'm behind a chipped, jacked up diesel truck at a stop light and they nail the throttle when the light goes green and blow black diesel smoke everywhere. That's when I wonder if fuel should be priced at $10 a gallon.
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I like this thread! 1998 Toyota Camry V6 XLE purchased in Feb. 2005 for $10k cash with 88,000 miles. Now has 214,000 miles. Keeping for one more year then I'll start to look at slightly newer camry's (2009-2011 model year).
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I like this thread! 1998 Toyota Camry V6 XLE purchased in Feb. 2005 for $10k cash with 88,000 miles. Now has 214,000 miles. Keeping for one more year then I'll start to look at slightly newer camry's (2009-2011 model year).
why a V6 ?
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Well, my dh drives a manual transmission 2002 civic with 150,000 miles on it. Not too impressive with some of the other cars on this thread, but it looks great in the doctors' parking garage at the hospital surrounded by late model BMWs and Mercedes! Now I am working on getting him to bike on nice weather days!
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Got rid of my second car last year 1995 Subaru impreza 150,000 miles on her. Only major maintenance a replaced AC. It literally imploded. Gave her to a family member. She went crunch 2 months later :(
Just realized last July my van isn't new anymore. 2004 honda odyssey. People were asking when I was getting a new one. I was saying What I just got this one it's a 2004! Oh wait she's 9 years old. Only has 70,000 miles on her. Not replacing anytime soon.
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family car = 2005 suburban with 120k miles
comuter car = 1998 toyota 4runner with 197k miles (going to be sold this month)
new comuter car = 2003 toyota matrix with 74k miles.
the 4runner is pretty ugly, some hail damage we did not repair and a few rust spots, but its been a loyal, trustworthy ride. dh had it in highschool. but the gas milage is terrible and we just moved (now 4.5 miles from work one way, was 1.2 miles) with a couple of months per year comuting 25 miles each way, so i think the trade will be a good one. we were thrilled to find such an old matrix with 1 owner and such low milage. its completely bare bones, as in no power windows or locks. our familes are a little confused (as usual) about our vehicle choices. but again they they all drive new SUVS (hylander, explorer, land rover and 2 oddyses).
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but the gas milage is terrible and we just moved (now 4.5 miles from work one way, was 1.2 miles)
I would be remiss as a MMMer if I didn't point out that this is a fantastic bike-commuting distance. ;^)
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I like this thread! 1998 Toyota Camry V6 XLE purchased in Feb. 2005 for $10k cash with 88,000 miles. Now has 214,000 miles. Keeping for one more year then I'll start to look at slightly newer camry's (2009-2011 model year).
why a V6 ?
I need the power to overtake vehicles. I am a very aggressive driver.
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I like this thread! 1998 Toyota Camry V6 XLE purchased in Feb. 2005 for $10k cash with 88,000 miles. Now has 214,000 miles. Keeping for one more year then I'll start to look at slightly newer camry's (2009-2011 model year).
why a V6 ?
I need the power to overtake vehicles. I am a very aggressive driver.
sounds like you could save alot of gas and lead a happier life by slowing down and get a 4 banger. power to overtake just burns gas. I used to be aggressive as well since i got my hybrid and now drive under the speed limit the stress from my commute is gone. something to consider
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Mine isn't high mileage. To be fair, it was in storage for 2.5 years while I lived overseas, so that accounts for some of the low mileage. But it's a 2000 toyota Echo and has 84,000 miles on it.
Due to practicalities, it may be sold in Germany when we leave in 8-20 months, or it may make the journey with us. I'd be perfectly happy driving it for another couple years though, so that may happen. I do want my next car to ahve power windows and maybe power door locks, though.
I live in Germany, so I drive fast and also spent a lot of time in traffic. (Though let's be realistic. An Echo can't really go what is considered "fast" on many German roads.) Other than speeding, I am a pretty fuel efficient driver with slow starts and stops and a few other things. At one point, I was getting mid 40s MPG (EPA is 31/38) on my drive when I lived in SoCal. Now, I am probably about 40 on average.
Depending on where we live next, there's a good chance my next car will by a hybrid or possibly even an electric (though I'd done almost zero research on E cars.)
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97 Ford Explorer with 87k miles. I bought it back in 2004 with 40k miles on it. The last 5 years I've only put about 2500 miles on it per year because I bike to work (except in winter) or work from home.
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97 Ford Explorer with 87k miles. I bought it back in 2004 with 40k miles on it. The last 5 years I've only put about 2500 miles on it per year because I bike to work (except in winter) or work from home.
That would be sweet! Great situation you're in.
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I'm pimping it in my 2000 Honda Civic. It only has 94k miles (I don't drive a lot). I bought this puppy brand new 14 years ago. Zero repairs other than routine maintenance and a few minor things like O2 sensor.
I even haul our 3 kids around in it. We'll probably drive it 800 miles to Florida this fall for vacation.
Hopefully it lasts another 14 years.
My wife drives a 2000 Honda Accord (we bought new cars together 14 years ago :) ). She's closer to 150k miles due to a longish commute to the high paying job part of town.
When the wife quits work, we are contemplating a switch to one car, maybe a minivan or mid size SUV (honda pilot-ish). Gas mileage will become mostly irrelevant since we live in the city and don't drive very much (other than an occasional vacation).
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My car isn't very high mileage, but it is pretty old - 1992 Honda Accord. It just hit 169k miles this morning. It's in almost mint condition, it's reliable and pretty economical. It's needed some repairs over the years, but I do all repairs and maintenance myself which saves me a lot of money, and I get a significant discount on parts from my job, which saves me even more money.
That's not my only vehicle, but it is the oldest and the most MMM friendly.
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My 1996 Volvo wagon is at 164k, only bought it last summer with 155k on the clock though. My dad's still driving his 1994 Buick LeSabre with 142k on it (he got it for free from his father-in-law about 11 years ago with 41k on it, doesn't get much better than that). My girlfriend used to have a '93 Volvo with 211k on it before she moved across the country. I'm sure it's still driving around Phoenix.
I see no reason why my Volvo won't last me well past 200k. It's a *very* well-built car, and it's been very well taken-care of in the past. I'm also babying it pretty hard. Textbook maintenance. If you treat a car like you'll have it forever, you probably will be able to.
The main problem with old cars (at least in northern Illinois) is rust. Get something built decently, and without rust (or minor rust that you fix right away), take care of it, and no reason it can't run forever. My Volvo had only two very small spots of rust when I got it, and I fixed them easily before winter came to make them bigger.
I'm driving a '92 Volvo with 230k (plus the three years when the odo was broken) up here in Wisconsin. I've heard they do very well w/r/t rust, but it'll be a sad day nonetheless when it first appears.
If mine ever bites the dust, I think I'd "upgrade" to one of those mid-late nineties wagons.
Nice. I do love the older RWD Volvos. They're even more tank-like than mine.
Indeed, they were awesome! To bad they don't make them anymore. The newer Volvos just don't have the quality anymore. I've had one from 1971, one from 1984. Being from Sweden I still see them for sale here, lots of them have around 300000-400000 miles on them, still going strong. And spare parts were almost free for them, since almost everyone had a Volvo. I really miss them :( Now I have a 99 Toyota, that gets about 50% longer per liter of gas though, so not everything was better with the old Volvos.
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Umm, yeah. Forgot to mention my current car. 1999 Toyota Avensis with 200k miles (320k km) getting 37 MPG in winter (winter tires) and 39-40 in summer. Awesome car so far.
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My 2000 Hyundai Accent with 195K miles is finally done. It needs new bearings on the brakes. It grinds when I turn and accelerate. I bought the car in July 2000 and I only had one major repair that was not regular maintenance ($2,200). I forget what it was but I'm pretty sure that I got "taken." Looking back I should have tried harder to get a second opinion. My car broke down 70-80 miles away from my regular shop.
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2001 Ford Escort Coupe, red. 32-37 miles to the gallon. Sexy and stubborn just like me ;)
For a first car, or any car, it is a dream.
(http://imganuncios.mitula.net/2001_ford_escort_zx2_zelienople_pa_98221603532033533.jpg)
(once you learn to do the 2 wheel drive in the winter, that is)
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Last year, sold the '95 Tercel at 203k miles. Still driving the '02 Intrigue at almost 206k miles.
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1981 VW Vanagon (AKA Fritz) purchased in 2001, no idea on the mileage (or KMs) as the odometer has not functioned since we purchased it. We've driven it from BC to LA, and records show the van was driven by previous owners to Mexico.
Hubby does all the maintenance on it to keep the costs down, including the off roadside/campsite emergency repairs. By far the best hotel/holiday/cottage value out there.
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Low mileage / old car brag: 1995 buick century with...drumroll please...14,000 miles!
Inherited it from Grandma last year (she had it since new!) I'm planning on keeping it as a Mustachian ride for awhile even though the gas mileage is only around 26 mpg. Am trying to get that up through better driving though. Great in the NE winters though, probably because of the "boat of a car-style" hood weight at the front tires.
Jealous of the high mpg cars here!
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01 dodge 1500 pickup with 205K. This thing is a tank. gets horrible gas milage but some times there is just no way around having to have a truck.
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Low mileage / old car brag: 1995 buick century with...drumroll please...14,000 miles!
Inherited it from Grandma last year (she had it since new!) I'm planning on keeping it as a Mustachian ride for awhile even though the gas mileage is only around 26 mpg. Am trying to get that up through better driving though. Great in the NE winters though, probably because of the "boat of a car-style" hood weight at the front tires.
Jealous of the high mpg cars here!
Damn! Drive that baby for the rest of your life! Reminds me of my dad's car (1994 Buick Lesabre) that he got for free from his father-in-law with 42k miles on it in 2004, so not quite as badass.
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Nothing amazing, but my 2006 Civic sedan can do 38.5 mpg between LA and San Diego. On a regular basis it's more like 34 mpg.
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I got a lot of surprised looks from people about how many miles that car had since Taurus's have a bad reputation.
I thought that as well but a coworker of mine had a Mercury equivalent to a Taurus and got it to 300k I thought. She said her sister had a Taurus and it got to 270k or something like that. She said the mechanic told her that those models were known to run forever.
I had a '99 Cavalier and rolled it a few months ago. It was at 215k. I had blown the head gasket and let it damage the whole head due to negligence at 190k. Other than that it never had issues. I now own a Mazda Protege with about 140k on it. Spent about $2500 on it; one of my coworkers commented that he paid more in taxes for his truck than the price I paid for my car. I drive a lot to work (35 miles each way) but am downsizing my house to an area by coworkers so I can hopefully carpool more.
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any idea how much you guys have spent over the lifetime of the car to maintain it those miles? i wonder if the costs adds up...
I spent $5K for my '99 Cavalier initially and drove it 140k miles over 7-1/2 years. It got about 28 MPG average, so at $3.50/gal it cost $0.125/mi for gas ($17,500 total). Probably spent $5,500 total on maintenance including when I blew my head gasket and wrecked the head. That includes tires, oil changes, a couple brake jobs (one I did myself), and a few other miscellaneous repairs.
So I spent about $28K total on my car over the course of 7-1/2 years, or about $0.125/mi gas, $0.035/mi purchase price, and $0.04/mi repairs/maintenance.
Wow, I just realized that, if I could live car-free, I would save the equivalent of $300/mo. Oh well; something to improve on.
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If I'm going somewhere by myself I ride a 2002 Honda Metropolitan. It gets about 90 MPG and I ride it rain or shine. This means I've put less than 3,000 on my 1990 Mazda Miata in the last year. I've owned the Miata for 5 years and it's still worth more than I paid for it. It probably always will be. It's 24 years old now and only has 130,000 miles. It's not the most mustachian car, but I'm able to average around 33 MPG in it. My wife drives a 2001 Honda Civic with 197,000 miles. Since it's the only vehicle that holds all three of us it gets driven the most. I get over 40 MPG in it, but she gets closer to 35.
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I got a lot of surprised looks from people about how many miles that car had since Taurus's have a bad reputation.
I thought that as well but a coworker of mine had a Mercury equivalent to a Taurus and got it to 300k I thought. She said her sister had a Taurus and it got to 270k or something like that. She said the mechanic told her that those models were known to run forever.
DH saw this article the other day "10 Cars Most Likely to go 200k Miles" and the Taurus is the only non-Japanese one to make the list. Makes me laugh whenever people dog on Fords :)
Just to be a geeky engineer, I'd like to point out that this article only includes vehicles listed for sale. So, vehicles that are high mileage and still popular might not make the cut because the owners aren't letting them go.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/03/10-best-cars-to-last-200-000-miles/index.htm (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/03/10-best-cars-to-last-200-000-miles/index.htm)
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No idea how many kms are on the clock, but our cars are:
1997 Hyundai Lantra - DH's drive-to-work car
1999 Toyota Emina - the minivan for my driving around with the kids.
No plans to replace either of them until they die.
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Bought my 1996 Saturn SC2 when I was 17. Manual everything. It was a couple years old with maybe 40K miles on it at the time. I think I paid around 11K for it back then. I still own it today with about 130K miles on it. Pretty low I know but that's mainly because I ride a motorcycle for 90% of my commuting. Plus for a period of time I was commuting to work on my bicycle until it got stolen. :( I do all my own maintenance on it to keep costs low plus it's garaged which makes a HUGE difference in its condition over the long run. I've literally owned it for almost half my life and I plan on owning it till it blows up or taken from me by an inattentive driver. Sometimes I literally wonder if I'll ever buy another car again.
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1991 Toyota MR2. 269,000 miles now. Looking forward to a routine 30k interval service at 270,000. :-) 32-34 mpg in town/and on expressway (65-70 mph here). 38 mpg on the highways (55 mph). EPA ratings are 22/28 mpg, I can't get that poor mileage out of it even if I try. Does require periodic rust repairs. Last year I had a shop do a partial paint job on the back and top of the car (Sun ate through the paint/had primer showing) and small rust repair on a wheel well for $1200. Also got a new bonnet latch (original one failed when they were checking fluids during an oil change) for about $600. Other than that I can't recall it needing anything other than fluids in 2013. Parts are expensive and hard to get, but breakages are very rare. About as mustachian a mid-engined sportscar as one can find.
1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX. 124,000 miles. Not terribly mustachian, but still better than the average SUV/minivan on the road I suppose. Parts are cheap, and *most* of them are readily available (there's a few that are insanely hard to find) but it breaks all the time and gas mileage is poor. At one time I was getting 28-30 mpg mixed driving out of it, but it was due to a fuel flow problem that made it horrible to drive in traffic. With that fixed it gets 26 mpg no matter what kind of driving I do with it (book value is 21/29 city/highway). 2013 was an ugly year. I had air intake piping rust out and need replacement (did some upgrades at the same time, so dropped about $3500), some electrical wiring fell apart and had to be repaired (my own labor), a cooling system hose blew (original, when I had the shop do all the hoses a couple times they failed to notice/do this one hidden hose! $150), a wheel bearing seized (and ultimately cost $3000+ due to lack of parts/collateral damage), brake caliper seized (fixed myself for around $20 in parts), a 9 month old battery cooked off (manufacturing defect?) and needed replacement ($120), and I just took it in for an alignment to finish the last of the repercussions of the wheel bearing episode only to find that the 1 wheel that's so far out as to do severe tire wear has a rusted solid toe adjuster (Charged me $39 for a front end alignment only, at least the steering wheel is straight again. If I fix the rear and bring it back in 30 days the warranty kicks in so I only have to pay for the rear part of the alignment). So, it's going back up on jack stands this weekend so I can do more suspension work. At least parts are cheap. It's been on jackstands at my house all but 2 weeks this year. In 2013 it was on a lift at a shop for a total of around 7 months for the various problems. As of now I've decided that this will be my project/fun car. I will work on it for fun. I won't count on it for getting to work. If it doesn't run, I won't care. Insurance and registration aren't too bad and like I mentioned above parts are (mostly) cheap. Labor is expensive, so I'll just do everything myself on it now. :-)
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Interesting, I personally never had much luck with old cars - had a Mazda diesel that I had hopes would hit 500,000K or about 300,000 miles but engine problems stopped that. As an aside we traded it in on a newer used car and a friend told me afterwards he would have bought it and fixed it, bummer sure the car would have run forever.
Anyways we now live in the city centre (Munich) and hardly drive any more, maybe with holidays we drive 5-6 thousand miles a year, so my new goal is to see how long the cars will last.
Another aside when we lived in Spain it wasn't unusual to see 15 year old cars in good shape due to lack of salt and snow there.
Rob
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Mine is a 1996 Subaru Outback with the 2.2L 5-speed...
The gas mileage is nothing to write home about (around 20 MPG in the winter, and up to 25 MPG in the summer) ... I'm seeing what I can accomplish with the tips in the Hypermiling blog post.
Bump to brag about my progress. I've modded the car by removing the crossbars, keeping the tire pressure around 44psi (max sidewall), removing excess junk, and adding a cardboard grille block to the upper grille. Driving-wise, I've gotten a lot better at driving at or below the speed limit, coasting to red lights, and minimizing my brake usage overall, keeping safety in mind. The car warms up much faster without overheating and over the course of February and March, my tanks have gone from 18.8 MPG (no mods or hypermiling), to 20.1, to 22.5, to 24.3, to 28.7! And that's with ethanol gas and daytime high temperatures still dancing around the freezing point. :^)
I think I have a real shot at 30+ MPG once I install summer tires and the ambient temps warm up even more!
(According to my logbook, my two best-ever tanks were 30.2 and 30.1 MPG, both with relatively small fills, so their accuracy is questionable.)
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I drive a 2005 VW Jetta. It doesn't have THAT high of miles on it yet (it's at about 130k), but my last car, which is a Honda, has over 220k on it. It's still going strong since I gave it to my brother.
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'04 CR-V with 80,000 miles. This car should last us the rest of our lives. '98 Ranger with 150,000 miles. This truck should last several more years. The mileage numbers are not impressive unless you realize that cars this old with low mileage represent the fact that we don't drive a lot. My wife and I each drive about 6K miles a year. That's 12K combined, still below the national average for a single driver.
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This thread has gotten long, which is good news for the world. I may have already mentioned mine and that you can easily guess what kind of car I have. =-)
I was just thinking about this topic today as I am driving to meet someone and started to wonder if I would be judged for my car. I rarely drive to meet anyone as I either walk or take public transportation, so driving feels weird. The car is about ten years old, and some would be embarrassed for me, I know. What others do not know is that I think it would be even better to have no car at all!
A true Mustachian doesn't care if other people "judge" your choice of car. Honestly, I don't understand the mentality (although it is really widespread) that a car has to be some extension of you as a person.
I just recently sold a newer car that I was driving and replaced it with a newly-purchased 2001 Toyota Echo with 102,000 miles. Not only is it the oldest car I've owned in a long time, it's probably the one that's made me happiest, even though it's got roll-down windows and I can't use one of those remote buttons to unlock the doors any more. I'm pretty sure my family/friends think I'm crazy, but that's ok - this car gets 40+mpg and I don't really care what it looks like!
I just wish I'd had my Mustachian epiphany sooner, since I've wasted my fair share of money on cars and transportation.
Its purpose is to get me from place to place as cheaply and efficiently as possible. There are very few options better than an old Toyota for that, so your username is very apt.
One of my friends commutes round-trip 128 miles per day in a v6 Honda Accord. He's selling it and getting an even worse gas guzzling Lexus. I just don't get it.
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Got another couple hundred $ into my '95 Eclipse now. Was able to cut the rear toe arms off and replace them with an upgraded set (includes threaded rod adjuster for when the eccentric bolts rust into place, which happens FAST up here in Ohio). 127,000 miles. Not much to brag about, but I enjoy working on it (which is good because it's broken a LOT). :-)
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1989 Volvo wagon with about 240k on it. We bought it in 2000 with 103k. It's been back and forth across the Cascades, Rockies and Great Plains. It's also our logging truck.
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1965 Datsun Fairlady. Not sure of the mileage because it only goes up to 99,999, but I would estimate it's done at least 7-8 revolutions in it's life. It's a bit like grandpas axe though, 3x paint jobs, 3x engine replacements, 1x gearbox. Oh, and a new roof. Hubby and I do all the work ourselves, I estimate aside from fuel, insurance etc. it's averaged out around $200 a year in maintenance, including all the body and mechanical work. Most years it's just a couple of $50 oil and filter changes. Parts aren't expensive, they can be a bit hard to find though.
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1KSjAJhEX_Q/UhR_VcvYFxI/AAAAAAAAAWU/wh-erC2vjkM/s640/2013-08-17+22.10.31.jpg)
That's my most up to date photo, haven't taken any since I finished the most recent restoration. Yep, she's pink. No, we don't have any kids at home, so 2 seats is perfectly adequate. It also has a fudged-up bike rack so I can take her to triathlons.
Have to allow about 40 minutes to put fuel in her though, because every man and his dog wants to talk to me about her.
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Primm, that is a beauty! I can see why it takes so long to fuel it up!
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I drive the car my parents gave me when I was 16, a 2001 Saturn. I've had it for 9 years, but I have no idea how many miles the thing has because the odometer blew during one particularly brutal cold snap several years ago.
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2001 manual Toyota corolla. 138k miles, gets 35-40 mpgs (depending in how much city driving vs highway driving we doz).
I had to replace the clutch in 2012, and my friend who owned the car before me replaced the transmission in 2004-ish (I bought it in 2005-ish).
It has a detroit tigers "D" sticker on the trunk, is a lovely red color, and has a very scratched bumper from street parking it in Manhattan.
I love my car!
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2004 GMC Yukon Denali, 33k miles. :)
Yes, I know it isn't very Mustachian, but it is hardly driven, super low mileage, looks brand new and fits the gigantic dual stroller we need for our babies (car trunks no worky I'm afraid). And Mrs. SmilingBob loves her giant trucks, what can you do? It is our only vehicle, I have a company car with free gas and insurance for work. :D
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1990 Toyota 4x4 pickup with 310K miles.
2004 Toyota Highlander 215K miles.
Both have been trouble free.
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I have a Saturn SL 1998 sedan. I bought it 4 years ago for $2200.
It has 190,000+ miles on it. I only drive it 3000 miles a year - mostly around town. Annually costs, with gas, registration, maintenance, repairs, insurance... it costs $1200-1500 to own.
I no longer use it for road trips or anything that will take me out of the valley (I don't think it's all that trust worthy, but I should probably have a mechanic deem that instead), but when I did, I easily got 42 mpg on the highway.
I read a review about this Saturn. Someone said it was as exciting as low-fat vanilla yogurt. Pretty true!
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I have a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta TDI with over 300,000. We haven't put that many miles on it, but bought it with high miles. I drove a Jeep Cherokee in high school with over 300,000 miles and my dad is still driving it to this day. We have had great luck with high mileage vehicles because my dad and now husband take immaculate care of their cars.
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Another happy Toyota Echo driver here. It's a 2003 with 150k on it. Bought it in 2005 with 60k already on it. We do roadtrips alot to state parks, which is nearly all of the mileage on it. And we easily fit 4 people, a dog, and all of our stuff comfortably inside while driving 10 hours a day for 2-3 weeks.
So wish Toyota was still making this excellent car. The Yaris just doesn't measure up in terms of comfort and design to the Echo.
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1998 Toyota Tercel - 150 000 kilometers with manual trans and roll down windows. We just had it repainted and it looks brand new. It was getting a bit too shabby looking even for us.
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DH saw this article the other day "10 Cars Most Likely to go 200k Miles" and the Taurus is the only non-Japanese one to make the list. Makes me laugh whenever people dog on Fords :)
We had a decade long lesson on the difference between popular wisdom and reality, when it comes to vehicles that are "known" to be junk, based on the brand, or specific model.
In 2000 we bought a new Dodge Intrepid, base model with the 2.7 V6. We drove it for the next ten years and 190K miles with very, very little spent on actual repairs, and way more than average spent on obsessive maintenance. I did the oil every 5K, and every two years EVERY fluid in the car was replaced, trans, coolant, brakes, etc..... At the ten year mark we were in solid shape financially, and the Wife decided that a new CRV was her next car, and since she had a high paying job, she wrote a check for one. We sold the Dodge to a repair shop and they are STILL using it as a daily loaner. They have almost 300K on it. It looks like a pile of well hammered shit, and it runs great.
OTOH, many knowledgeable folks will tell you that that was a horrible car, very prone to oil sludging, unreliable, and to be avoided as a used car. IMHO, it really helps to have "good bones" and a Toyota will generally last a heck of a lot longer that most of the lesser Chrysler products out there, but it's amazing what a religiously obsessive maintenance campaign can due when it comes to creating an outlier.
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Mine's a 2002 Saturn SL1 with less than 83,000 miles on it. With any luck I'll still be driving it when I retire in 10 years.
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My 1996 Volvo wagon is at 164k, only bought it last summer with 155k on the clock though. My dad's still driving his 1994 Buick LeSabre with 142k on it (he got it for free from his father-in-law about 11 years ago with 41k on it, doesn't get much better than that). My girlfriend used to have a '93 Volvo with 211k on it before she moved across the country. I'm sure it's still driving around Phoenix.
I see no reason why my Volvo won't last me well past 200k. It's a *very* well-built car, and it's been very well taken-care of in the past. I'm also babying it pretty hard. Textbook maintenance. If you treat a car like you'll have it forever, you probably will be able to.
The main problem with old cars (at least in northern Illinois) is rust. Get something built decently, and without rust (or minor rust that you fix right away), take care of it, and no reason it can't run forever. My Volvo had only two very small spots of rust when I got it, and I fixed them easily before winter came to make them bigger.
I'm driving a '92 Volvo with 230k (plus the three years when the odo was broken) up here in Wisconsin. I've heard they do very well w/r/t rust, but it'll be a sad day nonetheless when it first appears.
If mine ever bites the dust, I think I'd "upgrade" to one of those mid-late nineties wagons.
Nice. I do love the older RWD Volvos. They're even more tank-like than mine.
Indeed, they were awesome! To bad they don't make them anymore. The newer Volvos just don't have the quality anymore. I've had one from 1971, one from 1984. Being from Sweden I still see them for sale here, lots of them have around 300000-400000 miles on them, still going strong. And spare parts were almost free for them, since almost everyone had a Volvo. I really miss them :( Now I have a 99 Toyota, that gets about 50% longer per liter of gas though, so not everything was better with the old Volvos.
Yeah. the mileage is a bit of a bummer. Short of taking off the doors, I really don't know what I can do about it, though I'm trying to finetune my hypermiling skills.
My parents had a new Volvo stationwagon and I really hated driving it. The visibility and turning radius were both terrible. After renting a car and driving a few other new ones, I really hate that they all seem to have made compromises with visibility.
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Wow the datsun fairlady is a nice car. Simple car to work on. I rather have a crank window although the convenience of having power window I still prefer a crank window.
I have a taurus for company car and it had a lot of problem. The only reason why it was on the road because its being service every 6 months. Other than that it is uncomfortable car and not reliable.
Had a nissan with 200k miles that blew a head gasket so I sold it.
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327,000 miles on my 1992 Honda Civic. Still gets ~ 40mpg. Manual transmission, manual windows, manual locks. 4 doors, spacious trunk. T
We no longer have a car, but I wanted to chime in on this.
I had a 91 civic, no frills, all manual. sold it with 270 miles to a friend. He replaced the original clutch and some belts, it's still running 3 years later with over 300k. Leaks lots of oil, so he'll have to redo the seals at some point.
I kind of regret selling it!
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I have a 2000 Toyota Camry with 248,000 miles on it. I have had it for 7 years and it's still going strong. It's going to need a big overall pretty soon but I know it will last me for a good while longer.
Before that I had a 1994 Toyota Camry which I sold to my friend's Grandma. Every once in a while I go over there and I still see it there, working away for her.
P.S. I have been lurking here for a couple months and this is my first post! Found MMM and it's definitely changed my way of thinking on all aspects of my financial life.
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my dd 97 civic - 230k (just replaced the original clutch last summer)
DW's 04 Subie- 174k (just replaced the original clutch last weekend)
Maintenance is done at home by us. Labor is free.
As for total operating expenses, tires are probably the most expensive items. Everything else is relatively cheap.
Still cheaper than a new car payment!
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Hand-me-down, cosmetically-challenged 1996 Honda Odyssey at 200,500 miles! Happy to see fellow Odyssey-ers and so many other Hondas on here! This van just keeps ticking and we're hoping it'll hold out for a few more years. Considering a Honda Fit after the Odyssey bites the dust (it can't live forever, right?).
The drawback to the Odyssey is the poor fuel efficiency, but, we do love the cargo space for toting our garage sale/side-of-the-road/craigslist finds. Plus, our greyhound enjoys stretching out in the back (and licking the window for unknown reasons...)
I love this thread--no one else appreciates or understands how awesome we think our ol' frugal-wagon is! You guys are the best!
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A little off topic, but newly minted 16 year old driver told me yesterday that he thinks he'd like to buy a beater as his first car!
Winning!!!
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A little off topic, but newly minted 16 year old driver told me yesterday that he thinks he'd like to buy a beater as his first car!
Winning!!!
Show him this thread to prove:
1) It's cool as we all think it is awesome!
2) That some makes/models are more likely to hit MMM status than others
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96' mazda with only 115,000 miles! I don't drive often. Unfortunately only ~25 mpg.
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14 year old Toyota pickup is just about to click over 200000km.
Actually this truck has been a vital cog in my journey towards FIRE... upon purchase, it cost considerably more than comparable Ford Rangers, Nissan Frontiers etc... but has been worth the premium I paid. Not a single significant problem in 14 years... it still looks new, no rust, engine still purrs nicely... I can see this thing *knock on wood* powering past 400000km with ease. Don't think I will have to budget for a new vehicle for a long time as I head into ER.
Kudos to the car-free people, but I am one of those who will always have a truck - to haul my kayaks all over the Pacific NW and beyond.
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Just had the 270,000 mile fluid changes done on my 1991 Toyota MR2. :-) I'll do the spark plug changes myself shortly. I don't mind that, it's super easy. Fluids, I don't do anymore. I always manage to coat the garage floor with them even with all kinds of catch containers. I figure it's my gift to the environment to have a pro (and independent guy that is very reasonable on labor) do that. :-)
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any idea how much you guys have spent over the lifetime of the car to maintain it those miles? i wonder if the costs adds up...
Trust me, the "costs" that they are putting into the cars a this point are FAR less than the car payments they'd be paying if they had a "newer" car!
I just don't get folks who think you need to have a new car every 4 yrs. Even every 6-7 years! That's just crazy. If you take good care of a car (routine maint, tires, other usual stuff) the car should go for way longer than that. We are early retirees, and our financial planner had our financial projections showing a new car for each of us every 7 years. I laughed my butt off at him! My last Honda Accord was a manual, drove it for 15 years and finally gave it to a friend who needed a car. Bought a Toyota Camry (new/cash) that I don't like as much as I did the Honda, but will drive it for at LEAST another 10 yrs.. We also just bought a used Honda Civic to keep at our winter home - it's awesome on mileage and is damn peppy! I drive around town in this little car and look at all the other folks driving (alone) in their big a$$ SUVs/Trucks and just shake my head. I just don't get it. WHY would you drive around in those gas guzzlers (at $3.50/gallon!!) if you didn't absolutely have to have one? Absurd. Totally absurd.
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Got an '83 Porsche 944 I'm going to turn into my Daily driver. Just needs an interior right now which I am stitching out of old leather coats.
Last year I repainted the entire thing in my garage at a total cost of about $400 including tool purchases.
badass, and frugal. Odometer read 153k before I bought it, and the guy had just rebuilt the engine. Love that car.
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Got an '83 Porsche 944 I'm going to turn into my Daily driver. Just needs an interior right now which I am stitching out of old leather coats.
Last year I repainted the entire thing in my garage at a total cost of about $400 including tool purchases.
badass, and frugal. Odometer read 153k before I bought it, and the guy had just rebuilt the engine. Love that car.
Got any pictures?
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I just don't get folks who think you need to have a new car every 4 yrs. Even every 6-7 years! That's just crazy. If you take good care of a car (routine maint, tires, other usual stuff) the car should go for way longer than that.
The saddest thing for me is to see people trade in perfectly serviceable, and paid for, cars for new ones because they hit one of the larger routine maintenance mileages. Somehow, because it has scheduled maintenance due, they think the car is falling apart.
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Registering my new old car today!
(http://i59.tinypic.com/29epue9.jpg)
1999 Chevy Metro, 55hp 1.0L 3 cylinder engine, 5 speed manual. 146K miles on the clock. Got it for a grand. Previous owner said he was getting about 45MPG. I should be able to get that up to 55MPG or so with some elbow grease and a new nut behind the wheel. Needs a little bit of work, but will be a solid daily driver out of the gate. These cars are so simple to work on. I'm going to throw a new timing belt on sometime this week, and it probably won't take more than an hour if I go slow.
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Got an '83 Porsche 944 I'm going to turn into my Daily driver. Just needs an interior right now which I am stitching out of old leather coats.
Last year I repainted the entire thing in my garage at a total cost of about $400 including tool purchases.
badass, and frugal. Odometer read 153k before I bought it, and the guy had just rebuilt the engine. Love that car.
Got any pictures?
If I remember I'll post some up when I get home.
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1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 215k+ miles. Gas guzzler like all hell, but I live a few miles from work so it's not that bad. Working on biking to work to prolong the life of the old gal but I never learned how to ride a bike as a kid so it's going to be a challenging journey to daily bike commuter status. No time like the present though!
The jeep also has a special place in my heart because that was the year Jurassic Park came out *do dooo do dooo dododo dodo do doooo*.
Slash, I had a patient the other day who was 19, worried about her hair and her bf before surgery, and I realized that she wasn't alive when that movie came out....lol...and I died a little inside.
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Trust me, the "costs" that they are putting into the cars a this point are FAR less than the car payments they'd be paying if they had a "newer" car!
Whenever I take my '92 to the mechanic, I like to pretend I'm making a "car payment". One or two a year, if that.
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Registering my new old car today!
1999 Chevy Metro, 55hp 1.0L 3 cylinder engine, 5 speed manual.
Back when those things were new, my brother was running a rental place, and found it entertaining to give me a new one with an automatic, while my car was getting fixed. I headed home and got to a substantial climb, crossing over the mountain at one of the local ski areas. I mashed the pedal and it was hilarious. It made a whole lot of engine noise, like it should of really taken off, then ............well.......nothing happened. It just slooooowly climbed the mountain, making lots of noise.
I know that they have a real cult following and it will be reliable, cheap and get great MPGs for you, so I'm not picking on it. However, if you ever get the chance to take a 3 cyl. automatic one for a spin, don't pass it up. It's a lot like driving a lawn tractor. A slow lawn tractor.
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She's not high mileage but I have to brag on this one.
Picked up an 03 Impala the other day with 60,000 miles on it, it was a little old lady's that bought a new prius and didn't want this car anymore. It needed brakes, which I replaced already and just needed washed up. The car is mint, and I only gave $2500 for it. Blue book for a dealer is around $7000 for it, feels good to have such a cheap reliable car and no payment.
Oh and the lady kept track of the mileage in a little note pad with each fill up, from what I saw it regularly got 25-28mpg around town. I drive like an old lady and so far I've seen the same, I love it.
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Registering my new old car today!
1999 Chevy Metro, 55hp 1.0L 3 cylinder engine, 5 speed manual.
Back when those things were new, my brother was running a rental place, and found it entertaining to give me a new one with an automatic, while my car was getting fixed. I headed home and got to a substantial climb, crossing over the mountain at one of the local ski areas. I mashed the pedal and it was hilarious. It made a whole lot of engine noise, like it should of really taken off, then ............well.......nothing happened. It just slooooowly climbed the mountain, making lots of noise.
I know that they have a real cult following and it will be reliable, cheap and get great MPGs for you, so I'm not picking on it. However, if you ever get the chance to take a 3 cyl. automatic one for a spin, don't pass it up. It's a lot like driving a lawn tractor. A slow lawn tractor.
Oh man, I've heard some awful things about the automatic transmissions they put in those cars. They're really bad. And they're only 3-speeds with no overdrive. So the engine spins way too fast on the highway. They're pretty useless in my opinion. Their mileage isn't even that great (by comparison). You can get like maybe 35MPG out of them from what I hear, which plenty of larger cars can do.
Last two tanks I got somewhere between 39MPG and 54MPG with this guy (different gas pumps, so inconclusive math). It's been fun.
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While it's very antimustachian for other people, I have to say I love people who buy new, pay off their car, and then sell it to me a few years later at a steep discount, only to go buy another new car. Their insanity is my gain.
My wife and I share 2 cars. While they aren't old now, I expect to keep these babies for the next 10-20 years.
2008 Honda Fit - purchased from a "new cars only" guy who took amazing care of it and then sold it to me for cheap. It has 100k miles, and I'm hoping it gets to 300k at least. 28mpg, possibly the best car ever.
2003 Ford Focus - commuter only, purchased for $2500. It has 135k miles and gets 32mpg, which gets the job done.
The only reason I bought the Focus, is my wife got in an accident in her 1993 Civic Del Sol. These are the 2nd best car ever, basically a sexy mustachian convertible. Unfortunately the cost to repair was more than it was worth, so we got the Focus.
I drive the Focus to my job, and it definitely the cheapest car in the parking lot, by far. While other people look at me funny, I wouldn't have it any other way.
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Mustachian:
1 used Genuine buddy 125. currently has @ 9k miles on it, purchased for 1k. It has had some repairs that were unexpected, but it happens and they weren't bad. Expect to get 70k miles out of it easy, average 90mpg with my wife on it.
1 1987 Honda helix 250. Also bought for 1k to hone my scooter repair skills. turns out it needs a belt and a master cyclinder rebuild. Total cost: $40! Doesn't get the best mileage due to age and such, only @ 54mpg. May replace the tank/carb eventually, at which point it should get closer to 70mpg. It's like driving a couch (that can't go up hill very fast...)
The Semi mustachian:
1 buddy 150, bought brand new. I pimped it out with nice suspension, exhaust, etc. gets @ 80mpg (note, it was still cheap!). I've put 12k miles on it, @ half for work (which paid for the fanciness in mileage...). It was my first new vehicle ever, and I went nuts with a service plan, etc. Fortunately it worked out in my favor (I still have a year left) since I get free labor and service. Given the miles I have used it, I came out ahead. I probably won't do this again though, given the reliability of these vehicles.
1 Honda CTX700. Also new. Gets @ 70mpg, and is my longer distance commuter/touring bike. If it existed used when I needed it, I would have bought used. I'll be paying it off for a year, but it's easy to maintain and a nice bike.
I still say get used if you can, and let someone else eat the depreciation. Fortunately depreciation is much less on a scoot (as a $ amount, not a %), and I plan on riding all but maybe the Helix until the wheels fall off.
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2000 Honda Accord V6 at 260k+ miles. Had one transmission replaced on warranty (this was the year they left a part out of the transmission) and did it again for $5k at 180k miles. Rest has been excellent. Did have it repainted after about 10 years, and the Texas salt is making it need another paint job. Normal maintenance (brakes twice, struts once, etc.), of course.
2005 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 V6 with 140k miles. Bought it used about three years ago with 110k miles. Had the timing belt replaced after buying it for preventive reasons, and normal maintenance since.
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When I drive (I'm trying mostly to bike!) I drive a 1977 Mercedes 240D. Despite being more than 5 years older than me, she's got less than 110,000 miles on her! And the old solid mercedes engines will go for 500,000+ if you take care of them. Plus, as a diesel, I get around 30 mpg, which isn't bad for a 36 year old car!
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Our car is a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP (the one with a supercharger). It has 215k miles on it. I got it long before I met my husband with plans to run it into the ground. Since he can fix anything with a motor, I might have this thing forever. :) As long as the transmission, motor, or supercharger do not go out, he keeps fixing all the little things.
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When I drive (I'm trying mostly to bike!) I drive a 1977 Mercedes 240D. Despite being more than 5 years older than me, she's got less than 110,000 miles on her! And the old solid mercedes engines will go for 500,000+ if you take care of them. Plus, as a diesel, I get around 30 mpg, which isn't bad for a 36 year old car!
Badass! Those cars are awesome and indestructible.
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2001 Chevy Cavalier with 198,000 miles on it. It's got some rust and this summer I'm going to cut that out and replace it with fresh metal. Good excuse to learn to paint a car as well.
I've only gotten a little bit of crap for driving this, but nobody teases me after I tell them that I paid it off seven years ago. It's a little two door stick shift and I've never had to worry about gas prices. Keeping this car and paying off the loan fast are two of the best money decisions I made prior to getting into the MMM swing of things.
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1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX. 124,000 miles. Not terribly mustachian, but still better than the average SUV/minivan on the road I suppose. Parts are cheap, and *most* of them are readily available (there's a few that are insanely hard to find) but it breaks all the time and gas mileage is poor. At one time I was getting 28-30 mpg mixed driving out of it, but it was due to a fuel flow problem that made it horrible to drive in traffic. With that fixed it gets 26 mpg no matter what kind of driving I do with it (book value is 21/29 city/highway). 2013 was an ugly year. I had air intake piping rust out and need replacement (did some upgrades at the same time, so dropped about $3500), some electrical wiring fell apart and had to be repaired (my own labor), a cooling system hose blew (original, when I had the shop do all the hoses a couple times they failed to notice/do this one hidden hose! $150), a wheel bearing seized (and ultimately cost $3000+ due to lack of parts/collateral damage), brake caliper seized (fixed myself for around $20 in parts), a 9 month old battery cooked off (manufacturing defect?) and needed replacement ($120), and I just took it in for an alignment to finish the last of the repercussions of the wheel bearing episode only to find that the 1 wheel that's so far out as to do severe tire wear has a rusted solid toe adjuster (Charged me $39 for a front end alignment only, at least the steering wheel is straight again. If I fix the rear and bring it back in 30 days the warranty kicks in so I only have to pay for the rear part of the alignment). So, it's going back up on jack stands this weekend so I can do more suspension work. At least parts are cheap. It's been on jackstands at my house all but 2 weeks this year. In 2013 it was on a lift at a shop for a total of around 7 months for the various problems. As of now I've decided that this will be my project/fun car. I will work on it for fun. I won't count on it for getting to work. If it doesn't run, I won't care. Insurance and registration aren't too bad and like I mentioned above parts are (mostly) cheap. Labor is expensive, so I'll just do everything myself on it now. :-)
I read and appreciated each word of your DSM woes! They can be trouble but I think we both agree it's worth it.
I drive a '99 10th Anniversary Edition GS with 168k. No boost but that's okay for now. I bought it off an older lady and it's bone stock! I only drive it about once a month to visit my parents 2 hrs. away. The rest of the time she sits pretty in the garage (I drool every day I see that hoop spoiler). I bought it with a blown HG (insert shocked face here) and a need for a timing job. At the same time, I did absolutely all the routine maintenance (plus some) except the new fuel filter which I'll do when I have time this summer.
And overall, I think DSMs are a fantastic mustachian car. What other car looks this great for so little money?! In my opinion none of them but I've been a DSMer since I was 16 so I may be partial..
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I drive a 1996 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4.0L. Just passed 170k miles on it. Purchased in 2001 with 60k miles at the time. The past few years it has served primarily as transport to the train so only putting about 3k miles on per year. Aside from some door and roof rust, no real issues. Solid engine.
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2000 Ford Explorer Sport 4x4 with just under 232K.
Got it ever so slightly used 14 years ago. At the time I really needed something bigger but this little SUV has done so much! I've hauled so much, including goats, bees, chickens, hay and carseats. Taught my kid to drive in it. Pulled tractors out of mud. Rarely needed anything other than routine maintenance.
Sadly I was rear ended yesterday and I think it's totaled. ARGGH! I'm gonna miss this truck.
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And overall, I think DSMs are a fantastic mustachian car. What other car looks this great for so little money?! In my opinion none of them but I've been a DSMer since I was 16 so I may be partial..
...and go so fast for so little money. :-) Grab an old 1g for $2000, drop $2000 in parts on it and you're in the 12's. :-) Add a couple thousand more to the base price if you like the 2g body style.
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1995 BMW 525 150K, still going, the paint on this car is still good.
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2000 Buick Regal GS. Real sleeper car.
Owned it for just three years now. In less than two, I drove through or to 49 states in 5 cross-country trips (well, the last one was really almost cross-continent: Boston through and around Alaska, south to CA.)
Here's hoping it gives me at least six more years.
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1993 Toyota Pick Up - bought new after college and now has 509,847 miles on it. 2nd motor re-build finished last week.
To the moon and back twice
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1993 Toyota Pick Up - bought new after college and now has 509,847 miles on it. 2nd motor re-build finished last week.
To the moon and back twice
This is an awesome story. How much does a motor re-build cost?
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The build itself, including parts, was around $2,700.
The frame is good and it's been repainted. My family thinks I'm weird but I have an emotionally attachment to the truck. I'm divorced and now dating again. They think it hurts me to be picking up girls on dates in it. I should probably start a thread on that subject? :)
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They think it hurts me to be picking up girls on dates in it. I should probably start a thread on that subject? :)
IMO, it might narrow the pool of interested girls but that's a good thing. The girls who judge eligibility based on a desire for flash and money wouldn't be good bets anyway, right? Wouldn't you rather date girls who like YOU ( not the car?)
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The build itself, including parts, was around $2,700.
The frame is good and it's been repainted. My family thinks I'm weird but I have an emotionally attachment to the truck. I'm divorced and now dating again. They think it hurts me to be picking up girls on dates in it. I should probably start a thread on that subject? :)
I picked up my wife for our first date in a 40 year old beater.
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Driving my 2001 Subaru Forester, but it only has about 105,000 miles. I like my car and I expect it to hit the decade mark with me next year. It could get better gas mileage, but everything else about it fits my needs pretty darn well.
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My poor '91 was not happy with me today. I haven't driven it in nearly 2 weeks and the brakes were seized to the rotors (had to really gun it to break them loose) and the engine was rattling until the oil pressure came up. Poor thing. Really doesn't like sitting more than a week...
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I have a low mileage brag. Bought a car over 10 years ago while in high school, and I only hit 100K miles last year. Helped that I walked to college for 4 years. I hope to be driving it for another 10 years and 100K miles :)
+1 to this.
Have a 12 year old jeep with 92k, wife bought it new before we got married
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I have an '02 Toyota Echo and it's just now creeping up to 85K. Bought it in 06 with about 35K miles, and a chunk of them since that are from driving halfway across the country in 2 round trips to new school/work.
I love that car. Gets 35-40mpg, and runs like the little engine that could. I get made fun of at work, but who cares? It runs, and the little dents from the hailstorms give it character. :-)
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My poor '91 was not happy with me today. I haven't driven it in nearly 2 weeks and the brakes were seized to the rotors (had to really gun it to break them loose) and the engine was rattling until the oil pressure came up. Poor thing. Really doesn't like sitting more than a week...
Ah, man! I drive my DSM once a month and it always fires right up with no complaints.
I keep it on a trickle charger so that helps. MR2's are cool though for sure.
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The frame is good and it's been repainted. My family thinks I'm weird but I have an emotionally attachment to the truck. I'm divorced and now dating again. They think it hurts me to be picking up girls on dates in it. I should probably start a thread on that subject? :)
My hypothetical ovaries would be all over you. If nothing else, it's probably an excellent conversation starter.
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1998 Toyota Camry, 165000 miles. Some of my co-workers have gone through 2-3 new car purchases since I started in 2005.
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1998 Toyota Camry, 165000 miles. Some of my co-workers have gone through 2-3 new car purchases since I started in 2005.
Mmm, it's fun to see folks go through the 'buy, sell, buy' cycle while your ride keeps ticking along.
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My family thinks I'm weird but I have an emotionally attachment to the truck. I'm divorced and now dating again. They think it hurts me to be picking up girls on dates in it. I should probably start a thread on that subject? :)
I picked up my wife for our first date in a 40 year old beater.
Choosing to drive a car that old is a style all by itself. There is no such thing as a 40-year-old beater, only a 40-year-old classic that hasn't been restored yet.
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My family thinks I'm weird but I have an emotionally attachment to the truck. I'm divorced and now dating again. They think it hurts me to be picking up girls on dates in it. I should probably start a thread on that subject? :)
I picked up my wife for our first date in a 40 year old beater.
Choosing to drive a car that old is a style all by itself. There is no such thing as a 40-year-old beater, only a 40-year-old classic that hasn't been restored yet.
Ha! I guess that makes it a 45-year-old classic that hasn't been restored yet now!
It's actually in perfect mechanical condition, I just can't justify the several thousand dollars in parts for body and interior.
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1999 Honda Civic, 184,000 miles.. got it new for my 16th birthday, only car I've ever owned.
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2004 Toyota Rav4 with less than 90,000 miles. Really don't drive much. :)
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My car is a bit of neophyte for this thread but:
2004 Chevy Classic that I bought with about 16k miles on it. It was an Army Recruiter's car before I bought it for about $7k about 5 years ago. It now has 136K on it and still running great. It has a few warts, it won't start sometimes due to a computer issue with the security system in the PCU, but if you leave the key in the on position for 10 minutes, turn it off and back on it will start every time. Does that about 1-2 times per month. Leaks a little washer fluid, have not figured out where it is coming from but I know it's not oil, tranny fluid, power steering or anti-freeze because it has no flavor, is clear and dries up pretty quick. Otherwise, the car runs great.
I get ~27mpg mixed milage and I put on about 20K per year.
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2002 Toyota Corolla that I got from my parents last month for free with ~92900 miles on it. I expect it's only about halfway done with its life. And at the rate I'm driving, I probably won't break 100k miles before I graduate with my PhD in 4-5 years!
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2003 Ford Taurus--211K miles, Still going strong. DH puts about 50K per year on it. Today it almost got creamed by a 16 year old, which would have been a tragedy.
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2003 Acura RSX (hatchback). I call it my funny-looking pickup because I can carry so much stuff in the back. It's got 82,000 miles on it, and I'm hoping for 82,000 more. I love that car!
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any idea how much you guys have spent over the lifetime of the car to maintain it those miles? i wonder if the costs adds up...
This is a more difficult game than some people will admit. We hear all the great stories about buying a 1990 honda and it going 300K. No one talks about the one that engine blew at 110K. Ive owned a lot of used cars with high miles. I am pretty sure that it was cheaper than buying new but fixing my own stuff and luck has a lot to do with that. A $3000 car can turn into a $500 in seconds.
I really wonder if over 40 years one person bought 3 brand new cheap cars and someone else only bought cars under $5000, who would spend less. Then do the same thing with 10000 people. One person can get real lucky.
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Well, my car is now old enough that a mechanic straight up said they wouldn't work on it. Is this common? "We only work on cars made after 2000."
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any idea how much you guys have spent over the lifetime of the car to maintain it those miles? i wonder if the costs adds up...
This is a more difficult game than some people will admit. We hear all the great stories about buying a 1990 honda and it going 300K. No one talks about the one that engine blew at 110K. Ive owned a lot of used cars with high miles. I am pretty sure that it was cheaper than buying new but fixing my own stuff and luck has a lot to do with that. A $3000 car can turn into a $500 in seconds.
I really wonder if over 40 years one person bought 3 brand new cheap cars and someone else only bought cars under $5000, who would spend less. Then do the same thing with 10000 people. One person can get real lucky.
It's not lucky. It's buying the right brand/model with the right options from the right person in the right condition and then doing the right maintenance at the right time and when repairs are required, doing them the right way. Simple right?
It's also about how you drive the car. Drive it hard and you should expect it to fail sooner and require more frequent more costly repairs.
I've owned nothing but high mileage cars and have had great "luck".
The last 4 are great examples.
1989 F-150. It had a 5 digit odometer so I don't know exact mileage but based on age and maintenance records of the prior owner I am guessing 245K. Still running great when I sold it.
1999 Ford Escort. Traded it with ~205K miles on it. The only problem I had were when DW slid off the road on some ice and I needed to replace the control arm.
2006 Honda Ridgeline. Currently has ~184k miles on it and runs great. On it's second set of tires and I finally had to replace the rear brake pads a second time recently. It's need some repairs but averaged out over the life of our ownership it's a very small amount per year.
2006 Kia Spectra. ~187K miles on it. We traded the Escort plus some cash to get this car. It has needed nothing but oil changes since we've owned it. It'll need tires before winter hits.
I think the real key is being able to DIY your repairs. I just had to replace the strut mount on the Honda. That's a job that would cost a lot more at a shop than the $25 I paid for the parts.
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Well, my car is now old enough that a mechanic straight up said they wouldn't work on it. Is this common? "We only work on cars made after 2000."
This mechanic sucks. Find a good one. I wouldn't want him working on a newer car either.
I think the real key is being able to DIY your repairs. I just had to replace the strut mount on the Honda. That's a job that would cost a lot more at a shop than the $25 I paid for the parts.
Yep. Just pulled my motor to get the oil pan out and replace the oil pump. Probably saved $1k? Took me 12 hours and $100 with my father's help.
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2005 Honda Insight, 55-58 mpg, bright red. It's automatic and I would prefer a standard, but I still love it. Especially the engine auto-shutoff feature for stoplights - no idling!
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I drive an 01 Hyundai elantra hatchback with maybe 120k on it. Its an automatic, with power everything, and leather seats. Can we say LUXURY?? This baby ran us about $3500.
DH drives a 93 Toyota corolla with around 240k on it. Manual everything. AC is cold. Was previously owned by a mechanic who worked for Subaru and he put headers on it and a cam air filter. Lol. I assume they were cast offs and either free or cheap. He had also pretty well rebuilt the engine in the year or so before we got the car. Super well maintained and clean. All for the bargain price of $1000.
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1997 Saturn SL2 coming up on 160,000 miles. I bought it new in the fall of '96. It will be 18 this year. It's my daily driver. It's been fantastically reliable. I wish they still made them.
1998 Saab 900 convertible. Was my dad's car. in 2008, he decided he no longer needed two cars since my mother no longer drove. It was always well cared for and had low miles. It now has about 93,000 on it. Really nice to drive. Unfortunately, parts are costly and every repair seems to be a huge pain in the butt. I wouldn't buy another, but I do enjoy having this one.
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My 1965 daily driver is slightly smaller today after driving to work in the rain.
Apparently the windscreen wiper wasn't on as securely as I thought. :( Will make driving home interesting in the morning if it's still raining.
Don't worry, if I have to I'll catch the train home.
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I drive a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid 5-speed, with somewhere around 162,000 miles on it.
I drive for Lyft part time, and rent it out with RelayRides pretty often since I bike to work anyway.
Between Lyft and RR, my paid off car generates at least $400/month in income. Very mustachian.
Christopher
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I drive a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid 5-speed, with somewhere around 162,000 miles on it.
I drive for Lyft part time, and rent it out with RelayRides pretty often since I bike to work anyway.
Between Lyft and RR, my paid off car generates at least $400/month in income. Very mustachian.
Christopher
Where do you live that you have these opportunities? We don't have these that I know of.
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I live in Phoenix.
I drive a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid 5-speed, with somewhere around 162,000 miles on it.
I drive for Lyft part time, and rent it out with RelayRides pretty often since I bike to work anyway.
Between Lyft and RR, my paid off car generates at least $400/month in income. Very mustachian.
Christopher
Where do you live that you have these opportunities? We don't have these that I know of.
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My 2005 Element has 99,780 miles on it. We intend to keep it forever! (I'm convinced it will become a classic. ;) ) We've also been able to keep our mileage low compared to the age of the car because I bike to work 3 days a week (or thereabouts) and Mr. LH works from home.
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1999 dodge Dakota 225000 miles and still going. Our friends think we're insane but it's the most reliable thing we've ever owned and it earns it's keep in doing side jobs for coworkers who can't move chairs/couches/crap in their BMW convertibles
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2006 Honda Accord with 85k on it. I've had it since 2008 to use in college. Step dad didn't want it anymore cause it was a 2-door. He wanted a 4-door manual. Free car is good. Anyways, I've put about 60k of those miles on and honestly expect to have this car until I retire barring major issues. It's banged up a bit cause it's been backed into and a mirror was replaced after a storm. Runs great and I still think of it as 'new'.
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with 3 kids and plenty of visitors from overseas to run around we got a nearly new town and country in 2003. 11 months old and 11k under list price. paid 15k for it at the end of 03. still got it. only 2 kids at home now but we still get overseas visitors and its hauled a lot of junk around! It owes us nothing but I'm reluctant to trade it in because I think we get more value out of that than we would for another car. we do still have occasions where we have 6 people to move around and the daily commute in it is only 5 miles - round trip...
My car (18 miles round trip commute) is a 2001 Volvo s80. Got it at 5 years old for 10k with 90,000 miles on it. now its got 144k on it and I'll get rid when I dies... so another 15 years or so. MPG is terrible but its comfortable and very fast when I want it to be.
Probably could get something better for the mpg but I hope not to be doing any commute in 2 years. Can't see that replacing it for 2 years will save me enough to invest in another vehicle!
my previous car was a Volvo 850 sedan... that died at 200k. was going to get a sensible vw to replace it but they were running at 5k more than the Volvo I found (actually less than 5k but I got them to drop the price on the Volvo as they had sales targets to meet for the year and I was offering cash on Dec 31st...).
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1992 toyota paseo and gf has a 1998 toyota corolla.....corolla has 80k miles paseo has 150k
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I have a...
1963 Mercedes 190Dc with what I think is ~120k miles on it (project car)
1982 Toyota pickup with ~330k (odo broke @ ~285k/10 years ago)
1982 VW Rabbit diesel with ~85k on the body and ~375k on the engine I swapped in (needs a rebuild and could use another transmission)
2000 Honda Insight with ~90k that's my daily
2005 Prius with ~196k that my mom's using
Not really old or high mileage, but my wife has a new 2014 plug-in Prius that's turned out to be an awesome car. She gets about 5-20% better mileage on gas than she did when she was driving my 05 Prius. The EV range is pretty good too, ~8-14 miles per charge.
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98 Ford Ranger with 215,000
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My 2003 Honda Civic has a little over 70,000 miles on it. I expect to drive it for a long time.
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Saw this thread had come back around...
Was wondering if maybe my subtle hints had rubbed off at work... (since I still drive a ratty old Civic 235k)
I noticed that a few co-workers have opted to keep their old DD's going instead of buying new and having a payment!
1995 BMW 525i- 260k on body- rebuilt engine and still going strong
2004 Nissan Altima 240k - (still quiet and reliable)
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I've been driving around a 1998 Nissan Sentra for a week now with about 150k on it. Only paid 2k for it. Looks to be in great shape mechanically and interior. Exterior is rough in places but noting major....
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I'm rocking a 1993 geo metro convertable! Odometers broken so I don't know how many miles it has. I get about 50 mpg, and my mechanic Dad keeps a parts metro in his back yard for both our cars.
However, I ride my bike to work and save my sexy convertable for out of town trips and costco trips.
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2001 Toyota Camry -- bought new, 385K miles, mileage averages 30 still. Runs great and shooting for 500K.
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I have two - a 15 year-old Japanese car with 80k that doesn't see much use and a 30 year-old Japanese truck with 280k miles. To be more mustachian, I should drop down to one or none, but both of them are so specialized for their purposes. I haven't yet convinced myself to sacrifice that last 20% of utility for the mustachian savings or a super-frugal-mobile.
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We also have two- a 1991 Camry with about 237,000 miles on it and our 2004 Prius (which we bought about a year ago). Since moving to a heavy salt-using northeastern US city 6 years ago the Camry has developed some rust, but he's still going strong. Being a west-coaster myself I was surprised at the emphasis on nice cars as status symbols in this area-- driving a 23 year old car is definitely counter cultural here. If we successfully become more badass about winter biking, we'll become a one-car family again when the Camry finally dies.
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In late 2003 I won a Jeep Grand Cherokee in a contest. I drove it until last spring when I turned it over to my son who is a new driver. 220k miles. I bought the exact same vehicle with only 32k on it for myself. My son left for college a couple of weeks ago. I turned in the tags on the "new" Jeep and proudly drive the "old" on around again. Now at 230k miles and running like a top.
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My wife and I drive a single 2001 BMW 320 diesel with 130k miles on it. Still works like a champ and gets 38 mpg. Needless to say we maintain it ourselves.
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Whelp, dredging up an older thread seemed better than starting a new one.
New to me car, purchased yesterday:
2006 Hyundai Elantra GT with 142,000km (about 89,000mi) on it.
I had my mechanic do a thorough once-over on it and he gave his blessing; "90% perfect."
I've been using car sharing for the last year and got to the point where I wanted to drive a bit more than was economical for such a system, hence the purchase. My last car was a 2002 Elantra GT which I loved and this one is quickly winning me over.
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Rocking my 1993 Toyota corolla with 179k. Got it in 2004 with 83k miles on it for $3500. Have put maybe $6k into it, the most of which when I moved to a new state with funny inspection laws (individual shops can say anything doesn't meet state requirements)
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Wow - I am a loser - and before today I was impressed by my 10 year old mini-van with 142,000 miles....'doh!
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I drive a 1998 Isuzu Hombre Truck manual transmission. Only 144K miles and it still runs just as smooth as the day my dad bought it. It's a rare truck as I have never seen anyone else with.
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Wow - I am a loser - and before today I was impressed by my 10 year old mini-van with 142,000 miles....'doh!
Lightweight. :)
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I cant really brag much as my "new" 2008 cavalier only has 68,000 on it.
My previous 2 (and only) cars were a 2003 focus (salvage title)and 1999 camry with 168,000 and 206,000 respectively. I miss that little focus.
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2008 ford escape hybrid. 190k miles picked it up in a fleet vehicle raffle at work. 5400 bucks. I drive a lot for work and get the 56.5 cents per mile accounting for gas tires and oil my car was completely paid back to me by my company in 4 months after purchase
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Oh and did I mention the 45 mpgs I get in a small SUV
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2007 Toyota Avalon 118,900 miles, got it May/2012 with 56,000. I believe it will last 300,000.
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I drive a 1998 Isuzu Hombre Truck manual transmission. Only 144K miles and it still runs just as smooth as the day my dad bought it. It's a rare truck as I have never seen anyone else with.
I hate to break it to you, but it's not that rare: it's just a Chevy S-10 with a different badge on the grille.
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2000 Honda Accord V6 bought new and now has 267k miles. Repainted once, but looking a little ratty because the Clearcoat is burning off down here.
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Still driving a '97 honda civic. Only 130,000 miles so hoping for at least another 6-years. Sadly, I once purchased a Lexus SC convertible one of my most foolish financial decision as described below.
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/to-sell-or-not-to-sell-my-lexus-sc-convertible-a-$66-000-folly/msg363655/#msg363655 (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/to-sell-or-not-to-sell-my-lexus-sc-convertible-a-$66-000-folly/msg363655/#msg363655)
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I drove a '71 VW Super Beetle from '04-'08, and then a '67 VW Squareback until about a year ago. When I read folks on here talk about their "old" '98 Civic or whatever, I don't understand.
Sometime around 2011, we picked up a '91 Chevy Astro, and that was like total luxury (and a horrible gas hog); eventually we sold it and bought a '95 Civic as a family car (and then a '96 for a commuter), which are still "new" cars for me. I don't tend to consider anything newer than 1980ish "old".
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I drove a '71 VW Super Beetle from '04-'08, and then a '67 VW Squareback until about a year ago. When I read folks on here talk about their "old" '98 Civic or whatever, I don't understand.
Sometime around 2011, we picked up a '91 Chevy Astro, and that was like total luxury (and a horrible gas hog); eventually we sold it and bought a '95 Civic as a family car (and then a '96 for a commuter), which are still "new" cars for me. I don't tend to consider anything newer than 1980ish "old".
Our second car was a '94 Civic with a 5-speed. I LOVED that car.
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I drove a '71 VW Super Beetle from '04-'08, and then a '67 VW Squareback until about a year ago. When I read folks on here talk about their "old" '98 Civic or whatever, I don't understand.
Sometime around 2011, we picked up a '91 Chevy Astro, and that was like total luxury (and a horrible gas hog); eventually we sold it and bought a '95 Civic as a family car (and then a '96 for a commuter), which are still "new" cars for me. I don't tend to consider anything newer than 1980ish "old".
Our second car was a '94 Civic with a 5-speed. I LOVED that car.
Our '95 is an automatic, which I think is kinda lame, but my wife doesn't care to drive stick, so it is what it is. The '96 is a stick hatchback; had it for a little less than a year now, and I really like it. 45mpg delivering pizza, intermittent wipers and a HEATER. Also, it's super quiet compared to my VW....
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Son who started university this fall bought himself an older civic, standard transmission. Its running great so far and he can't believe how good it is on gas compared to our dumb 2010 Ford Edge.
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We have a 1991 Honda civic wagon, with 252K miles, (bought at 161k in 2003), and a 2004 Prius with 225K miles (bought at 185K in 2010). Prius is the daily driver, we don't drive the Honda much, but license and insurance for the year are way less than the cost of renting a car for the times where it's come in really handy! Honda eats a little oil, I think it's a slight leak and not burning it.
It is completely mind boggling to me how someone could put 185k miles on a car in only 6 years! Was it owned by a taxi driver?
My car is a 1996 Accord, manual, and has about 186k on it. Since I put so few miles on it per year, and based on a previous posted saying "327,000 miles on my 1992 Honda Civic. Still gets ~ 40mpg.", I'm hopeing I can drive this car for at least 14 more years!
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2000 honda civic lx with 140k
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We have a 1991 Honda civic wagon, with 252K miles, (bought at 161k in 2003), and a 2004 Prius with 225K miles (bought at 185K in 2010). Prius is the daily driver, we don't drive the Honda much, but license and insurance for the year are way less than the cost of renting a car for the times where it's come in really handy! Honda eats a little oil, I think it's a slight leak and not burning it.
It is completely mind boggling to me how someone could put 185k miles on a car in only 6 years! Was it owned by a taxi driver?
My car is a 1996 Accord, manual, and has about 186k on it. Since I put so few miles on it per year, and based on a previous posted saying "327,000 miles on my 1992 Honda Civic. Still gets ~ 40mpg.", I'm hopeing I can drive this car for at least 14 more years!
Our Prius was a well maintained company car before we owned it - some salesperson drove it to deliver paint samples. Since 2010 we've put only ~45K on it.
We noticed today that very soon our 2004 Prius will reach 234,567
:-)
P.S. We sold our Honda civic wagon a couple of months ago. Went to a good new home - to someone on the civicwagon.com forums
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2004 Volkswagen Passat Wagon edition, one of the last series built in Germany, and it's built on the Audi A4 chassis of the era apparently. 125,000 miles or so right now.
Unfortunately, I have to replace the passenger's side axle due to a blown out Cv boot, but I like doing work on the car and I already bought the part so it's not a big deal. I don't drive more than 200 miles in a month, so i'm hoping, bar any catastrophe, that this will be the last car I own until I can move to a bicycle friendly suburb or city.
I've moved across country once with the car, with room to spare, and it'll come in handy if I ever need space to sprawl out during long road trips where I can't find a motel. I feel like this car is the best balance between practicality and luxury, plus I really like wagons for some strange reason, so it fills that niche for myself.
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1995 Toyota Corolla - about 126k miles. Bought it used from a co-worker for 4k in 2004. Put less than 3K miles on it per year. Knock on wood - still going strong!
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just got to 200k miles on my 2007 yaris
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It just occurred to me that next year (2015), each of my cars will turn 50. My 1965 Nissan Cedric and my 1965 Datsun Fairlady will give me a combined automotive age of 100. That's a little bit mind-blowing!
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Inherited my Grandmother's 1995 Mercury Sable. Only 76,000 miles and runs great. As a car lover I'm driving it just due to the frugal aspect-a free car that can run for another 10 years hopefully!
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I had to call my car insurance company to get a copy of my proof of insurance. The guy on the phone thought that my "2000" Toyota Echo was a typo. lol
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It just occurred to me that next year (2015), each of my cars will turn 50. My 1965 Nissan Cedric and my 1965 Datsun Fairlady will give me a combined automotive age of 100. That's a little bit mind-blowing!
Platinum award, Primm! You are the high bar standard!
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I purchased a 2001 Audi A6 in 2004 for 12K with 104,000 miles on it. I'm still driving it with about 215,000 miles on it. I moved from Virginia to Alberta, in that car. It's needed replacement parts here and there, but the car drives like a dream. I just added a hitch and roof racks to it. It's now my everything vehicle.
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'99 Focus wagon, 128,000 miles.
Only major expenses have been clutch and timing kit (neither done by me, I'm afraid to say).
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I'm not ready to let go of my car (2002 Chevy Cavalier). It's getting to be expensive at 208,000 miles, right now the head cylinder is out of it and at the shop for a blown head gasket and manifold. It was my first car; my parents gave it to me because they thought it was too small but I love that car. If I can't fix it I'll probably scrap it and get a used Lemon-Aid recommended car. But for now I'm going to keep trying.
I have another vehicle, a 95 Dodge Dakota (140,000 miles) that is paid off with historic tags that I use for hunting, fishing, landscaping, side jobs, etc. Right now it's my good car until I fix my Cavalier, and if it doesn't even out I'll scrap the Cavalier and drive the truck until I find a good used car. I suppose having two cars is anti-Mustachian, but I figure since I do my own repairs it evens out.
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I'm not ready to let go of my car (2002 Chevy Cavalier). It's getting to be expensive at 208,000 miles, right now the head cylinder is out of it and at the shop for a blown head gasket and manifold. It was my first car; my parents gave it to me because they thought it was too small but I love that car. If I can't fix it I'll probably scrap it and get a used Lemon-Aid recommended car. But for now I'm going to keep trying.
I have another vehicle, a 95 Dodge Dakota (140,000 miles) that is paid off with historic tags that I use for hunting, fishing, landscaping, side jobs, etc. Right now it's my good car until I fix my Cavalier, and if it doesn't even out I'll scrap the Cavalier and drive the truck until I find a good used car. I suppose having two cars is anti-Mustachian, but I figure since I do my own repairs it evens out.
Is the cylinder head at a machine shop or is the whole car at the shop? That's one thing that would have saved me a ton of money the last ten years, if I could do a valve job!
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I'm not ready to let go of my car (2002 Chevy Cavalier). It's getting to be expensive at 208,000 miles, right now the head cylinder is out of it and at the shop for a blown head gasket and manifold. It was my first car; my parents gave it to me because they thought it was too small but I love that car. If I can't fix it I'll probably scrap it and get a used Lemon-Aid recommended car. But for now I'm going to keep trying.
I have another vehicle, a 95 Dodge Dakota (140,000 miles) that is paid off with historic tags that I use for hunting, fishing, landscaping, side jobs, etc. Right now it's my good car until I fix my Cavalier, and if it doesn't even out I'll scrap the Cavalier and drive the truck until I find a good used car. I suppose having two cars is anti-Mustachian, but I figure since I do my own repairs it evens out.
Is the cylinder head at a machine shop or is the whole car at the shop? That's one thing that would have saved me a ton of money the last ten years, if I could do a valve job!
Just the cylinder head is at the machine shop. I attempted to do it myself, but the cost of the penetrant dye, feeler gauges, machinist ruler, just wouldn't have been justifiable. They'll hot tank it and tell me whether or not it's worth fixing. This is basically the cars Alamo, if I have to get a new cylinder head I'm not going to fix the car. Primarily because the stop-leak I put in to seal the head gasket temporarily caused way too many problems. Also helps that my cousin works at the machine shop.
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I'm not ready to let go of my car (2002 Chevy Cavalier). It's getting to be expensive at 208,000 miles, right now the head cylinder is out of it and at the shop for a blown head gasket and manifold. It was my first car; my parents gave it to me because they thought it was too small but I love that car. If I can't fix it I'll probably scrap it and get a used Lemon-Aid recommended car. But for now I'm going to keep trying.
I have another vehicle, a 95 Dodge Dakota (140,000 miles) that is paid off with historic tags that I use for hunting, fishing, landscaping, side jobs, etc. Right now it's my good car until I fix my Cavalier, and if it doesn't even out I'll scrap the Cavalier and drive the truck until I find a good used car. I suppose having two cars is anti-Mustachian, but I figure since I do my own repairs it evens out.
Salvage yard. I got a set of perfectly good heads for $60 at a pull it yourself salvage yard. I could have sold them for $500, probably.
Is the cylinder head at a machine shop or is the whole car at the shop? That's one thing that would have saved me a ton of money the last ten years, if I could do a valve job!
Just the cylinder head is at the machine shop. I attempted to do it myself, but the cost of the penetrant dye, feeler gauges, machinist ruler, just wouldn't have been justifiable. They'll hot tank it and tell me whether or not it's worth fixing. This is basically the cars Alamo, if I have to get a new cylinder head I'm not going to fix the car. Primarily because the stop-leak I put in to seal the head gasket temporarily caused way too many problems. Also helps that my cousin works at the machine shop.
Edit: My text did not show up. What I was saying is that you can get a new head at a salvage yard. I got a set for $60 at a pull-it-yourself salvage yard. They were very nice and could have sold for $500 judging by recent sales on ebay.
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I'm in the market for a new old car. A cement truck hit me at a stop light. A 1999 Mercedes E320 bought in 2008 for $10,700. So far the insurance company has offered $6,315 for the car since it's a total loss. So the cost of buying the car comes out to $731 a year. I'm still negotiating with the insurance company on the payout. Final mileage is 113,777.
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I'm not ready to let go of my car (2002 Chevy Cavalier). It's getting to be expensive at 208,000 miles, right now the head cylinder is out of it and at the shop for a blown head gasket and manifold. It was my first car; my parents gave it to me because they thought it was too small but I love that car. If I can't fix it I'll probably scrap it and get a used Lemon-Aid recommended car. But for now I'm going to keep trying.
I have another vehicle, a 95 Dodge Dakota (140,000 miles) that is paid off with historic tags that I use for hunting, fishing, landscaping, side jobs, etc. Right now it's my good car until I fix my Cavalier, and if it doesn't even out I'll scrap the Cavalier and drive the truck until I find a good used car. I suppose having two cars is anti-Mustachian, but I figure since I do my own repairs it evens out.
Salvage yard. I got a set of perfectly good heads for $60 at a pull it yourself salvage yard. I could have sold them for $500, probably.
Is the cylinder head at a machine shop or is the whole car at the shop? That's one thing that would have saved me a ton of money the last ten years, if I could do a valve job!
Just the cylinder head is at the machine shop. I attempted to do it myself, but the cost of the penetrant dye, feeler gauges, machinist ruler, just wouldn't have been justifiable. They'll hot tank it and tell me whether or not it's worth fixing. This is basically the cars Alamo, if I have to get a new cylinder head I'm not going to fix the car. Primarily because the stop-leak I put in to seal the head gasket temporarily caused way too many problems. Also helps that my cousin works at the machine shop.
Edit: My text did not show up. What I was saying is that you can get a new head at a salvage yard. I got a set for $60 at a pull-it-yourself salvage yard. They were very nice and could have sold for $500 judging by recent sales on ebay.
That will likely be plan B in my case.
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I like this thread! 1998 Toyota Camry V6 XLE purchased in Feb. 2005 for $10k cash with 88,000 miles. Now has 214,000 miles. Keeping for one more year then I'll start to look at slightly newer camry's (2009-2011 model year).
Update, I hit the milestone 222,222. As you see I posted above I was gonna start to look for a newer Camry in Feb. However since I switched jobs and catch the train I drive a lot less. I'm gonna keep Camry for a bit long. (300k maybe) I would like radio controls on stearing wheel and heated seats, but I've been without all these years, what's a few more.
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2004 Pontiac Grand Am GT my father got for my 16th birthday used, with 7500 miles on it for 17k in 2004. Somebody leased it in late 2003 and couldn't pay the lease, so it was a great deal.
I'm 26 now, it's been ten years, and the thing now has 147k miles on it. It was just in the shop for some overheating issues, turned out to be a bubble in the coolant, and it was flushed. Everything's tip-top now, but for awhile I was shopping around on cars because I thought it was done-for.
So glad she's still around! I need her to get me through a few more years till my SO gets her first job and buys her "dream car"(BMW) with her own money. Then I can part ways with her in peace.
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I just changed the valve cover gaskets on my 2000 Sienna. She only has 150,000m. i hope to get 250,000 out of her.
Still, that job sucked. Taking the engine apart to get to the rear valve cover was fine, but what frickin masochist designed all the wiring to be virtually unmovable on top of parts that frequently break? It was nice to only have to spend 60 bucks on the job vs 700 for a mechanic though.
I'll occasionally drive my dad's new Lexus and then notice all the stains and noises in my cars. I'll pine for something nice for a few days, and then forget about it. Cars are probably the most ridiculous purchase ever, even when you get them cheap.
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2004 Honda Accord ~ 87,000 miles.
Drive it about once a week when I'm home and use it for vacations. Plan to maintain it as long as feasible, although I've been considering something a bit larger (used Odyssey or similar) which would allow hauling larger items and car camping.
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I just changed the valve cover gaskets on my 2000 Sienna. She only has 150,000m. i hope to get 250,000 out of her.
Still, that job sucked. Taking the engine apart to get to the rear valve cover was fine, but what frickin masochist designed all the wiring to be virtually unmovable on top of parts that frequently break? It was nice to only have to spend 60 bucks on the job vs 700 for a mechanic though.
I'll occasionally drive my dad's new Lexus and then notice all the stains and noises in my cars. I'll pine for something nice for a few days, and then forget about it. Cars are probably the most ridiculous purchase ever, even when you get them cheap.
I'd post a picture of my valve covers but it would just upset you.
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Mazda 3 Sport 2010, bought spring of 2011 (demo model with some mileage). Just over 178,00 km, replacement engine November 2013. My mileage is less in retirement, and the hatchback suits my needs perfectly, so I am looking forward to many more years.
I had a sedan and I needed a hatchback, and my dealership wanted my old car for a loaner (high mileage, perfect maintenance). So I got it at a good price, and with regular maintenance I don't expect problems.
I have also discovered the perfect car colour - bright coppery red. This is the first car I have had in years that has not been rear-ended. None of the other times have been serious - they have been things like someone following a bit too close on a rainy night and sliding into me at a stop sign. But almost 5 years and no dings.
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I have a...
1963 Mercedes 190Dc with what I think is ~120k miles on it (project car)
1982 Toyota pickup with ~330k (odo broke @ ~285k/10 years ago)
1982 VW Rabbit diesel with ~85k on the body and ~375k on the engine I swapped in (needs a rebuild and could use another transmission)
2000 Honda Insight with ~90k that's my daily
2005 Prius with ~196k that my mom's using
Not really old or high mileage, but my wife has a new 2014 plug-in Prius that's turned out to be an awesome car. She gets about 5-20% better mileage on gas than she did when she was driving my 05 Prius. The EV range is pretty good too, ~8-14 miles per charge.
Wow, you have three of my dream cars: an old Mercedes diesel sedan, an old toyota pickup, and a vw rabbit diesel. One day I aspire to have your exact lineup (all manuals of course, and I can take or leave the hybrids).
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Last night: 234,567 miles!
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I just found something cool for all these high-mileage old cars. When co-workers and friends brag about their new cars this one little bumper sticker will take your old honda and magically turn it into a Ferrarri(at least in value).
(http://www.vanguardgear.com/media/catalog/product/cache/13/small_image/295x295/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/m/a/magnetic_bumper_sticker_-01.jpg)
http://www.vanguardgear.com/shop/lifestyle/bumper-sticker.html
I drive a 2008 Hyundai with 55k miles. Low mileage because I don't drive it that much.
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I just found something cool for all these high-mileage old cars. When co-workers and friends brag about their new cars this one little bumper sticker will take your old honda and magically turn it into a Ferrarri(at least in value).
(http://www.vanguardgear.com/media/catalog/product/cache/13/small_image/295x295/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/m/a/magnetic_bumper_sticker_-01.jpg)
http://www.vanguardgear.com/shop/lifestyle/bumper-sticker.html
I drive a 2008 Hyundai with 55k miles. Low mileage because I don't drive it that much.
Love it!
Our car isn't that old--2002 prius--but we only have 75k miles on it. We bought it in 2006 from a used car lot, but it had never really been owned or used and had only 8 miles on it. It was really a lucky find. We love it and hope to have it for many long years to come, assuming that the new teenage drivers in the house don't wreck it!
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I bought a 1999 Subaru Forester, but then had a 3rd child. I sold it to my sister and her husband. They drove it for years and texted a picture when the odometer reached 200,000. They drove it a few more years and texted a picture when the odometer reached 300,000. In 2012, they sold it to my daughter for $1500. She drove it until she needed to go to basic training, and sold it to my niece. My niece drove it for awhile and sold it to my nephew...15 years, 5 different family members and well over 325,000 miles.
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Not sure if I can call it overly old, but the other week I picked up a 2002 Holden Barina with 111,000km for $3000.
It's got plenty of space for the driver for a small hatchback, and the 1.4L engine has plenty of go.
Let's see how long it lasts :)
I've got a photo of the odo at 111111 as well :)
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1998 Isuzu Rodeo with 203,000 miles
Got it as a wedding gift in 2004 used with 109,000 on the odometer. We've been a one car family for about half that time with that one usually as our one car. It's not great on gas (average ~20 mpg with responsible driving around town), but we've used it to make one west-east cross country move and several north-south trips between Michigan and Florida. It sat unused for a year, but is now my once-a-week work vehicle.
Other brag-worthy notes on it. I was recently rear-ended and earned a bonus of $340 for a cosmetic blemish that makes my ride that much more of an eff you to the status seeking population. When my family came to town for Christmas, my brother thought about renting a car. I told him absolutely not. He ended up using that ol' reliable and loved it. His wife even enjoyed the opportunity to drive a stick shift again.
Yes, I have done some work on it to keep it running, but nothing that a novice like me couldn't figure out. I still look on Craigslist for its replacement from time to time, but this forum thread alone will propel me another couple years. Heck, by then, I might even crack 210,000.
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My minivan isn't high mileage - but it's getting old ;) It's a 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan with about 87,000 miles on it. We live in Chicagoland and it lives outside (no garage space for it), so it is starting to rust in places and looks pretty worn...
But not even 100,000 miles in almost 12 years! We've driven to NJ and back about 5 times, and Florida and back 3 times in it ;) Planning on taking it to Yellowstone next summer ;)
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Last year the 'family spare' car was finally retired. 1979 VW Golf GLD (diesel) hatchback at a shade over 700,000km (437,000miles). Was purchased at 100,000km. The engine was still going, the reason it was retired had much more to do with a tree branch that fell on the roof than any mechanical problem.
Reason we kept it was because it was such an economic beast (and relatively straight-forward to work on).
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(http://www.vanguardgear.com/media/catalog/product/cache/13/small_image/295x295/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/m/a/magnetic_bumper_sticker_-01.jpg)
That is freakin' brilliant!
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Nothing crazy yet. Just an 08 Civic with just under 93000 miles on it. Hoping to have it til at least 200,000 though. It's paid for, so I have every intention of "driving it until the wheels fall off"
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'03 Accord with 150k. I love it, but I'm definitely not the winner. Let's see if it will go another decade (if my job doesn't make me move somewhere where I can't ship it).
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1998 Isuzu Rodeo with 203,000 miles
Got it as a wedding gift in 2004 used with 109,000 on the odometer. We've been a one car family for about half that time with that one usually as our one car. It's not great on gas (average ~20 mpg with responsible driving around town), but we've used it to make one west-east cross country move and several north-south trips between Michigan and Florida. It sat unused for a year, but is now my once-a-week work vehicle.
Other brag-worthy notes on it. I was recently rear-ended and earned a bonus of $340 for a cosmetic blemish that makes my ride that much more of an eff you to the status seeking population. When my family came to town for Christmas, my brother thought about renting a car. I told him absolutely not. He ended up using that ol' reliable and loved it. His wife even enjoyed the opportunity to drive a stick shift again.
Yes, I have done some work on it to keep it running, but nothing that a novice like me couldn't figure out. I still look on Craigslist for its replacement from time to time, but this forum thread alone will propel me another couple years. Heck, by then, I might even crack 210,000.
I had a 1994 Isuzu Rodeo that I purchased brand new for the anticipated arrival of my first-born. Sold it after 2 years due to it's gas guzzliness. Purchased a Jetta that I kept for 16 years.. kicking myself now for ever selling the Jetta.
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I don't tend to keep vehicles for extraordinarily long periods of time -- I enjoy driving different cars. They're a hobby/passion for me and much more than simply a way to get from point A to point B.
Here's my vehicle breakdown- bold = still have:
'98 Toyota Corolla, paid $3k, drove for a few years and gifted to a family member
'86 Toyota MR2, paid $1k, drove for 3 years, sold for $1500
'98 Toyota Tacoma, paid $5k, drove for 3 years, frame rusted out and Toyota bought it back for $12,194.50 (!!)
'91 Toyota MR2 Turbo, paid $7k, spent a lot on, still have 6.5 years later (this is my toy, 260k+ miles).
'91 Toyota MR2 Turbo w/blown motor, paid $1k, didn't have time for the project, sold for $1200
'05 Toyota Tundra, bought 3 years old with 36k for $15,995, sold 3 years later for $13k (could have had $15,500 but I made a bad call on the sale, thought I could get more at the time as book was $19k)
'04 Subaru Forester XT, paid $7394, was a toy for ~18 months (performance parts installed which added some to the cost), sold for $8200
'02 Suzuki SV650, paid $500 (needed significant motor work, which I did myself, and paint, done by a buddy for a fair price), sold a couple of years later for $2100
'91 Toyota MR2 project, paid $1500, didn't have time for the project, sold for $1500 (after finding Toyota shop manuals inside..score!!)
'04 Cadillac CTS-V, paid $12k, drove for 2.5 years, sold for $13k
'99 Tacoma, paid $4500, likely selling next month for $5500. 282k miles.
'97 Lexus LX450, my trail/expedition rig, paid $7200 and for sale at $9000 now. 212k miles.
I am looking at consolidating my Tacoma and LX450 into one newer lower mileage vehicle (Lexus GX470). Tired of working on 'em all the time. :P
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Mine isn't super duper impressive, but we have a 2005 Toyota Matrix and it has about 270 000 km (about 169k miles). It's our only vehicle and we have two small kids. Most of our peers have at least one SUV, but I've had a paid off car for seven years (we bought it used from DH's parents). As long as it continues to be reliable, I don't plan on getting another. I've started saving for our next car, but I'm hoping to get at least another couple of years out of this one. It's a great family vehicle.
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(http://www.vanguardgear.com/media/catalog/product/cache/13/small_image/295x295/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/m/a/magnetic_bumper_sticker_-01.jpg)
I thought this was MY JOKE. Unless that sticker appeared before October 10 I'm suing Vanguard for ALL OF THEIR ASSETS. (Jk. Vanguard, if you're reading this, a few thousand shares of VTSAX will be fine.)
If were more assholish, we could have "My other car is a Vanguard account" bumper stickers.
EDIT: Or better, "My other vehicle is a Vanguard account". Again, it would be douchey.
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I don't tend to keep vehicles for extraordinarily long periods of time -- I enjoy driving different cars. They're a hobby/passion for me and much more than simply a way to get from point A to point B.
Here's my vehicle breakdown- bold = still have:
'98 Toyota Corolla, paid $3k, drove for a few years and gifted to a family member
'86 Toyota MR2, paid $1k, drove for 3 years, sold for $1500
'98 Toyota Tacoma, paid $5k, drove for 3 years, frame rusted out and Toyota bought it back for $12,194.50 (!!)
'91 Toyota MR2 Turbo, paid $7k, spent a lot on, still have 6.5 years later (this is my toy, 260k+ miles).
'91 Toyota MR2 Turbo w/blown motor, paid $1k, didn't have time for the project, sold for $1200
'05 Toyota Tundra, bought 3 years old with 36k for $15,995, sold 3 years later for $13k (could have had $15,500 but I made a bad call on the sale, thought I could get more at the time as book was $19k)
'04 Subaru Forester XT, paid $7394, was a toy for ~18 months (performance parts installed which added some to the cost), sold for $8200
'02 Suzuki SV650, paid $500 (needed significant motor work, which I did myself, and paint, done by a buddy for a fair price), sold a couple of years later for $2100
'91 Toyota MR2 project, paid $1500, didn't have time for the project, sold for $1500 (after finding Toyota shop manuals inside..score!!)
'04 Cadillac CTS-V, paid $12k, drove for 2.5 years, sold for $13k
'99 Tacoma, paid $4500, likely selling next month for $5500. 282k miles.
'97 Lexus LX450, my trail/expedition rig, paid $7200 and for sale at $9000 now. 212k miles.
I am looking at consolidating my Tacoma and LX450 into one newer lower mileage vehicle (Lexus GX470). Tired of working on 'em all the time. :P
I like how you sold so many of these for more than you paid for them. Got any tips on how we can do the same?
I thought this was MY JOKE. Unless that sticker appeared before October 10 I'm suing Vanguard for ALL OF THEIR ASSETS. (Jk. Vanguard, if you're reading this, a few thousand shares of VTSAX will be fine.)
The joke's on you: Vanguard doesn't own any of its assets; it's owned by them.
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I thought this was MY JOKE. Unless that sticker appeared before October 10 I'm suing Vanguard for ALL OF THEIR ASSETS. (Jk. Vanguard, if you're reading this, a few thousand shares of VTSAX will be fine.)
The joke's on you: Vanguard doesn't own any of its assets; it's owned by them.
ARE YOU THAT JACK? Glad to have you, Mr. Bogle.
(I should have said, "ALL OF THE ASSETS [under management by Vanguard]". I got caught up in the greed that accompanies the thought of three trillion dollars.)
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I don't tend to keep vehicles for extraordinarily long periods of time -- I enjoy driving different cars. They're a hobby/passion for me and much more than simply a way to get from point A to point B.
Here's my vehicle breakdown- bold = still have:
'98 Toyota Corolla, paid $3k, drove for a few years and gifted to a family member
'86 Toyota MR2, paid $1k, drove for 3 years, sold for $1500
'98 Toyota Tacoma, paid $5k, drove for 3 years, frame rusted out and Toyota bought it back for $12,194.50 (!!)
'91 Toyota MR2 Turbo, paid $7k, spent a lot on, still have 6.5 years later (this is my toy, 260k+ miles).
'91 Toyota MR2 Turbo w/blown motor, paid $1k, didn't have time for the project, sold for $1200
'05 Toyota Tundra, bought 3 years old with 36k for $15,995, sold 3 years later for $13k (could have had $15,500 but I made a bad call on the sale, thought I could get more at the time as book was $19k)
'04 Subaru Forester XT, paid $7394, was a toy for ~18 months (performance parts installed which added some to the cost), sold for $8200
'02 Suzuki SV650, paid $500 (needed significant motor work, which I did myself, and paint, done by a buddy for a fair price), sold a couple of years later for $2100
'91 Toyota MR2 project, paid $1500, didn't have time for the project, sold for $1500 (after finding Toyota shop manuals inside..score!!)
'04 Cadillac CTS-V, paid $12k, drove for 2.5 years, sold for $13k
'99 Tacoma, paid $4500, likely selling next month for $5500. 282k miles.
'97 Lexus LX450, my trail/expedition rig, paid $7200 and for sale at $9000 now. 212k miles.
I am looking at consolidating my Tacoma and LX450 into one newer lower mileage vehicle (Lexus GX470). Tired of working on 'em all the time. :P
I like how you sold so many of these for more than you paid for them. Got any tips on how we can do the same?
I thought this was MY JOKE. Unless that sticker appeared before October 10 I'm suing Vanguard for ALL OF THEIR ASSETS. (Jk. Vanguard, if you're reading this, a few thousand shares of VTSAX will be fine.)
The joke's on you: Vanguard doesn't own any of its assets; it's owned by them.
I think the biggest thing that works in my favor is, since I own multiple vehicles and do repairs myself (I built the engine in my MR2 last year - there isn't much I won't do), I am never in a hurry to buy something. I decide well in advance of a purchase what it is I want, why I want it, and once I've decided I'll start looking around to see what's available. I don't generally buy unless it's a particularly good deal - and since I never "need" a vehicle ASAP I do not have to compromise.
I am also willing to travel:
Tundra purchased in ME when I lived in NH
$1000 MR2 purchased in NH when I lived in FL (was traveling up there for a family visit anyway), sold it in NJ (where I went to pick up my 2nd MR2, which I still own)
Subaru purchased in CT when I lived in NH (sold in AZ to a guy in OR, who paid me to do maintenance items first and then also to deliver it)
CTS-V bought/sold in AZ
LX450 bought in Reno, NV when I lived in AZ
Current Tacoma bought/sold in state (verbal agreement, just waiting for me to pick up my next truck). It needed some work when I bought it (tires, a tie rod end, and steering rack bushings)
My next vehicle may get me punched by some (2007 Lexus GX470), but it was a careful deliberation and a compromise of the offroad ability of my LX450, the fuel economy of the Tacoma (abysmal by MMM standards, but perfectly adequate for me), comfort for long trips (my SO and I spent a week and 1560 miles going through Baja, Mexico last week), size for expedition trips (we camped in the truck most nights and are planning additional longer trips in the future), offroad ability for said trips and also for weekend adventures in Arizona, and reliability (Lexus/Toyota with 103k miles, vs the 212,9xx and 282k I have now). :) My purchase price for this one is $4k under retail (per my credit union), $1k under KBB for 'good' condition, and it has an extremely rare option that is almost impossible to find (suspension package for improved on and off road performance).
I think many people walk into a dealer and go 'I need a car', and then pick something out there after falling for the "How much do you want to spend per month?" trap. Decide on what you want ahead of time, even if it involves multiple test drives (that said, almost, if not every vehicle I purchased was the first one I looked at, because I knew exactly what I wanted). Know what you should pay - not just book value, but if it's a niche market vehicle (everything I drive has an enthusiast following - I do not buy 'appliance-cars' because they do not satisfy my personal goals for a vehicle), check message forums as well and see what vehicles are going for.
Depending on your plans for the vehicle, waiting for the right one can also save you a lot of money in other ways. The LX450 (also known as an 80-series Toyota LandCruiser) I bought has about $10k in aftermarket parts (lift, offroad armor, winch, etc) that I didn't have to pay for because it was already on the truck when I bought it. If I were to have saved $1000 on the truck and then built it for offroad/expedition purposes, I'd have spent twice as much. You have to be careful buying modified vehicles (a lot of people do a poor job), but if done properly you can save a lot of money.
Also, be flexible. I wanted a Subaru WRX wagon when I lived in northern NH. As a car enthusiast I wanted something fast/fun to drive in the winter because I couldn't drive the MR2 (mid engine RWD with power, plus snow - bad idea). However, I wanted 2006+ because that's when they started the 2.5l engine, instead of the 2.0l used in 2004-2005. But - guess what? The Forester XT came with the 2.5l in 2004, was also available with a 5 speed manual, was even better for utilitarian purposes (larger inside), and it was cheaper than a WRX! Score! So, I bought the FXT instead of a WRX. :)
Cliff notes:
- Be patient!
- Negotiate pricing - most people will work with you. I talked my way into $140 in travel reimbursement for my pending purchase.
- Don't be sucked in by car dealers. My stepdad walked out on a dealer because they wouldn't meet his price - sure enough, we weren't even in the truck yet before they ran out after us saying they'd work it out
- If you are mechanically inclined (and even if you're not), do your research on common problems. You might find a hybrid that is being sold dirt cheap because it needs a $300 battery part. You also might find a deal that looks too good to be true, because of a common flaw in the model (for example, the high pressure fuel pump in some BMW 335i's, IMS bearing on certain Porsche models, flaky auto transmissions in some Hondas)
- Sell private party - avoid trading in to a dealer! Remember that dealers have to make money, and they do that partially by taking used cars and selling them for more than they paid. How are you going to get the best deal when they're doing it to make money themselves? There are exceptions - my Subaru and Tundra were from dealers - but these exceptions are not very common.
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2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 6 cylinder with 240k miles. I won it in a contest so I'm, pretty much, ahead of the game. Still paid a ton in taxes, though.
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I don't tend to keep vehicles for extraordinarily long periods of time -- I enjoy driving different cars. They're a hobby/passion for me and much more than simply a way to get from point A to point B.
Here's my vehicle breakdown- bold = still have:
'98 Toyota Corolla, paid $3k, drove for a few years and gifted to a family member
'86 Toyota MR2, paid $1k, drove for 3 years, sold for $1500
'98 Toyota Tacoma, paid $5k, drove for 3 years, frame rusted out and Toyota bought it back for $12,194.50 (!!)
'91 Toyota MR2 Turbo, paid $7k, spent a lot on, still have 6.5 years later (this is my toy, 260k+ miles).
'91 Toyota MR2 Turbo w/blown motor, paid $1k, didn't have time for the project, sold for $1200
'05 Toyota Tundra, bought 3 years old with 36k for $15,995, sold 3 years later for $13k (could have had $15,500 but I made a bad call on the sale, thought I could get more at the time as book was $19k)
'04 Subaru Forester XT, paid $7394, was a toy for ~18 months (performance parts installed which added some to the cost), sold for $8200
'02 Suzuki SV650, paid $500 (needed significant motor work, which I did myself, and paint, done by a buddy for a fair price), sold a couple of years later for $2100
'91 Toyota MR2 project, paid $1500, didn't have time for the project, sold for $1500 (after finding Toyota shop manuals inside..score!!)
'04 Cadillac CTS-V, paid $12k, drove for 2.5 years, sold for $13k
'99 Tacoma, paid $4500, likely selling next month for $5500. 282k miles.
'97 Lexus LX450, my trail/expedition rig, paid $7200 and for sale at $9000 now. 212k miles.
I am looking at consolidating my Tacoma and LX450 into one newer lower mileage vehicle (Lexus GX470). Tired of working on 'em all the time. :P
I like your style. I have been doing the math and I think buying used cars with a following can be a good deal, they dont seem to lose much value or in some cases go up. I too like cars and think it would be cool to drive a different one every few years. I might start using your tactic.
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The DW and I still sharing our 1999 Subaru Outback with 237,xxx miles - so far. It's been a decent car even though I had to replace the head gaskets, and a few other tidbits over the last few years.
Hoping for a fairly repair free 18-24 more months and then we will ditch it for a slightly newer, more economical, front wheel drive, maybe a Focus (thoughtfully rubbing chin and staring into space)....
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My husband and I share a 2001 VW Jetta TDI that used to be driven by his mom, but we bought it from her in 2010 for $4K. It has 330,000 miles on it, and gets 53 miles to the gallon (diesel). We just did a cross country trip with it this past fall and put on 4,000 miles in 6 days....it still runs like a champ!
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I am a little on the opposite end with an old car and low mileage. 2002 Ford Taurus with 60,000 miles on it. My parents bought it for me after I graduated college for $4k from an older woman in the country who drove it to church and to get groceries and that's it. Should be set for a long time.
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Mine is a 1996 sedan that I bought for under 1000 in 2006. Beyond regular wear and tear items (spark plugs, wind shield wipers, tires, brakes), I've had no significant repairs to this point.
On a related note, in 25 years of driving, my combined purchase price for all my cars is under 7000. This started out as not having the money to buy anything nicer, but morphed into an aversion to paying thousands of dollars for a car (the notion of tens of thousands of dollars is something I can't even fathom). My cheap car habit has resulted in paying off my mortgage and student loans way early (yay!). My goal is that when my car finally dies (and I will get the absolute last mile out of this car) my next car still keeps my combined purchase price under five figures.
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I got super lucky and was able to take advantage of a wonderful opportunity.
About 3 years ago my aunt and uncle gave me their 2000 Jeep Cherokee Limited because they were upgrading. I was very grateful for it and sold my crappy car to drive this one, although it broke down all the time and cost me my ass in poor gas mileage.
Then about a year and a half ago (as part of a just-discovering-MMM-and-getting-my-shit-together-spree) I sold it for $3850 (with 165k miles) so that I could buy a 2004 Dodge Neon with 58k miles for $3700. It had been dented to hell in a very rare hailstorm (Mississippi), so I was able to get it for stupid-cheap.
Moral of the story: Giving zero fucks about the hail damage allowed me to double my gas mileage and exponentially increase the lifespan of my vehicle, and I still made money on the exchange.
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2002 Honda Civic EX - 220K miles Original Engine and Trans
2010 Infiniti G37 - 72K miles
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2001 Dodge truck with currently only 65,000 original miles...just don't drive it too often, gas mileage is not that great, but I traded in my old truck and only added $400 cash for it, had less than 30,000 miles on when I bought it about 2003ish so meh! Paid cash, no financing charges, low miles, hauling capabilities (I live rural), etc. Knew I wasn't going to drive it much so yeah, didn't need the gas savings so much. Tag is $28 a year now. Mostly it's yard art.
I'm happy!! Planning to drive it til the wheels fall off or we go down to one car.
Tis our 2nd vehicle which is necessary for now w/aging parents who live a long ways away so overnights are sometimes needed in a health crisis for them and hate to leave the 3 people at home w/no transportation. Can see the day we will go to one vehicle in sight. The other is a 2010 Dodge Caliber.
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I'm visiting my sister in Northern Virginia this weekend. She has a '91 Camry with 150k miles. Last night I taught her youngest son how to change the oil, coolant, and air filter. I wish I had taken Auto Shop class when I was in high school...
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My wife's parents continue to drive their 1995 Chevrolet Suburban that they bought new in 1995. For a family of 6 it was the desired car back then. After putting a new heavy duty transmission in it, it now has 285k miles and runs excellent. It's a work rig (laying carpet), and a family car.
My parents bought nearly the exact same Chevy Suburban new in 1994, a year earlier. It has around 165k miles on it and aside from regular maintenance it has never had an issue. It hauled a family of 5, towed a boat, and served as the primary family vehicle. My parents still own it and use it in their retirement as a road tripping vehicle and sleep in the back of it on 4-6 week adventures.
People tell my dad he needs a new rig, and he gets excited by one friends super fancy camper van, and $30k mini motorhomes. But the fact remains that it's been paid off since 1999, is only worth about $4k if he sold it, and has very limited cost of ownership except for the 14mpg on the highway... But he's retired, with funds to buy the gas, so he doesn't give a shit.
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2001 Honda Insight w/ just under 320K miles on it. Manual, and has averaged 59 MPG for me. Bought it for $4400 3 years ago with 225K on it. Doing the math, the ROI on this car compared to a Civic or similar for the same price, and I've come out VERY well.
Similar situation to you, 2001 Insight 3 years ago with 156k for $5600. It has a little over 200k on it now, and I'm having the transmission rebuilt by a guy on Insight Central who specializes in them. Will fix the synchro grinding issue and keep it from happening again with a special modification he does.
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I still have my first car! Which was a hand me down. And the relative I got it from got it from a repo auction at our bank. It's got 270k miles on it and it's a 1994 or 96 Chevrolet Tahoe...don't recall right now actually. Technically an SUV, but not much bigger than some of the current "cross over" models like the Ford Escape. I think it's crazy how much bigger SUVs have gotten. Not the perfect MPG, but a good old reliable thing.
EDIT: Just went on KBB. My car is worth $2100! =P
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I have a 1998 Camry LE that I bought in 2000 for $15k cash from a little old lady (really). It's been a very low-maintenance car. It has about 160k miles on it. I don't drive much since I am in a "mixed" relationship, by which I mean that my boyfriend is pretty non-Mustachian when it comes to driving. He drives everywhere that we go together, in his car. At least he owns an Elantra.
What I'm more proud of is that at 48 years old, this is my third car ever. That may not be unusual in this group, but it sure is in the wild. My mom is always asking me "When are you going to get a new car?", and the answer is always "When my Camry dies". My mom would rather see me in something more "suitable", which I'm sure for her purposes means a Lexus or at least an Avalon. I keep telling her the car is part of my early retirement plan. I am hoping to get at least another 100k out of it, which could easily be another 8-10 years for me.
About three and a half years ago, someone ran into me from behind and the insurance company totaled it. I ended up taking the money and paying an extra $1.7k to have it repaired. With the new panels and paint, it looks better than it has a right to. Since then, just routine maintenance and replacement of wear items.
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Hi. Long-time lurker, first-time poster.
Low mileage / old car brag: 1995 buick century with...drumroll please...14,000 miles!
Inherited it from Grandma last year (she had it since new!) I'm planning on keeping it as a Mustachian ride for awhile even though the gas mileage is only around 26 mpg. Am trying to get that up through better driving though. Great in the NE winters though, probably because of the "boat of a car-style" hood weight at the front tires.
^Chops's inherited Buick beats me, but my old-and-low brag for our only car:
2004 Buick Century, bought new in 2005: 28,000 miles. When I got it inspected last year, the DMV made fun of me.
We walk a lot!
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1983 Honda Civic
Bought: $500 in 2005
Driven: many miles. Including a trip from Alaska-Florida.
Fuel economy: 42 mpg
Rear-ended and backed into (twice): $1800 net of insurance settlements after repairs
Sold: $1000 in 2013
[attachment deleted by admin]
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Awesome, Matt. Why'd you sell it?
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2004 Buick Century, bought new in 2005: 28,000 miles. When I got it inspected last year, the DMV made fun of me.
We walk a lot!
Welcome to the forum! Thoughtful use of your ride.
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Hi. Long-time lurker, first-time poster.
Low mileage / old car brag: 1995 buick century with...drumroll please...14,000 miles!
Inherited it from Grandma last year (she had it since new!) I'm planning on keeping it as a Mustachian ride for awhile even though the gas mileage is only around 26 mpg. Am trying to get that up through better driving though. Great in the NE winters though, probably because of the "boat of a car-style" hood weight at the front tires.
^Chops's inherited Buick beats me, but my old-and-low brag for our only car:
2004 Buick Century, bought new in 2005: 28,000 miles. When I got it inspected last year, the DMV made fun of me.
We walk a lot!
2004 Nissan Sentra, purchased for $7k with 13,000 miles in 2010. Currently sitting at 59,000 miles. I will drive this car till I get close to FIRE.
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2004 Buick Century, bought new in 2005: 28,000 miles. When I got it inspected last year, the DMV made fun of me.
We walk a lot!
Welcome to the forum! Thoughtful use of your ride.
Thank you!
Matthew, well done.
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Awesome, Matt. Why'd you sell it?
I ask myself that every day!
Actually, it was covered in snow in a parking lot, and looked pretty much like a big pile of snow, the second time someone backed into it. After I repaired that, I realized that if I drive my awesome car so little that it behaves like a snowbank, I should sell it. Figured someone else needed it more. Feet, bike, and bus get me most places I go anymore.
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Hahaha Matthew!!! You sold a money maker if their insurance was paying off every time!! Your little car reminded me of my old Honda...it was an even earlier 'roller skate' model.
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My commuter car is a '94 Acura Integra that currently has 285k miles, runs great but it's starting to rust a bit. Wife has an XA with about 175k miles, hopefully both will last quite a bit longer.
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I thought this was MY JOKE. Unless that sticker appeared before October 10 I'm suing Vanguard for ALL OF THEIR ASSETS. (Jk. Vanguard, if you're reading this, a few thousand shares of VTSAX will be fine.)
The joke's on you: Vanguard doesn't own any of its assets; it's owned by them.
ARE YOU THAT JACK? Glad to have you, Mr. Bogle.
(I should have said, "ALL OF THE ASSETS [under management by Vanguard]". I got caught up in the greed that accompanies the thought of three trillion dollars.)
LOL, I missed this back in December. I am not Jack Bogle. I almost wish I was... but not really because he's old.
Anyway, I'd like to brag slightly about the car I just bought: a 1990 Mazda Miata with only 78k miles on it, and so well-maintained that it looks (and drives) almost like new. Of course, it's not in any way Mustachian because I didn't need it -- I bought it to get into auto racing (an expensive hobby if ever there was one)! It even came with an extra set of rims, some upgraded suspension parts, and a hitch and 4' utility trailer (used for carrying racing wheels so you can swap at the track instead of wasting your expensive tread on the drive home).
Of course, now I need to build a garage (which I'd planned to do before, but now feel more urgency about)...
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Saw an older Explorer with a bumper sticker that said 500K club the other day. Im impressed.
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Saw an older Explorer with a bumper sticker that said 500K club the other day. Im impressed.
I don't know whether to be impressed or disappointed in that # because that's a lot of miles/year...aren't Explorers from the mid-90s? If so, that's ~25k miles/year.
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Saw an older Explorer with a bumper sticker that said 500K club the other day. Im impressed.
I don't know whether to be impressed or disappointed in that # because that's a lot of miles/year...aren't Explorers from the mid-90s? If so, that's ~25k miles/year.
You never know. Maybe the current owner bought it used with a ton of miles on it already...though the balance of probability is not in favor of this scenario.
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After extensive research on reliability and my utility needs I settled on 1995 Honda Accord Wagon EX. Paid $1100 for it 2007 with 150k miles...I'm still driving it today with 282k miles, with no plans to ever sell it. Not including gas and changing the oil, I've put less than $800 into this car and about $400 of that is just tires, the rest is an axle, VSS, timing belt, serpentine belts, plugs, wires, brakes, rotors, wiper blades, and I do all my own work. The car has been paid for more than 3x over due to mileage reimbursement for work. Just looked up the KBB value, $1,457 in Fair condition...it's almost possible that this car is actually paying me to drive it...is that even possible...or did I just blow my own mind!!! Everyone makes fun of me for driving it...which I can't understand...how many daily driver car investments do you make in life that have a positive return...now who's laughing...ha haha haaaa...
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... The car has been paid for more than 3x over due to mileage reimbursement for work. Just looked up the KBB value, $1,457 in Fair condition...it's almost possible that this car is actually paying me to drive it...is that even possible...or did I just blow my own mind!!! Everyone makes fun of me for driving it...which I can't understand...how many daily driver car investments do you make in life that have a positive return...now who's laughing...ha haha haaaa...
I love jobs like that. At my last job, I had one project that reimbursed me $0.55/mi for my commute. It was almost 50mi each way. In my '95 Corolla, I was, indeed, making a fair bit of money driving back and forth.
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Saw an older Explorer with a bumper sticker that said 500K club the other day. Im impressed.
I don't know whether to be impressed or disappointed in that # because that's a lot of miles/year...aren't Explorers from the mid-90s? If so, that's ~25k miles/year.
I have a long commute ;)
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How come i never see you at the pier playing VB? Im down there almost daily
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I drive a 2001 Toyota Corolla with 175k miles. I bought it in 2007 for $4k.
It leaks/burns about 2 quarts of oil every 1500 miles, and the engine gets real loud if the oil gets low. Braking at high speed causes some steering wobble. Been thinking about upgrading but it seems like a lot of people here are rolling with even older cars. If I'm going to keep it I think I at least need to change the break pads. Not sure what to do about the oil situation though. Any ideas?
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Brakes could be warped disks. Easy for a brake shop to turn or, if you remove the disks yourself, you can take them to an auto store (e.g., O'Reilly's or AutoZone) and they will turn them for you. Expense comes in if there isn't enough metal to turn them.
Oil leaks can be the oil pan gasket or ???? Best to have a mechanic look at it.
Makes noise when the oil gets low might mean you should consider selling it now. It's probably been run low before and there might be engine damage.
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I drive a 2001 Toyota Corolla with 175k miles. I bought it in 2007 for $4k.
It leaks/burns about 2 quarts of oil every 1500 miles, and the engine gets real loud if the oil gets low. Braking at high speed causes some steering wobble. Been thinking about upgrading but it seems like a lot of people here are rolling with even older cars. If I'm going to keep it I think I at least need to change the break pads. Not sure what to do about the oil situation though. Any ideas?
Do you have a set of wrenches/sockets? Then you can change your brake rotors and pads. Buy 'em from Rock Auto rather than a brick & mortar store, and you'll pay about $50 for the set. If you've never done it before, it'll take a few hours. But it's a pretty easy thing to do (and I know from experience--I just did this, along with a bunch of other stuff, to my brother's '01 corolla, about 4 months ago). Lots of videos on youtube to guide you through it.
As for the oil leak, get a mechanic to take a look. Or get the engine nice and clean, run it for a while, and see if you can locate the leak. It might just be a valve cover gasket for all you know, and it'll take you $10 of parts and an hour to fix. Or it could be a crank shaft bearing an require a rebuild. But at least you'll know.
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Brakes could be warped disks. Easy for a brake shop to turn or, if you remove the disks yourself, you can take them to an auto store (e.g., O'Reilly's or AutoZone) and they will turn them for you. Expense comes in if there isn't enough metal to turn them.
Oil leaks can be the oil pan gasket or ???? Best to have a mechanic look at it.
Makes noise when the oil gets low might mean you should consider selling it now. It's probably been run low before and there might be engine damage.
The first noise in my experience has always been the lifters. I'm not sure how the top end on a 2001 Toyota works (never had anything newer than, oh, 1978 apart) but if it's got hydraulic lifters of some sort that's probably the noise. In my case, when this was happening, it turned out to be a bad oil pump. Had to lift the engine and pull the pan, replace pump, clean it out. Everything was fine. Now, my sister, on the other hand, showed up with a car that was 5 quarts low the other day. The hell? They don't even take 5 quarts on an oil change these days!
My advice is just keep it topped off with oil. Probably just worn out stuff in there letting it burn oil unless you're getting huge puddles of oil, lots of smoke, or oil in the antifreeze.
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Thanks for the feedback. I have changed brake pads once before, on a suburban. Sort of short on tools now but I bet I could get a buddy over to do it. I think I might fix those and just keep driving it.
Regarding the sound being something in the top end, that makes sense. I didn't mention in the initial post but this thing is a beater: hail damage, front bumper paint almost completely flaked off (I guess the guy before me replaced the front bumper and got a real cheap paint job), dent in passenger door from getting hit. So I doubt I can sell it for more than $1K. Maybe topping it off I can drive it another year or two.
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I couldn't help but laugh today. I live in a VERY nice area, high CoL. Today, my very old moss-covered, paint peeling Chevy (KBB value about $1.5-2k) was parked next to a brand new, perfectly shiny, black Lotus Evora. Contrast!
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Thanks for the feedback. I have changed brake pads once before, on a suburban. Sort of short on tools now but I bet I could get a buddy over to do it. I think I might fix those and just keep driving it.
Regarding the sound being something in the top end, that makes sense. I didn't mention in the initial post but this thing is a beater: hail damage, front bumper paint almost completely flaked off (I guess the guy before me replaced the front bumper and got a real cheap paint job), dent in passenger door from getting hit. So I doubt I can sell it for more than $1K. Maybe topping it off I can drive it another year or two.
I think it's the brake *rotors* that need replacing, not the pads. The labor is about the same--you just need to take off one more piece (caliper bracket) to replace the discs.
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I got a 2002 honda CRV with 178K on it. Runs great and works great for a family of 4. My dad just sold my 1991 4X4 Toyota pickup with 278K on it. That was a solid truck and he got $3000.00 for it.
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My husband and I have one car, a 1999 Lexus RX 300 that I got from my parents for my college graduation. They had owned it for about 8 years before that.
It now has 198K miles. I am dreading the day that I will have to get something else because I love my old car so much! I am hoping she will make it to 300K, and this thread has renewed my hope that that will happen.
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By posting this - I may be sealing my fate with the old gal....but here goes.
She is a 2001 Honda Accord 2-Dr Coupe V6 with 304K miles.
I bought it brand new and gave it oil changes only after double the recommended mileage. But I used Synthetic Oil. Don't know if that helped some - or if that and being a Honda of that design helped. But I am really happy with it.
All my co-workers, wife, wife's family - all want me to get a newer car because its safer, more gas efficient, yadda yadda yadda.
But I feel like I have a secret that I am saving a lot more money on this car than anyone else with theirs. I joke that the cost is so low that they are nearly paying me!
Now - while casually looking for a replacement sometime soon - I am trying to determine if depreciation is negligible for some models, e.g. depreciation curve for new vs used has the same slope. Honda Odyssey's and I think Toyota Sienna's do this - but looking for a 4 door sedan of this type.
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2009 Hyundai Accent with just over 255,000 miles on it and still going strong. Paid $1000 for it earlier this year with a bad heater core (replaced that myself before it got cold). Previous owner bought it new and commuted 80 miles each way (highway, suburb to suburb) for some insane reason.
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Not going to win the thread or anything, but my old Toyota is pretty badass. 1995 Tercel Sedan, 4spd stick and no frills, still going strong at 330k. Had it for 14 years, paid $5k in Dec 2002, could probably still get $1k for it. I've done almost all work on it myself, except for a new clutch at 300k, and the welding on of a new (used) muffler when the old one was destroyed by a journey on a very rough logging road. It's never actually broken down on me once in 14 years (i've killed the battery a couple times in the driveway leaving lights on, but thats a quick jumpstart).
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I had a 95 Tercel Coupe. 4sp manual, kept it until 2006. Looked like a shrunken BMW from certain angles- terrific little car!
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I had a 95 Tercel Coupe. 4sp manual, kept it until 2006. Looked like a shrunken BMW from certain angles- terrific little car!
Haha, mine's a 2-door coupe also, and it totally does look like one from some angles. Not having AC sometimes sucks, but other than that its a great car. The clear coat is starting to go on some of the panels, so i'll have to do some learning and probably paint and clear coat it this coming summer
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I
mine's a 2-door coupe also
Do you have the gray vinyl interior and space on the dash where the clock should be (but no clock).
I bought my first car with AC this fall. I'll miss being smug about it!
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Imine's a 2-door coupe also
Do you have the gray vinyl interior and space on the dash where the clock should be (but no clock).
I bought my first car with AC this fall. I'll miss being smug about it!
Yep, got the grey interior, and a plastic cover where there should be a clock, and one where the AC button should go. I did put in a better stereo like 10 years ago, because the tape player and 2 speakers it came with sucked.
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My friend was like "It would probably cost just as much to put the clock in as would to have put in the plastic cover."
Awesome and true barebones car
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I'm a big fan of the 93/94 GM GMT-400 platform (truck/SUV). Being rural plus almost a mile from the nearest road, 4WD and ground clearance is an absolute must.
I had a '93 Blazer that was a beast of burden for years until the rust and transmission finally went out, closing in on 300k. Oh, the places it went and the things it hauled. I picked up a '93 Silverado long box-std cab to replace it that's hauled fire wood, scrap metal, car engines, appliances, building materials, trash, you name it (plus all the miles of heavy towing). And for 6 months out of the year, serves as winter transportation on our heavily salted roads. This one is just about 'used up'; replaced a brake line and did a bleed yesterday in the driveway but the frame is almost gone. It's replacement will be another 93/94, but I might have to ship one in from outside the rust belt.
These vehicles hit the sweet spot for me- EFI but pre-Vortec. ABS but straightforward disc/drums. A real tilt column, mechanical transfer case and HEI style ignition but lots of niceties, like digital climate control, full instrumentation and DTR without ANY multiplexed wiring. All systems are independent. That all changed in '95, along with the cheapening of the interior and a more trouble-prone drivetrain.
Insurance is dirt cheap, registration is $50/yr and parts, if needed, are cheap and plentiful and can be replaced with basic tools.
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Sold the 2004 Red Prius with 257K miles. (we had bought that one when it was 6 years old @ 185K miles)
Bought a 2010 Blue Prius with 103K miles. It has heated seats! (we love this)
We like to buy 6 year old higher mileage cars! We're a one car family
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Green Prius = 2006 280k miles and going strong.
Black Prius = 2008 85k miles, salvage title and gets a little less mpg than the green one.
We are currently debating taking advantage of a really awesome deal on a new EV, if we do we will probably unload the black lower mileage Prius. The Green one is part of the family, I got it with 17 miles on it and love that car.
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Silver Civic that I bought new back in Feb 2002 after college. I still even think of it as my new car sometimes even though I've put 134k miles on it.
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Not anywhere near as impressive as others, but I love my car! I don't know why, but it was my dream car since a very young age. I guess I don't dream big.
I haven't had anyone judge me for driving a 13 year old car, maybe because the paint looks so good and its age isn't obvious. It would be in immaculate condition if it wasn't for assholes in parking lots. I /almost/ wish I drove an older more embarrassing beater car though for hilarity. Fellow classmates are buying brand new Camaros or Lexuses after getting their first shiny jobs post graduation. My car isn't embarrassing enough to post satire pictures of. Some of them literally have an entire album of their car, interior and exterior.
I'll probably buy another if this one dies. Only 145k miles, hopefully another 150k more!
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1997 Nissan Maxima gle with 230k miles. Still running strong. Bought about 11 years ago. Hhad to replace all struts 3yrs ago, and muffler and cat converter last year after they rusted out. Other than that, I only do general maintenance like oil change, etc. Will drive it till it can't drive any more.
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I have a low mileage older car, a 2002 with just over 105,000.
I worked from home for a number of years and now I work about 3 miles from home so I don't drive it much at all. To be fair, my wife has a newish 2010 that we use for most of our driving. Hers has just under 80,000 miles on it. We plan on keeping both until they give out on us.
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1991 Toyota 4Runner with 380 000 km. Just retired her this winter to be our plow truck, replaced her with a 2004 model -that's new for us!
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2007 Honda Odyssey with 135k, and going strong. I have resisted the urge to upgrade the minivan! Yay! Also, I am driving less, trying to schedule my life closer to home.
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My vehicle (a cargo van) is 16 years old, and I live in it!
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My neighbor just got a new (to her) car and I'm insanely jealous. It's a Suzuki Twin. I can't imagine how insanely great the gas mileage must be!
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Suzuki_Twin_001.JPG/280px-Suzuki_Twin_001.JPG)
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Kick me out of the club. I just bought a new-to-me truck. 2008 Titan 4x4 with 47k miles. It will replace my 2002 GMC Sierra with 230k miles. The GMC still runs fine and looks good, but...I figure if I wanted to get any value from it I need to sale before too many more miles. The Nissan with the Endurance V8 should last an easy 300k.
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I've got 181k miles on my chevy 2500 4x4 monstrosity. It's a 2003 and still kicking along pretty well. While it might not be considered a mustachian vehicle, it brings in money hauling dirt, rock, firewood, and the occasional camper trailer, plus we own a small farm. When this truck gives up the ghost I may try for a smaller one, but I'll still need something with clearance, 4WD, and hauling capacity. Fortunately, it will be a farm truck, so I can pick up a hail damaged one for cheap.
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My vehicle (a cargo van) is 16 years old, and I live in it!
Truly badass!
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Mine's a 1993 Honda Accord with 432,000 km. My car is just 2 years younger than me.
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My neighbor just got a new (to her) car and I'm insanely jealous. It's a Suzuki Twin. I can't imagine how insanely great the gas mileage must be!
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Suzuki_Twin_001.JPG/280px-Suzuki_Twin_001.JPG)
OK, how about a little more info? What country? How common are they, and how do they compare, size wise, to a Smart car?
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We are in Japan, and it's a tiny car even for here. I think it's smaller than a SmartCar, though I haven't seen them size by size. But this strikes me as smaller, and especially more narrow.
My neighbor just got a new (to her) car and I'm insanely jealous. It's a Suzuki Twin. I can't imagine how insanely great the gas mileage must be!
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Suzuki_Twin_001.JPG/280px-Suzuki_Twin_001.JPG)
A quick google tells me it's slightly longer than a SmartCar (which surprises me as I'd have guessed shorter), but it is more narrow.
We are in Japan, and this is a small car even for here.
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Updates:
The 2000 Buick Regal GS is going strong. 152k miles. 17 years old, plus a couple months. I drive it for fewer miles these days, because ...
Got a 2003 Corvette. Bought at ~81.5k, is at ~90k miles. Works great for road trips. Comfortably carries speeds the buick can't even reach. (Testing done in "mexico.")
Now I have two older GM cars, one daily and one modified high-power sports car. Total value less than a new honda.
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My '95 Corolla (mentioned earlier, now with 209k miles) has apparently had a very slightly cracked radiator for the past two years. I finally noticed a small leak after changing the oil a month ago. I was very happy to find out that not only does a replacement only cost $55+shipping, it's also a piece of cake to replace, about as hard as replacing brake pads.
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My '95 Corolla (mentioned earlier, now with 209k miles) has apparently had a very slightly cracked radiator for the past two years. I finally noticed a small leak after changing the oil a month ago. I was very happy to find out that not only does a replacement only cost $55+shipping, it's also a piece of cake to replace, about as hard as replacing brake pads.
Nice! Glad to know it's cheap.
If it's very small, and you're very lazy - or to those who may have similar problems and where radiators are expensive - you can probably just patch it up from the outside. Then you can add a small amount of UV dye to your rad, and check the crack with a UV flashlight on a semi-regular basis, and obviously check the levels.
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My '95 Corolla (mentioned earlier, now with 209k miles) has apparently had a very slightly cracked radiator for the past two years. I finally noticed a small leak after changing the oil a month ago. I was very happy to find out that not only does a replacement only cost $55+shipping, it's also a piece of cake to replace, about as hard as replacing brake pads.
Nice! Glad to know it's cheap.
If it's very small, and you're very lazy - or to those who may have similar problems and where radiators are expensive - you can probably just patch it up from the outside. Then you can add a small amount of UV dye to your rad, and check the crack with a UV flashlight on a semi-regular basis, and obviously check the levels.
Yeah, the crack wasn't even visible to the naked eye--I just noticed a drop of antifreeze slowly seeping out when the engine was running. I considered doing something like melting/sealing the plastic with a heat gun or soldering iron, but it felt like it would be a very temporary and weak repair--after all, the radiator *has* been through 20 years of thermal cycles.
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2003 Lexus RX300. Finally had to replace it last year, but it took me to 265,000 miles. I put 210,000 of those miles on it myself. Purchased a 2012 Hyundai Sonata after the Lexus gave out on me and am hoping to keep that around for a good amount of time as well.
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2003 Lexus RX300. Finally had to replace it last year, but it took me to 265,000 miles. I put 210,000 of those miles on it myself. Purchased a 2012 Hyundai Sonata after the Lexus gave out on me and am hoping to keep that around for a good amount of time as well.
Out of curiosity, what failed on the Lexus?
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Our 2006 Honda Odyssey is still going strong at 130,000 miles. We feel the bumps more and I'm thinking the front suspension may need attention. Shocks, springs? I'm not gearhead-savvy, unfortunately. But we love that car.
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Our 2006 Honda Odyssey is still going strong at 130,000 miles. We feel the bumps more and I'm thinking the front suspension may need attention. Shocks, springs? I'm not gearhead-savvy, unfortunately. But we love that car.
Probably struts/shocks (I'm not sure what the Odyssey has); springs are quite durable.
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Aren't we supposed not to drive cars on this forum? :-))))))
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Aren't we supposed not to drive cars on this forum? :-))))))
I try not to and bike to work/run errands as much as I can! Honest!
But my 2000 VW Golf TDI does all the heavy lifting. just hit 270K miles, and i bought him at 250K used with bad suspension and clutch- after mostly fixing him up he cost $2500, gets 40-50 MPG (less now that its so cold! starting on a super cold morning after sitting for a few weeks is quite entertaining). Manual windows so fewer VW electrical gremlins, and these motors are known to last 400-500K! Though I have a timing belt coming due soon, which aren't cheap but I'm doing the labor at least since I enjoy that work.
When I redid the suspension I put Jetta wagon towing-package springs/struts in there (400-500 lbs heavier car), cost the same but now hes got ground clearance and weight capacity for firewood and lumber/finished furniture hauling! (I'm a woodworker/furnituremaker by trade). I named him Arnie since he's all buff now.
It's only got a 5 foot bed (6 on pass side with the seat forward, and 8 footers fit on top of the passenger seat folded forward, or on the roof) but you can't beat a 50 MPG enclosed bed that will happily carry 5-800 pounds of firewood day after day. Had around 900 lbs of sack concrete in there earlier in the fall and it handled it just fine!
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Aren't we supposed not to drive cars on this forum? :-))))))
My commute is 6.2 miles by car. It's 15.5 miles by bike.
I'm driving.
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In 2003 I bought a 2002 Pontiac Sunfire on leaseback for $10,000. I drove it until 2014. I eventually sold it for $500 in a year where I made nearly $200,000. I don't know many people earning nearly 400x the value of their car!
Now I have a kid and drive an SUV. Sometimes we get drive through. Being a parent has made me weak!
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We are in Japan, and it's a tiny car even for here. I think it's smaller than a SmartCar, though I haven't seen them size by size. But this strikes me as smaller, and especially more narrow. My neighbor just got a new (to her) car and I'm insanely jealous. It's a Suzuki Twin. I can't imagine how insanely great the gas mileage must be!
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Suzuki_Twin_001.JPG/280px-Suzuki_Twin_001.JPG)
A quick google tells me it's slightly longer than a SmartCar (which surprises me as I'd have guessed shorter), but it is more narrow.
We are in Japan, and this is a small car even for here.
Surprising gly the Smart Fortwo car only get 31/39 mpg (average 35) which is pretty sucky for such a small car. Some mid sized sedans like Nissan Altima and Hyundai Sonatas have around the same (maybe better) mpg and tons more room. Of course hybrids of everything get better mpg.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/best/bestworstNF.shtml
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/37142.shtml
I have a 2001 Ford Ranger extra cab V-6 with approx 120k miles.. Bought it used in 2007 for $4k as my FIRE truck to go camping in. Terrible gas mileage especially with a shell so ride my bike most everywhere and only use it for camping road trips with the dog. I'll be selling that truck once my house sells and already bought a Hyundai sedan that gets MUCH better mpg. More than double.
The interwebs tell me the Twin gets up to 80PMG!
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Our 2006 Honda Odyssey is still going strong at 130,000 miles. We feel the bumps more and I'm thinking the front suspension may need attention. Shocks, springs? I'm not gearhead-savvy, unfortunately. But we love that car.
Priority #1 is the struts/shocks (I believe it has struts, but who knows - in short, dampers.) However, you should also replace your strut mounts, including all the stuff that sits up there, which is a strut mount bearing etc.
Ideally you should just buy an entire assembly for both front sides, but the only companies making assemblies are monroes, unities, and other no-names... ie, low quality. However, the job to do the components individually is way more expensive and annoying than doing them as assemblies.
Consult your trusted mechanic, get quotes. You may find that $75-150 (per corner) cheaper assemblies that you need to replace every four-five years (hopefully?) are cheaper than quality parts you have to replace every twelve, even over the course of that time. Also, make sure you have a good idea about how long you expect to keep the car.
After that, I'd be looking at control arms - specifically the bushings and ball joints. Generally speaking, it's much cheaper to replace the entire arms than those components.
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180,000 mile manual transmission 2009 honda fit. Bought at 150k miles for 6 grand from an old lady who commuted 100 miles a day in it on the highway. She serviced it every 7k miles at the dealership including changing all fluids, wiper blades, and spark plugs every 50k. When I bought it, it still looked brand new. I've replaced the alternator and the picture below has my winter tires/wheels installed.
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170K ish miles on a 2004 Mazda MPV. Bought new and maintained myself. It is currently a 'winter beater' and 'around town' car. We do have other cars but kept the MPV because it is cheap to drive, has relatively high clearance and hauls stuff well during the summer ( mulch, etc... ). I'm on a mission to get it to 200K and hopefully it will last till then!
Unfortunately, the MPV is rusting like crazy! We have had three Mazda vehicles and ALL of them have rusted. Frankly, the rust issue turned us off from buying another one. However, I do hope they have solved the rust issue with their latest generation of vehicles...mechanically they are top notch!
We also have a Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Prius and nether of them have a spot of rust on them.
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I'm curious what everyone does as far as maintenance. I want to keep driving old cars (maybe even older than my current 2003) but I work full time and don't know what to do if a car has to get work done on it. Is it anti-mustachian to have two beater cars as a backup? Do you rent a car when you get work done? I do some easy repairs myself, but if it's a major repair it would still take just as long because I would have to go on youtube and learn how to do it, then spend a couple days on it, etc...
Riding in with a coworker isn't currently an option but may be in the future. There is a company truck, but I can only use it two weeks each month when that employee is out of the country.
No family/friend option to borrow a car either...
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I'm curious what everyone does as far as maintenance. I want to keep driving old cars (maybe even older than my current 2003) but I work full time and don't know what to do if a car has to get work done on it. Is it anti-mustachian to have two beater cars as a backup? Do you rent a car when you get work done? I do some easy repairs myself, but if it's a major repair it would still take just as long because I would have to go on youtube and learn how to do it, then spend a couple days on it, etc...
Riding in with a coworker isn't currently an option but may be in the future. There is a company truck, but I can only use it two weeks each month when that employee is out of the country.
No family/friend option to borrow a car either...
My old beater broke down on me last week. It appears that some deferred maintenance was the culprit (I neglected to replace the spark plugs). Fortunately, the kids were still out of school and I was able to use the minivan until the parts arrived and i was able to swap them in. I also live close enough to work that in warm-enough weather, biking is an option.
There's a '99 corolla for sale for $1200 near me that I sort of thought about buying, just to have a spare :) However, the fact of the matter is that if you keep up to date on all your regular maintenance, you're very unlikely to find yourself stranded. And if you keep up on your maintenance, you further reduce the probability of major repairs.
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I'm curious what everyone does as far as maintenance. I want to keep driving old cars (maybe even older than my current 2003) but I work full time and don't know what to do if a car has to get work done on it. Is it anti-mustachian to have two beater cars as a backup? Do you rent a car when you get work done? I do some easy repairs myself, but if it's a major repair it would still take just as long because I would have to go on youtube and learn how to do it, then spend a couple days on it, etc...
Riding in with a coworker isn't currently an option but may be in the future. There is a company truck, but I can only use it two weeks each month when that employee is out of the country.
No family/friend option to borrow a car either...
I would just rent a car for the day or two when the car is in the shop. Many shops offer car rental as a service. Could you check if a shop local to you has this service.
The trick is also to find a good local shop that does good work and stick with them. Shops are like people, they like people they know and treat them accordingly.
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Currently at 205,000 miles on the 1999 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 / Manual transmission, Forest Service Issue.
Doubling down on it and just invested in 4 new off-road shocks, ttl cost was more than the vehicle itself. Plan is to take this Jeep to 300K if possible. Hands down my Jeep is the oldest car in my neighborhood and at work, by far (excepting the landscapers that drive in daily to work in my neighborhood and at my job).
People do make insulting comments to me about it. Fuck 'em. I wear that old Jeep as a badge of honor. The mechanic that installed my shocks beat me though, bragging about his 1985 Porsche still in operation.
:)
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1999 Toyota Avalon XLS - 150K miles
1999: Dad buys it brand new from dealership, played the sh*t out of Backstreet Boys Millennium CD in it
2007: I turn 17 and dad gives me the car as my first
2014: I move to city after college and give car back to Dad who drives it about 5 miles a day back and forth to work
2019??: I move out of city and re-claim my prized possession as long as pops continues to take care of it
Toyotas rule
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Really nicely preserved '94 Mazda B-Series pickup with 4x4 and manual tranny, 191k miles. Extended cab and beautiful red paint.
One bonus is that the older Mazda's have many interchangeable parts with Ford Rangers, so getting parts is a breeze. Even the engines can be replaced inexpensively.
I'm proud to say that it is the oldest vehicle in the company parking lot. There is a '99 F-150 but nothing else is even close. The median year in the parking lot is probably 2010 and many people are driving giant SUVs and trucks. So I'm proud as heck of my dinky little truck.
A lumber rack and trailer hitch upgrade are planned.
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My daily commuter is a 1991 Honda Accord. Everything about how the car drives works great. The things that relay information from car to driver do not work so great: speedometer spends larges chunks of time stuck at zero, door ajar lights always on, etc. All part of the experience!
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me: 2007 Nissan Versa 5-speed (making my boys learn how to drive on a stick! mwahahahahah!) 125K miles
spouse: 1989 VW Doka retired from the German army motor pool, can't remember how many miles on the replacement Audi diesel engine. Ready for the zombie apocalypse in this thing:
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This is going to sound a little nuts, but if you currently bundle your auto insurance with the same provider as your homeowners, you might find they offer a substantial discount when you insure a second car, to the point that your overall amount due is cheaper than having just one car on the account! (this is in response to a previous comment someone made about keeping a beater around)
Some have found this out the hard way when their premiums went up after downsizing to one car; others, only ever having a single vehicle, might not know they've been overpaying. The absurdity has reached a point where some folks have bought non-running junkers just so they can hold the title and add the car to their policy.
I went through something similar a few months ago with a popular national carrier. Pretty crazy.
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any idea how much you guys have spent over the lifetime of the car to maintain it those miles? i wonder if the costs adds up...
We don't do our own repairs or maintenance and have a 2003 Toyota Corolla with 163k miles on it. DW and I merged our finances 7 years ago and we've put about $3500 total into it since then. So about $500/year, and that includes getting unlucky with a transmission.
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Our reliable family-mobile is a 2004 Honda Pilot with 260,000 km. We bought it when I was pregnant with my second child, my handsome 12 year old. We'd like to get 300 - 350K km out it, about the time the kids move out and we can downsize to something more reasonable.
Our beater is a 2000 Audi A4 with 150,000km. We don't dare take it out of town because it's really unreliable, but not worth putting the money in to fix. Thankfully, if the engine cools for an hour or two it will often start again.
The only think I am really looking forward to when we do replace a vehicle is music! Both stereo systems broke years ago. And I have to say, the kids aren't great singers. :)
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up until this year, we were a 2 car family, both paid off, both over 200k miles, one was 16 years old.
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2006 Toyota Sienna with 129k. It's the highest mileage car I have ever owned. We bought it with 42k. It has 1 power door which is the biggest pain in the butt. That is the only maintenance it has required. Plan is to make it to 200k. 225k would be wonderful.
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OK, our 2003 minivan with 260k kilometres is not that old.
However, it needs a laborious/expensive heater repair. The heater is fine to about -10 Celsius.
Where we live, we get probly 20 days each winter where we do need to drive, and it's more like -20 celsius.
So the heater repair is a must-do, right?
Naaahh . . . we just turned to this ancient technology called "blankets." Big wool blankets wrapped around our wool and down-clad bodies.
Feel like badass cowboys ridin' in a buckboard on the freezing prairie in 1872. Or something.
It works, it's free, and it postpones used-car-shopping for another year.
Next year, maybe we can score some buffalo robes.
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OK, our 2003 minivan with 260k kilometres is not that old.
However, it needs a laborious/expensive heater repair. The heater is fine to about -10 Celsius.
Where we live, we get probly 20 days each winter where we do need to drive, and it's more like -20 celsius.
So the heater repair is a must-do, right?
Naaahh . . . we just turned to this ancient technology called "blankets." Big wool blankets wrapped around our wool and down-clad bodies.
Feel like badass cowboys ridin' in a buckboard on the freezing prairie in 1872. Or something.
It works, it's free, and it postpones used-car-shopping for another year.
Next year, maybe we can score some buffalo robes.
My heat doesn't work at all so I got a heated seat ($12) and brought a blanket in the car. Made it all winter! But to be fair the coldest it got was maybe -6 Celsius a day or two. Usually around 0 in the mornings. I would definitely recommend the heated seat! It's a cheap fix and makes it bearable.
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Our reliable family-mobile is a 2004 Honda Pilot with 260,000 km. We bought it when I was pregnant with my second child, my handsome 12 year old. We'd like to get 300 - 350K km out it, about the time the kids move out and we can downsize to something more reasonable.
Our beater is a 2000 Audi A4 with 150,000km. We don't dare take it out of town because it's really unreliable, but not worth putting the money in to fix. Thankfully, if the engine cools for an hour or two it will often start again.
The only think I am really looking forward to when we do replace a vehicle is music! Both stereo systems broke years ago. And I have to say, the kids aren't great singers. :)
Good that you are savvy enough to not dump another dime in that Audi. My son had an early 2000s Passat, which shared a lot of the "German engineering and quality" that plagued the entire company back then. I wasted a long weekend swapping the timing belt on that POS, and once we got it back together, I made it clear that that would be the last time it was ever apart in my garage, or that it ever got near it with a tool in my hand. Ridiculously over complicated engineering, delicate frail parts (first time I ever saw an oil dipstick tube crumble like a potato chip, FFS) and everything repair part is twice the cost of a similar part from most other brands.
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1998 honda accord 197000 miles work from home so keeps the miles down. actually bought the car new. never had a new car other than this one, gf at the time said i deserved it. it is our dog hauler. we regularly drive it with the dogs but no one other than me and my wife would likely feel comfortable in the car. nothing ever goes wrong with it. hums like a kitten. i regularly think about getting a newer vehicle because i deserve it haha but our dogs would just rip the newer one up so it is a thought that lasts for a few second once a week.
other vehicle is 2007 mini van hyundai/entourage for my wife, minus the dog hair and good for camping out in too... looked hi and low for this one for a long time (for good deal)... only 72k miles on it now and only paid 5700 almost 2 years ago. not an old vehicle, just a great deal.
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My 2004 Pontiac Vibe is 13 years old and just recently crossed the 200k mileage mark. It still runs well. Its never used any oil. It still has the original brakes and has only had one unexpected repair (cat converter). I have bought 16 tires for it and really have one more I should replace.
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This thread makes me happy!
I drive a 1997 Toyota Camry with 304,000km's (188,897mi) on it. I was getting it serviced every 6 months for an average of about AUD$280 (with all the little repairs that came with a service included). Now I only drive twice a week, my costs have come right down. I get it serviced once a year with no major repairs necessary due to lack of use. I hope to be able to drive it a lot longer into the future!
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My 1998 Saturn SC2 just hit 140k miles this week! It was gifted from my grandmother 6 years ago, so it was meticulously maintained with low miles. I've even started getting DIY with some of the maintenance. Before that, I drove a 1997 Saturn SL2 which I bought in high school for $2000.
I especially love the uniqueness of driving an older car around the DC area, where luxury cars are the norm.
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(first post!)
I got my first "real job" (besides pet-sitting for neighbors, etc.) when I was 14, so by the time I was 17 I had managed to save some money for a car.
In my senior year of high school, the opportunity came up to buy a car off of coworker, who was selling his 2001 PT Cruiser for $3000 (well below the KKB value in 2008). I had the money, so my first car purchase was without a loan, and I don't know if I could do it another way now! Meanwhile, my brother was offered the same car before me, but because it wasn't sexy enough for him, he preferred to buy a newer (still used) car with a loan... so as a teen I watched the comparison firsthand.
I can't say the PT Cruiser is exactly the best car out there, but it doesn't eat up too much gas, and the hatchback design allowed me to fill it with all my possessions to move across the country-- and it's still going strong three years since then! I used to live an anti-Mustachian rural life where getting anything done involved a "commute" of some kind. I recognized this and traded the long daily drives for one long commute across the country to a city-- a city with a higher minimum wage than I was making with a promotion at my job in nowhere. I'm not sure I could have managed the move (at least not so cheaply) if I hadn't had the foresight as a teenager to put by a little bit for this car.
When the PT kicks the bucket (going strong now at 128k miles), the only improvements I'm looking for are better fuel economy and better handling (is it just me or can Chryslers just not turn worth shit?). My love-affair with hatchbacks started early, and I learned fast the value of what saving can do for your financial freedom.
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My love-affair with hatchbacks started early, and I learned fast the value of what saving can do for your financial freedom.
Yes! I will never drive a non-hatchback! I've fit some crazy things in my 2 door sports car. I can fit two bikes. Or a twin size mattress with the box spring. Everyone is all about the SUVs nowadays but screw that, I'd rather have something fun to drive, fairly fuel efficient, and still have tons of room to fit long cargo. I personally don't like sitting high, I guess I'm used to the feeling of sitting on the ground when driving.
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My love-affair with hatchbacks started early, and I learned fast the value of what saving can do for your financial freedom.
Yes! I will never drive a non-hatchback! I've fit some crazy things in my 2 door sports car. I can fit two bikes. Or a twin size mattress with the box spring. Everyone is all about the SUVs nowadays but screw that, I'd rather have something fun to drive, fairly fuel efficient, and still have tons of room to fit long cargo. I personally don't like sitting high, I guess I'm used to the feeling of sitting on the ground when driving.
I love wagons and hatchbacks too! I wish the US got all the wagons that Europe gets, but we seem to be stuck with mostly SUVs.
As for sports cars, we had a guy show up to our Saturday bike ride in a Porsche 944 with 325,000 miles on it. The bike fit under the hatch with no problem. He bought the car new back in the '80s and it's still going strong.
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Yeah I agree! Wagons all the way here.
I have a 2001 H6 Subaru Outback. Has 120k. We LOVE it, perfect for hauling art, and camping.
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Just turned 314,000 on my trusty jeep cherokee. Took it out in some very remote and rugged country a couple days ago...still running great! A/C was a little weak though, gonna have to get that fixed.
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I'll jump in the wagon bandwagon!
Had (financed) a used 2001 Toyota Tacoma for a handful of years and sold it for profit to do some traveling. Well, time came to get another vehicle and relentlessly searched (think every couple hours, every day) for a 2.2 Subaru Legacy AWD Wagon. Tons of people asking double over what blue-book was in my area of the pacific northwest... which is understandable in some sense, but I was patient over the months. The day eventually came when a 1995 Suburu 2.2 Legacy AWD Wagon with 130,000 miles arrived on craigslist not too far from me. Private sale, with all maintenance docs and original owner was asking $1,700. Knowing the person was going to get bombarded with emails about it, I promptly replied to the ad and offered $100 more than what he was asking. He ended up calling me a couple hours later and told me of the 20-some responses he got, mine stood out to him the most - hah!
Needless to say I bought that bad boy the next day, back in 2013.
Still driving it. Still rally's!
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I was gonna say I drive a 1992 Volvo 240 station wagon, but the truth is it rather sits there most of the time as I commute via bus and train, which works pretty well in my area. We use the Volvo for the occasional family visit out of town, hauls from the hardware store and the like. It must have around 180' miles on it, of which we put about 6' miles on it since we bought it two years ago for EUR ~3.800. Love it!
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I had been car-free since 2009 and for periods before that too. I finally decided to get a car again last year and bought a 2003 Buick LeSabre from a friend of mine. It was her father's who had passed away. It only had 60,000 miles on it and was in excellent condition. I bought it for $2500 in cash. Besides wanting a hybrid or slightly higher gas mileage (it's a little under 30 mpg), I'm really happy with it. I only drive into work 3 days a week and will probably take transit/bike again once I move in a couple months since that only takes 10 minutes more. And then my partner can have it during the day. I'm hoping it will last a long time.
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1999 Toyota Corolla. about to hit 180k miles.
I bought it about 3 years ago for $2,200. I have had zero issues with it aside from the usual oil changes, one transmission fluid drain&fill and some water getting in the engine due to me driving through a mini lake (shitty infrastructure during rainfall).
I plan to swap the spark plugs out soon to keep it running and do another drain&fill since it's been a solid 60k since I purchased it.
Issues:
-Emergency brake light is always on, which is fine.
-Drivers window doesn't work, stuck partially open. I am too cheap to fix it.
-Drivers exterior handle is broken, you have to grab it at the right angle to open it. I don't mind.
-Back bumper is loose / sagging due to a hit and run. I simply put some screws in it to hold it close to the chasis, it works but just a bit ugly.
I am only 25 and just graduated college, making 25k per year so I can't get a new(er) car at the moment. I am barely maxing my Roth IRA and slowly amping up my 401k (60% savings rate)....
I will probably drive it for another year or two and upgrade to a used ~2010 Corolla....
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2001 Buick century 120K
2003 Lincoln Town Car 110K
*I am seeing people in Seattle have more eco-cars and less F150 syndrome! Good to see.
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2008 Honda Accord. 182,000 miles and going strong. Had it since new in 2008. We have a 2016 Subaru Outback. We've heard Subaru makes a great car. Hope to keep it as long as the Honda Accord.
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1999 Toyota Corolla. about to hit 180k miles.
I bought it about 3 years ago for $2,200. I have had zero issues with it aside from the usual oil changes, one transmission fluid drain&fill and some water getting in the engine due to me driving through a mini lake (shitty infrastructure during rainfall).
I plan to swap the spark plugs out soon to keep it running and do another drain&fill since it's been a solid 60k since I purchased it.
Issues:
-Emergency brake light is always on, which is fine.
-Drivers window doesn't work, stuck partially open. I am too cheap to fix it.
-Drivers exterior handle is broken, you have to grab it at the right angle to open it. I don't mind.
-Back bumper is loose / sagging due to a hit and run. I simply put some screws in it to hold it close to the chasis, it works but just a bit ugly.
I am only 25 and just graduated college, making 25k per year so I can't get a new(er) car at the moment. I am barely maxing my Roth IRA and slowly amping up my 401k (60% savings rate)....
I will probably drive it for another year or two and upgrade to a used ~2010 Corolla....
That could be caused by low brake fluid - that light does more than just tell you when the parking brake is on. Check the level of your brake fluid - if it becomes too low and the master cylinder pulls air in, you will lose your brakes.
If you do decide to fix the other problems, door handles are $4-12 on RockAuto and a window regulator assembly with motor (assuming you have power windows) is $32.
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My first car was a 1988 olds. We bought it right after getting married for $800. The seller threw in a couch, an armchair and a desk into the deal. Drove that thing for 7 years and got it up to 245,000 before having a big repair bill.
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This thread makes me feel like a fancypants with my 7 year old car. Man, I am living it up. :-P
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My first car was a 1988 olds. We bought it right after getting married for $800. The seller threw in a couch, an armchair and a desk into the deal. Drove that thing for 7 years and got it up to 245,000 before having a big repair bill.
Notasoccermom, you didn't tell us the most important part.... how did the couch, armchair, and desk fare?
2002 Toyota Corolla that I got from my parents last month for free with ~92900 miles on it. I expect it's only about halfway done with its life. And at the rate I'm driving, I probably won't break 100k miles before I graduate with my PhD in 4-5 years!
Thought I'd post an update. I've got 98915 miles on the odometer. I took only one long drive during this time - 730 miles roundtrip to Camp Mustache Southeast Edition. I'm pretty sure I'll still be able to graduate with my PhD with less than 100k miles, but only time will tell!
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I have a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer with about 230k miles. Our business still owns a 2001 Chevy Silverado with about 260k miles.
We just overhauled the transmission in the Trailblazer and did some other repairs. I'm hoping to get at least another 100k miles out of it.
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I'm curious what everyone does as far as maintenance. I want to keep driving old cars (maybe even older than my current 2003) but I work full time and don't know what to do if a car has to get work done on it. Is it anti-mustachian to have two beater cars as a backup? Do you rent a car when you get work done? I do some easy repairs myself, but if it's a major repair it would still take just as long because I would have to go on youtube and learn how to do it, then spend a couple days on it, etc...
Riding in with a coworker isn't currently an option but may be in the future. There is a company truck, but I can only use it two weeks each month when that employee is out of the country.
No family/friend option to borrow a car either...
I would just rent a car for the day or two when the car is in the shop. Many shops offer car rental as a service. Could you check if a shop local to you has this service.
The trick is also to find a good local shop that does good work and stick with them. Shops are like people, they like people they know and treat them accordingly.
I'm not 25. It would cost a stupid amount of money to rent a car. There was a guy I took my car to for some preventative maintenance who let me borrow a car for a day. Only problem is I'm not sure if I'll be going back to him because he hit on me. I guess it's a decision I'll make if something major happens to my car. Other than that he was trustworthy, charged much less for labor than parts, and is about to set up a real shop (currently does work at his house).
I think I'm going to eventually have two cars so one can be a project car and one as a backup. The daily stress of something happening and not being able to get to work is killing me. I like mine as a commuter car but I've been considering getting a cheap old sports car to work on.
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I'm curious what everyone does as far as maintenance. I want to keep driving old cars (maybe even older than my current 2003) but I work full time and don't know what to do if a car has to get work done on it. Is it anti-mustachian to have two beater cars as a backup? Do you rent a car when you get work done? I do some easy repairs myself, but if it's a major repair it would still take just as long because I would have to go on youtube and learn how to do it, then spend a couple days on it, etc...
Riding in with a coworker isn't currently an option but may be in the future. There is a company truck, but I can only use it two weeks each month when that employee is out of the country.
No family/friend option to borrow a car either...
I would just rent a car for the day or two when the car is in the shop. Many shops offer car rental as a service. Could you check if a shop local to you has this service.
The trick is also to find a good local shop that does good work and stick with them. Shops are like people, they like people they know and treat them accordingly.
I'm not 25. It would cost a stupid amount of money to rent a car. There was a guy I took my car to for some preventative maintenance who let me borrow a car for a day. Only problem is I'm not sure if I'll be going back to him because he hit on me. I guess it's a decision I'll make if something major happens to my car. Other than that he was trustworthy, charged much less for labor than parts, and is about to set up a real shop (currently does work at his house).
I think I'm going to eventually have two cars so one can be a project car and one as a backup. The daily stress of something happening and not being able to get to work is killing me. I like mine as a commuter car but I've been considering getting a cheap old sports car to work on.
I have seriously considered getting a second car just like my current one, so that A) if one stops working, I can use the other one, and B) repair/maintenance procedures will be the same on both. I now know the inside of my Corolla's engine bay pretty well, and it'd save me a lot of time if I didn't have to relearn everything on the next car. :)
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I'm curious what everyone does as far as maintenance. I want to keep driving old cars (maybe even older than my current 2003) but I work full time and don't know what to do if a car has to get work done on it. Is it anti-mustachian to have two beater cars as a backup? Do you rent a car when you get work done? I do some easy repairs myself, but if it's a major repair it would still take just as long because I would have to go on youtube and learn how to do it, then spend a couple days on it, etc...
Riding in with a coworker isn't currently an option but may be in the future. There is a company truck, but I can only use it two weeks each month when that employee is out of the country.
No family/friend option to borrow a car either...
I would just rent a car for the day or two when the car is in the shop. Many shops offer car rental as a service. Could you check if a shop local to you has this service.
The trick is also to find a good local shop that does good work and stick with them. Shops are like people, they like people they know and treat them accordingly.
I'm not 25. It would cost a stupid amount of money to rent a car. There was a guy I took my car to for some preventative maintenance who let me borrow a car for a day. Only problem is I'm not sure if I'll be going back to him because he hit on me. I guess it's a decision I'll make if something major happens to my car. Other than that he was trustworthy, charged much less for labor than parts, and is about to set up a real shop (currently does work at his house).
I think I'm going to eventually have two cars so one can be a project car and one as a backup. The daily stress of something happening and not being able to get to work is killing me. I like mine as a commuter car but I've been considering getting a cheap old sports car to work on.
I have seriously considered getting a second car just like my current one, so that A) if one stops working, I can use the other one, and B) repair/maintenance procedures will be the same on both. I now know the inside of my Corolla's engine bay pretty well, and it'd save me a lot of time if I didn't have to relearn everything on the next car. :)
I wouldn't bother having two of the same thing simultaneously - you'll double your registration costs, nearly double your insurance costs, and double some maintenance expenses (i.e. batteries and tires often need to be replaced due to age, not necessarily mileage).
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2001 Subaru Outback, 230,000 miles
We bought it used for about $4500 in 2011 and will drive this thing until something really expensive blows.
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2002 Chevy Crapolier here, 138k. I've run a Volvo 240, and a Plymouth Horizon with over 300k on them. (Not all my miles!!) The Cavalier is truly awful, but so simple and affordable to own and maintain. You have to love/hate a car that gets you excited to learn about 3M Automotive tape repair. I've only driven 8,000 miles in the 5 years I've owned it. If it doesn't pass inspection due to the clusterfuck panel, evap or rust, I'm going to hunt down a high mileage 240 with a decent body + motor.
I prefer the crank windows, manual doors, etc to the frills of newer cars. The really new models look like spacecraft to me. Freaky.
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I'm laughing at the malfunctioning heater. My defrost vent works, but the rest is crapping out. Resorted to lap blankets as well, in New England.
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I have a 2007 Ford Edge that has about 160K miles on it (and has been paid off since 2012). It has some weird rattles and kind of shimmies at 40mph but otherwise it's doing ok.
I live in the mountains and we usually get a decent amount of snow (not this year though). But for the past couple of years I was seriously considering buying a fancy shiny beautiful new 4WD/AWD vehicle so I could get around in the winter. BUT this year I had an epiphany (tied in with my overall FIRE-related life-changing epiphany) and realized that hey, not being able to get out of my driveway each time it snows more than 3" means I get to "work from home" those days, so why mess with that? Added to which I don't want to spend freaking $500/month on a car payment. So I'm going to roll with the Edge till the wheels fall off.
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Just discovering this thread after spending a few hours in a garage working with my brother to fix his car. He and I were discussing the "Cost per Mile Driven" on the cars we've worked on recently. This can be hard to calculate with gas prices changing so much during the "life" of a vehicle, but for the sake of testing it out, we decided that it was this:
What you paid originally - what you sold it for (or current book value) + parts and maintenance / miles driven.
Disclaimers: this is assuming you keep good records of the parts/maintenance, which we have done because we are kind of nerdy like that. Most of this work was done in our garage and buying parts online or junk yards to save money.
*This does not include cost of gas/gas mileage avg. which varies greatly from a small VW to an SUV for example. These estimates are rough, but we found it to be a fun exercise and thought we'd share it.
Example#1
1994 VW GTI
$2,250 Paid cash
Mileage: 98,200
Miles driven since: 125,750
Parts and maintenance: $1,400 (timing belt, alternator, plugs, misc wiring, headlight, fuel pump, oil changes/filters, heater and a/c parts)
Total: $2,250 (no interest) + $1,400 - $500 book value = $3,150
Cost per mile driven: $0.025 (this is very low in my opinion - maximizing the value as much as possible)
Example #2
2002 VW Beetle 2.0
$15,963.00 Paid cash (actually my Mom bought it, then my brother bought it from her - long before we knew about being good little Mustachians)
Mileage: 33865
Miles driven since: 88,640
Parts and maintenance: $2,100 (timing belt, tires, oil changes/filters, sensors, fuel pump, seat, taillight, plugs, battery) Same deal, did work ourselves, getting parts cheap online or junk yards.
Total: $15,963 + $2,100 - $1800 (book value) = $16,263
Cost per mile driven: $0.183 (this is obviously much higher,but that's what happens when you buy from a used car dealer, but still not horrible since we've done a lot of work and it will probably run another 80-100K)
Obviously you need to take into account what your miles-per-year consumption is and what the gas mileage will be. Also, not everyone can get away with a small car. (kids, using it for side work/construction, hauling things, etc.)
Our main goal in our calculations was trying to figure out the "sweet spot" of "Cost-per-mile-driven" to determine when it's a lost cause to fix a vehicle any further and move to the next one. Again, there are a lot of factors to consider and perhaps this is better suited for a separate discussion thread? Not sure.
We were just curious is anyone had come up with a more sophisticated formula for calculating the value of a used car??
One more example:
Let's say I want to buy an "MMM Approved" 2010 Mazda 3 with 75K miles at $9000 like this one: https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/6004135948.html
It says it has new brakes and new tires. Great! My question is, what else needs to be done in the next 100K miles?
Let's assume we'll need: new tires (in 50K miles), timing belt, shocks, spark plugs, fuel pump and standard oil changes every 5k miles. For the sake of the example let's estimate that at $3,500. (we'll do most of the work ourselves, except maybe the timing belt, because those suck!)
Cost: $9,000 cash
Maintenance: $3,500
Miles Driven: 100,000
Book value at 175,000 miles: ~$2700 (hard to guess that in the future so I went with a 70% reduction)
Total: $9,000 + $3,500 - $2,700 = $9,800
Cost per mile driven: $0.098 (not bad? We got it under the $0.10 per mile driven)
Now, with that last example, if I had already dropped $3500 in it and I was at 175,000, unless I had a big reason to sell it, why not run that sucker another 100K and get that "cost-per-mile-driven" down even lower?
Anyway, my point is, I would love to hear if someone has a much nerdier/better formula for this. Perhaps one exists on the interwebs already and I just haven't found it yet. Until we do, my brother and I are feeling pretty safe with anything we can get under $0.10 per-mile-driven for now. I feel like that's a pretty good deal.
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That is really clever! I want to run this math on my outback and see if I should keep it and until what mileage. Pretty sure that I have to keep it until something major breaks.
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That is really clever! I want to run this math on my outback and see if I should keep it and until what mileage. Pretty sure that I have to keep it until something major breaks.
Definitely! Speaking of Outbacks, my buddy just recently had this challenge with his 2005 Outback when he hit 140,000 miles and suddenly he needed new timing belt, water pump and CV joints. He almost decided to buy a new car until we did some research and found out it wouldn't cost too much.
Timing belt + water pump: $200 +50 = $350 (had a buddy do it for us) CV boot kit (2): $35 +time/elbow grease total: $385
Not everyone has friend who can work on cars or the tools to do it themselves, but I wonder how many people run to the dealership to buy a new car when the fix is simply $300 - $1500? If you amortize that cost over the next 25K, 50K, 75K or 100K of miles driven, it's a small price to pay for the potential ROI. His overall "cost-per-mile-driven" may go up a tiny bit, but that's still WAY better than buying a new car - heaven forbid - on credit!
Good luck with your Subbie Outback! Those cars are great and go for miles and miles if taken care of!
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That is really clever! I want to run this math on my outback and see if I should keep it and until what mileage. Pretty sure that I have to keep it until something major breaks.
Not everyone has friend who can work on cars or the tools to do it themselves, but I wonder how many people run to the dealership to buy a new car when the fix is simply $300 - $1500? If you amortize that cost over the next 25K, 50K, 75K or 100K of miles driven, it's a small price to pay for the potential ROI. His overall "cost-per-mile-driven" may go up a tiny bit, but that's still WAY better than buying a new car - heaven forbid - on credit!
Yes, that's what I keep trying to tell people! Even if you replace the entire engine, it's generally still more economical provided the rest of the car is in good condition and not rusted out.
I may have gone a bit too far with my car on this since I've spent more than the car is worth in the past year, but it was all general maintenance that ANY car would have needed, so it didn't make sense to sell. Stuff like timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, rotors, brakes, fluid changes, etc. I'm just catching up on all the neglected maintenance from when I was a poor college student. The 6 years before all this I only did oil changes and that's it. Added up over 7 years it's been maybe an average of $500 a year on maintenance.
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Yes, that's what I keep trying to tell people! Even if you replace the entire engine, it's generally still more economical provided the rest of the car is in good condition and not rusted out.
This! My dad bought an '07 Nissan a few years back for $3700, and last year had to pay for major engine work (timing chain broke) to the tune of $1200. Yeah, that sucked, but it still pencils out way ahead of your average new car (or even used, since he got such a good deal on the front-end) at the end of the day. My mom (who bought a fairly-reasonable new car for $20,000 cash in 2015) probably thinks he got screwed and bought a lemon.
Repairs are conspicuous, depreciation/car payments are nearly invisible to many.
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OK, our 2003 minivan with 260k kilometres is not that old.
However, it needs a laborious/expensive heater repair. The heater is fine to about -10 Celsius.
Where we live, we get probly 20 days each winter where we do need to drive, and it's more like -20 celsius.
So the heater repair is a must-do, right?
Naaahh . . . we just turned to this ancient technology called "blankets." Big wool blankets wrapped around our wool and down-clad bodies.
Feel like badass cowboys ridin' in a buckboard on the freezing prairie in 1872. Or something.
It works, it's free, and it postpones used-car-shopping for another year.
Next year, maybe we can score some buffalo robes.
My heat doesn't work at all so I got a heated seat ($12) and brought a blanket in the car. Made it all winter! But to be fair the coldest it got was maybe -6 Celsius a day or two. Usually around 0 in the mornings. I would definitely recommend the heated seat! It's a cheap fix and makes it bearable.
I know you live in a much warmer climate than me (Colorado) but this just sounds unsafe. How do you regulate the defrost - any ice buildup in your area without heat ? Rains there a lot im sure. How do you deal with foggy windows, back glass, windshield. How much is it to get the heat fix ? If you lived closer I would say bring it by my house and i'll do it for cheap ! Good luck !
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Thanks!
Now that I have changed from going to the dealer for oilchanges and found a reliable trusted local mechanic.. I am so happy. The mechanic charged me 70 bux to fix the leaking sunroof- blew out the pipe - dealership quoted 800 to replace the whole thing. That was the camel straw, then I realized I should never have been taking a 2001 to a dealer- man they really gave me some major spends over the years. But, I know the car has been VERY well maintained so I am not going to cry milk.
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OK, our 2003 minivan with 260k kilometres is not that old.
However, it needs a laborious/expensive heater repair. The heater is fine to about -10 Celsius.
Where we live, we get probly 20 days each winter where we do need to drive, and it's more like -20 celsius.
So the heater repair is a must-do, right?
Naaahh . . . we just turned to this ancient technology called "blankets." Big wool blankets wrapped around our wool and down-clad bodies.
Feel like badass cowboys ridin' in a buckboard on the freezing prairie in 1872. Or something.
It works, it's free, and it postpones used-car-shopping for another year.
Next year, maybe we can score some buffalo robes.
My heat doesn't work at all so I got a heated seat ($12) and brought a blanket in the car. Made it all winter! But to be fair the coldest it got was maybe -6 Celsius a day or two. Usually around 0 in the mornings. I would definitely recommend the heated seat! It's a cheap fix and makes it bearable.
I know you live in a much warmer climate than me (Colorado) but this just sounds unsafe. How do you regulate the defrost - any ice buildup in your area without heat ? Rains there a lot im sure. How do you deal with foggy windows, back glass, windshield. How much is it to get the heat fix ? If you lived closer I would say bring it by my house and i'll do it for cheap ! Good luck !
I live in North Carolina. I don't really get any ice or snow here, maybe one or twice a year. I don't have issues with fog or anything. Recently I put a GIANT desiccant pack in my car and it works beautifully in keeping the condensation down.
I appreciate the offer but I think it may be a more complicated problem like a heater core or blend door. I haven't had anyone look at it because, well, it doesn't get that cold here, and I've had more important things to fix on the car. I've replaced the thermostat and flushed the coolant a few times in the past year. I may get it fixed next winter but it just doesn't get cold enough here to be honest.
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OK, our 2003 minivan with 260k kilometres is not that old.
However, it needs a laborious/expensive heater repair. The heater is fine to about -10 Celsius.
Where we live, we get probly 20 days each winter where we do need to drive, and it's more like -20 celsius.
So the heater repair is a must-do, right?
Naaahh . . . we just turned to this ancient technology called "blankets." Big wool blankets wrapped around our wool and down-clad bodies.
Feel like badass cowboys ridin' in a buckboard on the freezing prairie in 1872. Or something.
It works, it's free, and it postpones used-car-shopping for another year.
Next year, maybe we can score some buffalo robes.
My heat doesn't work at all so I got a heated seat ($12) and brought a blanket in the car. Made it all winter! But to be fair the coldest it got was maybe -6 Celsius a day or two. Usually around 0 in the mornings. I would definitely recommend the heated seat! It's a cheap fix and makes it bearable.
I know you live in a much warmer climate than me (Colorado) but this just sounds unsafe. How do you regulate the defrost - any ice buildup in your area without heat ? Rains there a lot im sure. How do you deal with foggy windows, back glass, windshield. How much is it to get the heat fix ? If you lived closer I would say bring it by my house and i'll do it for cheap ! Good luck !
I live in North Carolina. I don't really get any ice or snow here, maybe one or twice a year. I don't have issues with fog or anything. Recently I put a GIANT desiccant pack in my car and it works beautifully in keeping the condensation down.
I appreciate the offer but I think it may be a more complicated problem like a heater core or blend door. I haven't had anyone look at it because, well, it doesn't get that cold here, and I've had more important things to fix on the car. I've replaced the thermostat and flushed the coolant a few times in the past year. I may get it fixed next winter but it just doesn't get cold enough here to be honest.
Good to hear ! just be careful when it rains out, foggy windows and what not. Also if you just repl the t-stat/added coolant - did you add enough coolant ? I really doubt that is the issue but it could be where it's not getting enough coolant into the heater core . Also look at the heater control valve. If you want to p/m the details I can help diag it for you so we don't clog up this thread with my dribble.
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07 ford ranger. 135k - just breaking her in. I hope to get at least another 100-150k out of this workhorse !
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07 ford ranger. 135k - just breaking her in. I hope to get at least another 100-150k out of this workhorse !
oh yeah! For sure at least another 100K. I've been trying to find one here in CO that is "undervalued" by someone, but not quite yet. Check out this guy - '03 Ranger - 240,000 miles and still asking $2400! From what I've seen listed, these Rangers are often being sold around the 220K - 270K mark, but still have life left in them. https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/6072219626.html
Good luck with your Ranger. I'd love to see your final "cost-per-miles-driven" when you finally part with it. I'm sure it will be super low.
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I sold an 02 Dodge intrepid last year with 180K for what I had bought it for (2K) 3 years earlier. The only thing I did was $20 oil changes s over the years. After I sold it I picked up a 2013 Dodge Dart with 30K for 6K out the door. 6 speed manual base model. 35 MPG avg and is a blast to drive!
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I sold an 02 Dodge intrepid last year with 180K for what I had bought it for (2K) 3 years earlier. The only thing I did was $20 oil changes s over the years. After I sold it I picked up a 2013 Dodge Dart with 30K for 6K out the door. 6 speed manual base model. 35 MPG avg and is a blast to drive!
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Best car I EVER owned was a new base model 2000 Intrepid. This opinion if from a guy who has driven various Hondas for hundreds of thousands of miles. The DW and I put 190K on the Dodge in ten years. I changed the oil with cheap dino (Walmart, or anything on sale) and Purolator filters every five K. Other than that, it needed a starter and a water pump. I sold it to a big repair shop that then used it as a daily loaner car for the next 4-5 years. It's still owned by the shop, still driven daily. It's getting close to 300k and it has never needed a significant part.
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07 ford ranger. 135k - just breaking her in. I hope to get at least another 100-150k out of this workhorse !
oh yeah! For sure at least another 100K. I've been trying to find one here in CO that is "undervalued" by someone, but not quite yet. Check out this guy - '03 Ranger - 240,000 miles and still asking $2400! From what I've seen listed, these Rangers are often being sold around the 220K - 270K mark, but still have life left in them. https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/6072219626.html
Good luck with your Ranger. I'd love to see your final "cost-per-miles-driven" when you finally part with it. I'm sure it will be super low.
Thanks ! Yeah it's the duratec 2.3 so I'm hoping it's just as reliable as the old 2.3 lima. It get great mileage (for a pickup truck). I average right around 30 mpg with mix of 50/50 city/highway.
I got a deal on mine. It was an old fleet truck for orkin. It had an orkin "imprint" left on the hood an bed sides lol but I don't care. It was well taken care, fleet maintenance is usually under the severe maintenance schedule.
So far I've done ft brakes, pads,rotors, new ft wheel bearings, plugs, wires, changed all the fluids and filters and pcv . Runs like a top ! These trucks really are hard to find. Good luck with your search ! look for a fleet vehicle if you can find one. Also if gas mileage is not a huge issue try and find a a fleet truck from Fastenal. My buddy got a super good deal on a ram quad cab, v8, rwd - paid 7k cash for a 5 yr old truck with less than 150k !
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I sold an 02 Dodge intrepid last year with 180K for what I had bought it for (2K) 3 years earlier. The only thing I did was $20 oil changes s over the years. After I sold it I picked up a 2013 Dodge Dart with 30K for 6K out the door. 6 speed manual base model. 35 MPG avg and is a blast to drive!
Glad you like the new dart ! I think it looks great ! I know some friends who really liked the old neon that wish they would come out with a dart srt model.
Hope it serves you well !
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I got a deal on mine. It was an old fleet truck for orkin. It had an orkin "imprint" left on the hood an bed sides lol but I don't care. It was well taken care, fleet maintenance is usually under the severe maintenance schedule.
So far I've done ft brakes, pads,rotors, new ft wheel bearings, plugs, wires, changed all the fluids and filters and pcv . Runs like a top ! These trucks really are hard to find. Good luck with your search ! look for a fleet vehicle if you can find one. Also if gas mileage is not a huge issue try and find a a fleet truck from Fastenal. My buddy got a super good deal on a ram quad cab, v8, rwd - paid 7k cash for a 5 yr old truck with less than 150k !
The whole fleet vehicle buy is an interesting topic. In 2009 I bought a 1/2 ton Chevy van that was off lease and fleet. It was three years old, with 89K and in pristine condition. The only way you could find evidence that it ever did anything work related was the outline of a wall mounted hand soap dispenser on the security wall behind the passenger seat, and some sawdust hidden deep in crevices. That said, it was one hell of a unicorn. I looked at a lot of shitty work vans before finding that. I also have a good friend who does maintenance and repair work for several fleets. One day the owner of his biggest customer ask to see him. He wanted to talk about a bunch of trucks he bought a few years ago, that didn't seem to be performing well. Now there was no common denominator to point to. Some trucks were failing regularly, even coming home on a flatbed, others were pretty decent. My buddy advised the guy to start looking for the answer behind the wheel, since he believed that some of his employees were beating the shit out of their work vehicles. Within a year, there were some serious changes in repair frequency. Some employees were let go, others were told that they would be if they continued to abuse equipment. The point to this story? Well, fleet maintenance can be great, and there is a good chance that many operators are doing a lot more to maintain and repair their rolling stock than the public ever does. There are also operators that will cut a lot of corners, and drivers that literally can beat a truck to death well before it hits 100K. I bought that van from a dealer who only sold used commercial trucks. When I asked how often he sees really nice fleet stuff he replied that it's all depends on the company that owned it, and the guy who drove it. He sees five year old trucks that are shot with less than 80k and ten year old ones with 180k that are in great shape.
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I got a deal on mine. It was an old fleet truck for orkin. It had an orkin "imprint" left on the hood an bed sides lol but I don't care. It was well taken care, fleet maintenance is usually under the severe maintenance schedule.
So far I've done ft brakes, pads,rotors, new ft wheel bearings, plugs, wires, changed all the fluids and filters and pcv . Runs like a top ! These trucks really are hard to find. Good luck with your search ! look for a fleet vehicle if you can find one. Also if gas mileage is not a huge issue try and find a a fleet truck from Fastenal. My buddy got a super good deal on a ram quad cab, v8, rwd - paid 7k cash for a 5 yr old truck with less than 150k !
The whole fleet vehicle buy is an interesting topic. In 2009 I bought a 1/2 ton Chevy van that was off lease and fleet. It was three years old, with 89K and in pristine condition. The only way you could find evidence that it ever did anything work related was the outline of a wall mounted hand soap dispenser on the security wall behind the passenger seat, and some sawdust hidden deep in crevices. That said, it was one hell of a unicorn. I looked at a lot of shitty work vans before finding that. I also have a good friend who does maintenance and repair work for several fleets. One day the owner of his biggest customer ask to see him. He wanted to talk about a bunch of trucks he bought a few years ago, that didn't seem to be performing well. Now there was no common denominator to point to. Some trucks were failing regularly, even coming home on a flatbed, others were pretty decent. My buddy advised the guy to start looking for the answer behind the wheel, since he believed that some of his employees were beating the shit out of their work vehicles. Within a year, there were some serious changes in repair frequency. Some employees were let go, others were told that they would be if they continued to abuse equipment. The point to this story? Well, fleet maintenance can be great, and there is a good chance that many operators are doing a lot more to maintain and repair their rolling stock than the public ever does. There are also operators that will cut a lot of corners, and drivers that literally can beat a truck to death well before it hits 100K. I bought that van from a dealer who only sold used commercial trucks. When I asked how often he sees really nice fleet stuff he replied that it's all depends on the company that owned it, and the guy who drove it. He sees five year old trucks that are shot with less than 80k and ten year old ones with 180k that are in great shape.
Very true ! Try and get maintenance records. Look over the vehicle and make sure it's in good shape or take it to a mechanic. I knew going in with my truck that it's a relatively simple truck that has lots of maintenance records. Interior was pristine - amazing for a fleet vehicle ! Great shape overall besides the orkin residuals left on the hood.
It can be a gamble but deals are out there if you find the right ones !
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My 2007 Prius has 266,000 miles on it. I bought it new. I change my own oil, oil filter, and put high pressure in the tires to boost fuel efficiency.
I'm starting my slide into retirement, so I will be putting less miles on my car now. I just quit a job where I used to deliver newspapers each Wednesday in not such great neighborhoods in Detroit and Ypsilanti. That job just ended, so that will decrease mileage on my car now.
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01 excursion 7.3 with 193k on the clock. It's my daily (short commute). Still think it's worth what I paid 5 years ago (though I'm in for at least $5k in repairs and maintenance over that time). Engine is bulletproof but the rest of the truck is disintegrating around the engine.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I sold an 02 Dodge intrepid last year with 180K for what I had bought it for (2K) 3 years earlier. The only thing I did was $20 oil changes s over the years. After I sold it I picked up a 2013 Dodge Dart with 30K for 6K out the door. 6 speed manual base model. 35 MPG avg and is a blast to drive!
Glad you like the new dart ! I think it looks great ! I know some friends who really liked the old neon that wish they would come out with a dart srt model.
Hope it serves you well !
People knock the 2.7 intrepids but mine ran like a champ. The Dart also gets a bad rep but most people review the autos. The 2.0 6 speed manual is VERY reliable and has plenty of pep for me. I will drive it into the ground. I put about 5K on the car per year so that's going to take a while!
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I sold an 02 Dodge intrepid last year with 180K for what I had bought it for (2K) 3 years earlier. The only thing I did was $20 oil changes s over the years. After I sold it I picked up a 2013 Dodge Dart with 30K for 6K out the door. 6 speed manual base model. 35 MPG avg and is a blast to drive!
Glad you like the new dart ! I think it looks great ! I know some friends who really liked the old neon that wish they would come out with a dart srt model.
Hope it serves you well !
People knock the 2.7 intrepids but mine ran like a champ. The Dart also gets a bad rep but most people review the autos. The 2.0 6 speed manual is VERY reliable and has plenty of pep for me. I will drive it into the ground. I put about 5K on the car per year so that's going to take a while!
The big problem with the 2.7 is that is would severely sludge up and destroy itself if you didn't change the oil at least every 5K. My mechanic buddy had customers that would do a 10k interval due to neglect, or whatever, and by the time they did a couple of them, the motor was toast. The second problem is that they were virtually non-existent in boneyards, and very expensive as a rebuild. He had a few customers that disposed of really nice cars since dropping $5K for a motor didn't make sense.
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I'm a recent convert with long term Mustachian tendencies.
2007 - Saturn Ion
Purchase Price 3,000
KM driven 50,000
Drove for 2 years with only oil changes - Approx cost of maintenance 500
Sale Price - 1,800
Total Cost of ownership - 1700 (Not including insurance and registration)
Cost per KM - 0.034 per KM
So we recently had a baby and had to upgrade our car. New to us car bough in Jan.
2009 - Pontiac Vibe
137,000 KM
4K Cash.
It's funny my co-workers are all purchasing fancy pants cars and we're more than happy with our reliable vibe
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2009 Toyota Yaris with 117K miles, just a baby. I plan on keeping her for several more years. Drives great, excellent gas mileage, and no repairs to speak of, just the usual maintenance.
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My '95 Corolla (mentioned earlier in the thread, now with 212k miles) just got a new ignition coil tonight, and is primed for several dozen thousand miles of (nearly) trouble-free running.
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We have a 1999 Nissan Maxima with ~250k miles, and a 2007 Hyundai Elantra with ~124K. The Elantra acts like it'll run forever, too, so I hope we won't need to replace either of them for quite some time. Fortunately, we both happen to work within 10 miles of home, so our commutes are good.
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I bought a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee with only 75,000 miles on it for $3k. Drove it two years (25,000 miles) and just sold it for $3,800! Would have kept it because it was still like new, except I suspected something expensive might be lurking in the motor
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My 2007 Prius has 266,000 miles on it. I bought it new. I change my own oil, oil filter, and put high pressure in the tires to boost fuel efficiency.
I'm starting my slide into retirement, so I will be putting less miles on my car now. I just quit a job where I used to deliver newspapers each Wednesday in not such great neighborhoods in Detroit and Ypsilanti. That job just ended, so that will decrease mileage on my car now.
I already commented but my 06 Prius (that I bought new) has just over of 290K on it. She is sitting right now because I caved to temptation on buying an electric car. We will be keeping her around for ranges that exceed the Leaf's capabilities. We do plan to do some work to her but mostly just items that are listed in Toyota's 150k mile maintenance recommendations. My goal has always been to see the 300k mark but it seems it will take a little longer before we get to that point.
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I bought a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee with only 75,000 miles on it for $3k. Drove it two years (25,000 miles) and just sold it for $3,800! Would have kept it because it was still like new, except I suspected something expensive might be lurking in the motor
Whoa! Now THAT's some awesome "cost-per-mile" numbers! or I should say "PROFIT per mile driven!"
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~181k miles, fixed a thing: http://i.imgur.com/IOnjn7U.png
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My 2007 Prius has 266,000 miles on it. I bought it new. I change my own oil, oil filter, and put high pressure in the tires to boost fuel efficiency.
I'm starting my slide into retirement, so I will be putting less miles on my car now. I just quit a job where I used to deliver newspapers each Wednesday in not such great neighborhoods in Detroit and Ypsilanti. That job just ended, so that will decrease mileage on my car now.
I already commented but my 06 Prius (that I bought new) has just over of 290K on it. She is sitting right now because I caved to temptation on buying an electric car. We will be keeping her around for ranges that exceed the Leaf's capabilities. We do plan to do some work to her but mostly just items that are listed in Toyota's 150k mile maintenance recommendations. My goal has always been to see the 300k mark but it seems it will take a little longer before we get to that point.
So you bought a Nissan Leaf ? Did you buy a new model year one ?
I was thinking about buying an electric car too.
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2000 Dodge Dakota with 204,000 miles. Still runs great. Still has original hoses and alternator. Very little repairs over the years (bought new).
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My 2007 Prius has 266,000 miles on it. I bought it new. I change my own oil, oil filter, and put high pressure in the tires to boost fuel efficiency.
I'm starting my slide into retirement, so I will be putting less miles on my car now. I just quit a job where I used to deliver newspapers each Wednesday in not such great neighborhoods in Detroit and Ypsilanti. That job just ended, so that will decrease mileage on my car now.
I already commented but my 06 Prius (that I bought new) has just over of 290K on it. She is sitting right now because I caved to temptation on buying an electric car. We will be keeping her around for ranges that exceed the Leaf's capabilities. We do plan to do some work to her but mostly just items that are listed in Toyota's 150k mile maintenance recommendations. My goal has always been to see the 300k mark but it seems it will take a little longer before we get to that point.
So you bought a Nissan Leaf ? Did you buy a new model year one ?
I was thinking about buying an electric car too.
Yes I bought a '17 Leaf in December. My area had a $10k off MSRP offer and I had been considering it since new charging stations were installed across the street from work last summer. So far I do not have any major complaints. I have a 40-45 mile one-way commute so I watch my mile range really close and charge (for free right now) at the charging stations across the street during lunch. Now that it is warm I do not need to charge during lunch but it is free energy so I do it anyways. Over the winter I did HAVE to charge during lunch, especially if I used the heater. I did find that with the heated seats, a small blanket, and some gloves usually allowed me to get where I was going without the need for the heater. I anticipate that the battery will slowly lose some of it's capacity and at some point (hopefully a few years at least) it will need to become my DH's car (he doesn't have much of a commute at all) or I will have to charge it more often (or longer) while I am at work.
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2003 Ford Ranger FX4 Level 2 4.0L/5sp with 220,000 and it still runs great. Bought it from a guy for $500 because his angry girlfriend started the interior on fire. Bought a wrecked Ranger with a nice interior and completely swapped it over down to the nuts and bolts. Parted out the rest for a profit and now have a really nice pickup.
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currently driving a 2007 FJ cruiser. Not the best milage, but I live pretty close to work and I bought it because I always wanted on. got it in 2013 for 15k and it's still worth about 15k since it was discontinued. It's got 67k miles on it and one of the best engines ever made. Tires, batteries, oil and brakes was all I was into it until this year (alternator).
Anyway the brag portion is because I painted it myself! Clear coat was coming off so I sanded, prepped, primed, and rhino lined the whole thing! I got the paint off amazon with gift cards, did the work myself with the help of the FIL to tape off, but now it's one of the coolest looking FJs I've ever seen and should last a few more years in this hot sun. It's also dent and hail resistant now, and I think it's bad-ass.
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My first post! Hi, everybody!
The weekend before last, we're driving home in my husband's 2006 Toyota Sienna with 196,000 miles on it when it just shuts down. $50/yr for the AAA membership gets us a free tow... total repair cost? $84, for a new belt to turn the alternator :)
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My beloved Toyota Pick with 555,000 miles was stolen as I was surfing 6 months ago.
I bought another just like it with 98k. Same make, model and color. I'm still tripping out on that one!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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currently driving a 2007 FJ cruiser. Not the best milage, but I live pretty close to work and I bought it because I always wanted on. got it in 2013 for 15k and it's still worth about 15k since it was discontinued. It's got 67k miles on it and one of the best engines ever made. Tires, batteries, oil and brakes was all I was into it until this year (alternator).
Anyway the brag portion is because I painted it myself! Clear coat was coming off so I sanded, prepped, primed, and rhino lined the whole thing! I got the paint off amazon with gift cards, did the work myself with the help of the FIL to tape off, but now it's one of the coolest looking FJs I've ever seen and should last a few more years in this hot sun. It's also dent and hail resistant now, and I think it's bad-ass.
I want to see pictures of this, because it's something I've considered doing for my own car(s).
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My beloved Toyota Pick with 555,000 miles was stolen as I was surfing 6 months ago.
I bought another just like it with 98k. Same make, model and color. I'm still tripping out on that one!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
No offense meant, but if I was a car thief and got into a car with 550K miles, I would move on to the next one; you know he's not paying for repairs if something wears out.
My measly 68K on a 2008 seems like a new car by comparison.
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Cars thieves don't drive the cars they steal. They get sold for parts.
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Older/reliable vehicles might be shipped to other counties whole and sold.
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My family drives a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid with only 86,000 miles on it. It's ugly as hell, and it's our only car. I'm keeping it for another decade.
Before I acquired it in 2009, it was a seldom-used pizza delivery car with a gigantic dent that took up the entire driver-side door. The drivers also left cigarette burns in the upholstery. Both of these "big problems" made it cheaper. The dent has been hammered out, but the cigarette burns will be there forever.
We only drive 7-8K miles per year, so this thing's got lots of life left in it.
One big problem: Last year, I had to replace the battery that drives the hybrid system. These things fail after awhile, and if the car is old enough they aren't under warranty anymore. This battery is a specialty item, and it cost me $2500. I paid cash, of course.
Expensive? Yep. But it's cheaper than getting another car, especially considering the low mileage on the current vehicle.
I'd have been better off had this been the normal, non-hybrid version of the Civic, but it was a great deal at the time. It still is, mostly, but having to replace that battery pretty much negates any fuel savings you enjoy from having a hybrid car.
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2008 Lexus gx470 with 185k. Running great!
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2008 Lexus gx470 with 185k. Running great!
If you ever need pointers working on it (or if your air suspension fails and you want to convert to springs), join us over at GXOR (https://www.facebook.com/groups/LexusGXOR/)! :)
My '05 is at 181k - humming right along like it's brand new.
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Just passed emissions check on my 1995 Honda Civic LX 1.5L! Cost me under $1000 last year in total (insurance, gas, maintenance/parts) to drive and I'd be lucky to sell it for that much so I'll never get rid of it. Car has 180k on it and still gets 33-35+ MPG. Rear quarter panels are falling apart thanks to Ohio rust, and paint is peeling in multiple spots, but the motor and transmission are solid. I'm the second owner, put 80k miles on since 2010.
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Just passed emissions check on my 1995 Honda Civic LX 1.5L! Cost me under $1000 last year in total (insurance, gas, maintenance/parts) to drive and I'd be lucky to sell it for that much so I'll never get rid of it. Car has 180k on it and still gets 33-35+ MPG. Rear quarter panels are falling apart thanks to Ohio rust, and paint is peeling in multiple spots, but the motor and transmission are solid. I'm the second owner, put 80k miles on since 2010.
I used to own a '94 civic with manual everything. I LOVED that car, and still sorta miss it.
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I bought a 2001 Ford Ranger new and drive it to this day. Its been an ultra-reliable vehicle with just some A/C compressor issues(Multiple compressors) . Still runs good, but the transmission is starting to go.
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I bought a 2001 Ford Ranger new and drive it to this day. Its been an ultra-reliable vehicle with just some A/C compressor issues(Multiple compressors) . Still runs good, but the transmission is starting to go.
I probably posted this but also have a 2001 Ranger extra cab with a shell. 115k miles. Use it for camping and hauling my "toys" and ride my bike rest of the time. So far no problems but new fuel pump. Sisters small truck, 2000 Frontier, has 200k miles. She bought hers new in 2000 for around $8k and I bought mine use in 2007 for $4k with about 40k miles on it.
Ranger is the official mmm vehicle ? haha
As a fellow owner of an 07 ranger I hope to get 300k out of mine.
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I currently daily a '03 Cavalier. My wife bought it new in college. I swapped cars with her when our son was born since it was easier to get his car seat in the 4 door. At about the same time I had been promoted to a job with a 140 mile round trip commute. I no longer have that long of a commute but the Cav now has over 257,000 trouble free miles and growing.
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I currently daily a '03 Cavalier. My wife bought it new in college. I swapped cars with her when our son was born since it was easier to get his car seat in the 4 door. At about the same time I had been promoted to a job with a 140 mile round trip commute. I no longer have that long of a commute but the Cav now has over 257,000 trouble free miles and growing.
Pretty amazing service from a Cavalier. Good job.
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Pretty amazing service from a Cavalier. Good job.
[/quote]
Thanks. I met my wife when the car was about a year old and I've taken care of the maintenance ever since. I have a love (it keeps running and costs are low) and hate (I'm a car guy and have never owned an automatic economy car) relationship with it. It pretty much goes to show that if you do some maintenance you can keep almost any modern car running for a long time. After all, this is Chevy's lowest model car from a time when they were about to declare bankruptcy. Part of my wishes something major might break so that I had a reason to purchase a Volt or some other car, but I can't justify the expense.
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2000 Dodge Dakota with 204,000 miles. Still runs great. Still has original hoses and alternator. Very little repairs over the years (bought new).
I have a 2000 Dakota Quad Cab 4.7L 5spd that I bought a little over a year ago with 210k miles on it. Big plans for this truck to be a diesel conversion. Dad has a 2000 Durango 4.7L Auto that has 293k miles on it. That 4.7L has been a pretty impressive gas motor and I still see a lot of them on the road with high miles.
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I like this thread!
We have 3 old cars with very low mileage but we've always outsourced all of the maintenance because we are both clueless on all things car related. But I just enrolled in a 6 week automotive class at the local jr college. Cost of class will be less than $200 including all the extra fees they add ($161 for the units themselves) and it includes a free daily bus pass for the whole semester. The bus goes right by my house and will drop me off on campus in 10-15 mins.
This thread has inspired me to start doing our own maintenance and save lots of money.
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Love all the high mileage Prius brags!! Husband drives a 2005 Prius as his commuter car. Bought is 3 years ago with 100k miles on it. It just passed 200k miles and no issues yet. Hoping it makes it another 50k+ miles.
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Love all the high mileage Prius brags!! Husband drives a 2005 Prius as his commuter car. Bought is 3 years ago with 100k miles on it. It just passed 200k miles and no issues yet. Hoping it makes it another 50k+ miles.
Prius are incredibly reliable vehicles. Even so, you still have knuckleheads that bash them all the time. I suppose they are not 'exciting' enough for many so maybe that is part of where the bashing comes from. Apparently huge raised pickup trucks are the 'exciting' vehicles these days. :-)
Oh..and the fact that the Prius Hybrid Synergy Drive is a truly 'beltless' design (at least on 2010+ models) means they are extremely reliable without much of the maintenance required for a non-hybrid.
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I bought a 2001 Ford Ranger new and drive it to this day. Its been an ultra-reliable vehicle with just some A/C compressor issues(Multiple compressors) . Still runs good, but the transmission is starting to go.
I probably posted this but also have a 2001 Ranger extra cab with a shell. 115k miles. Use it for camping and hauling my "toys" and ride my bike rest of the time. So far no problems but new fuel pump. Sisters small truck, 2000 Frontier, has 200k miles. She bought hers new in 2000 for around $8k and I bought mine use in 2007 for $4k with about 40k miles on it.
Ranger is the official mmm vehicle ? haha
As a fellow owner of an 07 ranger I hope to get 300k out of mine.
It probably is the official truck of choice. If you don't need 4x4 or towing power, the 2.3L gets 24 city / 29 hwy mpg and is extremely functional. If do, the 4.0L is rock solid and can easily go to 300K. Rangers are extremely undervalued compared to the Tacoma so you can pick them up very cheap. I have personally owed 3 different ranges and loved them all.
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Oh..and the fact that the Prius Hybrid Synergy Drive is a truly 'beltless' design (at least on 2010+ models) means they are extremely reliable without much of the maintenance required for a non-hybrid.
I didn't realize they did away with the accessory belts. That's kind of cool. Although...belts are cheaper to replace than electric motors, and simpler. And I find that even though they're in the way of replacing the timing belt (does the Prius still have one of those?), they're usually one of the easier things to remove from an engine. it'll be interesting to see how the electric solution lasts.
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Oh..and the fact that the Prius Hybrid Synergy Drive is a truly 'beltless' design (at least on 2010+ models) means they are extremely reliable without much of the maintenance required for a non-hybrid.
I didn't realize they did away with the accessory belts. That's kind of cool. Although...belts are cheaper to replace than electric motors, and simpler. And I find that even though they're in the way of replacing the timing belt (does the Prius still have one of those?), they're usually one of the easier things to remove from an engine. it'll be interesting to see how the electric solution lasts.
I see tons of 'second generation' Prius (2003-2009) all over the place around here...and this is in a high wear area ( Minnesota ). Many of these cars have 150-200K+ miles on them now...most with very little repair work. To me this is a very good sign. It has been proven that the failure rate on the electric accessory motors and for that matter the hybrid battery is extremely low (as in they last the life of the vehicle). All of this paired with the extreme simplicity of the transmission make for a very reliable combination.
I was extremely skeptical about all of this...until we got a used 2010 model. It has (so far) far the most reliable car we have owned. And we have put it through the wringer. Multiple 5000 mile road trips up and down mountain passes, Minnesota winters, etc...
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This weekend, my wife and I are flying to DC on Saturday morning (tomorrow) for a friends wedding. (Of course we're burning Southwest Airline miles). Wedding is on Sunday. We were intending to stay in the DC area until Wednesday and fly home, but instead, I cancelled our return tickets (no penalty for cancelled flights up to 10 minutes prior to the flight), and we're buying a 1997 Honda Civic 2dr coupe from it's original owner, for $1k, and we're driving the thing home to Seattle over the course of 4 days.
It currently has 295k miles. Bring it on.
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On my 2007 Prius which has just under 270,000 miles on it, I had to replace the water pump and the driver's or serpentine belt. I also had to replace the right front wheel hub and assembly. Also a minor repair was needed on the exhaust.
I'm thinking I should buy a new car soon, just not sure if I should be an expensive all electric Chevrolet Bolt, or maybe another Prius.
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On my 2007 Prius which has just under 270,000 miles on it, I had to replace the water pump and the driver's or serpentine belt. I also had to replace the right front wheel hub and assembly. Also a minor repair was needed on the exhaust.
I'm thinking I should buy a new car soon, just not sure if I should be an expensive all electric Chevrolet Bolt, or maybe another Prius.
Why buy a new car now? It's got plenty of life left in it yet.
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On my 2007 Prius which has just under 270,000 miles on it, I had to replace the water pump and the driver's or serpentine belt. I also had to replace the right front wheel hub and assembly. Also a minor repair was needed on the exhaust.
I'm thinking I should buy a new car soon, just not sure if I should be an expensive all electric Chevrolet Bolt, or maybe another Prius.
Why buy a new car now? It's got plenty of life left in it yet.
I hope you're right. Then I really am FIRE since the money saved up for a new car can really push me over the top.
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currently driving a 2007 FJ cruiser. Not the best milage, but I live pretty close to work and I bought it because I always wanted on. got it in 2013 for 15k and it's still worth about 15k since it was discontinued. It's got 67k miles on it and one of the best engines ever made. Tires, batteries, oil and brakes was all I was into it until this year (alternator).
Anyway the brag portion is because I painted it myself! Clear coat was coming off so I sanded, prepped, primed, and rhino lined the whole thing! I got the paint off amazon with gift cards, did the work myself with the help of the FIL to tape off, but now it's one of the coolest looking FJs I've ever seen and should last a few more years in this hot sun. It's also dent and hail resistant now, and I think it's bad-ass.
What paint did you use? You say you Rhino-Lioned the whole thing, but I've never seen it available in a retail shop, much less on Amazon.
I bought a big ass 2004 Ford F-350 that was sprayed with bed-liner as well. I get compliments every time I drive it (Though I don't drive it often).
(http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae273/bigalsmith101/Adventure-Mobile%20Round%201/2004%20F350%20with%202002%20Palomino%20Bronco%201200/IMG_1117_zps1yj9uypp.jpg) (http://s979.photobucket.com/user/bigalsmith101/media/Adventure-Mobile%20Round%201/2004%20F350%20with%202002%20Palomino%20Bronco%201200/IMG_1117_zps1yj9uypp.jpg.html)
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Oh..and the fact that the Prius Hybrid Synergy Drive is a truly 'beltless' design (at least on 2010+ models) means they are extremely reliable without much of the maintenance required for a non-hybrid.
I didn't realize they did away with the accessory belts. That's kind of cool. Although...belts are cheaper to replace than electric motors, and simpler. And I find that even though they're in the way of replacing the timing belt (does the Prius still have one of those?), they're usually one of the easier things to remove from an engine. it'll be interesting to see how the electric solution lasts.
Belts also involve tensioners and pulleys, which eventually need to be replaced as well.
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On my 2007 Prius which has just under 270,000 miles on it, I had to replace the water pump and the driver's or serpentine belt. I also had to replace the right front wheel hub and assembly. Also a minor repair was needed on the exhaust.
I'm thinking I should buy a new car soon, just not sure if I should be an expensive all electric Chevrolet Bolt, or maybe another Prius.
That's right...2nd Gen Prius do have a belt. Gen3 (2010)+ are the ones that are 'beltless'.
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The main problem with old cars (at least in northern Illinois) is rust. Get something built decently, and without rust (or minor rust that you fix right away), take care of it, and no reason it can't run forever. My Volvo had only two very small spots of rust when I got it, and I fixed them easily before winter came to make them bigger.
How exactly did you fix the rust? Is this something I can do myself, or do I have to take it to a shop? Bodywork is really expensive.
I've purposely avoided buying Mazdas because every Mazda in the city (Ottawa, ON) has rust in the exact same spots.
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The main problem with old cars (at least in northern Illinois) is rust. Get something built decently, and without rust (or minor rust that you fix right away), take care of it, and no reason it can't run forever. My Volvo had only two very small spots of rust when I got it, and I fixed them easily before winter came to make them bigger.
How exactly did you fix the rust? Is this something I can do myself, or do I have to take it to a shop? Bodywork is really expensive.
I've purposely avoided buying Mazdas because every Mazda in the city (Ottawa, ON) has rust in the exact same spots.
What I fixed were two very small surface spots, to the point where I could grind them down to bare shiny metal and see zero rust at all (it wasn't deep). I used a Dremel tool to get rid of most of the rust, then coarse and fine sandpaper to finish removing it and smooth it out. Then after cleaning and drying, I threw a small amount of body filler on there, let that cure, then sprayed on primer, basecoat, and clearcoat. It would have been much more work if it was a large or deep rust spot. It probably didn't look quite as good as if a body shop had done it, but it kept the rust from spreading, and it was only noticeable if you knew where to look.
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We have decided to keep our 2001 Ford E350 15 passenger van even though we aren't hauling most of our large family around in it anymore, just the four youngest. It is great because it has tons of cargo space when you remove rows of seats. We have fit 6 bikes in there plus coolers etc. It's wonderful. We were considering downsizing but it's long since paid for and costs very little in maintenance. Driving it till the wheels fall off!
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The main problem with old cars (at least in northern Illinois) is rust. Get something built decently, and without rust (or minor rust that you fix right away), take care of it, and no reason it can't run forever. My Volvo had only two very small spots of rust when I got it, and I fixed them easily before winter came to make them bigger.
How exactly did you fix the rust? Is this something I can do myself, or do I have to take it to a shop? Bodywork is really expensive.
I've purposely avoided buying Mazdas because every Mazda in the city (Ottawa, ON) has rust in the exact same spots.
Mazda 3s have serious paint/metal quality issues. Up here, just don't bother.
IMHO, Krown or otherwise coat your car once a year, and don't worry about it. Cars last ~15 years here. That's it. If you get more, great, but chances are there will be enough corrosion *somewhere* that it just won't be worth doing anything about at that point.
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We have decided to keep our 2001 Ford E350 15 passenger van even though we aren't hauling most of our large family around in it anymore, just the four youngest. It is great because it has tons of cargo space when you remove rows of seats. We have fit 6 bikes in there plus coolers etc. It's wonderful. We were considering downsizing but it's long since paid for and costs very little in maintenance. Driving it till the wheels fall off!
Google "million mile Ford van". This guy drove all over North America as a delivery driver. He ran the van hard, and did a lot of sketchy maintenance, (once went 55K between oil changes) and it still ran well for 1.1 million miles. It might be a few decades until you wear yours out.
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I've got a '97 Jeep Cherokee. That thing has 233k miles on it. I got in it today to use it since one of the other cars was dead. It cranked and went like it had 80k on it. Amazing vehicle.
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Thanks paddedhat!
That's awesome!
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I feel like a bit of a loser here :-), my 97 Toyota T-100 isn't as old as many here,
and it just recently went over 100K miles. I paid $11k in the year 2000,
so put 67K miles on it in 17 years.
We also have an $8,000, 2005 Avalon with 86K miles on it. Have had it
7 years.
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This weekend, my wife and I are flying to DC on Saturday morning (tomorrow) for a friends wedding. (Of course we're burning Southwest Airline miles). Wedding is on Sunday. We were intending to stay in the DC area until Wednesday and fly home, but instead, I cancelled our return tickets (no penalty for cancelled flights up to 10 minutes prior to the flight), and we're buying a 1997 Honda Civic 2dr coupe from it's original owner, for $1k, and we're driving the thing home to Seattle over the course of 4 days.
It currently has 295k miles. Bring it on.
Well, we bought the car, and drove it home this week from DC to Seattle, from Monday-Thursday. 2950 miles. It averaged 40.5mpg the entire trip home, with a high of 45mpg, and a low of 35mpg. Incredible little car!
It had 290k miles on it when we bought it, and it now has over 293k.
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We have decided to keep our 2001 Ford E350 15 passenger van even though we aren't hauling most of our large family around in it anymore, just the four youngest. It is great because it has tons of cargo space when you remove rows of seats. We have fit 6 bikes in there plus coolers etc. It's wonderful. We were considering downsizing but it's long since paid for and costs very little in maintenance. Driving it till the wheels fall off!
Have you had to replace any/many spark plugs? I have a brother with a '01 E350, and they've had to bore out/helicoil several spark plugs at $250 apiece as they blow.
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I have a 1998 Toyota Camry LE 2.2L that has a bit over 226k miles. I do the vast majority of the maintenance myself, but I just had surgery and am not allowed to lift anything over 10 lbs for a month, so I won't be able to do much work on it for a bit. :/
I installed new front struts (already had new rear struts) and sway bar links last week. Been working very well. Naturally, I found a coupon code for the sway bar links, getting both for $44 and change at advance auto.
My mother has a 1997 Ford Escort base model with around 132k miles. I bought it for her about a year ago for $600, and it has been a surprisingly good car. Haha. It runs, which is all we can really ask of it. When Ford said "base model", they weren't messing around; this car doesn't even have a rear defrost or tape player. Lol.
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The main problem with old cars (at least in northern Illinois) is rust. Get something built decently, and without rust (or minor rust that you fix right away), take care of it, and no reason it can't run forever. My Volvo had only two very small spots of rust when I got it, and I fixed them easily before winter came to make them bigger.
How exactly did you fix the rust? Is this something I can do myself, or do I have to take it to a shop? Bodywork is really expensive.
I've purposely avoided buying Mazdas because every Mazda in the city (Ottawa, ON) has rust in the exact same spots.
Mazda 3s have serious paint/metal quality issues. Up here, just don't bother.
IMHO, Krown or otherwise coat your car once a year, and don't worry about it. Cars last ~15 years here. That's it. If you get more, great, but chances are there will be enough corrosion *somewhere* that it just won't be worth doing anything about at that point.
I agree! The rust problem turned us off to Mazda..they are notorious for rust. We have had three of them and ALL of them rusted prematurely. We will never buy another one until they get the rust problem sorted out. We have never had rust problems with any of our other vehicles ( Toyota and Hyundai ).
I will admit that Mazda makes some very durable and long lasting engines...and are generally very mechanically sound. So if you can get past the rust...then you will most likely have a vehicle that will last a long time. However, most people don't like to drive 'rust buckets' around these days. We did retain our 2004 Mazda MPV minivan as our 'hauling' and 'winter beater' vehicle even though it has loads of rust. I can't say we treat it very well either and it is still going strong at around 170K miles.
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1998 Land Cruiser 225K miles - wife's can go anywhere tank :)
2002 SC430 180K miles - mine
None gets good gas mileage, but we do not drive much.
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I really am enjoying the ads for a 2017 model extended blah blah truck on this post.
Anyway, my jetta tdi has 215k and runs like new. 42mpg lifetime avg.
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Our family fleet:
1999 Jeep Wrangler - 165k miles, given to me on my 16th birthday (15 yrs ago), drive on nice weather days. Doors and windows are permanently off - wife won't let me sell it but its a fun drive.
2005 Trailblazer - 175k miles, this is my daily driver.
2004 Nissan Armada - 140k miles, wife's daily driver.
Big vehicles and poor gas mileage, not very mustachian, but I pay cash, buy used, and drive them a long time.
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I get newer car fever about every thee months. And I'm realizing that it's not because I want a newer car so bad, but I like the idea of finding an amazing deal on an upgrade.
But, there are not many amazing deals out there, and the current 1997 Honda Odyssey is doing just fine. It needs a little bit of tweaking and I should get it fixed up asap so I'm not annoyed by it.
Anyway, it's just shy of 150,000 miles and I'm keeping it.
I need to repeat my script of why I drive a paid for car -- so we can pay off our house faster, so we can save for my kids' college, so we can go out to eat once in a while and take a nice vacation, etc., so we can update our home, so my husband can retire sooner -- many things higher on the list than owning an expensive newer car.
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I get newer car fever about every thee months. And I'm realizing that it's not because I want a newer car so bad, but I like the idea of finding an amazing deal on an upgrade.
But, there are not many amazing deals out there, and the current 1997 Honda Odyssey is doing just fine. It needs a little bit of tweaking and I should get it fixed up asap so I'm not annoyed by it.
Anyway, it's just shy of 150,000 miles and I'm keeping it.
I need to repeat my script of why I drive a paid for car -- so we can pay off our house faster, so we can save for my kids' college, so we can go out to eat once in a while and take a nice vacation, etc., so we can update our home, so my husband can retire sooner -- many things higher on the list than owning an expensive newer car.
How have you only put 150k miles on that car in 20 years??? That thing should be good for another 20 years at the rate you are driving it!!
I have a an 04 Chevy Avalanche with 231k, need to replace the tailshaft seal this week.
Wife drives a 10 Rav4 with 81k on it, been great so far
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1999 Acura TL with 365,000!
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How have you only put 150k miles on that car in 20 years??? That thing should be good for another 20 years at the rate you are driving it!!
I have a an 04 Chevy Avalanche with 231k, need to replace the tailshaft seal this week.
Wife drives a 10 Rav4 with 81k on it, been great so far
Before you replace that seal, grab a flashlight and take a good look at the center of the yoke of the tailshaft. I was about to have the seal replaced on my 2002 Silverado and I saw that there was some old silicone smeared in the center of the tailshaft yoke, which appeared wet. For some unbelievably stupid reason, GM made the part with a bore hole straight through the center of the part, then used a mini tin freeze plug to seal it up. Once the seal is compromised, it starts leaking fluid. When I dropped it off for repair, my mechanic thought I was full of shit about all this. He called later, told me he had never seen such a thing, but I was 100% correct. Next he announces that GM wants $287 for the part. I told him to clean it with brake clean and fill it with JB Weld, which was $280 less. Now maybe GM got over being stupid and decided to stop creating needless leaks by 2004, so this may not apply, but it's worth checking, since it looks just like a seal leak, but it's not.
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I get newer car fever about every thee months. And I'm realizing that it's not because I want a newer car so bad, but I like the idea of finding an amazing deal on an upgrade.
But, there are not many amazing deals out there, and the current 1997 Honda Odyssey is doing just fine. It needs a little bit of tweaking and I should get it fixed up asap so I'm not annoyed by it.
Anyway, it's just shy of 150,000 miles and I'm keeping it.
I need to repeat my script of why I drive a paid for car -- so we can pay off our house faster, so we can save for my kids' college, so we can go out to eat once in a while and take a nice vacation, etc., so we can update our home, so my husband can retire sooner -- many things higher on the list than owning an expensive newer car.
How have you only put 150k miles on that car in 20 years??? That thing should be good for another 20 years at the rate you are driving it!!
I have a an 04 Chevy Avalanche with 231k, need to replace the tailshaft seal this week.
Wife drives a 10 Rav4 with 81k on it, been great so far
Sorry, 2007! Doh! I'm getting my decades mixed up.
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Before you replace that seal, grab a flashlight and take a good look at the center of the yoke of the tailshaft. I was about to have the seal replaced on my 2002 Silverado and I saw that there was some old silicone smeared in the center of the tailshaft yoke, which appeared wet. For some unbelievably stupid reason, GM made the part with a bore hole straight through the center of the part, then used a mini tin freeze plug to seal it up. Once the seal is compromised, it starts leaking fluid. When I dropped it off for repair, my mechanic thought I was full of shit about all this. He called later, told me he had never seen such a thing, but I was 100% correct. Next he announces that GM wants $287 for the part. I told him to clean it with brake clean and fill it with JB Weld, which was $280 less. Now maybe GM got over being stupid and decided to stop creating needless leaks by 2004, so this may not apply, but it's worth checking, since it looks just like a seal leak, but it's not.
Thanks for the tip!! I will definitely check out the yoke first. tailshaft seals suck.
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1993 Honda Civic Hatchback, ~163K miles. My 8 year old talks about how she'll drive the white car when she's old enough (our other car, 2008 Fit, is purple). Yes, you probably will. :)
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2001 Toyota Corolla. Bought used in 2005 with 20k miles. Today I'm happy to report that it only has 58k miles on it, including a drive halfway across the country and a few multi-state road trips. Walking and biking are the best car maintenance 'hacks' available.
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I changed my oil yesterday...at 184,809 miles. Ticking right along like it's brand new.
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My 2009 chevy aveo (bought brand new in college for 10k- 5 speed manual, crank windows, NO power ANYTHING and no a/c) just clicked to 100,000! My brother asked me when I'm going to get a nicer car to reflect that I'm an educated working professional, I just laughed. Isn't that what the "Umass" sticker on the back is for?
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1993 Honda Civic Hatchback, ~163K miles. My 8 year old talks about how she'll drive the white car when she's old enough (our other car, 2008 Fit, is purple). Yes, you probably will. :)
I used to have a '94 Civic. I loved that car, and was sad when we had to let it go :(. Manual everything, easy to maintain, and fun to drive.
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2001 Tacoma with 235,000 miles. Unfortunately I'm emotionally attached to old Nala and can't trade her I for something more practical for this stage of life. Haven't had to do much maintenance to her so that helps, but the 16-17 miles per gallon is hard to swallow. I put less than 2500 miles on it per year now though, so it's not effecting the budget too much. I qualified to get the frame replaced under their extended rust warranty a few years ago and that made me much more committed to keeping her.
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1993 Honda Civic Hatchback, ~163K miles. My 8 year old talks about how she'll drive the white car when she's old enough (our other car, 2008 Fit, is purple). Yes, you probably will. :)
I used to have a '94 Civic. I loved that car, and was sad when we had to let it go :(. Manual everything, easy to maintain, and fun to drive.
Yup...manual everything on ours too. It's also got the clamshell hatch so it fits a ton of stuff. Apparently it's also a teenage boy dream car because in the past 18 months we've had three different 16ish year olds knock on our door asking if we wanted to sell it. :)
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1993 Honda Civic Hatchback, ~163K miles. My 8 year old talks about how she'll drive the white car when she's old enough (our other car, 2008 Fit, is purple). Yes, you probably will. :)
I used to have a '94 Civic. I loved that car, and was sad when we had to let it go :(. Manual everything, easy to maintain, and fun to drive.
Yup...manual everything on ours too. It's also got the clamshell hatch so it fits a ton of stuff. Apparently it's also a teenage boy dream car because in the past 18 months we've had three different 16ish year olds knock on our door asking if we wanted to sell it. :)
BIL had an old Acura that fits that description. It was abandoned in the back yard, worth it's weight in scrap, with a warped head an a bazillion miles, but it was a teen boy magnet. He finally let it go to a local kid who had made it his life's mission to be the new owner.
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Not super old, but I just snagged a 2003 Lexus IS300 w/175k and drives perfectly for $1500 or about half of KBB's poor condition! It is a salvage vehicle, but happened in 2011 and was back on the road that year and registered/driven every year since. It isn't the most economical at ~25-30mpg, and does take premium gas, but the motor is a Toyota 2JZGE, essentially a non-turbo Supra and is known for racking up mileage with minimal maintenance. It also is a Lexus, so the driving experience is fantastic; quiet, comfortable, responsive. I got into cars around 2005, so this is practically new to me! I'm torn between daily driving it and selling my 95 Civic LX, or selling it for a good profit (would have no problem getting $4000) and just stay with the econobox Civic... too many cars in the driveway now (4), fiance is not too happy!
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Not super old, but I just snagged a 2003 Lexus IS300 w/175k and drives perfectly for $1500 or about half of KBB's poor condition! It is a salvage vehicle, but happened in 2011 and was back on the road that year and registered/driven every year since. It isn't the most economical at ~25-30mpg, and does take premium gas, but the motor is a Toyota 2JZGE, essentially a non-turbo Supra and is known for racking up mileage with minimal maintenance. It also is a Lexus, so the driving experience is fantastic; quiet, comfortable, responsive. I got into cars around 2005, so this is practically new to me! I'm torn between daily driving it and selling my 95 Civic LX, or selling it for a good profit (would have no problem getting $4000) and just stay with the econobox Civic... too many cars in the driveway now (4), fiance is not too happy!
I would keep the IS. No question.
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Not super old, but I just snagged a 2003 Lexus IS300 w/175k and drives perfectly for $1500 or about half of KBB's poor condition! It is a salvage vehicle, but happened in 2011 and was back on the road that year and registered/driven every year since. It isn't the most economical at ~25-30mpg, and does take premium gas, but the motor is a Toyota 2JZGE, essentially a non-turbo Supra and is known for racking up mileage with minimal maintenance. It also is a Lexus, so the driving experience is fantastic; quiet, comfortable, responsive. I got into cars around 2005, so this is practically new to me! I'm torn between daily driving it and selling my 95 Civic LX, or selling it for a good profit (would have no problem getting $4000) and just stay with the econobox Civic... too many cars in the driveway now (4), fiance is not too happy!
Oh wow nice. I searched for IS300 last year. I could not find one that is in good shape and has reasonable price. I ended up with SC430.
I would keep the IS, but I do enjoy driving. It is my cheap therapy haha.
As you can tell, the driving experience is totally different between Civic with front wheel drive vs IS in rear wheel drive, not to mention the luxury feel, quiet etc.
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I have an old Honda that's slowly leaking transmission fluid & coolant. It's challenging to identify the source of the leaks, so the way I'm dealing with the issue is to keep replenishing. Once a week for the coolant and every 2 weeks for the transmission. My cost is about $20/yr for coolant and $40/yr for transmission fluid. If it gets worse, I'll have to fix it. Has anyone used a "seal leak" fluid to stop the leak on your honda?
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I have an old Honda that's slowly leaking transmission fluid & coolant. It's challenging to identify the source of the leaks, so the way I'm dealing with the issue is to keep replenishing. Once a week for the coolant and every 2 weeks for the transmission. My cost is about $20/yr for coolant and $40/yr for transmission fluid. If it gets worse, I'll have to fix it. Has anyone used a "seal leak" fluid to stop the leak on your honda?
What kind of Honda? $60/year isn't that bad. Especially since you won't need to do a full system flush or drain/refill every 30,000 miles! :P
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I have an old Honda that's slowly leaking transmission fluid & coolant. It's challenging to identify the source of the leaks, so the way I'm dealing with the issue is to keep replenishing. Once a week for the coolant and every 2 weeks for the transmission. My cost is about $20/yr for coolant and $40/yr for transmission fluid. If it gets worse, I'll have to fix it. Has anyone used a "seal leak" fluid to stop the leak on your honda?
Use a UV-glow fluid additive and you should be able to find the leaks! It's cheap.
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What kind of Honda? $60/year isn't that bad. Especially since you won't need to do a full system flush or drain/refill every 30,000 miles! :P
It's a 15 year old Honda Accord. It drives great but the clear coat paint started wearing out a few years ago, and I haven't gotten around to doing anything about it. I'll see if I can race it across the 20-year finish line.
Regarding the U GLOW additive, I'll have to check it out.
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I have an old Honda that's slowly leaking transmission fluid & coolant. It's challenging to identify the source of the leaks, so the way I'm dealing with the issue is to keep replenishing. Once a week for the coolant and every 2 weeks for the transmission. My cost is about $20/yr for coolant and $40/yr for transmission fluid. If it gets worse, I'll have to fix it. Has anyone used a "seal leak" fluid to stop the leak on your honda?
I have never use any seal leak on any car, and would never use it. From my understanding, these could potentially clog up the coolant or tranny system in the car which will be a lot more than $60 to fix.
A lot of time leaks are due to gaskets that shrinks due to age, or some of the bolts have become loose. I would start by tightening any bolts you can find to spec, and see if that helps. When I bought my land cruiser, some of the bolts that hold the valve cover was so loose I can un-screw it by hand. Not surprised that it has oil leaks down the side of the engine :)
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I have an old Honda that's slowly leaking transmission fluid & coolant. It's challenging to identify the source of the leaks, so the way I'm dealing with the issue is to keep replenishing. Once a week for the coolant and every 2 weeks for the transmission. My cost is about $20/yr for coolant and $40/yr for transmission fluid. If it gets worse, I'll have to fix it. Has anyone used a "seal leak" fluid to stop the leak on your honda?
I have never use any seal leak on any car, and would never use it. From my understanding, these could potentially clog up the coolant or tranny system in the car which will be a lot more than $60 to fix.
^^^ This. Rubber and silicone are super cheap and usually easy to replace.
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Probably not on the same level as some of you guys, but my wife and I are sitting at 300K+ on our two vehicles!
My truck, 2006 chevy pickup.... 208K
My wife's 2008 trailblazer..... 103K
I am trying to take each another 5-7 years :D
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A little late to the party, but I just inherited my very first car from my grandmother- a 1999 Chevrolet Metro with 54K miles on it. That sounds practically new, but we're in Canada, so it's serious rust belt territory. Some rust spots on the rocker panels I've got to deal with that have full penetration (poked my finger through accidentally when checking it out.) Someone convinced her to use grease undercoating at some point, so the unibody is in surprisingly good shape.
No power steering. No A/C. No radio or sound of any kind.
Just the sound of the engine going 'BWAAAAA' on the highway as it hits top gear (Third gear.)
When I got it, the brake lines were almost rusted out (miracle I drove it ~400 miles home!) but I'm learning a LOT by working on this thing. So far I've replaced the brake hoses all around, front brake lines (paid a guy to do the back- they went up and around the fuel tank, which spooked me.) automatic transmission fluid, ATF filter and pan gasket, and my first oil change.
Next up is timing belt, water pump, coolant flush (probably not done for 18 years!) and replace all available radiator hoses and thermostat (just in case.)
So far all maintenance together (and a multitude of Kijiji tool purchases) has hit about $1800 CAD, which is approximately $200 USD. (I kid.) I'm looking at it as more of an education piece than a true investment, as the systems are *very* simple. Yes, I know I could hit Kijiji and find some 2007 beauties for ~$2k. That's not the point :p
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A little late to the party, but I just inherited my very first car from my grandmother- a 1999 Chevrolet Metro with 54K miles on it. That sounds practically new, but we're in Canada, so it's serious rust belt territory. Some rust spots on the rocker panels I've got to deal with that have full penetration (poked my finger through accidentally when checking it out.) Someone convinced her to use grease undercoating at some point, so the unibody is in surprisingly good shape.
No power steering. No A/C. No radio or sound of any kind.
Just the sound of the engine going 'BWAAAAA' on the highway as it hits top gear (Third gear.)
When I got it, the brake lines were almost rusted out (miracle I drove it ~400 miles home!) but I'm learning a LOT by working on this thing. So far I've replaced the brake hoses all around, front brake lines (paid a guy to do the back- they went up and around the fuel tank, which spooked me.) automatic transmission fluid, ATF filter and pan gasket, and my first oil change.
Next up is timing belt, water pump, coolant flush (probably not done for 18 years!) and replace all available radiator hoses and thermostat (just in case.)
So far all maintenance together (and a multitude of Kijiji tool purchases) has hit about $1800 CAD, which is approximately $200 USD. (I kid.) I'm looking at it as more of an education piece than a true investment, as the systems are *very* simple. Yes, I know I could hit Kijiji and find some 2007 beauties for ~$2k. That's not the point :p
I just looked up this car...it gets 41/47 MPG city/highway. Wow!
I like driving old cars for the same reason too, anytime something goes wrong I get to learn. Mine is only a 2003 though, and not too many things have gone wrong. Mainly the usual maintenance items. I almost wish I had two beater cars, so I could constantly work on one of them and not worry about having something to drive.
If the engine is in great shape (which it should be), you'll have a almost new car with GREAT gas mileage by the time you're done!
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A little late to the party, but I just inherited my very first car from my grandmother- a 1999 Chevrolet Metro with 54K miles on it. That sounds practically new, but we're in Canada, so it's serious rust belt territory. Some rust spots on the rocker panels I've got to deal with that have full penetration (poked my finger through accidentally when checking it out.) Someone convinced her to use grease undercoating at some point, so the unibody is in surprisingly good shape.
That is awesome. I know it say Chevy, but pretty sure originally it is a Japanese car (as oppose to car originally made by Chevy), so it should be pretty reliable even it is a 1999.
I am like you, I enjoy tinkering/working on our cars. I always like learning something new.
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A little late to the party, but I just inherited my very first car from my grandmother- a 1999 Chevrolet Metro with 54K miles on it. That sounds practically new, but we're in Canada, so it's serious rust belt territory. Some rust spots on the rocker panels I've got to deal with that have full penetration (poked my finger through accidentally when checking it out.) Someone convinced her to use grease undercoating at some point, so the unibody is in surprisingly good shape.
No power steering. No A/C. No radio or sound of any kind.
Just the sound of the engine going 'BWAAAAA' on the highway as it hits top gear (Third gear.)
When I got it, the brake lines were almost rusted out (miracle I drove it ~400 miles home!) but I'm learning a LOT by working on this thing. So far I've replaced the brake hoses all around, front brake lines (paid a guy to do the back- they went up and around the fuel tank, which spooked me.) automatic transmission fluid, ATF filter and pan gasket, and my first oil change.
Next up is timing belt, water pump, coolant flush (probably not done for 18 years!) and replace all available radiator hoses and thermostat (just in case.)
So far all maintenance together (and a multitude of Kijiji tool purchases) has hit about $1800 CAD, which is approximately $200 USD. (I kid.) I'm looking at it as more of an education piece than a true investment, as the systems are *very* simple. Yes, I know I could hit Kijiji and find some 2007 beauties for ~$2k. That's not the point :p
I drove one of these little guys for a few years. I have a friend who still has one. My 1999 got 45MPG all day, and only down to 40MPG even when it had pretty low compression near the end. I had a 1988 Chevy Sprint back in the day too, and that one got me 53-57MPG, but I crunched that one into the back of a Jeep. :(
They're great cars. Very very simple to maintain, as everything is small/cheap, and there are so few features that very little can break. No power steering, and it's very much not needed. Timing belt and water pump is literally a half hour job once you get the timing cover off. Spark plugs/wires/cap/rotor are about 10 minutes. Even new tires are like $230 installed (but they wear tires very slowly since they're so light; I put about 35,000 miles on a new set and there was barely any wear when I finally dumped the car).
Rust is usually what kills them. In particular the front control arm mounts. Keep an eye on those, and if they're solid you're good to go. If they're a little questionable, find someone that knows their way around a welder. If they break, your wheels will fall off at high speeds when you hit a bump and you're gonna have a bad time.
Mine threw a rod at around 182K miles, but rust would have eaten it after about another year anyway. My friend with one has around 170,000 on his and it runs like a top (somehow it can manage the 80mph Texas highways just fine, although it is the four-cylinder; mine was the three-cylinder).
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Rust is usually what kills them. In particular the front control arm mounts. Keep an eye on those, and if they're solid you're good to go. If they're a little questionable, find someone that knows their way around a welder. If they break, your wheels will fall off at high speeds when you hit a bump and you're gonna have a bad time.
Mine threw a rod at around 182K miles, but rust would have eaten it after about another year anyway. My friend with one has around 170,000 on his and it runs like a top (somehow it can manage the 80mph Texas highways just fine, although it is the four-cylinder; mine was the three-cylinder).
Mine is actually also the four cylinder- Who knew my Grandma would have sprung for all those extra horses? So it's MPG isn't as crazy as everyone else's with the 3 cylinder. Averaging about 35 MPG highway, 28MPG city. I too can manage 80 MPH on the highway no problem at all. The speedometer stops at 80MPH, though, so I'd never know if I was going faster. Wouldn't really want to- That thing's got a pretty angry roar at that speed.
Note- All prices below in CAD.
Thanks for the tip about the control arm mounts. As for the rest, looking at the prices on Rock Auto just blow my mind- it's like "Why would I EVER let something break on me, when I can replace it for like $50?" (Axles? $50 each. Exhaust pipe? $300 including catalytic converter + muffler. The list goes on.)
My biggest threat right now is it keeps throwing an EVAP error- P0455, major leak detected. That's the kind of leak you could get from a faulty gas cap, and considering I had to pull this one off with a pipe wrench (it was seized to the filler- How does that even HAPPEN?) so I'm going to look into changing a few cheap parts first before asking someone to smoke test it.
It just sucks that everything is cheap except for the gas tank and filler tube. To put it into perspective, I can replace every front suspension component for $200 CAD altogether, but it would cost me $500 CAD for a gas tank and a filler pipe... :(
Already checked junk yards in my area, but no dice. It was not a common car around my neck of the woods.
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I'm really impressed with your ability to fix these various things on your car.
I was happy just to learn how to change the oil and filter on my Prius.
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Rust is usually what kills them. In particular the front control arm mounts. Keep an eye on those, and if they're solid you're good to go. If they're a little questionable, find someone that knows their way around a welder. If they break, your wheels will fall off at high speeds when you hit a bump and you're gonna have a bad time.
Mine threw a rod at around 182K miles, but rust would have eaten it after about another year anyway. My friend with one has around 170,000 on his and it runs like a top (somehow it can manage the 80mph Texas highways just fine, although it is the four-cylinder; mine was the three-cylinder).
Mine is actually also the four cylinder- Who knew my Grandma would have sprung for all those extra horses? So it's MPG isn't as crazy as everyone else's with the 3 cylinder. Averaging about 35 MPG highway, 28MPG city. I too can manage 80 MPH on the highway no problem at all. The speedometer stops at 80MPH, though, so I'd never know if I was going faster. Wouldn't really want to- That thing's got a pretty angry roar at that speed.
Note- All prices below in CAD.
Thanks for the tip about the control arm mounts. As for the rest, looking at the prices on Rock Auto just blow my mind- it's like "Why would I EVER let something break on me, when I can replace it for like $50?" (Axles? $50 each. Exhaust pipe? $300 including catalytic converter + muffler. The list goes on.)
My biggest threat right now is it keeps throwing an EVAP error- P0455, major leak detected. That's the kind of leak you could get from a faulty gas cap, and considering I had to pull this one off with a pipe wrench (it was seized to the filler- How does that even HAPPEN?) so I'm going to look into changing a few cheap parts first before asking someone to smoke test it.
It just sucks that everything is cheap except for the gas tank and filler tube. To put it into perspective, I can replace every front suspension component for $200 CAD altogether, but it would cost me $500 CAD for a gas tank and a filler pipe... :(
Already checked junk yards in my area, but no dice. It was not a common car around my neck of the woods.
Oof, that's an annoying problem. I never had to fight an evap code on mine, but I did on my old '96 Volvo one time and that was a real bitch to locate. Good luck. I don't think it's usually the tank itself, more likely the filler neck or a weird little line somewhere.
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I'm really impressed with your ability to fix these various things on your car.
I was happy just to learn how to change the oil and filter on my Prius.
Before receiving this car as a gift on June 3, 2017, I knew enough to change oil and replace brake pads on a '90 accord, and the brake pads info I got out of a Chilton manual. My dad had bought me a big socket set from Canadian Tire when it was 75% off (aka- paid close to what it was worth.) And I stole his used torque wrenches. (Well, borrowed, but... yeah.)
Then, I discovered the magic of my local library, and it's free subscription to AllData. Punched in my VIN, and they gave me the entire technician's manual for every possible thing I could need to do to my car.
Cross referenced the repairs described against YouTube for that practical, down-home touch.
Discovered that the dewey decimal code for auto repair is 629.24.
Read three chapters in a book called 'Automotive Fundamentals' from the year 2000 (fresh info for the age of my car!) and can now tell you the difference between a crankshaft, camshaft, and a half-shaft, as well as an in-depth discourse on why the bits of the engine are there, and where to expect them in almost any car (45-ish pages?).
If I do my own work on the car, assuming I'm literally 1/4 the speed of a professional technician, I still will be paid $34 an hour, and I'll have that incredibly satisfying feeling about knowing exactly where my car is at, from a maintenance perspective.
Like MMM says- Just think to yourself "Many people have done this in the past. Many people will continue to do this in the future. Many of them have none of the advantages that I have right now.
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1987 Toyota RV that is also my home. ~90,000 miles on it and still going strong.
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140k on 5.5 years old. er...nothing to brag about :(
it is like $25k in gas alone. ~5.5usd/gallon (RICH EUROPE)
but I would not like to sell, as I trust the car..
Also, I would hate to buy brand new one, as people round here are dumb, they kick out their door,damaging my paint, SOMETIME EVEN TWICE IN A ROW (same minute, same car, they pulled backwards and hit it again, if I would catch them...), so I take a car like consumables.. I wish I do not need one :)
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I have a 1992 Honda Civic Si 1.6L that has a bit over 155k miles. Not that much mileage, but the body is clean for a Quebec car (harsh winters with salty roads).
I plan on keeping the car for another 5 years (total of seven years) for an average of 700$/year including buy price,yearly maintenance and repairs and a 0$ re-sale value (should still have a little value then). I do the vast majority of the maintenance and repairs myself.
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1999 toyota tacoma 2wd based model
bought it 3yrs ago with 33,000 mi
cost $4,000 and helping a friend move
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I have a 1992 Honda Civic Si 1.6L that has a bit over 155k miles. Not that much mileage, but the body is clean for a Quebec car (harsh winters with salty roads).
I plan on keeping the car for another 5 years (total of seven years) for an average of 700$/year including buy price,yearly maintenance and repairs and a 0$ re-sale value (should still have a little value then). I do the vast majority of the maintenance and repairs myself.
Good job - Quebec (and Ontario... the bit near QC) kills cars pretty quickly.
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For anyone who live in area with salt in the winter, look up Fluid Film. I take a few min in the fall and spray liberally under our Land Cruiser. imo it works very well for the price ~10/spray can. There are other means to prevent rusts, including hiring professional to spray under the car, but so far I find this is the best bang for the buck for me.
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I have a 1992 Honda Civic Si 1.6L that has a bit over 155k miles. Not that much mileage, but the body is clean for a Quebec car (harsh winters with salty roads).
I plan on keeping the car for another 5 years (total of seven years) for an average of 700$/year including buy price,yearly maintenance and repairs and a 0$ re-sale value (should still have a little value then). I do the vast majority of the maintenance and repairs myself.
Good job - Quebec (and Ontario... the bit near QC) kills cars pretty quickly.
Yes, it's crazy. Lots of less than 10 y.o. cars all rusted here.
This one I brought back from B.C. though a couple years ago though. Still, it's in very good shape for a 25 y.o. car. Hopefully it'll last another 5 years with only regular maintenance and anti rust treatments!
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2003 Civic with 170k miles
Just got 65 MPG on part of a trip through NJ! I got gas at the beginning and right before leaving Jersey since it's so much cheaper than PA. I was flabbergasted when it was less than a gallon.
For those who don't know the area, it was an extremely flat area and I went around 50 MPH for half and 65 MPH for the other, since the cops are super strict if you're from out of state. To compare, I only got 45 MPG in PA, while going up the mountains going closer to 70-75MPH .
But still!! I love my car:)
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My MR2 is finally running again - grabbed a photo (http://i.imgur.com/9kAL0ZU.png) the other day. Over 450k miles between the two of these guys. :)
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1999 toyota tacoma 2wd based model
bought it 3yrs ago with 33,000 mi
cost $4,000 and helping a friend move
Depending on the state you live in your truck qualifies for the undercoating/frame replacement due to the rust issues they've had. They replaced mine ($11,200 bill) when I was already past 200k miles on it hahaha.
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My dad gifted me a 1986 F250 a couple months ago. It's a diesel with a 6.9liter V8, no turbo. A massive motor, but still gets 18-20mpg. It's paid for itself a few times over already simply by allowing me the ability to get free stuff on Craigslist, (including $700 worth of free paving stones that weighed over 1000lbs!) It has 264,000 miles. It's easily worth the $20/mo it costs to add to my insurance.
I recently, 2 months ago, bought a 1997 Honda Civic 2 door coupe with 290k miles on it, from the original owner. I drove it home to Seattle from DC after a friends wedding. It now has 294,200 miles. A few times a month, I have to drive 230miles round trip up to my home office for sales meetings and client meetings. This car gets 37-44mpg, or roughly 1.8* better fuel economy than my Ford Taurus that I drive my clients around in. If I drive separately, I take the Civic. Last week I drove it 580 miles in two days. It saved me $25 in fuel, wear and tear on my nicer car, and easily paid me back the $22/mo I pay to add it to my insurance.
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It's the end of an era- I'm selling my 1991 Toyota Camry that I've had for 12 years. Almost 300,000 miles on him! He's been a great car but we only need one car- we've had to remind ourselves to drive him once a month or so. We're keeping our "new" car, the 2004 Prius. Thinking we can get $800, and the satisfaction of knowing we no longer have a car we don't need sitting in our driveway!
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I drive a 2001 Toyota Tacoma with just over 200,000 miles. Every year I drive it, at least once, from NC to CO, pulling a small travel trailer (13' Scamp) and it still runs fabulously. Of course, a newer vehicle would be lovely, but not worth it. I take pride in my high mileage vehicle as I see my coworkers always buying the latest and greatest, knowing they are on the treadmill of constant car payments with no end in sight.
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First post here. I have a 2006 Tacoma that I bought in 2006 and put over 200k miles on it. The frame rusted and it wouldn't pass inspection. There was a class action lawsuit and I'm getting the frame replaced for free. It is a 12-15k job more than the truck is worth. It should be good to go to 300k now. I picked up my free loaner truck at the dealer yesterday and it has 12 miles on it. It is nice but not 36k nice!
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My MR2 is finally running again - grabbed a photo (http://i.imgur.com/9kAL0ZU.png) the other day. Over 450k miles between the two of these guys. :)
Whoa, 2 facepunch worthy anti-mustachian vehicles! Shame on you! :)
(I'm kidding if you couldn't tell - MR2's are very cool)
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My MR2 is finally running again - grabbed a photo (http://i.imgur.com/9kAL0ZU.png) the other day. Over 450k miles between the two of these guys. :)
Whoa, 2 facepunch worthy anti-mustachian vehicles! Shame on you! :)
(I'm kidding if you couldn't tell - MR2's are very cool)
Yup, and I love them both. They're cheaper than kids though :D
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First post here. I have a 2006 Tacoma that I bought in 2006 and put over 200k miles on it. The frame rusted and it wouldn't pass inspection. There was a class action lawsuit and I'm getting the frame replaced for free. It is a 12-15k job more than the truck is worth. It should be good to go to 300k now. I picked up my free loaner truck at the dealer yesterday and it has 12 miles on it. It is nice but not 36k nice!
That's friggin sweet about the frame replacement. I travel for work sometimes and I always enjoy the new car feeling, but like you I resist. My car isn't even that old (2011 Jeep Compass) but it has 130K miles on it.
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2004 Saturn Vue V6. Currently at 149,569 miles.
Have had it since 72k miles. Great suv.
Very nice! You dodged a bullet with that one. You probably already know, but the four-cylinder (CVT) version of that car had all kinds of problems. My parents bought one new (2003) and its transmission started acting up at 50k and was nearly dead by 100k.
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My daily driver and live-in vehicle for cross-country climbing/biking trips is my 1996 Toyota T-100 pickup truck with 355,000 miles, and it still runs like a top!
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2000 Honda Civic CX Hatchback
Bought it back in 2003 off of a lease for $9,000 with under 30,000 kms on it.
Just about to turn over 290,000 kms (180,000 miles).
No A/C, no power steering, 5 speed; very little can go wrong with it.
Both rear wheel wells are pretty rusty (Ontario loves using salt in the winter), but the rest of the car is still solid and it still runs like new, so not thinking of getting rid of it any time soon. Just gotta figure out how to fit the 2nd child car seat in the back and still have enough leg room to shift...
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1997 Toyota Camry 289k miles - No mechanical issues at all. Not exactly easy on the eyes. But it's a great car. My wife bought it back in 2007 when she turned 16 and it had ~120k miles on it. She still drives it, but we try to bike as much as we can. We call it the "Money Making Machine"
2007 Nissan Versa Hatchback 157k miles - 6 Speed. Bought it earlier this year for $2k. Potentially even uglier than the Camry (Car is black, has a red hatch, missing a hubcap or two, and has countless little scratches and dings) But it's mechanically perfect, and I don't worry about scratching it when I throw my bikes on the rear rack. And, best of all, I got 42.5 MPG on my last tank. We call this one the "Cash Cow"
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1995 Ford Ranger. Bought new for $12K. Still gets me to work and back. Odo broke about 12 years ago so no clue on mileage.
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How much does it cost to have a sedan painted? My old car's paint has been peeling off. People are scared when I park next to them, which is a benefit at times. But if my car is going to last another 10 years (it's 15 years old at the moment) then I might as well get it repainted.
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How much does it cost to have a sedan painted? My old car's paint has been peeling off. People are scared when I park next to them, which is a benefit at times. But if my car is going to last another 10 years (it's 15 years old at the moment) then I might as well get it repainted.
At least $1000 easily. $2000+ if you want a decent paint job. I probably wouldn't bother unless you have concerns of rust. The thing I hate about having a car repainted is suddenly having to worry about every little nick and scratch. I wish I drove a car that looked like crap so I wouldn't be so conscious of where I park and get upset every time I notice a new ding. It's slowly getting there though!
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My 2007 Prius has 266,000 miles on it. I bought it new. I change my own oil, oil filter, and put high pressure in the tires to boost fuel efficiency.
I'm starting my slide into retirement, so I will be putting less miles on my car now. I just quit a job where I used to deliver newspapers each Wednesday in not such great neighborhoods in Detroit and Ypsilanti. That job just ended, so that will decrease mileage on my car now.
I already commented but my 06 Prius (that I bought new) has just over of 290K on it. She is sitting right now because I caved to temptation on buying an electric car. We will be keeping her around for ranges that exceed the Leaf's capabilities. We do plan to do some work to her but mostly just items that are listed in Toyota's 150k mile maintenance recommendations. My goal has always been to see the 300k mark but it seems it will take a little longer before we get to that point.
My baby hit 300k last week!!!! I was telling a few people at work how excited I was about it and everyone kept asking how many more miles am I hoping to get out of her. As many as she will give me!
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Wow, you guys are impressive. And it's good to know 4 cylinder cars can last a long time. I now have a 2009 Nissan Versa with only 90,000 miles on her. But I owned a Chevy Caprice that had 420,000 miles on the clock when I traded her in. Original engine, never rebuilt.
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My current Toyota Prius, 2007, has 275,000 miles on it.
The high mileage has freaked out my parents, who are planning to give me quite a bit of money to buy a new car.
However, I think I could keep going with this one.
Nonetheless, as I'm heading toward working less over the next 6 months, I realize I will be driving a lot less. So I'm thinking of buying not a new car, but maybe a used car.
How do you shop for a used car? How do you know someone hasn't tampered with the odometer on a car to make it seem like it has less miles on it ?
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How do you shop for a used car? How do you know someone hasn't tampered with the odometer on a car to make it seem like it has less miles on it ?
If they have maintenance records, they could help make the case for the odometer being accurate. CarFax can give you a vehicle history report (I think it's $39) if you have the VIN, and that usually includes enough mileage stamps to paint a picture. Also, I think odometer fuckery is much less common these days with modern vehicles (there's a lot more to it than there once was). And of course if the seller seems sketchy, run. If it looks too good to be true (I often see stupid stuff listed like "2o1o Camry 70k $2000!"), then it probably is.
I don't see a reason to dump the Prius though, honestly.
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Tampering with the odometer is a felony. I can't imagine that many people would take the risk.
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I guess the reason I asked is because I was looking on Craigslist for used cars, and this one guy called me back about a used car he has for sale, and as it turns out he deals in used cars. That made me a little concerned, since he won't really have any repair records.
Moreover, he's selling a 2016 Nissan Sentra SV with only 6,000 miles for only $13,500. That just seems suspiciously low.
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I guess the reason I asked is because I was looking on Craigslist for used cars, and this one guy called me back about a used car he has for sale, and as it turns out he deals in used cars. That made me a little concerned, since he won't really have any repair records.
Moreover, he's selling a 2016 Nissan Sentra SV with only 6,000 miles for only $13,500. That just seems suspiciously low.
They're only $18,500 brand new so that doesn't seem TOO insane. But it's possible it has a salvage title or something.
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What's a salvage title ?
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What's a salvage title ?
This explains it well:
http://www.dmv.org/buy-sell/used-cars/buying-a-car-with-a-salvage-title.php
Generally you want to avoid salvage titles because you don't know what happened to the car. Plus, it hurts your resale value and you never know if you're going to have to sell it.
Though to be fair, it's possible that a car got into an accident and was just not reported to insurance. So be careful either way.
Ask for the VIN, you can do a free check online and see if it's been in an accident.
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What's a salvage title ?
This explains it well:
http://www.dmv.org/buy-sell/used-cars/buying-a-car-with-a-salvage-title.php
Generally you want to avoid salvage titles because you don't know what happened to the car. Plus, it hurts your resale value and you never know if you're going to have to sell it.
Though to be fair, it's possible that a car got into an accident and was just not reported to insurance. So be careful either way.
Ask for the VIN, you can do a free check online and see if it's been in an accident.
Also, if you're buying a car in the next ~6 months, run away if the VIN check says it was registered near Houston.
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Thanks
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My 15 year old car passed its state safety inspection today!! It's always a pleasant surprise when it does. 211,000 miles on the car.
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What's a salvage title ?
This explains it well:
http://www.dmv.org/buy-sell/used-cars/buying-a-car-with-a-salvage-title.php
Generally you want to avoid salvage titles because you don't know what happened to the car. Plus, it hurts your resale value and you never know if you're going to have to sell it.
Though to be fair, it's possible that a car got into an accident and was just not reported to insurance. So be careful either way.
Ask for the VIN, you can do a free check online and see if it's been in an accident.
Also, if you're buying a car in the next ~6 months, run away if the VIN check says it was registered near Houston.
Being "near" Houston isn't a reliable indicator as to were massive numbers of flood damaged vehicles will end up. Wholesale buyers will happily move cars hundred, even thousands of miles, if there is a profit in the deal. I occasionally deal with a big chain of used car stores in the northeast. They will buy at auctions anywhere east of the Mississippi, and then fill up a car carrier tractor trailer with half a dozen at a time. A few years back, I bought a vehicle that was off a three year lease in Missouri, sold at a wholesale auction there, then transported to a NY dealer, I titled it in PA. This is far from unusual. Once you throw a million water damaged cars into the mix, somebody is going to get hurt.
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Cars have always been my weakness, and I've made some dumb financial decisions as a result. Fortunately, I gave up the stupidity of financing automobiles several years ago.
It's not very minimalist, but I own four cars currently, all purchased used and paid for with cash. Two are "collectible" and are at least maintaining value if not appreciating, and the other two are daily/weekly drivers.
1966 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe: 84,000 miles
1998 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible: 33,000 miles
2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Sedan: 76,000 miles
2012 BMW X5: 103,000 miles (for the wife)
(Yes, I'm Chevy guy).
While I truly love driving now after moving away from the city and its health-destroying traffic, I'm enjoying spending most of my transportation time on my old Specialized Rock-hopper bike. I'm not sure if I'm hardcore enough to use during this coming winter, though.
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I'm thinking of buying the Chevrolet Cruze as my next car. It got good rating in Consumer's Report and has good fuel economy
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I'm thinking of buying the Chevrolet Cruze as my next car. It got good rating in Consumer's Report and has good fuel economy
A couple of years back I was in the market for a small, lightly used sedan. I drove just about everything available, and within reason, as is,no Fiats, Minis, or junk built by FCA. Having done so, I came away with the impression that the Cruze was, without question, the biggest piece of crap in the bunch. You may have a very different opinion. I bought a Scion, and it's about as bulletproof, trouble free, and low cost to operate as it gets. I'm not dissing domestic products. I have a Chevy truck, and have owned GM trucks and vans for decades, but the Cruze really drives and feels like a poorly built shitbox to me.
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As of yesterday, I am now the proud owner of a 2010 Ford Ranger!
It's a manual transmission, 225000km, and no rust problems. (I'm in Ottawa, vehicle's from Windsor.) Family sold it to me for half the market value. As I don't drive much during biking season, I anticipate it lasting me many years. The V6 gets pretty terrible mileage, but we can't have everything. This is good enough.
Anyone have any great links on car camping? I'm going on my first trip next week.
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A Ranger with a V6? That thing probably has some decent acceleration! :)
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Rangers are a bit weird when it comes to fuel economy. I had a early 2000s, extended cab, 2WD with the 3.0 V6 and 5sp. manual, I regularly got 27 MPG. Then I put a ladder rack and aggressive tires on, and never saw over 20 MPG again. OTOH, I talked to many owners of the same truck, with 4WD, the bigger V6 and automatic, that told me that they were getting 14-15 MPG. I have also driven the totally stripped version with the 4 cyl and automatic, that struggled to get 20 on the highway.
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Rangers are a bit weird when it comes to fuel economy. I had a early 2000s, extended cab, 2WD with the 3.0 V6 and 5sp. manual, I regularly got 27 MPG. Then I put a ladder rack and aggressive tires on, and never saw over 20 MPG again. OTOH, I talked to many owners of the same truck, with 4WD, the bigger V6 and automatic, that told me that they were getting 14-15 MPG. I have also driven the totally stripped version with the 4 cyl and automatic, that struggled to get 20 on the highway.
I had a similar experience. I had had a '89 with the 2.3L, 5 speed manual and I consistently got 27 MPG. It didn't matter city or highway. If I could get that kind of mileage again out of a truck I might consider buying one. Then again that truck had manual steering because power steering was an option!!
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2011 Ford Fiesta, 150k miles, five speed. ~40mpg overall average, owned since new (pre-mustache days). I'll drive it until it falls apart or explodes.
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This person wants to sell her 2009 Honda Civic EX sedan for only $7200. It has only 55,000 miles on it. Her price is about $900 below the Kelley blue book price. I agreed to look at it this afternoon. I'm in the market for a car because my current Toyota prius has 275,000 miles on it, and this high mileage has my parents concerned so they gave me some money to buy a car.
I'm wondering if I go visit this used car if anyone has any suggestions on what to look for. The owner says she is the sole owner. I assume I should look at Carfax report.
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This person wants to sell her 2009 Honda Civic EX sedan for only $7200. It has only 55,000 miles on it. Her price is about $900 below the Kelley blue book price. I agreed to look at it this afternoon. I'm in the market for a car because my current Toyota prius has 275,000 miles on it, and this high mileage has my parents concerned so they gave me some money to buy a car.
I'm wondering if I go visit this used car if anyone has any suggestions on what to look for. The owner says she is the sole owner. I assume I should look at Carfax report.
I'd look at the Carfax report ahead of time (if they'll give you the VIN) to make sure nothing looks fishy, and then ask for maintenance records which should go all the way back if it's the original owner. A few months ago, I bought a 2001 car from the original owner and they had everything back to the original window sticker.
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thanks
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So, back into the fray-
I just became the proud owner of a (new to me) 2007 Hyundai Sonata with 250,000 Kms on it- around 153K miles. I got it for $1250 CAD, roughly half estimated wholesale value for the car. The previous owner was a car hypochondriac and went to the dealership for everything, but they still missed a spot or two. Looks like the spark plugs have never been changed (or at least, it did when I was changing them last night :p)
Thing drives like a limo when compared to my previous ride (1999 Chevy Metro, still alive and going strong, just didn't want to drive it through the winter and make its rust problems worse...)
Here's to preventative maintenance and following the schedule!
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So, back into the fray-
I just became the proud owner of a (new to me) 2007 Hyundai Sonata with 250,000 Kms on it- around 153K miles. I got it for $1250 CAD, roughly half estimated wholesale value for the car. The previous owner was a car hypochondriac and went to the dealership for everything, but they still missed a spot or two. Looks like the spark plugs have never been changed (or at least, it did when I was changing them last night :p)
Thing drives like a limo when compared to my previous ride (1999 Chevy Metro, still alive and going strong, just didn't want to drive it through the winter and make its rust problems worse...)
Here's to preventative maintenance and following the schedule!
Very nice! That's remarkably similar to the path I took. After my 1999 Metro died, I replaced it with an '09 Hyundai Accent that then proceeded to die at 261,xxx miles. Hyundai makes good cars, but they depreciate like rocks (good for buying 5-10 years old).
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So far I'm loving the Sonata. Except for when I installed my own Bluetooth stereo for the first time and accidentally shorted the 'Illumination' wire from the car harness. Blew my RH Tail light fuse- which is also the Instrument panel cluster fuse (?). Anyway, had a spare in the box AND a clever little removal tool (Thanks, Hyundai!). Up and running after fixing the short. Not the Sonata's problem, just an idiot problem xD
First oil change and time under the car was last night. Oil looked like hell, which is surprising because this was a change based entirely by date rather than miles, but whatever. Spark plugs changed, were rusted in the holes pretty well and worn to crap, and the giant 'idiot shield' placed on the bottom of the car took a bit to pull off to get access to the filter.
And the serpentine belt looks scary as hell. The metro it went Crank -> Water -> Alternator.
This one is... considerably more serpentine.
On the plus side, the factory service manual is a *dream*. Even to the point of listing all the bolt sizes used in the car, and their relevant general torque values, if not covered anywhere else. And they took over 100 pictures to show you where stuff is. *swoon*
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So far I'm loving the Sonata. Except for when I installed my own Bluetooth stereo for the first time and accidentally shorted the 'Illumination' wire from the car harness. Blew my RH Tail light fuse- which is also the Instrument panel cluster fuse (?). Anyway, had a spare in the box AND a clever little removal tool (Thanks, Hyundai!). Up and running after fixing the short. Not the Sonata's problem, just an idiot problem xD
First oil change and time under the car was last night. Oil looked like hell, which is surprising because this was a change based entirely by date rather than miles, but whatever. Spark plugs changed, were rusted in the holes pretty well and worn to crap, and the giant 'idiot shield' placed on the bottom of the car took a bit to pull off to get access to the filter.
And the serpentine belt looks scary as hell. The metro it went Crank -> Water -> Alternator.
This one is... considerably more serpentine.
On the plus side, the factory service manual is a *dream*. Even to the point of listing all the bolt sizes used in the car, and their relevant general torque values, if not covered anywhere else. And they took over 100 pictures to show you where stuff is. *swoon*
Very nice.
Yeah, nothing will be quite as simple as the Metro. Once you throw luxuries like air conditioning and power steering, belts get more complicated. Oddly, once you figure out the path, I've found the long belts easier to replace since there's usually just a simple tensioner holding it and you don't need to remove any pulleys.
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That may indeed be the case regarding ease of belt replacement, but right now (just looking without trying it) it looks knuckle-skinningly tight up against that wall. Probably would feel different if I actually had to *do* something with it, but right now it was replaced ~20,000 kms ago.
That's the other thing. This dealership was replacing every one of her bushings when she had a squeak in the suspension, replaced her serpentine belt twice in 40,000 kms (what the hell?) and charged her $1500 to replace the timing cover gasket due to a leak, and the rocker cover and oil pan gaskets... just for giggles?
Reading those service orders/tech responses was a bit of a head scratcher. Props out to the dealership for giving me such a detailed history, though. And by e-mail, no less.
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So bottom line the dealership took advantage of their customer.
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It's looking more and more likely. I mean, the customer brought it in multiple times complaining of squeaks from the suspension. One time, they just lubricated a part- no more squeaks. Other times, they seemingly replaced bushings almost at random- first one set, then, a few months, another, then, the same as the first- (usually bushings can last a *long* time, so this is unusual.) The whole time, the customer was under the impression that they had 'all new suspension', but the dealership didn't have it in their heart to correct the customer to say 'I just paid $400 for all new "small pieces of rubber/polyurethane that stop squeaks/vibrations."
Apparently one of the techs or advisors told the customer that these Sonatas were legendary for crap suspension (somewhat true) because of their oversized V6 engine and undersized suspension components for it- Which is totally in the realm of fantasy, because this thing isn't a V6 engine, it's an inline 4. So the customer had it listed on Craigslist as a V6 the whole time with pictures of the engine proudly stating on it that it had 16 valves.
I'll tell you they just did the brake lines x4 and I was just underneath it last night- didn't get a good look, but the shielding over the lines themselves looked a little wonky/crooked. Probably bears some more investigating.
It's interesting to see that even though they only installed 'Genuine Hyundai Parts' (at presumably what must be Genuine Hyundai Prices), the worksmanship can be so shoddy. One of the bolts from the 'idiot shield' on the bottom of the car was utterly rounded off- and they just left it there and ripped the shield off it.
So I guess the moral of the story is, there's crap mechanics everywhere, and they're not always the cheapest. The labour rate for these guys is $130 CAD / hour.
I'm trying to break it to the previous owner gently (they're a friend) but they completely believe that understanding cars (and their maintenance) are beyond their abilities... Or they just don't want to spend the time.
And then they went and bought a 2017 Sonata for $26K to replace this one. From the dealership that had been so 'Helpful'.
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It's disheartening to read this. I'm happy I can change the oil on my car and a few minor things, but I probably should take one of those, "repair it yourself auto classes," if I can find one.
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I also have mixed experience from dealers. Used to go to a Hyundai dealer that was just fine; they were bought over by a different company; the service after that... well let say I never went back and a year later they lost the Hyundai name.
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I also have mixed experience from dealers. Used to go to a Hyundai dealer that was just fine; they were bought over by a different company; the service after that... well let say I never went back and a year later they lost the Hyundai name.
Wow, based on my market area, I would imagine that you pretty much have to be a Hyundai franchisee, owned and operated by the devil himself, to lose it. I had an business associate in the finance end of the car business, who had inside knowledge of the local dealer. He had endless stories of the unethical, and illegal crap that the dealer would pull, when it comes to sales and financing. At one point he caught their finance manager placing post-it notes over contract details like APRs and contract terms, while lying and quickly rushing customers through the loan application process. The guy pulling this was the son of a close friend. He told the kid that he had was playing with fire, and when it all hit the fan the dealer would toss him under the bus the second the State's AG office walked in the door. That dealer was part of a multi- brand chain. IIRC, Chrysler revoked their franchise, GM forced them to totally clean house of all management, and they never skipped a beat in the Hyundai store, while advertising crap like "$7000 over Kelly Blue Book for your trade" and " A brand new Sonata for $79 a month!" I wouldn't walk into a Hyundai dealer unless I really had to pee, other than that there really is no reason to be there.
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So I sent an oil sample from my car to a lab. I used synthetic oil and ran it for 6000 miles on my car that now has 160k miles. Oil came back in great shape, no excess metals, coolant, or anything other than a slight elevation in silicone (probably just need to clean/replace my air filter but they said it's not much of a concern if everything looks fine).
Not too bad for an engine with 160k miles that most people think is an unreliable car (2003 Eclipse)! They suggested an 8000 mile oil change interval, so the $28 for the analysis will actually save me money and time. At the rate I'm driving now, I might have to actually change my oil based on time not miles.
Unfortunately I'm expecting the transmission to be the first to go, the automatics aren't very reliable and the previous owner already replaced it at 118k miles with a used one.
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I made a mistake in early 2010 by buying a 2004 Acura TL with 89k miles on it for $16k. Wish I had bought a $5k car and put that $11k difference into VTSAX. Over the last 7.5 years I have hit a deer twice (same time of night, different deer, same spot on car) and put a lot of miles on it (several trips a year across the midwest to visit friends and family).
Now in 2017 it has 271k miles and a private party KBB estimate of $3k.
I would be thrilled if I got to 300k or more. Does anybody have an early 2000's Honda Accord or Acura TL that has surpassed 300k?
I'm looking at a Chevy Cruze or Toyota Prius for my new daily driver.
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I stopped going to the dealer for service for my 04 Honda (now at 99k miles) because the Honda dealers tried to tell me I needed expensive repairs for issues that could be an "emergency" unless fixed "immediately" costing a small fortune, which was not the case at all. Two local Honda dealers did this. Thankfully found a good independent place.
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Yeah, I agree. It's good to find an independent shop. I looked up the private party KBB for a 2004 Honda Accord with 99k miles on it and found a value of about $6k in my zip code. Interesting.
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I'm looking at a Chevy Cruze or Toyota Prius for my new daily driver.
Yes I'm thinking about one of those cars too. I have a 2007 Prius with 277,000 miles on it, and I believe I should retire it soon.
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I'm looking at a Chevy Cruze or Toyota Prius for my new daily driver.
Yes I'm thinking about one of those cars too. I have a 2007 Prius with 277,000 miles on it, and I believe I should retire it soon.
Our 2010 Prius is almost at 100K miles. It has been the most rock solid car we have ever owned in terms of fuel costs and maintenance costs ( none other than oil changes ).
However, be careful with the 2010's...there seems to be a trend of them burning a bit of oil as they age ( ours does ). 2010 was the first year of the 'gen 3' models...so maybe it has something to do with that. However, Toyota has not owned up to anything yet. If I were to do it again, I would look for a 2011+ model year.
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However, be careful with the 2010's...there seems to be a trend of them burning a bit of oil as they age ( ours does ). 2010 was the first year of the 'gen 3' models...so maybe it has something to do with that. However, Toyota has not owned up to anything yet. If I were to do it again, I would look for a 2011+ model year.
Good to know. Thanks
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I stopped going to the dealer for service for my 04 Honda (now at 99k miles) because the Honda dealers tried to tell me I needed expensive repairs for issues that could be an "emergency" unless fixed "immediately" costing a small fortune, which was not the case at all. Two local Honda dealers did this. Thankfully found a good independent place.
As a long time Honda owner, I have a warranty work only policy when it comes to dealers. Even then I make then write, "do not do courtesy check on vehicle" right on the work order. The game is to get the car on the lift, find (or lie about) things that need to be done to the vehicle, and try to find as much to up-sell as possible. I was in Fl. in late spring, with four well worn tires. They were totally safe, with even wear and plenty of tread left. Since I was on the road, with no tools or a garage to work in, I took the thing to the dealer for a transmission service, and oil change. This involves a ten minute job of draining and filling exactly three quarts of trans. fluid, using $30 worth of fluid and a washer. They agreed to do it for $99, but recommended a $179 "Flush service" that Honda specifically cautions AGAINST doing, ever. They managed to do the trans. correctly, but the "quick lane tech" managed to put 5-1/2 QTS. of oil in while doing the oil change, since apparently putting the correct 4.2 quarts back in, is too difficult to handle. I had to buy a disposable roasting pan and drain the extra out myself. The best part was that, as soon as I handed the keys over, the service writer was in the lounge to give me a solemn talk about how dangerous my tires were. I told him to drop it. As soon as it hit the lift for the trans. service, ANOTHER service writer took another crack at literally attempting to scare me into putting tires on, since it was too dangerous to drive. I drove those tires for another 5K miles before they were truly worn out, with no issues. As I paid the bill, they handed me a bill for $109 plus tax for the trans. service. They tried to add a $10 "environmental fee". They balked at taking it off, until I explained that I would put it on a Visa, and dispute the charge, so it was coming off now or later.
Since then I was in for warranty and had a service writer tell me that he found severely corroded rotors on the car and he could fix the problem for $250. I knew he was working a scam, but I asked what that work involved specifically? He was proposing removing all the rotors then "sanding" them and reinstalling. Since I knew that any decent mechanic could make rusty rotors shine with five minutes of work per rotor, using a small air grinder with a sanding attachment, and never remove anything but the wheels. I tried not to laugh. Good gig if you can get it, the tech. spend half an hour on the task, you bill for $250. The most recent attempted screwing was another warranty repair. Once a year I put new OEM engine air and cabin air filters on the car. The pair are about $45, online. Shortly after doing so, a service writer offered to change the dirt engine and cabin filters for $150. Let's review his offer. He would remove and dispose of $45 worth of new clean filters, and install a matching set. This takes about five minutes and requires no tools, for the low, low, low price of $150.........................um, no.
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Once a year I put new OEM engine air and cabin air filters on the car. The pair are about $45, online. Shortly after doing so, a service writer offered to change the dirt engine and cabin filters for $150. Lets review, remove and dispose of $45 worth of new clean filter, and install a fresh set. This takes about five minutes and requires no tools, for the low, low, low price of $150.........................um, no.
Wow. That's pretty low. We recently took our '06 Odyssey in for a recall on the fuel filter. They had it done in a couple hours, no upsell, nothing extra, just straightforward, pleasant service. Although I overheard them upselling a customer right behind us who had come in for regular maintenance.
I'll still do as much of my own work as I can. It saves sooooo much money.
I made a mistake in early 2010 by buying a 2004 Acura TL with 89k miles on it for $16k. Wish I had bought a $5k car and put that $11k difference into VTSAX. Over the last 7.5 years I have hit a deer twice (same time of night, different deer, same spot on car) and put a lot of miles on it (several trips a year across the midwest to visit friends and family).
Now in 2017 it has 271k miles and a private party KBB estimate of $3k.
I would be thrilled if I got to 300k or more. Does anybody have an early 2000's Honda Accord or Acura TL that has surpassed 300k?
271k miles and a value of $3k? That's pretty crazy.
The Hondas from that era are known for two things: 1) transmissions blowing up on V6 engines, and 2) otherwise lasting forever, given regular maintenance.
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Agreed, look into this if you can. I really really loved my 99 Tacoma Pre-Runner, but when mine failed the test and they offered me 1.5x the KBB excellent value on buyback, I couldn't pass it up and sold it back to them (I paid $4,900 for it and walked away with a bit less than 12k). I have always sooooort of regretted it, because that truck was great, but I have had a lot of great vehicles.
1999 toyota tacoma 2wd based model
bought it 3yrs ago with 33,000 mi
cost $4,000 and helping a friend move
Depending on the state you live in your truck qualifies for the undercoating/frame replacement due to the rust issues they've had. They replaced mine ($11,200 bill) when I was already past 200k miles on it hahaha.
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Wow paddlehat that's an incredibly well written story about how badly these dealerships can be.
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Wow paddlehat that's an incredibly well written story about how badly these dealerships can be.
Thanks for the kind word. A buddy of mine is in the industry, and explained to me that the big three headed toward trying to make their vehicles as maintenance free as possible to counter the behavior of the Japanese and German dealer experience here in the states. You buy a small Chevy, or similar, and it often has no requirements for brake flushing, trans, or coolant maintenance, or other significant service for the first 100K, or more, miles. They also throw in things like roadside service and oil changes for a few years, in some cases. So the thinking goes like this.
You have a Camry or Accord, and it is a good vehicle, totally trouble free in fact. Sadly, your ownership experience has been less than satisfactory, since there is a significant maintenance schedule to follow, AND every time you take it in, the service writer finds several additional maintenance, or small repair items that they strongly recommend.(fuel system flush sound familiar?) Not to mention that they charge obscene rates to do basic maintenance tasks. At the end of four years, you're still a fan of the brand, but really tired of what you suspect is an unreasonable cost of ownership, and fairly confident that the dealer has been screwing you all along. You drop all your receipts on the table and discover that you have spent about a grand a year to keep the thing well maintained, based on dutifully following your "service adviser's recommendations". One day you see an ad for a brand new Malibu, and it looks pretty sharp. You do some shopping and find out that it's three or four grand less than the new Honda you looked at. Then the salesperson tells you that it needs oil changes when the computer tells you to, which is every 8-10K miles, and you should rotate the tires, and the dealer does all that for the first two years. You then ask about the brake fluid, coolant, timing belt, and transmission service, or any other $5-600 thing you had to do every 30K miles on the Honda, or any of the other stuff you spent $4K on, in the last four years? At this point you hear the sweet music that closes the deal, "no, you don't need to think about any of that stuff for the first 100K miles. You don't need to be a genius to figure out that a car that's $4K less, costs $4K less to maintain, and has all the stuff you want, is probably worth taking a chance on.
The sad part is, obsessive maintenance can really make a car last a hell of a lot longer, and car manufacturers selling you on very low maintenance requirements are not interested in seeing that vehicle go 250-300K miles, since it won't. But it only makes sense if you DIY it, or have a trusted affordable mechanic that will do it for you. My CRV gets things like a trans. service every 15K miles, and a rear differential fluid change every 30K. Stuff that literally costs me $15-25 bucks and 15 minutes on my back in my garage. At the Honda dealer these things can run you $100 to 200 each.
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I work in the auto industry now, so thankfully I've got a few recommendations on who to bring my car to when it needs work. The car (2006 Sonata) has 72k miles now. No issues or maintenance needed besides regular oil changes.
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At this point you hear the sweet music that closes the deal, "no, you don't need to think about any of that stuff for the first 100K miles. You don't need to be a genius to figure out that a car that's $4K less, costs $4K less to maintain, and has all the stuff you want, is probably worth taking a chance on.
The sad part is, obsessive maintenance can really make a car last a hell of a lot longer, and car manufacturers selling you on very low maintenance requirements are not interested in seeing that vehicle go 250-300K miles, since it won't. But it only makes sense if you DIY it, or have a trusted affordable mechanic that will do it for you. My CRV gets things like a trans. service every 15K miles, and a rear differential fluid change every 30K. Stuff that literally costs me $15-25 bucks and 15 minutes on my back in my garage. At the Honda dealer these things can run you $100 to 200 each.
So here's my question: do they give out the 100k miles number because that's how long the car will last without any (non-oil, non-tire) maintenance? Or is there some sort of magical pixie fluid in the transmission that can last that long? Or, put another way, will the car fall apart at 100,001 miles if I follow their schedule, and last to 250k if I do more frequent maintenance (transmission, brake fluid, antifreeze, etc)?
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Can only give you my experience and reports from a few guys I know, who turn wrenches for a living. The first to really stretch things like oil changes to the max were the high end Euro brands. One buddy reports a steady stream of work repairing 100K + miles Mercedes and BMWs with extremely expensive internal wear related engine damage, and a history of 11-15K mile intervals on oil changes, They usually arrive to his shop on a rollback. My son runs a company issued F150 with the EcoBoost multi-turbo motor. He was doing oil with synthetic at 5K intervals. He was told that he was required to use onboard maintenance minder to determine when the oil "Really" needed to be changed. At 60K he started to go to roughly 8K intervals as the computer required. By 80K the engine needed $3000 in internal repairs. Another field supervisor, with the exact same truck had the same issue. The same thing applies to "sealed for life, maintenance free" auto transmissions. They run till they puke, and were not talking 300k miles here. You get a new or factory reman. unit delivered to the shop, and swap it out. Profitable and easy for the dealer. Probably would not of happened with a regiment of 30K fluid and filter service on a traditional automatic. I've had too many cars and trucks to keep track of, especially having owned a construction business in the past. I always made an effort to swap most fluids on a 30K or 2-3 year basis, and have never put a transmission in anything except a Focus I got cheap for my daughter. I suspected that trans. was not long for the world when I bought it. I've seen many people in the construction trades and other lines of work, who have put mind blowing amounts of mileage on everything from Chevy vans and Ford pickups to CRVs used as rural mail delivery vehicles. In every case they did regular maintenance. I have had friends who had company trucks while working for a giant excavating outfit. The company had a policy that a light vehicle ( Ford Ranger to F550 size) was only finished if was totaled in a wreck, or had over 400K miles on it, and needed a major drivetrain component. They were big enough to have a repair shop, a body shop and road service and maintenance. They take meticulous care of their fleet, since it gives them the chance to get an average service life that far exceeded what the average Joe ever thought was possible. When it comes to little used, larger specialty trucks, they have some forty and fifty year old trucks on the road.
As you might imagine, I'm not buying into the whole low maintenance/ maintenance free game. It does make it hard to buy a used car lately though. Last year we were looking to upgrade our CRV to a newer one, and I had to pass up on quite a few until I found one that had an acceptable, documented service history. The number of three year old trade-ins and lease returns that were obviously abused, on dealers lots, is pretty scary. Nothing to see a car with nearly bald front tires, and 3X the tread on the rears, since nobody bother to rotate them, no service history, 2-3 brands of tires, and all kinds of odd issues.
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As you might imagine, I'm not buying into the whole low maintenance/ maintenance free game.
Yeah, me neither. our '06 odyssey has one of those "sealed" transmission, i.e. you can change the fluid, but in order to get to the filter, you have to separate the engine and transmission. Ugh.
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Wow I didn't realize one should drain fill the transmission oil so frequently. For the Prius, it says to do it every 180,000 miles.
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Can only give you my experience and reports from a few guys I know, who turn wrenches for a living. The first to really stretch things like oil changes to the max were the high end Euro brands. One buddy reports a steady stream of work repairing 100K + miles Mercedes and BMWs with extremely expensive internal wear related engine damage, and a history of 11-15K mile intervals on oil changes, They usually arrive to his shop on a rollback. My son runs a company issued F150 with the EcoBoost multi-turbo motor. He was doing oil with synthetic at 5K intervals. He was told that he was required to use onboard maintenance minder to determine when the oil "Really" needed to be changed. At 60K he started to go to roughly 8K intervals as the computer required. By 80K the engine needed $3000 in internal repairs. Another field supervisor, with the exact same truck had the same issue. The same thing applies to "sealed for life, maintenance free" auto transmissions. They run till they puke, and were not talking 300k miles here. You get a new or factory reman. unit delivered to the shop, and swap it out. Profitable and easy for the dealer. Probably would not of happened with a regiment of 30K fluid and filter service on a traditional automatic. I've had too many cars and trucks to keep track of, especially having owned a construction business in the past. I always made an effort to swap most fluids on a 30K or 2-3 year basis, and have never put a transmission in anything except a Focus I got cheap for my daughter. I suspected that trans. was not long for the world when I bought it. I've seen many people in the construction trades and other lines of work, who have put mind blowing amounts of mileage on everything from Chevy vans and Ford pickups to CRVs used as rural mail delivery vehicles. In every case they did regular maintenance. I have had friends who had company trucks while working for a giant excavating outfit. The company had a policy that a light vehicle ( Ford Ranger to F550 size) was only finished if was totaled in a wreck, or had over 400K miles on it, and needed a major drivetrain component. They were big enough to have a repair shop, a body shop and road service and maintenance. They take meticulous care of their fleet, since it gives them the chance to get an average service life that far exceeded what the average Joe ever thought was possible. When it comes to little used, larger specialty trucks, they have some forty and fifty year old trucks on the road.
As you might imagine, I'm not buying into the whole low maintenance/ maintenance free game. It does make it hard to buy a used car lately though. Last year we were looking to upgrade our CRV to a newer one, and I had to pass up on quite a few until I found one that had an acceptable, documented service history. The number of three year old trade-ins and lease returns that were obviously abused, on dealers lots, is pretty scary. Nothing to see a car with nearly bald front tires, and 3X the tread on the rears, since nobody bother to rotate them, no service history, 2-3 brands of tires, and all kinds of odd issues.
So we've got an '09 F150 and are following the manufacturer's recommendation of 7500 mi intervals - does that mean we're destroying the engine? Where would I find the "best" maintenance schedule if I can't trust what Ford says? I am not mechanically inclined (every single time I try to take something apart I have to get DH to help me put it back together) but I keep good records and am great about getting maintenance done on time.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Can only give you my experience and reports from a few guys I know, who turn wrenches for a living. The first to really stretch things like oil changes to the max were the high end Euro brands. One buddy reports a steady stream of work repairing 100K + miles Mercedes and BMWs with extremely expensive internal wear related engine damage, and a history of 11-15K mile intervals on oil changes, They usually arrive to his shop on a rollback. My son runs a company issued F150 with the EcoBoost multi-turbo motor. He was doing oil with synthetic at 5K intervals. He was told that he was required to use onboard maintenance minder to determine when the oil "Really" needed to be changed. At 60K he started to go to roughly 8K intervals as the computer required. By 80K the engine needed $3000 in internal repairs. Another field supervisor, with the exact same truck had the same issue. The same thing applies to "sealed for life, maintenance free" auto transmissions. They run till they puke, and were not talking 300k miles here. You get a new or factory reman. unit delivered to the shop, and swap it out. Profitable and easy for the dealer. Probably would not of happened with a regiment of 30K fluid and filter service on a traditional automatic. I've had too many cars and trucks to keep track of, especially having owned a construction business in the past. I always made an effort to swap most fluids on a 30K or 2-3 year basis, and have never put a transmission in anything except a Focus I got cheap for my daughter. I suspected that trans. was not long for the world when I bought it. I've seen many people in the construction trades and other lines of work, who have put mind blowing amounts of mileage on everything from Chevy vans and Ford pickups to CRVs used as rural mail delivery vehicles. In every case they did regular maintenance. I have had friends who had company trucks while working for a giant excavating outfit. The company had a policy that a light vehicle ( Ford Ranger to F550 size) was only finished if was totaled in a wreck, or had over 400K miles on it, and needed a major drivetrain component. They were big enough to have a repair shop, a body shop and road service and maintenance. They take meticulous care of their fleet, since it gives them the chance to get an average service life that far exceeded what the average Joe ever thought was possible. When it comes to little used, larger specialty trucks, they have some forty and fifty year old trucks on the road.
As you might imagine, I'm not buying into the whole low maintenance/ maintenance free game. It does make it hard to buy a used car lately though. Last year we were looking to upgrade our CRV to a newer one, and I had to pass up on quite a few until I found one that had an acceptable, documented service history. The number of three year old trade-ins and lease returns that were obviously abused, on dealers lots, is pretty scary. Nothing to see a car with nearly bald front tires, and 3X the tread on the rears, since nobody bother to rotate them, no service history, 2-3 brands of tires, and all kinds of odd issues.
So we've got an '09 F150 and are following the manufacturer's recommendation of 7500 mi intervals - does that mean we're destroying the engine? Where would I find the "best" maintenance schedule if I can't trust what Ford says? I am not mechanically inclined (every single time I try to take something apart I have to get DH to help me put it back together) but I keep good records and am great about getting maintenance done on time.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It'll be fine.
If you're concerned, send an oil sample in to be analyzed. Blackstone Labs, Wix, and Amsoil offer this service - quite possibly others as well. It's about $25 and will tell you how your oil is doing.
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I work in the auto industry now, so thankfully I've got a few recommendations on who to bring my car to when it needs work. The car (2006 Sonata) has 72k miles now. No issues or maintenance needed besides regular oil changes.
I'm not sure why so many people *still* give Hyundai a bad time...they build some solid cars. I see lots of old Sonatas on the road and they still look sharp. We have a 2012 Sonata and it has been extremely solid...no maintenance needed other than oil changes.
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I work in the auto industry now, so thankfully I've got a few recommendations on who to bring my car to when it needs work. The car (2006 Sonata) has 72k miles now. No issues or maintenance needed besides regular oil changes.
I'm not sure why so many people *still* give Hyundai a bad time...they build some solid cars. I see lots of old Sonatas on the road and they still look sharp. We have a 2012 Sonata and it has been extremely solid...no maintenance needed other than oil changes.
The 2006 ones are the beginning of the better Hyundais. The ones from years before that were not great, hence the reputation. Now, they're on par with most other long-lasting cars.
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So we've got an '09 F150 and are following the manufacturer's recommendation of 7500 mi intervals - does that mean we're destroying the engine? Where would I find the "best" maintenance schedule if I can't trust what Ford says? I am not mechanically inclined (every single time I try to take something apart I have to get DH to help me put it back together) but I keep good records and am great about getting maintenance done on time.
Double check the manual- there are going to be two maintenance schedules. 'Regular' and 'Severe'. If you look for the fine print, they define what 'severe' means- including things like stop and go traffic, idling, short (<10 mile) trips, and any driving below 0°F, or in hot/dusty conditions.
Essentially, you'd be pretty hard pressed to find a car in say, the Northeastern USA or in Canada that doesn't fit the bill for 'Severe' service- Salt, cold, snow, traffic...
It basically changes a couple of intervals- the Transmission Fluid 'Severe' is things like driving on hills, in the winter, or *ever towing anything*. It's astonishing how the intervals change violently- My Sonata's regular Trans fluid service is something like ever 100K or 5 years, whichever comes first, and the 'severe' drops it down to about 30K miles or 30 months, whichever comes first
So you really can't go wrong always using the 'severe' schedule for your cars- it's how taxi fleets go forever, cop cars, etc. etc.
But to each their own. Much like others in the forum, 40 minutes on my back, 2 ramps, 2 jackstands, a socket set and 2 torque wrenches (fine and coarse, and *theoretically* optional) buys me an oil change/transmission fluid change, air filters (cabin and engine), and spark plugs. Coolant takes longer ('cause it includes a flush). Spark plugs too. (though you'd never want to try and take the coil packs off a 2007 sonata without finding out how the clippies work- first pull locking tab A, then squeeze the connector *directly in the center* of tab B to remove...). The Youtube Guy I was watching do it didn't even bother, and had to remove the entire power rail the coils were attached to (unnecessarily) which brings me to my next point-
Many of the standard maintenance are easy as pie when you go to the library, get your service manual (check for a subscription to 'AllData' or any other service manual database) and it tells you where all the little tabs/screwy screws are. With pictures and torque values. Worst case scenario, spend a few bucks and buy the "Factory Service Manual" (not Chilton's or Hayne's, though those are both reasonable- try for the actual manufacturer), and for less than the cost of one dealership oil change, you can at least see what you're up against.
Seriously, people- if you've ever built an Ikea desk, many car maintenance tasks are certainly not beyond you. Just make sure to take all recommended safety precautions while working, and if you get in over your head, call a professional.
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Wow I didn't realize one should drain fill the transmission oil so frequently. For the Prius, it says to do it every 180,000 miles.
Believe me, I have zero interest in telling anybody what "should" be done. There are many who believe that the manufacturer is all knowing, and can be relied upon to provide maintenance schedules that are in your best interest. There are many others who believe the marketing hype that oil is now magical, and lasts 12-15K miles and more. I'll just put it this way. I had a very experienced head mechanic from the local Honda dealer, riding with me in our CRV. I told him that I DIY the Honda Trans. service every 15K, the rear diff. every 30K and engine oil every 5K, with an OEM filter and Mobil one, and asked his opinion of that schedule? I was particularly interested since that schedule is way beyond Honda's recommendations. He thought a minute and said, "that's exactly how I would maintain this thing, with the understanding that a Wix or NAPA gold filter is just as good as OEM". He also noted that there is no serviceable filter on the trans, no directive to ever drop the pan, and it holds eleven quarts, of which three are getting swapped. So, in his opinion, the best hope for a Honda trans. lasting the life of the car is to change it at least every 30K.
YMMV, buy some engines and transmissions are now extremely complex, and built to extreme tolerances. Thinking that extended schedules, or even sealed "maintenance free" in the case of trannies, is a good thing, IMHO, is nothing but a hope, backed by zero evidence, and counter to basic logic.
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Well that's good to find out. I'm going to try to learn how to change the spark plugs on my engine. Probably I can get some help on priuschat.org
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Ditto, I'm also going to try spark plugs, and transmission fluid based on paddedhat's feedback.
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Many of the standard maintenance are easy as pie when you go to the library, get your service manual (check for a subscription to 'AllData' or any other service manual database) and it tells you where all the little tabs/screwy screws are. With pictures and torque values. Worst case scenario, spend a few bucks and buy the "Factory Service Manual" (not Chilton's or Hayne's, though those are both reasonable- try for the actual manufacturer), and for less than the cost of one dealership oil change, you can at least see what you're up against.
Seriously, people- if you've ever built an Ikea desk, many car maintenance tasks are certainly not beyond you. Just make sure to take all recommended safety precautions while working, and if you get in over your head, call a professional.
Plenty of youtube video that show simple maintenance like oil change for almost any cars, or find a forum specific for that car and usually someone has documented how to's with picture or short video.
What is most important is to be safe, especially if you need to jack up the car and crawl under it. Not trying to scare anyone, but plenty of people got hurt or killed working on their cars. It may look easy and simple, but if you are new at this, please do read up and learn the proper way. It helps if you have a friend who can come over and give some pointers, definitely worth beer and pizza.
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If you are lifting a vehicle to work under it, please, please, please use either ramps or jack stands. Both ramps and jack stands provide stable mechanical support.
The jacks included with most vehicles are not stable or safe enough for life safety when there is someone under the vehicle.
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I've been using ramps to raise my front wheels up to change the oil. I hope that's ok.
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I'm not sure why so many people *still* give Hyundai a bad time...they build some solid cars. I see lots of old Sonatas on the road and they still look sharp. We have a 2012 Sonata and it has been extremely solid...no maintenance needed other than oil changes.
I think SOME solid cars is about as accurate as it gets with Hyundai. My brother just left a 2013 Sonata at the dealer for about 2-1/2 months, while awaiting a new engine. Thanks to their extended drivetrain warranties, he didn't spend a dime, and got thousands of dollars worth of free rental car use also. At one point, about a month in, he stopped by the dealer and asked when he was getting his car back? The service department told him that he was fifth in line, out of a total of thirteen Sonatas waiting for new engines, and it could be another 2-3 months. Apparently there is no shortage of various Hyundai products with engines that self destruct. Had this happened a few months later, his car would of had in excess of 100K miles on it, and he would of been out of warranty. Like a lot of their new car buyers, my brother life it typically a financial cluster-F and he would of had a $5K repair bill on a car that he is upside down on.
Before investing more than "beater car" money on a Hyundai, I would be well versed in exactly what engines, in what models, are likely to grenade, and if it has a documented factory replacement, and maintenance history.
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In Europe Hyundai is actually considered pretty reliable, atleast the ones from this millenium. I'm on my second (first just worked fine and never let me stranded, but wanted something newer).
We do get different models and engine.
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The ford escape hybrid is 10k miles away from 250k today. can wait to see it hit 500k. - if we dont have self driving electric cars that make owning one at all cost prohibitive at that point.
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If you are lifting a vehicle to work under it, please, please, please use either ramps or jack stands. Both ramps and jack stands provide stable mechanical support.
The jacks included with most vehicles are not stable or safe enough for life safety when there is someone under the vehicle.
And what a lot of people think that is not important: wheel chocks.
A while back, next door neighbor jacked up his car, took driver side front wheel off, but did not have wheel chocks. While he was working on it, the car started to slide backward because the garage has a slope. I happened to step outside, and saw him pushing the back of the car. He was trying to stop the car from moving backward. He was in a panic and yelled at me for help. If the car kept moving backward, it would come off the jack and crashed into the pavement. I ran back inside grab my wheel chocks and secure the car.
Until he moved out many months later, as far as I know, I do not think he ever bought a wheel chocks (~$5 at WalMart). I cringed every time I see him working on his car. Some people just do not learn from past experience.
EDIT: noticed the other day that wife's SUV has over 230K.
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Our "new to us" car has 240 000 kms on the dial. We had the same model Holden Commodore as our last car before our son crashed it at 560 000 kms. It seemed a sensible choice for $2000 and I know how to change the oil.
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62,000 mile 44 year old car here , historic vehicle over 40 years old so it has no road tax ( approx £200 pa saving ) .
No depreciation, it is slowly going up in value.
classic insurance limited to 7000 miles a year £220 inclusive of breakdown cover. MOT test exempt in 6 years time when it gets to 50.
8-16 mpg is the downside but i only do about 2500 miles a year tops.
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2001 Corolla here. 260,000 or so kms. Got it cheap 11 years ago because it was an ex rental, but with a great service history. I've basically had to do nothing to it aside from the usual service stuff. The only real thing has been replacing the rear wheel bearings. The gearbox is starting to be a little slippy, but only a tiny bit so that might be the thing to do in a year or so.
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Just about to hit 288,000 miles on my December of 1990 build Toyota MR2. Shooting for 300k now, but we'll have to see... Thanks to reading MMM I drive so little anymore that it may rust apart before then!
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Just about to hit 288,000 miles on my December of 1990 build Toyota MR2. Shooting for 300k now, but we'll have to see... Thanks to reading MMM I drive so little anymore that it may rust apart before then!
Mine is nearly at 270k chassis miles! I think it has a Dec build date as well.
I might have some ignition breakup to track down...about 4500-5000rpm in 3rd at ~25psi on my drive to work today, it started getting a bit sputtery.
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Just about to hit 288,000 miles on my December of 1990 build Toyota MR2. Shooting for 300k now, but we'll have to see... Thanks to reading MMM I drive so little anymore that it may rust apart before then!
One of the YouTube guys I watch just bought an MR2 as a project car. I'm curious to see how much he'll fix it up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vgDFcjwDJA
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478000Km on the 19 year old toyota landcruiser. The only reason I have it is because I actually go offroad every day. Spare parts are cheap in this part of the world and everyone knows how to fix them. I will drive it until I finally get my company car and then it will be used to move the falcons and other animals.
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We handed down our 1998 Nissan Quest to our daughter and her husband and kid. It's old and ratty, but it only has ~137k miles. Our 2012 Elantra, on the other hand, has about 102k.
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478000Km on the 19 year old toyota landcruiser. The only reason I have it is because I actually go offroad every day. Spare parts are cheap in this part of the world and everyone knows how to fix them. I will drive it until I finally get my company car and then it will be used to move the falcons and other animals.
1998 LC? That is what my wife drives :)
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Not really a high mileage or old car brag but my car is ten years old and has done just over 40,000 miles. I cycle to work every day. I want to do less than 35,000 for the next 10 years. I think the body work may be a problem long before the engine is!
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I've been putting off registering until I saw this topic. This was a deal maker.
I've got a 1996 Honda Accord with 180k miles. I've had it since high school (~2001) and I drive it less than 5k miles a year, sometimes way less. i get about 26 mpg when I drive it. Unless I sell it, I'll have to get new tires soon because the rubber is starting to crack even though the tread is still almost perfect. Oh yeah, I bike everywhere. (I didn't realize that cycling was a big sport until I moved out to CA. Bikes are for commuting - right?)
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Had to chime in again regarding my 1997 Honda Civic HX (2dr coupe). I bought it with 290k miles on it for $900. It currently has over 297k miles on it. Nothing but oil since. I'll change the timing belt/water pump at 300k miles, in my front drive way.
I just loaned the "Little Beater Honda" to my Aussie friends, to drive up to Canada and back to visit their friends. It's so fuel efficient (averaged 38.5mpg over past 800 miles), that they used only 1 tank of fuel over 400mi (common place really, 10gl at 2.59/gl), and it saved them over $100 in bus fairs and other transport.
Not only do I save shit loads by driving it, but I can help my friends save shit loads too.
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I've been putting off registering until I saw this topic. This was a deal maker.
I've got a 1996 Honda Accord with 180k miles. I've had it since high school (~2001) and I drive it less than 5k miles a year, sometimes way less. i get about 26 mpg when I drive it. Unless I sell it, I'll have to get new tires soon because the rubber is starting to crack even though the tread is still almost perfect. Oh yeah, I bike everywhere. (I didn't realize that cycling was a big sport until I moved out to CA. Bikes are for commuting - right?)
I've mentioned this before, maybe even in this thread, but it's a life safety issue, so here it is again. Tires fail because they have exceeded their service age. Old tires become brittle as they degrade due to the loss of various compounds within the rubber, over time. As a result they can, and will, blow apart while in use, which can be fatal. There is a date code stamped on all tires used in the north American market, and it's easy to figure out. Look for a four number code that is molded into the sidewall. The first two numbers are the week #, so if it's a 27 it means that the tires were built in the 27th week of the year, or roughly the first week of July. The second set is the year code. For example 0117 means that the tire was built the first week of 2017. When it comes to exactly what is too old, there are various opinions, but most tire manufacturers, vehicle makers, and the federal government seem to agree to a range of 6-7 years.
https://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/Documents/2014_Tire_Safety_SYM_Panel_4b_Kane.pdf
Unfortunately, cracking of tread is often a poor indication of tire condition, with some brands and regions of weather being famous for cosmetic cracking. OTOH, cracking may be a significant issue, and old tires that are ready to blow can look nearly unused and be free of cracks. This can be a hot topic with the RV owning crowd, since it's common to have travel trailer tires and motorhome tires that are nearly unused, with no visible tread wear, at the 6-7 year old point. Unfortunately, trailer tires can blow by flailing large "whips" of semi-detached tread until severe damage has been done to the camper. In motorhomes, especially the big ones, losing a tire on the front, can make the thing uncontrollable. Obviously, the members here that own cars that are very lightly used, and owned for an unusually long time, are prime candidates for tire failure due to driving on tires that are too old to be safe. The other issue would be MMMers who cut costs by buying used tires. Getting a new looking set of tires for 1/2 price is hardly a bargain if they are five years old.
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I just loaned the "Little Beater Honda" to my Aussie friends, to drive up to Canada and back to visit their friends. It's so fuel efficient (averaged 38.5mpg over past 800 miles), that they used only 1 tank of fuel over 400mi (common place really, 10gl at 2.59/gl), and it saved them over $100 in bus fairs and other transport.
Dangit, you're making me miss the '94 Civic I drove right after college. I loved that car--fun to drive and cost almost nothing to run.
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I've been putting off registering until I saw this topic. This was a deal maker.
I've got a 1996 Honda Accord with 180k miles. I've had it since high school (~2001) and I drive it less than 5k miles a year, sometimes way less. i get about 26 mpg when I drive it. Unless I sell it, I'll have to get new tires soon because the rubber is starting to crack even though the tread is still almost perfect. Oh yeah, I bike everywhere. (I didn't realize that cycling was a big sport until I moved out to CA. Bikes are for commuting - right?)
I've mentioned this before, maybe even in this thread, but it's a life safety issue, so here it is again. Tires fail because they have exceeded their service age. Old tires become brittle as they degrade due to the loss of various compounds within the rubber, over time. As a result they can, and will, blow apart while in use, which can be fatal. There is a date code stamped on all tires used in the north American market, and it's easy to figure out. Look for a four number code that is molded into the sidewall. The first two numbers are the week #, so if it's a 27 it means that the tires were built in the 27th week of the year, or roughly the first week of July. The second set is the year code. For example 0117 means that the tire was built the first week of 2017. When it comes to exactly what is too old, there are various opinions, but most tire manufacturers, vehicle makers, and the federal government seem to agree to a range of 6-7 years.
https://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/Documents/2014_Tire_Safety_SYM_Panel_4b_Kane.pdf
Unfortunately, cracking of tread is often a poor indication of tire condition, with some brands and regions of weather being famous for cosmetic cracking. OTOH, cracking may be a significant issue, and old tires that are ready to blow can look nearly unused and be free of cracks. This can be a hot topic with the RV owning crowd, since it's common to have travel trailer tires and motorhome tires that are nearly unused, with no visible tread wear, at the 6-7 year old point. Unfortunately, trailer tires can blow by flailing large "whips" of semi-detached tread until severe damage has been done to the camper. In motorhomes, especially the big ones, losing a tire on the front, can make the thing uncontrollable. Obviously, the members here that own cars that are very lightly used, and owned for an unusually long time, are prime candidates for tire failure due to driving on tires that are too old to be safe. The other issue would be MMMers who cut costs by buying used tires. Getting a new looking set of tires for 1/2 price is hardly a bargain if they are five years old.
This is great info paddedhat, and even buying new tires, you still need to verify the manufacture date since inventory can sit (the tires my car had previously were actually 2 years old when they were installed "new"). For replacement tires, Tirerack was great (recommended here many times), ordered new tires for my older Accord that they guaranteed to be newly manufactured for $315 last year.
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Tirerack is an interesting situation. Once I add shipping and installation to their prices, I find it pretty easy to match or beat their prices locally. I just needed to replace tires on my motorhome, which was a horrifyingly unmustachian adventure. I was looking at $350 a piece (X6) for locally sourced mid-grade tires. I found "simple tire" online. They had the tires shipped to a local truck repair shop, in a few days, with free shipping. They were $202 each. They guaranteed fresh tires, and all six were made in July. It worked out well and saved me about $600 in the end. Tirerack is a great resource, but don't hesitate to ask your local tire dealer to match their prices.
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Tirerack is an interesting situation. Once I add shipping and installation to their prices, I find it pretty easy to match or beat their prices locally. I just needed to replace tires on my motorhome, which was a horrifyingly unmustachian adventure. I was looking at $350 a piece (X6) for locally sourced mid-grade tires. I found "simple tire" online. They had the tires shipped to a local truck repair shop, in a few days, with free shipping. They were $202 each. They guaranteed fresh tires, and all six were made in July. It worked out well and saved me about $600 in the end. Tirerack is a great resource, but don't hesitate to ask your local tire dealer to match their prices.
+1. Tirerack is the best site to find information, but not necessarily the best price.
Great post @paddedhat re tire safety.
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This is worth a look. It's an ad a guy made to sell his girlfriend's 1996 Honda Accord.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KlNeiY4Rf4
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I have a VW Bora that is coming up on 237,000 miles. Its 15 years old, and I plan to drive it until something major happens. Until then, its on the road and working hard.
My wifes car died recently and we ended up buying a BMW 1 Series, a truly beautiful car, but not exactly frugal. We paid half up front and will be paying off the second half over 3 years. Not too bad, but we intend to keep it for a long time, so hopefully it turns out to be a good purchase.
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I have a VW Bora that is coming up on 237,000 miles. Its 15 years old, and I plan to drive it until something major happens. Until then, its on the road and working hard.
My wifes car died recently and we ended up buying a BMW 1 Series, a truly beautiful car, but not exactly frugal. We paid half up front and will be paying off the second half over 3 years. Not too bad, but we intend to keep it for a long time, so hopefully it turns out to be a good purchase.
You bought a new BMW, and financed half of it. It was not a good purchase. It was a very expensive one.
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I'm sad. I'm moving to a new place that doesn't support parking for 2 vehicles, so my littlest car has to go.
I received the first offer on Kijiji this morning: "I'll give you $250 for that trashcan on wheels."
Man, people sure know how to flatter you, huh? Made me unexpectedly sadder this morning.
I'd almost rather give it to someone who would get use out of it rather than sell it to some asshole (especially considering how much time and effort I put into bringing it back up to factory spec).
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I'm sad. I'm moving to a new place that doesn't support parking for 2 vehicles, so my littlest car has to go.
I received the first offer on Kijiji this morning: "I'll give you $250 for that trashcan on wheels."
Man, people sure know how to flatter you, huh? Made me unexpectedly sadder this morning.
I'd almost rather give it to someone who would get use out of it rather than sell it to some asshole (especially considering how much time and effort I put into bringing it back up to factory spec).
Take your oldest trash can you have, weld some wheels onto it, and sell it to that guy for $250. I hate that crap. It's unavoidable with Craigslist unfortunately. They'll send that message to 1000 sellers, and one might say yes.
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Take your oldest trash can you have, weld some wheels onto it, and sell it to that guy for $250. I hate that crap. It's unavoidable with Craigslist unfortunately. They'll send that message to 1000 sellers, and one might say yes.
Honestly man, I really appreciate the support. I know I'd be a terrible content creator, because I let that douche get to me worse than I ever expected- If I had to contend with a 'comments' field I'd be screwed xD
*Sigh* It wouldn't hurt so much if I hadn't put so much into the car, both moneywise and time wise. But I learned a lot. And grew to appreciate just exactly how tinker-toy like the inside of those things are from a repair perspective when you see the inside of a more luxurious engine compartment.
If I get $500 CAD for it, my cost/KM will be $0.53,
If I get $1000 CAD for it, my cost/KM will be $0.42.
Either way, I get to keep all the tools.
Too soon, cruel world. To soon to take this sweet prince.
I am so awful at buying beaters at riding them into the ground. I have an obsession with trying not to abuse mechanical objects, and that includes maintaining things well beyond a logical limit. It has bitten me very hard today.
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1999 Jeep Wrangler Sport
185,000 miles
22 MPG
Dirt cheap and easy to fix when things break (they rarely do)
Purchased in 2014 for $8,000, worth about the same today, primarily because SoCal loves Jeeps
Also
2004 Honda Odyssey
150,000 miles
27 MPG
Leaking like a sieve from every orifice...more work than it's worth, and hoping to sell in the next couple of years.
Purchased this past summer for $4,200
When we move again in about a year and a half, I'm putting my foot down when it comes to commuting. Pulling my bike back out for trips to/from work. The Jeep will become solely a toy for family fun on weekends.
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Take your oldest trash can you have, weld some wheels onto it, and sell it to that guy for $250. I hate that crap. It's unavoidable with Craigslist unfortunately. They'll send that message to 1000 sellers, and one might say yes.
Honestly man, I really appreciate the support. I know I'd be a terrible content creator, because I let that douche get to me worse than I ever expected- If I had to contend with a 'comments' field I'd be screwed xD
*Sigh* It wouldn't hurt so much if I hadn't put so much into the car, both moneywise and time wise. But I learned a lot. And grew to appreciate just exactly how tinker-toy like the inside of those things are from a repair perspective when you see the inside of a more luxurious engine compartment.
If I get $500 CAD for it, my cost/KM will be $0.53,
If I get $1000 CAD for it, my cost/KM will be $0.42.
Either way, I get to keep all the tools.
Too soon, cruel world. To soon to take this sweet prince.
I am so awful at buying beaters at riding them into the ground. I have an obsession with trying not to abuse mechanical objects, and that includes maintaining things well beyond a logical limit. It has bitten me very hard today.
What car is it? PM me :)
*Edit* never mind, I see your other post saying you got offer/s over asking.
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280K and going strong.
It's a Honda Accord, so basically just keep driving and it fixes itself. Also just lucky. Very little maintenance needed that I couldn't do myself. :)
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This is the car not to buy car: in 2014 I overpaid about $1000 for a 1998 Subaru Forester S. It needed a brake job right away, then I had to get the tree sap cleaned off it. I should have sold it when the first major repair happened. Or the second. Or the third. I finally gave up end of 2016 when it needed a head gasket job.
2 reasons not to get a Subaru:
- boxer engines are notorious for leaky head gaskets
- without the 6-speed automatic, mileage is crap
But you guys probably knew that anyways. At least it was 1/2 the cost to insure than the car before.
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2008 Subaru Outback, 162k. bought 2 years ago, previous owner replaced head gasket/timing belt so I didn't have to deal with that. However I have had a lot of other things replaced, wheel bearings, front/rear suspension, ball joints, sway bars, brakes and cat converter. Now looking at tires before the snow starts flying here in Michigan. One could say a lot of this stuff is wear/tear items that would have to be replaced on any auto with this mileage/age right????? Oh, and I paid cash for it so I feel better about that. Next car will be much smaller and efficient though....honda fit, toyota yaris, ford fiesta or focus and manual tranny if I can help it.
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This is the car not to buy car: in 2014 I overpaid about $1000 for a 1998 Subaru Forester S. It needed a brake job right away, then I had to get the tree sap cleaned off it. I should have sold it when the first major repair happened. Or the second. Or the third. I finally gave up end of 2016 when it needed a head gasket job.
2 reasons not to get a Subaru:
- boxer engines are notorious for leaky head gaskets
- without the 6-speed automatic, mileage is crap
But you guys probably knew that anyways. At least it was 1/2 the cost to insure than the car before.
I once read a fascinating series of posts (on another forum) from a guy who owned a small, independent Subaru repair shop in Vermont. As many might already know, that part of the states is well stocked with Subarus. He wrote of the curious cult attachment that Subie owners seem to be afflicted with. He had a ton of loyal customers, many who pride themselves in driving their cars until they just can't be fixed anymore. He noted that it's the only brand he has ever worked on, where owners of supposedly durable, economy cars, will unhesitatingly toss large amounts of money at, often repeatedly, to keep the car on the road. He claimed that he has many customers who will have multiple sets of head gaskets, wheel bearings, or other expensive repairs, by the time the car is finished, and typically have a repair history of spending $4,000+ at his shop.
That's kind of amazing to me. As a loyal Honda owner, I can safely say that decades of owning, maintaining, repairing and putting countless hundreds of thousands of miles on ALL of them, they never required $4,000 in major repairs. Especially since absolutely none of them ever required a major repair at all.
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2008 Subaru Outback, 162k. bought 2 years ago, previous owner replaced head gasket/timing belt so I didn't have to deal with that. However I have had a lot of other things replaced, wheel bearings, front/rear suspension, ball joints, sway bars, brakes and cat converter. Now looking at tires before the snow starts flying here in Michigan. One could say a lot of this stuff is wear/tear items that would have to be replaced on any auto with this mileage/age right????? Oh, and I paid cash for it so I feel better about that. Next car will be much smaller and efficient though....honda fit, toyota yaris, ford fiesta or focus and manual tranny if I can help it.
Short answer? Hell no. I have driven many vehicles past ten years and 160K miles and never replaced anything you mentioned, with the exception of sway bar bushings, which were a quick, easy $40 DIY job. When it's time to get rid of that wallet sucker, stick with a Toyota or Honda. As much as MMM, and some of the crowd here, claim that the smaller Fords are worthy, there is a mountain of evidence to the contrary. In the group you are thinking of, it's a Fit or Yaris, end or the story. Everything else will be more expensive to operate, and less reliable.
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2008 Subaru Outback, 162k. bought 2 years ago, previous owner replaced head gasket/timing belt so I didn't have to deal with that. However I have had a lot of other things replaced, wheel bearings, front/rear suspension, ball joints, sway bars, brakes and cat converter. Now looking at tires before the snow starts flying here in Michigan. One could say a lot of this stuff is wear/tear items that would have to be replaced on any auto with this mileage/age right????? Oh, and I paid cash for it so I feel better about that. Next car will be much smaller and efficient though....honda fit, toyota yaris, ford fiesta or focus and manual tranny if I can help it.
Short answer? Hell no. I have driven many vehicles past ten years and 160K miles and never replaced anything you mentioned, with the exception of sway bar bushings, which were a quick, easy $40 DIY job. When it's time to get rid of that wallet sucker, stick with a Toyota or Honda. As much as MMM, and some of the crowd here, claim that the smaller Fords are worthy, there is a mountain of evidence to the contrary. In the group you are thinking of, it's a Fit or Yaris, end or the story. Everything else will be more expensive to operate, and less reliable.
Shit!! Thanks for the face punch, not the answer I was hoping for :-) Yah I'm guilty of the "I've sank this much money into it I can't afford to get rid of it now! I did have a 2002 Honda Accord that I love'd and regret to this day getting rid of it. I did have the water pump/timing belt replaced as recommended on all honda's, but other than that just brake pads and of course oil changes that I do myself all but once a year when I pay to have it done by a mechanic so they can check other things out as a general safety measure.
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2004 Nissan Sentra, purchased for $7k with 13,000 miles in 2010. Currently sitting at 59,000 miles. I will drive this car till I get close to FIRE.
It's funny that I thought this was a Mustachian purchase, but 3 years later, we have 88k on the clock and she's going strong. 8 years and the only thing I've done is oil changes, new battery, brake pads, tires. She still has a KBB of $2k.
Caveat - SO drives her now. I replaced my car with an unmustachian 2008 g37s in 2016. 21k miles on the odometer for $16.5k =p
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We are full time travelers. We bought a 2004 one ton Dodge RAM DRW a couple of years ago to be our dedicated hauler/daily driver. We bought it to replace our 1998 Dodge RAM 2500 that I used to haul horses for many years. The older truck got HORRIBLE gas mileage, or we would have kept it for hauling us around. So this "newer" truck is a diesel and is our only vehicle. At the campgrounds, it is definitely one of the "older" tow vehicles which doesn't bother me at all.
DH really, really wants a newer truck. I don't see the need for anything newer. Our Dodge does have a couple of issues that can be annoying but we've already put enough into it that it should be gtg for another 100k miles.
To tempt him further he recently got a small inheritance at which time he was 100% sure he would spend it on a newer tow vehicle. After looking online at pricing he came to his own conclusion that we are better off spending that money on another rental property.
/whew - I feel like I dodged a bullet.
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1987 Toyota Corolla Hatch
Purchased for $700 w/100k, now has 150k. Did replace the A/C, timing belt, headgasket, front brakes (calipers, rotors, pads) and struts -- but that actually wasn't terribly expensive over the course of 50k and the car just runs. Plan to drive it while it keeps going, but do not intend to do any more major maintenance items.
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1987 Toyota Corolla Hatch
Purchased for $700 w/100k, now has 150k. Did replace the A/C, timing belt, headgasket, front brakes (calipers, rotors, pads) and struts -- but that actually wasn't terribly expensive over the course of 50k and the car just runs. Plan to drive it while it keeps going, but do not intend to do any more major maintenance items.
I learned to drive on an '87 Corolla. My parents finally put it out to pasture with 250k miles, not because of any mechanical issues, but because 15 years of Wisconsin winters left it with almost more rust than bodywork.
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1987 Toyota Corolla Hatch
Purchased for $700 w/100k, now has 150k. Did replace the A/C, timing belt, headgasket, front brakes (calipers, rotors, pads) and struts -- but that actually wasn't terribly expensive over the course of 50k and the car just runs. Plan to drive it while it keeps going, but do not intend to do any more major maintenance items.
I learned to drive on an '87 Corolla. My parents finally put it out to pasture with 250k miles, not because of any mechanical issues, but because 15 years of Wisconsin winters left it with almost more rust than bodywork.
That is the biggest issue with old cars in the midwest and northeast. Somehow this one is still in one piece.
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1998 Isuzu Rodeo with 203,000 miles
Got it as a wedding gift in 2004 used with 109,000 on the odometer. We've been a one car family for about half that time with that one usually as our one car. It's not great on gas (average ~20 mpg with responsible driving around town), but we've used it to make one west-east cross country move and several north-south trips between Michigan and Florida. It sat unused for a year, but is now my once-a-week work vehicle.
Other brag-worthy notes on it. I was recently rear-ended and earned a bonus of $340 for a cosmetic blemish that makes my ride that much more of an eff you to the status seeking population. When my family came to town for Christmas, my brother thought about renting a car. I told him absolutely not. He ended up using that ol' reliable and loved it. His wife even enjoyed the opportunity to drive a stick shift again.
Yes, I have done some work on it to keep it running, but nothing that a novice like me couldn't figure out. I still look on Craigslist for its replacement from time to time, but this forum thread alone will propel me another couple years. Heck, by then, I might even crack 210,000.
Sold it earlier this month for $1000. It only had 206,400 miles on it.
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Not super extreme, but my only car is a 1999 Mazda Miata that i use during the summer when i'm back home. It has 90k miles on it and has never seen winter. However, my Mustachian goal is to never buy another car again. Twenty years later, so far so good!
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2003 Toyota Corolla. Most reliable, least-repaired car I ever owned. Taking it in tomorrow morning for semi-annual "physical" and oil change.
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VW is now at 241,000
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2005 Chevy Cavalier with 219,000. My previous '02 cavalier went to 285,000 miles. You can be these cars below 75,000 miles and pay around $4,000. Main thing to remember is change your fuel pump around 150,000 miles. Few other issues with these cars.
I commute, deliver pizza and pull a 5 x 8 trailer with it. In my opinion these cars are under appreciated.
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This thread made me happy. Being the resident car guy among my friends the advice I give all the time when they inevitably ask what they should buy: Unless you care about cars as much as I do buy a cheap Honda or Toyota and be done with cars forever.
My anti-mustachian, yet mustichian car: 2001 Honda S2000. Put 240,000 of the 290,000km it has on it through some pretty aggressive driving (I used to race it). In that time, other than oil changes I replaced: rotos/pads once, rear wheel hub/bearing (common problem), drive belt, spark plugs. That's it. I did the work myself so all of that cost me about $800 or so. I drove it year round for ten years. Pretty fantastic for a performance car.
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Husband has a 1992 F150 pickup. Bought it brand spankin new for about $12k. Still going strong.
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Recently bought a 2001 Astra for $3000. It has 250000 kms on the clock. Should be good for 150000 more.
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I had bought my Honda Civic 2001 or 2003 for $3200 with 105k miles. This car was in top shape ... nothing wrong with it. AC didn't work though and I never got to make it work because never felt the need...
I sold it 3 years later for $4500 and with 145k miles ... only used oil and a new CV Joint. I miss that car... too bad it wasn't a manual transmission or I probably would have kept it
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This was my first car:
(https://i.imgur.com/p41GAxN.jpg)
on my husband's birthday years ago, when I booked him a Ferrari ride. I loved that car so much. It was first owned by my grandparents, I drove into it's 19th year of existence. Note the many shades of red (grandpa had parking issues as he got old). Nobody was taking me seriously in traffic ;-).
I drive a 20.. eh, no idea, 2005, maybe? Suzuki Alto now. I bought it because it's cheap in insurance and road tax, reliable and cheap in maintenance.
We just traded in husbands Hyundai Matrix, great car without mayor costs but it was getting really old, had a lot of mileage and the timing belt had to be replaced soon. Unfortunately the newer Hyundai models were more than we wanted to spend so we bought another brand.
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Sorry, but I'm not that big on high miles. I would rather pick up an 'older' car with low miles.
I picked up a 2004 cavalier 7 years ago for a great price. I've added about 50K miles to it with nothing but oil changes and a new set of tires. (A little bit of gas as well.)
I realize most will not consider 2004 as "old". But take into account:
1. Very faded - not in the cool "hiphop" / "rap" way either. This car looks more like it's made last century, not this one.
2. It's a Cavalier.
I could still resell for at least what I paid for it. - That makes my cost per mile pretty close to what I paid for gas!
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I used to have a 1995 140K mile Fiat Tipo, that I got for 1 dollar.
But I sold it over 3 years ago.
For 85 dollar.
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03 Toyota Camry - still runs great at 500k km (310k miles)
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This was my first car:
(https://i.imgur.com/p41GAxN.jpg)
on my husband's birthday years ago, when I booked him a Ferrari ride. I loved that car so much. It was first owned by my grandparents, I drove into it's 19th year of existence. Note the many shades of red (grandpa had parking issues as he got old). Nobody was taking me seriously in traffic ;-).
I drive a 20.. eh, no idea, 2005, maybe? Suzuki Alto now. I bought it because it's cheap in insurance and road tax, reliable and cheap in maintenance.
We just traded in husbands Hyundai Matrix, great car without mayor costs but it was getting really old, had a lot of mileage and the timing belt had to be replaced soon. Unfortunately the newer Hyundai models were more than we wanted to spend so we bought another brand.
Chevy Sprint, or european equivalent?! That was my first car too (though in 2012...). Mine was blue. The guy I bought it from won it at Burger King back in the day so it just sat as an extra car (~42,000 miles on the clock when I bought it). That car was great, but was nearly rusted out by the time I crashed it into a Jeep. :(
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1999 Toyota Camry with 114k on the odometer. She's missing the passenger side mirror, but Black Beauty is still going strong.
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1999 Toyota Camry with 114k on the odometer. She's missing the passenger side mirror, but Black Beauty is still going strong.
Up until a couple years ago, I had never been to a junk/salvage yard. I've been now a few times, and it simply boggles my mind how cheap parts are. I mean, sure, you have to spend some of your time to go there and pull it off the car, but my preferred junk yard will sell a side mirror for $15.
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New to the MMM community...I have a 2001 Ford Freestar with 380,000 miles, still going strong. I don't expect any other car to even get close to that mileage. Downside is the terrible gas mileage, only 17 mpg city.
I also have a 2006 Nissan Altima with 220,000 but the AC went out, the fuel sensor doesn't work, and theres a leak in the coolant line.
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New to the MMM community...I have a 2001 Ford Freestar with 380,000 miles, still going strong. I don't expect any other car to even get close to that mileage. Downside is the terrible gas mileage, only 17 mpg city.
I also have a 2006 Nissan Altima with 220,000 but the AC went out, the fuel sensor doesn't work, and theres a leak in the coolant line.
Sounds like a good opportunity to pick up some new skills!
I don't know if our '06 Honda Odyssey qualifies as old or high-mileage, but I did a bit of cheap repair on it tonight. Honda Odysseys have a well-earned reputation for door rollers that fail (and cause all sorts of nasty scraping noises, and if you ignore it long enough, nasty scrapes along the bodywork). The actual rollers are made of plastic, are sort of riveted in place, and rotate around a plain shaft. No lubricant as far as I can tell. Seriously designed to fail.
Rather than pay $40/door for the whole new roller assembly, I figured out a way to remove the solid (like a washer) retaining ring, pull the failing plastic rollers off, and replace them with nylon spacers from the hardware store ($0.59 ea!). And then I thought "there's gotta be a ball bearing this size."
As it turns out, there is. A standard, plain ol' 605ZZ bearing ($1.29 for a pair shipped all the way from China!) not only works, it fits like a glove. That, plus a couple of e-clips ($12 for a set of several hundred in various metric sizes) and half an hour's work, and now I have a door roller that will not only last practically forever, it will also be easy to repair if/when needed. It sure seems like the engineers planned to have a replaceable ball bearing there, but then the beancounters told them to save $0.50 by putting plastic spacers there instead.
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My car is 12 years old and in great condition. Low miles. I installed a remote starter myself, love it, especially in the winter.
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Late to the discussion:
I have a 2001 Lexus RX300 with 265,000 miles on it. Registration was just paid at $75. I love this car and will not get a new one until it dies.
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I've got a truck with approx 220K on it and my wife's SUV has 125K.
They aren't going anywhere anytime soon!
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I have a '01 Subaru Forester with 145,000 miles. Minus the head gaskets ($$$), which I knew about when I bought the car and budgeted for, it's been very easy on repairs and has averaged about one $2-300 annually, which is certainly less than a car payment! I'm planning to drive it to 200,000 miles and maybe even longer if it's still economical to do so.
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Not sure if I can call it overly old, but the other week I picked up a 2002 Holden Barina with 111,000km for $3000.
It's got plenty of space for the driver for a small hatchback, and the 1.4L engine has plenty of go.
Let's see how long it lasts :)
I've got a photo of the odo at 111111 as well :)
Still running well at 146000km (91000 miles). The first service was expensive (timing belt), and I had to replace the pedal box a couple of years ago as something bent when I pressed the clutch, but aside from that it’s been fine.
Should be good for a while yet, but I wonder if I should sell it in a year or two while it’s still got some value left in it and buy something a few years newer. Waiting for the third gen Prius to get cheap enough, but I may not drive enough to justify it :)
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Not sure if I can call it overly old, but the other week I picked up a 2002 Holden Barina with 111,000km for $3000.
It's got plenty of space for the driver for a small hatchback, and the 1.4L engine has plenty of go.
Let's see how long it lasts :)
I've got a photo of the odo at 111111 as well :)
Still running well at 146000km (91000 miles). The first service was expensive (timing belt), and I had to replace the pedal box a couple of years ago as something bent when I pressed the clutch, but aside from that it’s been fine.
Should be good for a while yet, but I wonder if I should sell it in a year or two while it’s still got some value left in it and buy something a few years newer. Waiting for the third gen Prius to get cheap enough, but I may not drive enough to justify it :)
My advice would be to drive it until it dies. It will be cheap enough to find something else then.
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I had a 2000 Toyota Echo with 285k on it. Manual trans, no air con, manual windows, manual locks, etc.
It was (by far) the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned.
42+ mpg
I finally sold it after taking a work from home job, and realizing that it didn't make sense to let it degrade om the driveway.
Saved me a TON of money over the years when I had a commute.
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1998 Toyota Landcruiser
285,000 Miles
Not exactly frugal 14 MPGs, but supports year round recreation for a family of 6.
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Just last month replaced the factory front brakes on my 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid ~191,000 miles
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my VW is now at 242,000
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Our car is 42 yrs old
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My 2006 Prius died this month at 320,000 miles!
She died NOT due to mechanical failure but due to the teenage driver she kept safe in 3 different accidents over the last 3 months. I was really hoping to get 500k miles from her but I guess that will not be happening. Glad the kiddo is safe! Bummed the car is gone, I am sure it was very non-MMM but I brought her brand new after college. I like to think it was a good purchase considering I got 12 years and 320k miles out of her.
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My 2006 Prius died this month at 320,000 miles!
Sorry to hear that Slow&Steady. What will you get for your teen driver now?
In other news my 2004 Acura TL just crossed the 299,000 mark yesterday.
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My 2006 Prius died this month at 320,000 miles!
Sorry to hear that Slow&Steady. What will you get for your teen driver now?
We got a 98 Ford Ranger ($500), no clue how many miles. Told him that it is his job to learn how to drive a stick (hopefully requiring him to pay more attention) and to fix the multitude of little things that were wrong with it. He has done a somewhat decent job of figuring how to drive the manual transmission but is really struggling with getting the taillights re-wired so that they work properly. I am hoping that making him invest some time into the truck and requiring him to pay more attention while driving (manual), plus the drivers ed that I made him re-take will help him "have some skin in the game" and drive more carefully.
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The 2006 Sonata we have just hit 80k miles! The other car is a 2018 Civic... but we intend to have that for 30 years.
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I live in an 83 motorhome if that counts, and my DD is an 86 Toyota 4runner with 200K! Unfortunately it currently has the engine out and I'm rebuilding the bottom end and putting a new head on it. In the meantime Im driving the 2000 jeep Wrangler with 150k until the truck is fixed, then I'll sell it. Unfortunately, the jeep currently needs a starter...
Due to that laundry list of issues, my wife is daily driving a 2018 Honda fit we just bought new. She's putting 500miles/week on it, and we will drive it until it won't drive any more. It was some calculated mustachian grey area.
Unfortunately, the truck is unmustachian in that it can't be driven on the salt, so i might have to supplement with a beater i can find for a couple grand this winter
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My daily driver is a 2007 Lincoln Town Car. Former airport shuttle car that I traded a used lawn mower for. In the six months I've owned it, I have had to replace the starter and a squealing serpentine belt and tensioner. Starter failed, belt just squealed and annoyed me. $150 total cost for all of it, and I did the repairs myself in my driveway. It's sitting at 368,000 miles now and runs like a brand new car, while giving me the ride of a Lincoln. This coming from a guy that had a brand new car before I became more mustachian to the tune of $482.76 per month (but who's keeping track?).
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The hubby drives a '95 Chevy 1/2 ton with over 300k miles, it's his daily driver and work horse for stuff needing to haul and work around the new land, he can fix everything on it. I have an '06 Grand Caravan about to turn over 200k that is used mainly for occasional trips to town and the rare trip out of town, plus can haul and amazing amount of stuff in inclement weather. Neither of these vehicles cost over $1600 cash.
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My GX470 turned 198k today!
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My Vanagon has over 305K on the odo. Original engine as far as I know, but I've only had it about 4 or 5 years. I use it for work and for family trips etc. There's nothing else on the market like it, seats 7 or 2 + 1 ton of materials and tools (I'm a contractor and designer). It's old enough that you don't need special computers to fix it, and new enough that the body is relatively safe, despite no airbags. I do my own work on it which is good and bad. There are a few places that specialize in parts.
What year is your Vanagon, I assume it's the original air cooled engine. I love those vans, I'd like to find one with a blown engine and put in a Subaru replacement to help with performance, reliability and mileage.
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My husband uses a 1988 Cutlass Cierra as his "farm car". It has over 250,000 miles on it. It runs like a champ! Though we also have farm truck, it doesn't get the gas mileage as the car. We live on a rock road and it's pointless to run for parts with a gas hog truck.
He was stopped by law enforcement on the way to the John Deere store a few years back because it looked "like a drug car". He politely told the officer he was running for tractor parts. The officer was rather sheepish.
One time I drove the car to the school that I taught at in 2005. (By then the car was 17 years old.) A student said loudly in class, "Hey Ms. K! I heard your car and then I saw it!" I laughed with him and said "Our plan is to pay for college for three kids and retire with money in the bank!" The class looked at me quizzically.
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My story is not so much high mileage as low cost to drive.
In 2007 we bought a 97 Lexus for $4,000, friend was trading it in
and was offered $4,000, we said we would buy it for that price.
We drove it many years then my son went to college and he took it
and drove several more.
In 2018 it had 217,000 mile on it, we decided to sell it.
We got $2,900 in the sale.
$1,100 difference in 11 years is $100 a year!
And, it was a nice car!
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Hit 300,000 miles on the 2004 Acura TL yesterday.
(http://i64.tinypic.com/2nkuo48.jpg)
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My husband uses a 1988 Cutlass Cierra as his "farm car". It has over 250,000 miles on it. It runs like a champ! Though we also have farm truck, it doesn't get the gas mileage as the car. We live on a rock road and it's pointless to run for parts with a gas hog truck.
He was stopped by law enforcement on the way to the John Deere store a few years back because it looked "like a drug car". He politely told the officer he was running for tractor parts. The officer was rather sheepish.
One time I drove the car to the school that I taught at in 2005. (By then the car was 17 years old.) A student said loudly in class, "Hey Ms. K! I heard your car and then I saw it!" I laughed with him and said "Our plan is to pay for college for three kids and retire with money in the bank!" The class looked at me quizzically.
Oh 1988 Cutlass Ciera! Mine was white with dark blue interior and 3.8L v6. It was my first car in college, then my commuter car for my first job (~25 miles one way to work). My family and I drove that car all over Eastern side of the US. I taught my wife and cousin how to drive in that car.
I drove it from ~40K until ~220K miles. I kept all of the maintenance in top shape, except that it developed intermittent electrical problem. I spent almost a year trying to figure out it out, finally donate it to a charity as junk car.
I stayed away from home on the day that the tow truck came and took it away...
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Hit 300,000 miles on the 2004 Acura TL yesterday.
(http://i64.tinypic.com/2nkuo48.jpg)
Badass! I hope to get 300K on my Toyota Prius one day. It's at 215 right now, so I'm over 70% of the way there.
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Rats, I forgot to take a picture when my odometer hit 222,222 a week or two ago.
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Hit 300,000 miles on the 2004 Acura TL yesterday.
(http://i64.tinypic.com/2nkuo48.jpg)
My hubs is driving this model. Much lower mileage on his though - 240,000 Kilometers. He bought it used in 2007. It was red - now it is kind of pink. My brothers make the odd comment and his retort is "at least it isn't rusty orange" His goal is to get to 20 years on the road. At the rate that he adds mileage - it is very likely from your evidence this is completely doable.
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Hit 300,000 miles on the 2004 Acura TL yesterday.
Badass! I hope to get 300K on my Toyota Prius one day. It's at 215 right now, so I'm over 70% of the way there.
Thanks MM - I'm looking at either a Prius or Volt as a replacement for this one when she dies.
Hit 300,000 miles on the 2004 Acura TL yesterday.
My hubs is driving this model. Much lower mileage on his though - 240,000 Kilometers. He bought it used in 2007. It was red - now it is kind of pink. My brothers make the odd comment and his retort is "at least it isn't rusty orange" His goal is to get to 20 years on the road. At the rate that he adds mileage - it is very likely from your evidence this is completely doable.
Yes, tell your husband that it's definitely doable. I bought mine used in 2010, and it has served me well these past 8 years.
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Only 10 years old (2008 Honda Fit) and unimpressive mileage compared to most here but my brag is that I gave birth in the back seat and we're still using it.
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Only 10 years old (2008 Honda Fit) and unimpressive mileage compared to most here but my brag is that I gave birth in the back seat and we're still using it.
I'm hoping it got a wash inside....
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Only 10 years old (2008 Honda Fit) and unimpressive mileage compared to most here but my brag is that I gave birth in the back seat and we're still using it.
I'm hoping it got a wash inside....
Yes we paid for an extensive car detailing. Biohazard cars apparently don't faze car-wash guys in L.A.
The older kids have done much worse than the newborn baby ever did; they are responsible for the glitter glue ground into the carpet and stickers inside the windows and so forth
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Only 10 years old (2008 Honda Fit) and unimpressive mileage compared to most here but my brag is that I gave birth in the back seat and we're still using it.
I'm hoping it got a wash inside....
Yes we paid for an extensive car detailing. Biohazard cars apparently don't faze car-wash guys in L.A.
The older kids have done much worse than the newborn baby ever did; they are responsible for the glitter glue ground into the carpet and stickers inside the windows and so forth
That's fantastic, and hilarious at the same time. Will you ever part with the car, or does it hold a special bond now?
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Only 10 years old (2008 Honda Fit) and unimpressive mileage compared to most here but my brag is that I gave birth in the back seat and we're still using it.
I'm hoping it got a wash inside....
Yes we paid for an extensive car detailing. Biohazard cars apparently don't faze car-wash guys in L.A.
The older kids have done much worse than the newborn baby ever did; they are responsible for the glitter glue ground into the carpet and stickers inside the windows and so forth
That's fantastic, and hilarious at the same time. Will you ever part with the car, or does it hold a special bond now?
The time will definitely come; we are so rough on cars, this one being no exception. I assume we'll take a photo with it as a family and then sell it for parts. :D
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2008 ford escape hybrid. 190k miles picked it up in a fleet vehicle raffle at work. 5400 bucks. I drive a lot for work and get the 56.5 cents per mile accounting for gas tires and oil my car was completely paid back to me by my company in 4 months after purchase
up to 253k miles now still running strong.
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I still have my first car! Which was a hand me down. And the relative I got it from got it from a repo auction at our bank. It's got 270k miles on it and it's a 1994 or 96 Chevrolet Tahoe...don't recall right now actually. Technically an SUV, but not much bigger than some of the current "cross over" models like the Ford Escape. I think it's crazy how much bigger SUVs have gotten. Not the perfect MPG, but a good old reliable thing.
EDIT: Just went on KBB. My car is worth $2100! =P
Update on this- we ended up gifting this car to a relative in a rough spot when my husband got a job with crazy long drives to clients and needed a more reliable and fuel efficient car. Recently visited said relative- this old thing is still going strong! God knows how many miles now, I forgot to ask.
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I have low mileage car 2014 Mazda 2, which I bought brand new 4.5 years ago, before I started cycling everywhere for transportation. It has now 17000 miles on it, which is less than 4000 miles per year. And only because my wife drives it a couple of time a week.
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I learned to drive on an '87 Corolla. My parents finally put it out to pasture with 250k miles, not because of any mechanical issues, but because 15 years of Wisconsin winters left it with almost more rust than bodywork.
[/quote]
OMG me too! 5-speed of course. Best little car. They subsequently got go-go 1980s pay raises and traded it in for a brand new Volvo. Boo. It was the beginning of a slippery slide into rampant keeping-up-with-the-Joneses. Then again, there was a lot of that going around in the 80s, and it's always easy to judge things with the retrospectoscope on.
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I learned to drive on an '87 Corolla. My parents finally put it out to pasture with 250k miles, not because of any mechanical issues, but because 15 years of Wisconsin winters left it with almost more rust than bodywork.
OMG me too! 5-speed of course. Best little car. They subsequently got go-go 1980s pay raises and traded it in for a brand new Volvo. Boo. It was the beginning of a slippery slide into rampant keeping-up-with-the-Joneses. Then again, there was a lot of that going around in the 80s, and it's always easy to judge things with the retrospectoscope on.
Yes, 5-speed, of course. About 10 years later, they upgraded to a Camry with leather seats. Oh, the luxury!
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Amazing post!!!
My wife’s VW Touareg is pushing on to 55k miles (a 2013 car) and we are considering selling it as we feel it’s already high mileage and are afraid it will start entering the phase when it requires money thrown at it to maintain it in good condition.
On the same token, I have never felt comfortable buying a used car with more than 30k miles on the clock...
This whole post is making me reconsider how I am thinking about car reliability and car ownership!!
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Not a car, but my motorcycle (2011 model bought new for a big discount in 2012) is at 91K kilometres. I will be holding onto it until it dies. My expectation from others with the same bike is that it should go for at least 250K.
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DH and I share one car, a 2005 Honda Pilot that I bought brand new in March 2005, in my pre-MMM days. She’s approaching her 14th birthday in a few weeks and has almost 188K miles. It’s been a terrific car and keeping it after paid off, and not going into debt again for a car purchase, has been one of the smartest financial decisions we’ve ever made. Only “repair” it’s needed was a new motor for the driver’s side window, all else has been routine maintenance. We plan to keep her until she dies.
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Amazing post!!!
My wife’s VW Touareg is pushing on to 55k miles (a 2013 car) and we are considering selling it as we feel it’s already high mileage and are afraid it will start entering the phase when it requires money thrown at it to maintain it in good condition.
On the same token, I have never felt comfortable buying a used car with more than 30k miles on the clock...
This whole post is making me reconsider how I am thinking about car reliability and car ownership!!
Let me suggest you reconsider with your next car. If you sell the Touareg right now and buy something else with 50,000 miles on it, pretty much anything else, you'll come out ahead. I owned a Touareg for a couple of years, and I'm not sorry, because the seats seem to have helped to heal a back injury better than tons of physical therapy. As a medical treatment, it was very cheap. As a vehicle, well, expenses really start to pile up about 75,000 miles. I never in all my days imagined parts could cost so much, and I finally hit the point of things I could not repair at home despite a lifetime of experience. I don't even want to talk about what the one shop 40 miles away that was willing to work on the thing charged.
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Amazing post!!!
My wife’s VW Touareg is pushing on to 55k miles (a 2013 car) and we are considering selling it as we feel it’s already high mileage and are afraid it will start entering the phase when it requires money thrown at it to maintain it in good condition.
On the same token, I have never felt comfortable buying a used car with more than 30k miles on the clock...
This whole post is making me reconsider how I am thinking about car reliability and car ownership!!
Let me suggest you reconsider with your next car. If you sell the Touareg right now and buy something else with 50,000 miles on it, pretty much anything else, you'll come out ahead. I owned a Touareg for a couple of years, and I'm not sorry, because the seats seem to have helped to heal a back injury better than tons of physical therapy. As a medical treatment, it was very cheap. As a vehicle, well, expenses really start to pile up about 75,000 miles. I never in all my days imagined parts could cost so much, and I finally hit the point of things I could not repair at home despite a lifetime of experience. I don't even want to talk about what the one shop 40 miles away that was willing to work on the thing charged.
Thank you for that!!
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Amazing post!!!
My wife’s VW Touareg is pushing on to 55k miles (a 2013 car) and we are considering selling it as we feel it’s already high mileage and are afraid it will start entering the phase when it requires money thrown at it to maintain it in good condition.
On the same token, I have never felt comfortable buying a used car with more than 30k miles on the clock...
This whole post is making me reconsider how I am thinking about car reliability and car ownership!!
Let me suggest you reconsider with your next car. If you sell the Touareg right now and buy something else with 50,000 miles on it, pretty much anything else, you'll come out ahead. I owned a Touareg for a couple of years, and I'm not sorry, because the seats seem to have helped to heal a back injury better than tons of physical therapy. As a medical treatment, it was very cheap. As a vehicle, well, expenses really start to pile up about 75,000 miles. I never in all my days imagined parts could cost so much, and I finally hit the point of things I could not repair at home despite a lifetime of experience. I don't even want to talk about what the one shop 40 miles away that was willing to work on the thing charged.
Thank you for that!!
yeah, you'll notice that a disproportionate percentage of old vehicles in this thread come from Japanese companies. German engineering has a well-earned reputation.
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Amazing post!!!
My wife’s VW Touareg is pushing on to 55k miles (a 2013 car) and we are considering selling it as we feel it’s already high mileage and are afraid it will start entering the phase when it requires money thrown at it to maintain it in good condition.
On the same token, I have never felt comfortable buying a used car with more than 30k miles on the clock...
This whole post is making me reconsider how I am thinking about car reliability and car ownership!!
Let me suggest you reconsider with your next car. If you sell the Touareg right now and buy something else with 50,000 miles on it, pretty much anything else, you'll come out ahead. I owned a Touareg for a couple of years, and I'm not sorry, because the seats seem to have helped to heal a back injury better than tons of physical therapy. As a medical treatment, it was very cheap. As a vehicle, well, expenses really start to pile up about 75,000 miles. I never in all my days imagined parts could cost so much, and I finally hit the point of things I could not repair at home despite a lifetime of experience. I don't even want to talk about what the one shop 40 miles away that was willing to work on the thing charged.
Thank you for that!!
yeah, you'll notice that a disproportionate percentage of old vehicles in this thread come from Japanese companies. German engineering has a well-earned reputation.
The differences are significant - a few years back I was considering a used BMW 335, so I went down the avenue of forum research. I was highly amused at all the people asking if they should buy this "high mileage" BMW...with 60k on it. I didn't buy one.
I sold my last Toyota pickup at ~283k and am friends with the new owner, who's over 300k now. I'm at 205k and climbing on my GX470 with no doubts it'll make it to 300 and beyond.
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Just got a 14 year old Renault Laguna diesel with just over 150k miles on it.
Not sure how long this one'll go, to be honest. We'll see!
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I bought a brand new 2002 Toyota Tacoma back in '02...so facepunch...but I've kept it this entire time and now have about 250,000 miles on it. Still running like a champ, Tacom's are bulletproof I'm convinced. I recently bought my mom's 2005 Ford Escape with less than 20,000 miles on it for $2500 which I thought was a great deal! For my daily driver I used to drive a 96 Toyota Celica with 220,000 miles on it but we gave that away to a friend.
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I posted about my car way back. Still have it, 2010 Maxda3 hatchback, bought sort of new (dealer demo car). 275,000+ km, runs great. And it is amazing what I can get into the back, no need for an SUV.
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Amazing post!!!
My wife’s VW Touareg is pushing on to 55k miles (a 2013 car) and we are considering selling it as we feel it’s already high mileage and are afraid it will start entering the phase when it requires money thrown at it to maintain it in good condition.
On the same token, I have never felt comfortable buying a used car with more than 30k miles on the clock...
This whole post is making me reconsider how I am thinking about car reliability and car ownership!!
Let me suggest you reconsider with your next car. If you sell the Touareg right now and buy something else with 50,000 miles on it, pretty much anything else, you'll come out ahead. I owned a Touareg for a couple of years, and I'm not sorry, because the seats seem to have helped to heal a back injury better than tons of physical therapy. As a medical treatment, it was very cheap. As a vehicle, well, expenses really start to pile up about 75,000 miles. I never in all my days imagined parts could cost so much, and I finally hit the point of things I could not repair at home despite a lifetime of experience. I don't even want to talk about what the one shop 40 miles away that was willing to work on the thing charged.
Thank you for that!!
yeah, you'll notice that a disproportionate percentage of old vehicles in this thread come from Japanese companies. German engineering has a well-earned reputation.
The differences are significant - a few years back I was considering a used BMW 335, so I went down the avenue of forum research. I was highly amused at all the people asking if they should buy this "high mileage" BMW...with 60k on it. I didn't buy one.
I sold my last Toyota pickup at ~283k and am friends with the new owner, who's over 300k now. I'm at 205k and climbing on my GX470 with no doubts it'll make it to 300 and beyond.
Good lord.
I think I am done w BMW... my BMW M3 has spend the last 3months being fixed at the dealer for various faults... I got it back a few wow ago, and the actuators (£2k repair) are packing up... brought my car home into limping mode today. It’s got 40k miles on the clock! Thank god every was / is covered by the BMW CPO warranty.
I might have to go Japanese at some stage
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I have an '03 Honda Element with 190k miles. I plan to drive it until at least 250k, if not 275k. It seems like these things can go forever. I just did about $2k of work (suspension, brakes, engine) which is the first maintenance I've had to do (aside from the normal oil change type stuff). I paid $6700 for it about 5 years ago, so I am happy!
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Our 2010 Prius has 130K miles (bought it a couple years ago at 101K).
We have for sale a (loaded and immaculate) 2009 Prius with 140K miles on it. Selling it for a family member. Any interest, midwest US mustachians?
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My brother is just now selling a 2001 Honda Civic that's been passed around the family since it was new. It doesn't even have that high of a mileage (100k?).
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My 2004 Pontiac Vibe is 13 years old and just recently crossed the 200k mileage mark. It still runs well. Its never used any oil. It still has the original brakes and has only had one unexpected repair (cat converter). I have bought 16 tires for it and really have one more I should replace.
Still trucking along at 220k. Spent $500 on a repair in 1-2018 as a result of a small mishap (teenager driver, first real experience with winter driving :()
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My husband uses a 1988 Cutlass Cierra as his "farm car". It has over 250,000 miles on it. It runs like a champ! Though we also have farm truck, it doesn't get the gas mileage as the car. We live on a rock road and it's pointless to run for parts with a gas hog truck.
He was stopped by law enforcement on the way to the John Deere store a few years back because it looked "like a drug car". He politely told the officer he was running for tractor parts. The officer was rather sheepish.
One time I drove the car to the school that I taught at in 2005. (By then the car was 17 years old.) A student said loudly in class, "Hey Ms. K! I heard your car and then I saw it!" I laughed with him and said "Our plan is to pay for college for three kids and retire with money in the bank!" The class looked at me quizzically.
Oh 1988 Cutlass Ciera! Mine was white with dark blue interior and 3.8L v6. It was my first car in college, then my commuter car for my first job (~25 miles one way to work). My family and I drove that car all over Eastern side of the US. I taught my wife and cousin how to drive in that car.
I drove it from ~40K until ~220K miles. I kept all of the maintenance in top shape, except that it developed intermittent electrical problem. I spent almost a year trying to figure out it out, finally donate it to a charity as junk car.
I stayed away from home on the day that the tow truck came and took it away...
Glad to see the love for the Cutlass Ciera on here...I'm rockin' a 1995 Buick Century (nearly identical to it's GM brother Cutlass Ciera). Still enjoy driving it, it's shockingly reliable, good in the snow and easy to work on (replaced the alternator recently and I am not very mechanical). I've got a whole 30,000 miles on it now, expect this to be my last car considering I drive at MMM-like mileage levels each year!
- Chops
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I have 1997 Toyota T-100 pickup truck, the recent hurricane caused minor damage, one dent and a couple of very minor dimples; The truck has 112,000 miles on it.
Because of the damage the insurance company totaled it. I had $1,000 deductible and the insurance co. company paid me $2,996 and then I bought the truck back for $726.00.
So, I have my truck with a coupleof dents for $726.00.
Such a deal!
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Let me see if I got the math right. You paid your deductible $1k) plus $726, and your insurance company paid you almost $3k. So you netted $1300 to keep your truck. Nice!
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My car is now ten years old and I have nearly 80,000 miles on it. I know that's a lot of miles for the age of the car, but I have to commute 32 miles round-trip everyday. That's pretty much the only thing I use the car for. Otherwise, I walk or ride my bicycle everywhere I need to go. I just read an article that taxi version of my car have upwards of 600,000 miles on them, so I'm hoping I'll be able to keep this car for another 20 years at least. Maybe more if the body holds up.
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My 2001 Subaru Forester just crossed 150,000 miles and is still going strong—just took it on a road trip with friends this weekend (we carpooled). I've had it for 8 years and have no intentions of getting rid of it any time soon. I'm aiming for 250,000 miles.
Plus, how many cars do you know that have a functioning tape deck? It scores major retro brownie points.
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My 2001 Subaru Forester just crossed 150,000 miles and is still going strong—just took it on a road trip with friends this weekend (we carpooled). I've had it for 8 years and have no intentions of getting rid of it any time soon. I'm aiming for 250,000 miles.
Plus, how many cars do you know that have a functioning tape deck? It scores major retro brownie points.
Ha, my 2005 Lexus has one too. I wonder if it's ever been used!
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My 2001 Subaru Forester just crossed 150,000 miles and is still going strong—just took it on a road trip with friends this weekend (we carpooled). I've had it for 8 years and have no intentions of getting rid of it any time soon. I'm aiming for 250,000 miles.
Plus, how many cars do you know that have a functioning tape deck? It scores major retro brownie points.
Ha, my 2005 Lexus has one too. I wonder if it's ever been used!
Hahahaha! I actually use a cassette adapter so I can listen to music in the car, so I make use of the tape deck pretty regularly. I just Googled and they apparently make Bluetooth cassette adaptors too, so no cords... now we're talking!
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My 2001 Subaru Forester just crossed 150,000 miles and is still going strong—just took it on a road trip with friends this weekend (we carpooled). I've had it for 8 years and have no intentions of getting rid of it any time soon. I'm aiming for 250,000 miles.
Plus, how many cars do you know that have a functioning tape deck? It scores major retro brownie points.
Ha, my 2005 Lexus has one too. I wonder if it's ever been used!
Hahahaha! I actually use a cassette adapter so I can listen to music in the car, so I make use of the tape deck pretty regularly. I just Googled and they apparently make Bluetooth cassette adaptors too, so no cords... now we're talking!
I ended up buying a bluetooth adapter that plugs into where the factory CD changer was (the CD changer was broken anyway). It works quite well.
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Well, I already bragged on my 1997 Toyota T-100 bought in 2000 for $11,000, it now has 108,000 miles on it.
Hurricane Michael caused a little damage to it, and the insurance company totaled it, the gave me $3,000 for it.
I bought it back for $726. So now I have $8,726 into it.
It has one 6" x 1" dent in the rear of the cab and 3 small dimples on the hood. I didn't and don't plan on fixing anything caused by the hurricane.
I don't know if I bragged on the 1997 Lexus, bought for $4,000 in 2006 and sold for $2,900 in 2017.
I figured that as $100 a year. I think it was sold with 217,000 miles on it and the buyer told me a week later that he loved the car.
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It's not really high milage, but a really good price
I paid £500 for my 06 vw polo with 70k miles on it. It needed new disks on the front (£80) but now its good to go.
The previous owner had a front end crash, but had replaced the bumper and wing from another car. This means it has fog lights fitted, but no switch inside for them. Other than that it's a fantastic little car
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this guy is my hero... He gives zero F*cks what people think I bet.
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/nation-world/man-drives-75-pickup-to-work-for-38-years/85-28716583-67c1-446a-ad87-d35be85c868b
Anyone beat this?
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Well, I already bragged on my 1997 Toyota T-100 bought in 2000 for $11,000, it now has 108,000 miles on it.
Hurricane Michael caused a little damage to it, and the insurance company totaled it, the gave me $3,000 for it.
I bought it back for $726. So now I have $8,726 into it.
Did you buy it back from the insurance company?
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this guy is my hero... He gives zero F*cks what people think I bet.
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/nation-world/man-drives-75-pickup-to-work-for-38-years/85-28716583-67c1-446a-ad87-d35be85c868b
Anyone beat this?
Now that's frugal! I have a friend who bought a 1990 Honda Prelude and it's still the only car he's ever had. I'm sure he'll drive it for many more years.
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Our 2004 Ford Focus does not get driven much, it is the second car for when our Leaf won't handle the distance. I bike commute nearly exclusively, so the Focus mostly sits. Currently it is at about 130k miles.
Over the last few years I've done a bunch of work myself to-date to keep it alive:
1) Replace vacuum relay that caused a check engine light.
2) Replaced ignition coils to fix hesitation during acceleration.
3) Replaced MAF sensor, which didn't due anything for the hesitation.
4) Replaced all 3 engine mounts (!) to get rid of vibration/humming (one had collapsed, another was pretty well cracked)
5) Replaced wheel bearing.
6) Replaced battery terminal that cracked/corroded.
Basically I've kept it running well enough to keep the "when do we get a new car?" talk at bay. With the bike commuting I have probably bought myself at least 3-4 years on that discussion in total.
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I have a 2003 Honda Accord with over 160,000 km on it. DH wants me to change it, but I flat out told him no. All it needs is a spray job , and a minor upholstery job on the driver's seat. I plan to get both items taken care of later this year.
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Most of our vehicles are high mileage... Our 91 Festiva has over 258k now.. granted I got it with 253k or so three years ago free from dad. He had it from 98 and 81k. Pretty rusty but seeing how long I can get out of it. The junk... the Focus has 140k+ and got for no cost when my sister passed. We've drove it for 8 years and almost 60k but have put $2500 in it that time. The Escape has 160k with no major issues except rust which I'm dealing with that now. I'd like to keep the Focus and Escape till at least 200k /20 years but we'll see.
The only ones that can't be high mileage are is the 05 Class C RV with 65k and the 00 Dakota with 95k. All paid for but don't really need 5 cars for two drivers lol!
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97 Honda CRV that I bought from my parents in 2001. Currently sitting at 248k. I only drive roughly 2k miles a year so I'm hoping that it will last me another 10 years or so. Just now starting to see a few rust spots and I live in the midwest.
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2006 VW Rabbit with 118,000 miles on it. Bought new. I’m starting to think about a new car, but I just passed ten years since I’ve had a car payment. I think I’m going to get a new set of tires instead. Then i’ll have to keep this car for at least 2 more years.
Also, I’m sure this was posted earlier in the thread, but :
https://www.theonion.com/toyota-recalls-1993-camry-due-to-fact-that-owners-reall-1819577805
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this guy is my hero... He gives zero F*cks what people think I bet.
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/nation-world/man-drives-75-pickup-to-work-for-38-years/85-28716583-67c1-446a-ad87-d35be85c868b
Anyone beat this?
Now that's frugal! I have a friend who bought a 1990 Honda Prelude and it's still the only car he's ever had. I'm sure he'll drive it for many more years.
I dunno about frugal. That truck probably get 10-15 miles/gallon on a good day. Honda Prelude, which I think has 4 cylinder, that is frugal.
My 04 Lexus also has tape deck.
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Our '06 Odyssey just cracked 175k miles last week on our vacation. At this point, it's a race between the mileage and the rust.
I dunno about frugal. That truck probably get 10-15 miles/gallon on a good day. Honda Prelude, which I think has 4 cylinder, that is frugal.
My 04 Lexus also has tape deck.
Well, avoiding a $40,000 truck purchase would pay for at least 10,000 gallons of gas. Even with bad gas mileage, he's got four decades of that money working for him!
Heh, my car ('95 Corolla) has a tape deck. Which sadly stopped working last year.
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Bought my 1995 Toyota Tercel brand new in New Hampshire! Only the second car I have owned. Still have it, 160,000 miles later, and having brought it all the way to Hawaii! Runs great, but the salty air is making it rust badly, and the sun is destroying the plastic parts... Sadly, it will die here eventually.
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I have an '08 Outback which has about 192,500 on the odometer. No interest in replacing any time soon (if ever). I thankfully went from a 80+ mile roundtrip commute to a 6 mile roundtrip commute last summer so that should hopefully prolong the life a bit!
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moved overseas a year ago and sold my Buick Enclave and Buick Verano. Bought a 2009 VW Touran diesel van; 225K km. I can drive about 650 miles on a $80 tank of gas (fuel is about twice as much here as it is in the US) but we mostly just use it for road trips around Europe. I bike to work and the kids go to school within walking distance of our house. Grocery, restaurants, bars, shops etc. are all within a 15 min walk.
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moved overseas a year ago and sold my Buick Enclave and Buick Verano. Bought a 2009 VW Touran diesel van; 225K km. I can drive about 650 miles on a $80 tank of gas (fuel is about twice as much here as it is in the US) but we mostly just use it for road trips around Europe. I bike to work and the kids go to school within walking distance of our house. Grocery, restaurants, bars, shops etc. are all within a 15 min walk.
Good to see that Kind if mileage on a modern VW. Our family car is a 2013 Touareg that we have taken to nearly 60k miles. Following some of the horror stories I’ve read online on higher mileage Touaregs, I was contemplating changing it at some point next year.
I might take my chances and see if we can push to 100k
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Our '06 Odyssey just cracked 175k miles last week on our vacation. At this point, it's a race between the mileage and the rust.
I dunno about frugal. That truck probably get 10-15 miles/gallon on a good day. Honda Prelude, which I think has 4 cylinder, that is frugal.
My 04 Lexus also has tape deck.
Well, avoiding a $40,000 truck purchase would pay for at least 10,000 gallons of gas. Even with bad gas mileage, he's got four decades of that money working for him!
Heh, my car ('95 Corolla) has a tape deck. Which sadly stopped working last year.
LMAO.. why $40K truck..
My point is there are plenty of trucks with 4 cyl, better gas mileage and can carry more than that old truck. Even accounting for gas, you can come up ahead financially, and pollute less than burning 10K gallons of fuel. And also be safer on the road, think anti lock brakes, air bags etc.
At some point keeping an old car is more expensive than getting a newer car, unless one buying a $40K truck.
I just realize someone mentioned Toyota T-100 ^^. +1, that is a great truck!
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Hubs was quiet at a work lunch when all his colleagues were moaning about their car repair bills. 6K in two years, 2k here and 2k there. His immediate supervisor has had three vehicles since he started there in 2010 and the latest new car needed an $800 repair but on warranty. He just had to bite his lip to stay silent. He took our pink (faded red) 2004 acura in for an oil change this morning. That car has needed the odd replacement parts (fogged up tail lights, brakes, tires, timing belt etc) but we couldn't think of a repair since the whole spiders in the air intake thing just after we bought it in 2007. We gotta hang on to this baby until it is as least 20. Maybe even until we can go down to one car.
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2001 Honda Insight with 200k with a 5 speed manual. I bought it in barely running condition for $1200, fixed it up myself. The eco-junker has to be the greatest category of vehicle of all time. Laughing when it hails, ignoring the minor issues, and being able to scrap the vehicle for more than the purchase price is the ultimate luxury.
This has to be one of the cheapest cars to operate. It gets 65 mpg even though the hybrid battery is disconnected. I replaced the 12v battery for $20 (fancy lay-z-boy riding lawn mower sized). It only needs 2.5 quarts of 0w-20 so a 5 qt jug of the fanciest stuff lasts for 2 years. With only 3 cylinders think of the spark plug savings over a 4 cyl (it is about $0.75/year)! Owing to its aluminum body, rust is a non-issue and its scrap value is surprisingly high.
Plus, you cant get road rage if your the slowest car on the road, and not just by choice!
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That car has needed the odd replacement parts (fogged up tail lights, brakes, tires, timing belt etc) but we couldn't think of a repair since the whole spiders in the air intake thing just after we bought it in 2007. We gotta hang on to this baby until it is as least 20. Maybe even until we can go down to one car.
Other than the tail lights, all those things are maintenance, not repairs!
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After being car-free for 2 years I finally bought a car, a 2004 Toyota Corolla Levin station wagon, 5 speed manual with 150K kms for about $3600 USD equivalent.
I had been borrowing my father's Toyota Landcruiser while he was off travelling the country with my mother. I parked it in front of my garage in my apartment complex but didn't use it much as I'm still biking to work (mine is the only garage on the side of the complex, so I wasn't blocking anyone's access) and I got a fairly angry note left on the windshield about how I couldn't park in the driveway. At the same time, the neighbour below me was regularly parking overnight in the driveway in front of my garage (all residents have the right to use it to drop off groceries or elderly visitors, for example), even though I was pretty sure she was the one who put the note on the Landcruiser. So I thought, f*** it, I'll buy a car, put it in MY garage (its a small garage so the 'cruiser wouldn't fit) then no one can park in the driveway.
Absent-mindedly browsing car sales websites I had my heart set on an NB Miata MX5 (i'm a car guy and have owned an MX5 before), but I happened upon this perfect-spec Corolla and knew it would be a more sensible choice - much easier to throw bikes into but still a little bit sporty.
I had the very satisfying conversation this week with my downstairs neighbour. I told her that I now had a car, and would sometimes be using it instead of my bike for commuting. She semi-apologised for using the driveway and said she totally understood and would keep it clear so I could come and go as I pleased.
I LOVE driving the Corolla. It's like a sports car compared to the Landcruiser and fits like a glove into my garage, protected from the UV and humidity of Sydney. I changed the oil and oil filter yesterday for like $40 in parts, very easy to do. I could have had the free use of the cruiser for the next two months then bought a car but I don't think I would find one in this spec in decent condition.
My plan is to keep bike commuting to work, but now I have the car to visit friends and family at short notice in different parts of my city or do the odd longer road trip, which I feel is worth the roughly US$1500-2000 yearly ownership costs.
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Just rolled 250k yesterday on my 2000 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab! Still driving my 95 Honda Accord Wagon as my commuter but have needed the truck to pick up bigger heavier things that won't fit in my wagon lately. The wagon is up to 326k right now...
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Crossed 200k on my '06 4Runner a few weeks back. Woo hoo!
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I have a 2003 Honda Accord with over 160,000 km on it. DH wants me to change it, but I flat out told him no. All it needs is a spray job , and a minor upholstery job on the driver's seat. I plan to get both items taken care of later this year.
You should just get a seat from a recycler.
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We have an 07 Prius. Rebuilt Title. 251K miles. Also an 09 Prius with around 240K miles.
Also 1999 Mustang Cobra with 192K miles. Not Mustachian, but fun to drive.
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2009 Medium Silver Blue Hyundai Sonata GLS
Bought it off of my sister out of college for $3,000.
Had it for 5 years as of September.
Just broke 100k miles.
Commute one way for the past few years has been 3.7 miles.
I'd rather be biking.
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You should just get a seat from a recycler.
I'm seriously tempted to buy some seats from a junk yard, and turn them into furniture like Top Gear did. (https://www.reddit.com/r/TopGear/comments/15vbru/anyone_know_what_car_their_seats_on_stage_come/) I mean, I've sat in my car's seat for the last 140k miles, which comes out to something like 5,000 hours. It's held up great and it's quite comfortable. I hate it when furniture wears out!
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My 1998 Chevy Cavalier had 196,000 km on it when I was forced to retire it for scrap this Spring (after the repair bills were higher than the purchase price of a new car). I cried my eyes out when they towed it away :(
But I love my new (2015) Leaf!
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Thinking y’all might get a chuckle out of this viral craigslist ad
https://www.fastcompany.com/40564686/now-this-is-how-you-sell-a-1999-fuking-toyota-corolla
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I like this one too: http://natewalsh.com/tanry/
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I had a 07 VW wagon with 165000 miles accumulated, second owner.
It was a sweet ride and great on gas but eventually it became a beater as mechanical failures accumulated with age.
Not a single dollar spent on maintenance the last year of ownership, I prided myself, as it passed its last state inspection.
Used it as a logging truck around my property, pulling large Pines down while chain sawing.. You should have seen my neighbors.
Eventually sold it for $800 with driveshafts so worn it couldn't go over 35 mph. What a great car!
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I drive a 2005 Toyota Matrix with 243,000 miles on it.
We made the stupid mistake of buying it new (paid it off early), but I would say that after all this time we've definitely got our money out of it and then some.
Knock-on-wood we haven't had to do very many repairs.
For some reason, the hubcaps fall off on a regular basis so I've stopped replacing them.
The car was in FL for 8 years so the salt air and love bugs have done quite a number on the paint job.
The underbody protection shield (not sure what it's really called) is held on by zip ties.
It's not pretty but it gets me where I need to go.
I plan on driving it into the ground.
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Thinking y’all might get a chuckle out of this viral craigslist ad
https://www.fastcompany.com/40564686/now-this-is-how-you-sell-a-1999-fuking-toyota-corolla
Goldbar!!
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Crossed 209k on my '05 GX470 over the weekend...moving into a house with a proper garage tomorrow so I will have a place to catch up on maintenance! Timing belt, water pump, and brakes all around are just about due.
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The underbody protection shield (not sure what it's really called) is held on by zip ties.
It's not pretty but it gets me where I need to go.
I plan on driving it into the ground.
I believe those are called splash guards. And mine are in similarly bad condition. In fact, a couple months back, DW and I were driving down to St. Louis when one of the splash guards caught the wind, flipped down, and started making an awful scraping noise on the pavement. It took me all of 30 seconds to whip out my pocket knife and cut off the offending bit, and we were back on our way.
The funny thing is that the same splash guard did the exact same thing almost exactly 16 years ago, as we were on our honeymoon. One of these days I really oughtta replace it.
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2004 Toyota Highlander, just went over 300,000
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I believe those are called splash guards. And mine are in similarly bad condition. In fact, a couple months back, DW and I were driving down to St. Louis when one of the splash guards caught the wind, flipped down, and started making an awful scraping noise on the pavement. It took me all of 30 seconds to whip out my pocket knife and cut off the offending bit, and we were back on our way.
The funny thing is that the same splash guard did the exact same thing almost exactly 16 years ago, as we were on our honeymoon. One of these days I really oughtta replace it.
That happened to DH and I too while we were on our way to our wedding - we got a lot of stares when we pulled up to the beach crossover in a loud scraping car and got out in wedding clothes!
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Driving an 18 year old vw polo with only 61k on the clock. I think the car will rust and fall apart around the engine!
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2004 Honda Accord just hit 105,000 miles, requiring new spark plugs. Hope to keep it till 2025 when the timing belt comes due again, then re-evaluate.
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I'm bragging about my oldish car with low kms! 2008 forester with only 60,000 km on it (40Kish miles). I use it for road trips for camping, and about nothing else. Since I bought it in 2011, I've spent $300 on repairs (odomoter at that time was 35,000km so I've driven it 25,000km in 8 years). I usually insure during the summer and then just get day insurance here or there when i'm going to need it the rest of the year.
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My V8-powered enclosed wheelchair is a 1999 Ford Crown Victoria with 166,000 on the odometer. It was my first car; I got it when I was 19. I'm 25 now. In that time, I've put about 88,000 miles on it. Maintaining and upgrading the car has taught me a lot about automotive repair, problem solving, and mechanical work in general. I've spent a good deal of time working on it (mostly maintenance and upgrades, plus a some minor to moderate repairs). For example, I have done the heater core (twice), intake manifold, complete suspension rebuild, upgraded all of the seats to leather ones from the junkyard, etc.
At this point I am becoming increasingly mustashian and do more cycling. I still do a lot of driving, but now the majority of it is driving for work which is paid for at the IRS rate. I plan on driving the Crown Vic until it dies, then buying a more fuel efficient car. In the meantime, I can live with 21MPG if it means a reliable vehicle I can maintain and service with ease.
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Bought my 1995 Suzuki Sierra in 1998. We are a one "car" household and it has currently done 450,000km (279620 miles). It still takes me to and form work and around.
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I'm bragging about my oldish car with low kms! 2008 forester with only 60,000 km on it (40Kish miles). I use it for road trips for camping, and about nothing else. Since I bought it in 2011, I've spent $300 on repairs (odomoter at that time was 35,000km so I've driven it 25,000km in 8 years). I usually insure during the summer and then just get day insurance here or there when i'm going to need it the rest of the year.
That's a great point about the insurance, I've been meaning to check if I can turn it on/off easily (I usually drive once a week). Mustachian problem! Paying for year round insurance when you drive so little.
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Not sure if this is the place to post for this, but the husband and I just went down to one car recently and are super proud of it 😎 (In Atlanta, mind you, that’s a bit of an achievement.)
Things that make it especially BA in my mind: the one car we have, although it’s not too old and doesn’t have a crazy amount of miles, was brought back to life several years ago after a cracked engine block and messed up something-or-other belt by a backyard mechanic for less than 1k as opposed to the 3k+ other mechanics were quoting us. At first, we were forced down to the 1 car a few months ago when someone rear-ended me going 40+ while I was sitting still and totaled my beloved Prius—I got a nice check for 4K and was about to turn right around and put it in another Prius. But I heard the writing voice of MMM ringing in my head, accepted the job offer I got from my husband’s company shortly thereafter, and declared that we would be a one-car family with an extra 4K to invest! WOO!
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Not sure if this is the place to post for this, but the husband and I just went down to one car .................
It's the place. Good on you.
I was forced to replace a vehicle with 261k miles after it was totaled a 2nd time. However, the family van has 161k miles, and we're hoping to hold out another 5 years for when we can replace it with a car.
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Sad day today...As mentioned on the top of page 14 of this thread, our farm car is no more. The 1988 Olds Cutlass Cierra has a problem that won't be fixed. After 252,000 miles, the water pump gave out and our mechanic recommended euthanasia. So when it's colder, we will take it to the scrap yard. It has been replaced with an 2001 Olds Intrigue that has 215,000 miles. (It was our teenager car.) AND it has air conditioning! What a great NEWER farm car!
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For all of you mega high mileage drivers on this thread...what's your philosophy on spark plug replacement?
I have two 14ish-year-old Toyotas with ~170k on the clock on their original spark plugs still running fine. They come with iridium spark plugs and the manual recommends replacement at 120k. I've been toying with the idea of replacing and wanted to hear some informed opinions. Any good resources for learning if a spark plug is worn out? I expect many may argue "just do what the manual says."
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Still driving my 2003 Mustang Cobra that's been paid off for many years. It's not always practical, is starting to become more annoying to get in and out of each year that I get older, and gulps (premium) fuel, but it still gets me from point A to point B pretty reliably. I think I want to try to squeeze four more years of daily driving out of it before I retire her to occasional weekend cruising duty.
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For all of you mega high mileage drivers on this thread...what's your philosophy on spark plug replacement?
I have two 14ish-year-old Toyotas with ~170k on the clock on their original spark plugs still running fine. They come with iridium spark plugs and the manual recommends replacement at 120k. I've been toying with the idea of replacing and wanted to hear some informed opinions. Any good resources for learning if a spark plug is worn out? I expect many may argue "just do what the manual says."
It doesn't cost much to replace them, and it's not a bad idea to do so. A worn spark plug will require a higher voltage from the coil in order to spark, and that creates greater strain on your coil. At least on my '95 Corolla, an ignition coil is $90,* which is a lot more than a set of iridiumspark plugs.
* In some way, the OEM coil is magically different from all the other coils that are physically compatible. I went through three other (cheaper <$20) aftermarket "compatible" coils, and the engine ran terribly with all of them. Once I shelled out for the OEM coil, it ran fine.
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For all of you mega high mileage drivers on this thread...what's your philosophy on spark plug replacement?
I have two 14ish-year-old Toyotas with ~170k on the clock on their original spark plugs still running fine. They come with iridium spark plugs and the manual recommends replacement at 120k. I've been toying with the idea of replacing and wanted to hear some informed opinions. Any good resources for learning if a spark plug is worn out? I expect many may argue "just do what the manual says."
It doesn't cost much to replace them, and it's not a bad idea to do so. A worn spark plug will require a higher voltage from the coil in order to spark, and that creates greater strain on your coil. At least on my '95 Corolla, an ignition coil is $90,* which is a lot more than a set of iridiumspark plugs.
* In some way, the OEM coil is magically different from all the other coils that are physically compatible. I went through three other (cheaper <$20) aftermarket "compatible" coils, and the engine ran terribly with all of them. Once I shelled out for the OEM coil, it ran fine.
Agreed with this 100%. I replaced the plugs in a Volvo one time with cheapo "equivalent" plugs and it ran like crap. $49-for-five Volvo plugs went in and the car was much happier.
Just make sure you do them on the right schedule. Older cars want 30k intervals but plenty of newer ones say 100-120k.
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For all of you mega high mileage drivers on this thread...what's your philosophy on spark plug replacement?
I have two 14ish-year-old Toyotas with ~170k on the clock on their original spark plugs still running fine. They come with iridium spark plugs and the manual recommends replacement at 120k. I've been toying with the idea of replacing and wanted to hear some informed opinions. Any good resources for learning if a spark plug is worn out? I expect many may argue "just do what the manual says."
It doesn't cost much to replace them, and it's not a bad idea to do so. A worn spark plug will require a higher voltage from the coil in order to spark, and that creates greater strain on your coil. At least on my '95 Corolla, an ignition coil is $90,* which is a lot more than a set of iridiumspark plugs.
* In some way, the OEM coil is magically different from all the other coils that are physically compatible. I went through three other (cheaper <$20) aftermarket "compatible" coils, and the engine ran terribly with all of them. Once I shelled out for the OEM coil, it ran fine.
Agreed with this 100%. I replaced the plugs in a Volvo one time with cheapo "equivalent" plugs and it ran like crap. $49-for-five Volvo plugs went in and the car was much happier.
Just make sure you do them on the right schedule. Older cars want 30k intervals but plenty of newer ones say 100-120k.
I believe iridium is good up to 100K miles (or maybe a bit more, depending on the vehicle). At 170K they are over due. As an owner of Toyota and Lexus, I recommend to get a Denso or NGK. I have tried other brands, and my cars do not like them. Spark plug is cheap when you consider they last 100K miles or longer. Just be careful when replacing them, they might be a bit seized into the engine since they have been installed for 170K miles.
Same with ignition coil, if need to replace, get the OEM. The cheap crap (plenty on different sites such as Ebay, Amazon) is not going to work.
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Most of our vehicles are high mileage... Our 91 Festiva has over 258k now.. granted I got it with 253k or so three years ago free from dad. He had it from 98 and 81k. Pretty rusty but seeing how long I can get out of it. The junk... the Focus has 140k+ and got for no cost when my sister passed. We've drove it for 8 years and almost 60k but have put $2500 in it that time. The Escape has 160k with no major issues except rust which I'm dealing with that now. I'd like to keep the Focus and Escape till at least 200k /20 years but we'll see.
The only ones that can't be high mileage are is the 05 Class C RV with 65k and the 00 Dakota with 95k. All paid for but don't really need 5 cars for two drivers lol!
The old Festiva is going to the farm with two more, the rust is to the point it'll cost us more to tow it home than it's worth.
Rented a Kia Soul while we're out of town. Man it's hard not to upgrade after driving a new vehicle. Think I've finally talked myself out of it but driving that Soul was like a go cart.. fun!
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For all of you mega high mileage drivers on this thread...what's your philosophy on spark plug replacement?
I have two 14ish-year-old Toyotas with ~170k on the clock on their original spark plugs still running fine. They come with iridium spark plugs and the manual recommends replacement at 120k. I've been toying with the idea of replacing and wanted to hear some informed opinions. Any good resources for learning if a spark plug is worn out? I expect many may argue "just do what the manual says."
One data point here: I had a 1990 Camry that I replaced the spark plugs on in 2003 when it had its one and only tune-up. I drove that car until 2005 when it had 265k miles. I never noticed any difference in the way it ran with the new plugs, engine still ran fine when I sold it.
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We made a serious mistake several years ago and bought a 3 yr old car with a hefty loan. I hated making those loan payments! When we finally paid it off we sworn never to buy another vehicle with a stupid loan - cash only!
So that vehicle is 12yrs old now and still running strong at 160,000 miles. We've done the usual maintenance - oil changes, tires, brakes, headlight bulbs, a/c charging, batteries. Last year was the first time we ever had trouble with it - silly car blew an ignition coil while on a trip. So it now has a new coil( or 2?) and spark plugs. I love this car and plan to drive it until there's more kids than back seat can hold.
Now for the bragging part - bought a beater truck for $2000. It was to get DH back and forth for a commute that required a second vehicle. We expected it to last only a couple years, just long enough for what he needed it for. Well we've had it 7 years now and that truck just refuses to die! The mileage is crazy high, the a/c works when it wants to, the heat died last year, it's a rust bucket and it's 20 years old! We've put as little money as possible into the truck as we keep expecting it to die, just enough to keep it safe and reliable.
But DH loves having a vehicle where it doesn't matter if some jerk in the parking lot dings it with a shopping cart. We've used this truck to haul so many random things, I honestly don't know how people make it without a truck to cart stuff around! It's hauled a lot of stuff we found for free on Craigslist, and also the used couches, chairs, bookcases, etc that we've bought cheap. If we'd had to pay to rent a truck we wouldn't have snagged a lot of freebies, or snatched up good deals like our $75 couch.
When it dies we plan to replace it with a truck about the same age, just a better make.
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2002 Subaru Outback with 190k miles. It's probably the last model year that had a cassette player instead of CD.
It's showing its age with a few rust spots and dings and dents (including one caused by a deer running full speed into the front quarter panel--the poor thing was killed instantly) but I figure there's still plenty of life left in it as my first Subaru went 314k miles before giving up the ghost.
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For all of you mega high mileage drivers on this thread...what's your philosophy on spark plug replacement?
I have two 14ish-year-old Toyotas with ~170k on the clock on their original spark plugs still running fine. They come with iridium spark plugs and the manual recommends replacement at 120k. I've been toying with the idea of replacing and wanted to hear some informed opinions. Any good resources for learning if a spark plug is worn out? I expect many may argue "just do what the manual says."
It doesn't cost much to replace them, and it's not a bad idea to do so. A worn spark plug will require a higher voltage from the coil in order to spark, and that creates greater strain on your coil. At least on my '95 Corolla, an ignition coil is $90,* which is a lot more than a set of iridiumspark plugs.
* In some way, the OEM coil is magically different from all the other coils that are physically compatible. I went through three other (cheaper <$20) aftermarket "compatible" coils, and the engine ran terribly with all of them. Once I shelled out for the OEM coil, it ran fine.
Agreed with this 100%. I replaced the plugs in a Volvo one time with cheapo "equivalent" plugs and it ran like crap. $49-for-five Volvo plugs went in and the car was much happier.
Just make sure you do them on the right schedule. Older cars want 30k intervals but plenty of newer ones say 100-120k.
I believe iridium is good up to 100K miles (or maybe a bit more, depending on the vehicle). At 170K they are over due. As an owner of Toyota and Lexus, I recommend to get a Denso or NGK. I have tried other brands, and my cars do not like them. Spark plug is cheap when you consider they last 100K miles or longer. Just be careful when replacing them, they might be a bit seized into the engine since they have been installed for 170K miles.
Same with ignition coil, if need to replace, get the OEM. The cheap crap (plenty on different sites such as Ebay, Amazon) is not going to work.
Another Toyota owner here (95 Tercel, 330k), I also changed the plugs one time to one that was listed as compatible, but it ran like crap, so I went direct to the Toyota dealer and bought the oem denso iridium plugs and it ran fantastic.
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My 2006 VW Rabbit doesn’t even qualify as old around here, but I’ve had two funny occurrences in the last few months. I was stopped at a light with my window down and a guy in the cross walk starts talking at me. “Hey, what year is that? I had one just like it, it was a great car!”
Separately, my downstairs neighbor was out in our shared driveway one day. Someone walking down the street checked out my car and tried to buy it off him.
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My 2006 VW Rabbit doesn’t even qualify as old around here, but I’ve had two funny occurrences in the last few months. I was stopped at a light with my window down and a guy in the cross walk starts talking at me. “Hey, what year is that? I had one just like it, it was a great car!”
Separately, my downstairs neighbor was out in our shared driveway one day. Someone walking down the street checked out my car and tried to buy it off him.
Heh, back in the mid 2000's, when I lived near Houston, I had a '94 Honda Civic with 165k miles and several good-sized dents in it. I think we owned it for about two years, and during that time we probably had half a dozen people knock on my door and ask to buy it. It was the oddest thing--there was no "For Sale" sign in the window, or any other indication that we had any intention of selling it. People would just see it parked there, think "hey, I wonder if they'd be willing to sell it," and come knock on our door.
When we *did* sell it, it was for about the same amount we bought it for. Man, I miss that car sometimes. Manual transmission (well, and everything else), great mileage, fun to drive, only cost $2500 to buy...
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Now for the bragging part - bought a beater truck for $2000. It was to get DH back and forth for a commute that required a second vehicle. We expected it to last only a couple years, just long enough for what he needed it for. Well we've had it 7 years now and that truck just refuses to die! The mileage is crazy high, the a/c works when it wants to, the heat died last year, it's a rust bucket and it's 20 years old! We've put as little money as possible into the truck as we keep expecting it to die, just enough to keep it safe and reliable.
But DH loves having a vehicle where it doesn't matter if some jerk in the parking lot dings it with a shopping cart. We've used this truck to haul so many random things, I honestly don't know how people make it without a truck to cart stuff around! It's hauled a lot of stuff we found for free on Craigslist, and also the used couches, chairs, bookcases, etc that we've bought cheap. If we'd had to pay to rent a truck we wouldn't have snagged a lot of freebies, or snatched up good deals like our $75 couch.
When it dies we plan to replace it with a truck about the same age, just a better make.
You're living the dream!! Well done!!
DH and I have never had a truck, but for the next few months while his parents are nomadic and waiting to move into their new construction home, they're probably going to loan us their pickup so they won't have to deal with it! We're deeply excited. I'm already trying to line up the big Craigslist buys and curb alert finds! :)
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Our 2008 Honda Fit (bought new) has a lot of cosmetic damage at this point but it’s still going strong. I think we’re almost at 95,000 miles? Just topped off the Freon and replaced a broken tail-light cover. I accidentally gave birth to our third kid in this car so it has bonus sentimental value.
We recently added a new-to-us 2009 Honda Odyssey minivan with 160,000 miles. It was owned by a smoker which you can smell on hot days if it’s been sitting in the sun but we’ve been airing it out. It’s a top-of-the-line 2009 driving experience with a six CD changer and DVD player!
We loved the Fit and it fit our family of 5 just fine but we recently added a fourth kid (born in hospital Whoo!) and it seemed like having seats in a car for all the kids was the responsible thing to do, if only so we could all bug out together after an earthquake.
FWIW, our solar-powered velomobile cost a lot more than our new used minivan which amuses us to no end.
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My 1999 Ford Crown Victoria made me nearly $1000 in mileage reimbursement for my job last month... spent about 300 on gas though. The good thing about driving an old car for work is that at this point it is pretty much done depreciating. Aside from the cost of consumables like tires and oil, the car's value will stay about the same as long as it still runs and drives. It's at 170K right now. My goal is at least 200K, but I will drive it until it dies.
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My 1999 Ford Crown Victoria made me nearly $1000 in mileage reimbursement for my job last month... spent about 300 on gas though. The good thing about driving an old car for work is that at this point it is pretty much done depreciating. Aside from the cost of consumables like tires and oil, the car's value will stay about the same as long as it still runs and drives. It's at 170K right now. My goal is at least 200K, but I will drive it until it dies.
<3 Crown Vics
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Just cracked 150k in our 2005 Kia. Still going strong.
191k on our 2001 Volvo and I'm convinced it will outlive us all. Timing belt due at 215k.
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We've hit 180k on our 2006 Honda Odyssey. This year, however, has been expensive on it--the starter, alternator, battery, and serpentine belt tensioner have all needed replacement. I have to tell myself that these are not wholly unexpected things on a car of this age, but it still hurts.
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Turned 211k on my GX470 over the weekend. I need to change the timing belt and then I should be good til 300k!
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Engine block cracked at 114000 miles in wife's 2006 Honda Civic LX, one and only owner = us.
Time to get a new car.
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Engine block cracked at 114000 miles in wife's 2006 Honda Civic LX, one and only owner = us.
Time to get a new car.
Ouch. How did you manage to do that on a car that's renowned for its reliability?
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Not high by forum standards, but our 09 Fit passed the 10 year mark and we forgot to make it a cake. Under 80 on the clock on it, but plenty of door dings and similar from inconsiderate gits.
FWIW, our solar-powered velomobile cost a lot more than our new used minivan which amuses us to no end.
I've been eyeing some of the different pedelec/velomobile/etc type vehicles for when it gets cold here. The cold wind gives me chapped eyelids and that SUCKS. Want to do a review of your new (bike) ride and post it in ask-a-mustachian?
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Not high by forum standards, but our 09 Fit passed the 10 year mark and we forgot to make it a cake. Under 80 on the clock on it, but plenty of door dings and similar from inconsiderate gits.
FWIW, our solar-powered velomobile cost a lot more than our new used minivan which amuses us to no end.
I've been eyeing some of the different pedelec/velomobile/etc type vehicles for when it gets cold here. The cold wind gives me chapped eyelids and that SUCKS. Want to do a review of your new (bike) ride and post it in ask-a-mustachian?
I would except the company that made ours just went bankrupt. I think we got the last one or something? We are in SoCal so the wind is just free AC for us.
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Engine block cracked at 114000 miles in wife's 2006 Honda Civic LX, one and only owner = us.
Time to get a new car.
Ouch. How did you manage to do that on a car that's renowned for its reliability?
That era had a known issue with the engine block.
https://www.8thcivic.com/threads/documenting-cracked-engine-block-for-those-out-of-the-warranty-coverage.609546/
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Engine block cracked at 114000 miles in wife's 2006 Honda Civic LX, one and only owner = us.
Time to get a new car.
Ouch. How did you manage to do that on a car that's renowned for its reliability?
That era had a known issue with the engine block.
https://www.8thcivic.com/threads/documenting-cracked-engine-block-for-those-out-of-the-warranty-coverage.609546/
My coworker had his well-maintained 2007 Scion's engine crap out in rural Tennessee hundreds of miles from home earlier this year at only ~140k miles. Shit happens, even to statistically reliable cars.
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Two high mileage cars:
2007 Jeep Liberty 172,000
2008 BMW 174,000
Both drive great. I've done most of the maintenance myself replacing things like brakes, alternator, belts, fluids, filters, shocks. Only thing I didn't do was change the AC compressor on the Jeep.
Hoping that both will last 3 more years till FI.
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Took a few days to go away on vacation for the first time in a long time. We took our 09 Fusion without any concern. Since crap can happen, I threw one of my extra wheels with a full size tire in the trunk, just in case (so 2 spares). 1200 miles and everything went without issue. The car still looks nearly new.
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I would except the company that made ours just went bankrupt. I think we got the last one or something? We are in SoCal so the wind is just free AC for us.
Yeah, below 50 the wind isn't my friend anymore.
Just bankrupt, that means an organic transit elf?
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1992 Honda Accord EX. 265,000 miles. This was my wife's first car she bought when she graduated from nursing school.
2001 Ford F-150 regular cab. 175,000 miles. I purchased this 4 years ago for $5,000. Only one previous owner and I believe he only drove it once a week to church.
2007 Acura MDX. 135,000 miles. We bought this 3 years ago. This was an upgrade from a 2000 Tahoe that had 250,000 miles on it and the trans dropped.
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Toyota 4Runner, 250,000 miles. Still going strong. Just spent the weekend rebuilding the front end. Here's to another 250K!
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Toyota 4Runner, 250,000 miles. Still going strong. Just spent the weekend rebuilding the front end. Here's to another 250K!
This is awesome. Love it when people fix their own vehicles.
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Our old Astra started to misfire this week. It is up to 295,000 kms. I replaced the plugs, but that didn't solve it, so I then replaced the coil pack. It runs like a dream now. Around $300 for all the parts, including a couple of special tools needed to remove the special bolts. I can now do all the maintenance on this car.
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A curiosity question, how many of your vehicles trip just a teeny bit of oil?
My Truck at 150,000 Is just leaving the tiniest blop of oil For the last month or so which does not occur every time, it occurs after a long hot ride.
I don’t have the skill to investigate it but was putting off seeing a mechanic for two weeks.
I live in a small town and they’re fairly busy right now with families starting the school year. I stopped by and he asked me if it’s not emergency if I could come by another morning. I figured I can give them two weeks. :)
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A curiosity question, how many of your vehicles trip just a teeny bit of oil?
My Truck at 150,000 Is just leaving the tiniest blop of oil For the last month or so which does not occur every time, it occurs after a long hot ride.
I don’t have the skill to investigate it but was putting off seeing a mechanic for two weeks.
I live in a small town and they’re fairly busy right now with families starting the school year. I stopped by and he asked me if it’s not emergency if I could come by another morning. I figured I can give them two weeks. :)
My 175,000 Mile BMW drips a bit of oil each night. Usually requires a quart of oil after about three months. The fix is complicated and expensive - so i'm going to let it drip.
My goal is 200K miles. Anything above that is icing on the cake.
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A curiosity question, how many of your vehicles trip just a teeny bit of oil?
My Truck at 150,000 Is just leaving the tiniest blop of oil For the last month or so which does not occur every time, it occurs after a long hot ride.
I don’t have the skill to investigate it but was putting off seeing a mechanic for two weeks.
I live in a small town and they’re fairly busy right now with families starting the school year. I stopped by and he asked me if it’s not emergency if I could come by another morning. I figured I can give them two weeks. :)
My 175,000 Mile BMW drips a bit of oil each night. Usually requires a quart of oil after about three months. The fix is complicated and expensive - so i'm going to let it drip.
My goal is 200K miles. Anything above that is icing on the cake.
Yeah I figured stuff gets loose and wriggly and it happens. I will def not be fixing if over 400 and IF not affecting car running - because its only worth about 2000$us max
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A curiosity question, how many of your vehicles trip just a teeny bit of oil?
My Truck at 150,000 Is just leaving the tiniest blop of oil For the last month or so which does not occur every time, it occurs after a long hot ride.
I don’t have the skill to investigate it but was putting off seeing a mechanic for two weeks.
I live in a small town and they’re fairly busy right now with families starting the school year. I stopped by and he asked me if it’s not emergency if I could come by another morning. I figured I can give them two weeks. :)
I dunno about dripping, but my '95 Corolla (which just passed 230k miles this week) used to "lose" about a quart every six months (burned? dripped along the road while running? Who knows?). While diagnosing some ignition issues, I noticed that there was some oil residue near the distributor, and replacing the o-ring there has significantly reduced the oil burn.
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my '03 element is creeping up to the 200k mark ever so slowly. I just hit 193k, and had a new timing belt installed and a transmission service. Should be good for a while now! I am amazed at (generally) how little owning this vehicle has cost me. Aside from a suspension replacement, nothing out of the ordinary seems to ever go wrong. I love how reliable Honda cars are, and probably won't ever own another make. Also given that I drive about 5k miles a year I look forward to owning this car for many more years.
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Not sure if I can call it overly old, but the other week I picked up a 2002 Holden Barina with 111,000km for $3000.
It's got plenty of space for the driver for a small hatchback, and the 1.4L engine has plenty of go.
Let's see how long it lasts :)
I've got a photo of the odo at 111111 as well :)
Still running well at 146000km (91000 miles). The first service was expensive (timing belt), and I had to replace the pedal box a couple of years ago as something bent when I pressed the clutch, but aside from that it’s been fine.
Should be good for a while yet, but I wonder if I should sell it in a year or two while it’s still got some value left in it and buy something a few years newer. Waiting for the third gen Prius to get cheap enough, but I may not drive enough to justify it :)
Currently at 159000km. I spent about $1500 back in May to replace the clutch.
There's a bit of an issue where the heater doesn't work all that well and I think it's losing a bit of coolant. I'm hoping it's not a leaky head gasket, but the temp gauge is fine so probably not. My guess is that the radiator has sprung a leak.
The plan is to replace it in 6-12 months (after I move), probably with a second gen Prius (the city fuel economy is appealing). I'm getting over driving a manual transmission in traffic. It'll be due for a timing belt at 180000km, and I plan on being rid of it well before then.
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2002 Subaru Outback with 190k miles. It's probably the last model year that had a cassette player instead of CD.
well, I guess 2003 Forester is just fancy then, it has a 6 pack cd player and a cassette player! :-)
She's going strong at 255,000 KM (158,000 miles), boxer engines will go forever. She's got a little knocking, and the AC stops working at very long traffic lights or stop and go traffic (which is a regular occurrence on the 401 in Toronto), but it's apparently not bothering me enough to go for a costly repair, mechanic didn't find anything at first glance, and now that it's September, I'll make it a problem for next year. At about the 10 year mark, she needed the O2 sensor replaced, and the driver's window switch stopped working (in the up position thank goodness). Other than than the AC being a little sporadic, it's been just regular maintenance.
I haven't decided if I'll drive her until the wheels fall off or replace her in a year or so. And I'll probably replace her with a Subaru Crosstrek as I think the Forester has gotten a bit bloated. I buy new, yeah, I know, depreciation, but I've only owned 2 cars in the last 30 years, it's not like a trade up every 2-3 years, I'm willing to take that hit to get what I want.
I laugh at the car commercials that come right out and say you're judged by the car you drive.....you know the saying: "those that care don't matter, those than matter don't care"......my elderly mother was concerned because I was driving such an old car, but once I convinced her it was because I chose to and it's the easiest car for her to get in and out of, she was okay with it. I'm okay with others thinking I'm broke, don't like Mom worrying.
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Was hanging out after a gig this past weekend and my '05 Civic Hybrid with 205k miles was the junior member. Drummer's 2000 Toyota pickup had 250k and guitar player's '02 Subaru had 220k
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I have a 2000 Ford Focus Station Wagon with about 194,000 miles. Her name is Ronda and she has been quite the trusty vehicle! It was my parent's car and they gave it to me when I was done with school and they were ready for something new. I learned to drive in it, took my driver's test in it, and have really never driven anything else. She constantly requires oil top offs and has had some major repairs over the years, but I'm not ready to give her up!
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Well....the new looking 09 Fusion is totaled. My younger son had been driving it to community college, misjudged distance and side swiped a landscaping truck. Damage is nearly all cosmetic. Mirror broken off, outside door handle broken so it doesn't operate, dents on fender, both doors and behind the rear door. Doors all still operate. Window still operates. Adjuster called this morning to just give me that heads up. I'll look at the numbers and ask about owner buy back to retain the car. I already had priced a mirror at the junkyard I go to and that's $25. So if the buy back is cheap enough, I know I can very cheaply keep it going for a long time. 81k miles on the clock. It'll need tires by the winter but (flash!) I, of course, have a set of wheels with snows in my shed, so it won't need a set of tires. I've done some paintless dent removal techniques following Youtube videos when someone drove into the side of another of my cars 2 summers ago just to make it look "less bad". I'm sorta hoping the buyback option works so I can do some of that and make it as good looking as possible. We'll see. Our family has 4 other cars (4 drivers total) so we won't be put out if this car goes away. It's just such a nice car and runs perfectly but has no real monetary value.
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... It's just such a nice car and runs perfectly but has no real monetary value.
Congratulations, you've reached automotive nirvana. Little concern about it being stolen or (cosmetically futher) damaged, will continue to be reliable, and a continual reminder to drive carefully :)
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Well....the new looking 09 Fusion is totaled. My younger son had been driving it to community college, misjudged distance and side swiped a landscaping truck. Damage is nearly all cosmetic. Mirror broken off, outside door handle broken so it doesn't operate, dents on fender, both doors and behind the rear door. Doors all still operate. Window still operates. Adjuster called this morning to just give me that heads up. I'll look at the numbers and ask about owner buy back to retain the car. I already had priced a mirror at the junkyard I go to and that's $25. So if the buy back is cheap enough, I know I can very cheaply keep it going for a long time. 81k miles on the clock. It'll need tires by the winter but (flash!) I, of course, have a set of wheels with snows in my shed, so it won't need a set of tires. I've done some paintless dent removal techniques following Youtube videos when someone drove into the side of another of my cars 2 summers ago just to make it look "less bad". I'm sorta hoping the buyback option works so I can do some of that and make it as good looking as possible. We'll see. Our family has 4 other cars (4 drivers total) so we won't be put out if this car goes away. It's just such a nice car and runs perfectly but has no real monetary value.
Make sure you can still register it if you buy it back from the insurance company. If you get it back with a salvage title you may need to apply for and go through an inspection to get a rebuilt title, which may require full repair of body damage.
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Make sure you can still register it if you buy it back from the insurance company. If you get it back with a salvage title you may need to apply for and go through an inspection to get a rebuilt title, which may require full repair of body damage.
Yes, thanks for the reminder. Mass has something called "owner retained salvage" which allows me to keep and drive the car. I don't know what happens if I sell it, though. I'm very aware of the salvage title process as I had to go through it with a kit car 20 years ago. They use the same places and the same pissed off State Police officers who screwed up on the job so are assigned to these as punishment. Not interested in doing that! Anxiously awaiting the numbers. If they're high enough...the car might just become gone.
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Got the numbers from the ins company last night, discussed with the wife and will buy back at 1/10 the retail value. I lose the sales tax that the ins co would have paid. Just got off the phone with them. Because the car is over 10 years old, I do not have to re-title as owner retained (or go through the hassle of dealing with the RMV or paying $75). Heading to the junk yard tomorrow to get a mirror or if they have a full door in my color, perhaps that. I got the door handle working last night and pried the fender up half a mm, which was enough to get rid of the rubbing. The car still drives like new. So the best part is that the amount they're sending me, even after buying back is about double what I would have sold the car for! On the down side, I am sure my rates are going up next year. I'll drop collision today, which saves $500 a year.
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Not sure this is braggable. My 2006 Matrix is at 144k miles, and it died on me this week (would not start after dropping kids at school). My neighbor gave me a jump, Toyota dealer replaced the battery. (Officemate asked, "you didn't go to CarMax and buy your own?" Dude, my husband has been traveling for 3 weeks and I've been running solo...um, no.)
But today it died again, it was the starter, not the battery. Anyway, my oldest sister cannot believe I have a 13yo car, and now it's time to get a new one! But ya know, it's a Toyota! A starter and a battery is so much cheaper than that shiny new minivan I've been eyeing.
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Not sure this is braggable. My 2006 Matrix is at 144k miles, and it died on me this week (would not start after dropping kids at school). My neighbor gave me a jump, Toyota dealer replaced the battery. (Officemate asked, "you didn't go to CarMax and buy your own?" Dude, my husband has been traveling for 3 weeks and I've been running solo...um, no.)
But today it died again, it was the starter, not the battery. Anyway, my oldest sister cannot believe I have a 13yo car, and now it's time to get a new one! But ya know, it's a Toyota! A starter and a battery is so much cheaper than that shiny new minivan I've been eyeing.
Starters are cheap! :) I had to replace one in my Tacoma too.
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End of the road today for our 2005 Kia. Water pump belt broke on the highway; girlfriend was driving and she didn't notice the temp gauge rising. A few miles later she had smoke coming out of her tailpipe and she pulled over. Blown head gasket, cracked radiator. Was quoted by where it was towed $2000-3000 to repair "if the engine is savable" and I'm sure it's not. Car is dead. 152,000 miles. I just replaced that stupid belt a few months ago and had a shop adjust the tension even more recently. Oh well.
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In the military, I constantly see bad decisions about car buying. Even while in the Natty Guard.
My main car for driving/commuting is a 2001 Honda Insight. I get around 70mpg with it. Great little car. The battery pack is starting to get sluggish, but I’ve got a plan to rig up a different mod soon and add a lithium battery pack which will allow even more assist and greater MPGs. The car is ugly...but worth it. Especially when I have to travel 3 hours sometimes to go somewhere for a meeting or work.
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End of the road today for our 2005 Kia. Water pump belt broke on the highway; girlfriend was driving and she didn't notice the temp gauge rising. A few miles later she had smoke coming out of her tailpipe and she pulled over. Blown head gasket, cracked radiator. Was quoted by where it was towed $2000-3000 to repair "if the engine is savable" and I'm sure it's not. Car is dead. 152,000 miles. I just replaced that stupid belt a few months ago and had a shop adjust the tension even more recently. Oh well.
Any insights as to the belt failure? Improper installation, poor quality belt, or just bad luck? I am always interested in the OEM/aftermarket debate on car parts.
Our 2005 Corolla (171,000 miles) rear ended a Jeep last night. The driver blamed a "brake malfunction" that sounded suspiciously like the normal operation of anti-lock brakes on a slick road. Seems to be all cosmetic damage, including a slightly crumpled hood, and no damage to the Jeep, so lucky us. I will check it out thoroughly this weekend.
I am wondering about getting a new junkyard hood. I have always dreamed of having a two-tone car, a car that says I care nothing for aesthetics, only utility. Maybe my chance has come at last.
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I am wondering about getting a new junkyard hood. I have always dreamed of having a two-tone car, a car that says I care nothing for aesthetics, only utility. Maybe my chance has come at last.
Our 2006 Honda Odyssey is navy blue, with a silver-ish liftgate (thanks to me being dumb). It's ever so slightly embarrassing, but! it's really easy to spot in parking lots. It kinda looks like an Iron Man helmet.
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What's with all the cars from this century? I thought this was an old car brag thread?
Kidding aside, the 1988 Oldsmobile daily driver continues to run flawlessly as we enter winter (knock on wood). Did the front brakes and an oil change last weekend for <$20. Hit the interior with some leather cleaner and will keep driving 'til the wheels fall off....figuratively I hope.
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End of the road today for our 2005 Kia. Water pump belt broke on the highway; girlfriend was driving and she didn't notice the temp gauge rising. A few miles later she had smoke coming out of her tailpipe and she pulled over. Blown head gasket, cracked radiator. Was quoted by where it was towed $2000-3000 to repair "if the engine is savable" and I'm sure it's not. Car is dead. 152,000 miles. I just replaced that stupid belt a few months ago and had a shop adjust the tension even more recently. Oh well.
Any insights as to the belt failure? Improper installation, poor quality belt, or just bad luck? I am always interested in the OEM/aftermarket debate on car parts.
Our 2005 Corolla (171,000 miles) rear ended a Jeep last night. The driver blamed a "brake malfunction" that sounded suspiciously like the normal operation of anti-lock brakes on a slick road. Seems to be all cosmetic damage, including a slightly crumpled hood, and no damage to the Jeep, so lucky us. I will check it out thoroughly this weekend.
I am wondering about getting a new junkyard hood. I have always dreamed of having a two-tone car, a car that says I care nothing for aesthetics, only utility. Maybe my chance has come at last.
No idea. I had replaced the belt a few months prior. It was squealing at one point after that, so I had a shop adjust the tension while it was in for something else. Then it was fine until it wasn't. RIP.
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Sold my 43k mi Corvette -- down to a 215k GX470 and a 270k MR2 now :P
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Hit 333,333.3 km on my Honda this weekend! What can I say, I like seeing all those numbers line up. :)
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I'm still rocking a 2000 Toyota Avalon, with 211k miles.
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
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DH drives a 1998 Ford Ranger with 140k miles. Very few repairs made in the last 21 years. It’s still going strong. Purchased for $12k new. Definitely gotten our money’s worth out of it!
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My husband is driving his 2004 Prius with >200k miles on it. Not going to win any prizes in THIS forum (did I read 475k miles? holy pickles!) but we've been pleasantly surprised that it's still going strong. We haven't had to change any of the hybrid battery cells like many people warned us about.
The interior and exterior are pretty trashed, though- he treats it like a pickup truck since we both drive Priuses (and his is the beater upper of the two). We've moved twice only using that Prius and all kinds of furniture have gone on top of the car and inside it, bruising it up some. He's brought bins of chicken feed and compost filling up the entirety of the space behind the front seats multiple times, and left the windows open in the rain a few times. It's pretty wrecked but still drives strong, so we will keep it until the bitter end- however far away that is!
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DH drives a 1998 Ford Ranger with 140k miles. Very few repairs made in the last 21 years. It’s still going strong. Purchased for $12k new. Definitely gotten our money’s worth out of it!
Nice ! I'm still driving my 07 ranger with 140k on it. It's something i hope to have for a very long time.
Only question i have for you guy/gals that driver older vehicles - like Mr Cadman with 88 olds - do you consider safety of the vehicle ?
My wife was driving a 88 corolla wagon. No air bags and overall tin can feel of that car and the thought of some 6k lb truck/suv getting into accident with her scared us into her getting a much newer safer vehicle - air bags and better overall srs.
My ranger sometimes feels like i'm in a death trap - lower frontal impact area and overall i think they would fair rather poorly in an accident (especially the overlap test).
What do you all think about this ? Not trying to sell you on a newer vehicle but you have to admit they are safer !
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In the '88 Olds, I've never felt unsafe. True, it lacks airbags, but it does have 3-point belts, door guard beams, crumple zones, disc brakes and amazing visibility. And in today's traffic it's certainly a small car. But safety is a sliding scale. During the summer I sometimes commute in a car that predates seat belts, has 4 wheel drum brakes and there's a giant metal spike ready to pierce my chest.
That said, there are a lot of dicey 80's vehicles, especially foreign, that I remember well and would NOT want to drive on a daily basis. Most rusted away years ago around here, but somebody pulled out a mint '86 Subaru GL wagon a couple years ago and was driving it daily where I work. It had that tin-can vibe with lots of hard, black plastic interior parts, hollow sounding doors and rock hard seats. By year 3 there wasn't a lot left.
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I drive a 2013 VW Golf with 88,000 km. When we purchased this vehicle we planned to own it for 10 years then reassess. But then something happened last month....I accepted a position at a group of car dealerships. I will soon be getting rid of the VW hatchback for an SUV from my new employer.
On the one hand the position comes with a $50,000 increase in base salary which will allow me to retire earlier. On the other hand everything else about working for dealerships is anti-mustachian. Do I deserve a face punch, or do my retirement goals trump anti car culture concerns?
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You are responsible for your choices, and their consequences, regardless of your employer or the culture there. Out of curiosity, why does the job change require you to change not only your brand of vehicle, but also supersize it?
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You are responsible for your choices, and their consequences, regardless of your employer or the culture there. Out of curiosity, why does the job change require you to change not only your brand of vehicle, but also supersize it?
There's no official requirement to upgrade my vehicle, it's a personal commitment I made when evaluating the offer. For the money they are offering me and the position I'm coming in at, it wouldn't feel right to drive a vehicle from a competitor. A larger vehicle is a necessity because they don't carry any hatchbacks, and only a few cars. My question was kind of tongue in cheek. Accepting the job was the best decision for my family and I, it just comes with some unmustachian elements :)
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You are responsible for your choices, and their consequences, regardless of your employer or the culture there. Out of curiosity, why does the job change require you to change not only your brand of vehicle, but also supersize it?
There's no official requirement to upgrade my vehicle, it's a personal commitment I made when evaluating the offer. For the money they are offering me and the position I'm coming in at, it wouldn't feel right to drive a vehicle from a competitor. A larger vehicle is a necessity because they don't carry any hatchbacks, and only a few cars. My question was kind of tongue in cheek. Accepting the job was the best decision for my family and I, it just comes with some unmustachian elements :)
So.....GMC? :D
If your new employer doesn't manufacture small hatchbacks, are they really competing? (sorry, couldn't resist. Congrats on the big step up(in job, not vehicle)!)
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You are responsible for your choices, and their consequences, regardless of your employer or the culture there. Out of curiosity, why does the job change require you to change not only your brand of vehicle, but also supersize it?
There's no official requirement to upgrade my vehicle, it's a personal commitment I made when evaluating the offer. For the money they are offering me and the position I'm coming in at, it wouldn't feel right to drive a vehicle from a competitor. A larger vehicle is a necessity because they don't carry any hatchbacks, and only a few cars. My question was kind of tongue in cheek. Accepting the job was the best decision for my family and I, it just comes with some unmustachian elements :)
So buy a 5 year old whatever from when they DID make whatever it is you need? Congratulations on the new job, but my sympathies on the lifestyle inflation before you've even started!
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2012 Honda Accord. 99k completely problem free miles.
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2002 Accord.
230K plus miles and running.
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2003 Forrester.....she's going to roll over 260K Km today (~161K miles), she's got a few wrinkles, but she's in better shape than I am..... :-)
Unlike many on here, I buy my cars new, get exactly what I want, then keep them forever.
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I did a service on our 2001 Holden Astra yesterday. 300,000 kms. It needs a new engine mount and I was quoted $271 by Holden. Amazon has it for $50. I think I will get the $50 part.
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My husband is driving his 2004 Prius with >200k miles on it. Not going to win any prizes in THIS forum (did I read 475k miles? holy pickles!) but we've been pleasantly surprised that it's still going strong. We haven't had to change any of the hybrid battery cells like many people warned us about.
The interior and exterior are pretty trashed, though- he treats it like a pickup truck since we both drive Priuses (and his is the beater upper of the two). We've moved twice only using that Prius and all kinds of furniture have gone on top of the car and inside it, bruising it up some. He's brought bins of chicken feed and compost filling up the entirety of the space behind the front seats multiple times, and left the windows open in the rain a few times. It's pretty wrecked but still drives strong, so we will keep it until the bitter end- however far away that is!
Mad respect for having a Prius full of compost! Warms my tree-hugging heart!
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Just passed 200k in our 2001 Volvo V70. Runs great, just finally needs some suspension love after driving down our long shitty driveway before and after every drive.
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My 2008 Hyundai i30 is now at 185000km (116k Miles). It is starting to show its age, acoustics are getting worse.
But: Insurance is down to 240€ per year now because I have a flawless driving record since 2004 and I reduced the coverage to liability only, since the car has a book value of about 1.5k € now. If I hit a deer, I'll get the next car.
In March, I hope to get it through the mandatory safety check with one repair (steering cuffs), regular maintenance and a new set of summer tyres. If more than these known flaws need repairs, I need to re-evaluate if we are keeping it. Starting tomorrow, we will share this car for getting to work, since DW has a new job and can drop me off at my job on the way.
Over 45 months of ownership and 70000km of driving, that car has cost me 2,100€ in repairs and maintenance. Some of that I did myself (cylinder cover seal, headlamps, tyres). I think that is ok. Let's see how far it can go.
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155,000 miles now on our 2012 Prius v (wagon). It is the workhorse vehicle of our family. Also have a 2010 Prius liftback with 110,000 miles.
I'll have to say that both of our Prius vehicles have been the most reliable ones we have ever had.
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I am hanging onto my 1999 Toyota Corolla. Husband will sometimes say I should get a new car, but I figure I'll just keep driving this one because it costs next to nothing to run and I don't drive much anyway. Car has only 27,700 miles.
Mechanics at the shop always tell me to give them a call if ever I want to unload it. Something about cars without computers, plus they know it's been pampered with a garage and good care. If I hold onto it a little longer, maybe I can give it to one of my grandsons.
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I am hanging onto my 1999 Toyota Corolla. Husband will sometimes say I should get a new car, but I figure I'll just keep driving this one because it costs next to nothing to run and I don't drive much anyway. Car has only 27,700 miles.
Mechanics at the shop always tell me to give them a call if ever I want to unload it. Something about cars without computers, plus they know it's been pampered with a garage and good care. If I hold onto it a little longer, maybe I can give it to one of my grandsons.
Your mechanics are 100% right. A late 90's Corolla with low miles? That's a mustachianmobile. Economical, easy to work on, cheap to acquire, and reliable.
FWIW, your car *does* have a computer, but it's only connected to your engine/transmission. No connections to your stereo, power windows or locks, headlights, HVAC, steering wheel buttons, or any sort of fancy display where your odometer is.
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2014 VW Jetta Sportwagon TDI. ~135,000 milles. Averaging 40+mpg and just passed another inspection free and clear of any problems.
(The Anti-Mustachian Mobile) 2014 Audi Q7 TDI. ~135,000 Miles. Averaging 30+mpg, also passed another inspection free and clear of any problems.
Love my diesel powered engines!
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1998 Honda Accord with just shy of 300,000 miles on it. Bought it new before I even got pregnant with our son. The bumper sticker layers are an archaeologist's dream.
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2012 Honda Accord. Will hit 100k miles tomorrow (as I drive in to work for 8 hours of overtime). car has been 100% problem free.
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At what point do you declare that repairs to a high mileage vehicle are no longer worth it? When it's 30% of the car's fair market value? 10%? 50%?
Toyota trucks are unquestionably reliable, but I've found the long-term repair/maintenance cost to be around 10 cents per mile.
We have 206k on our Gen 1 Sequoia.
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1996 Dodge Dakota
Only 134,000 miles on it. Took the 2-year on a road trip to the mailbox just to get it some road time. She loves that thing.
Only drove it 500 miles last year, and about 200 the year before that. A good chunk of that is driving it down the road and back every now and then just to make sure things still work and certain things don't dry-rot, etc.
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At what point do you declare that repairs to a high mileage vehicle are no longer worth it? When it's 30% of the car's fair market value? 10%? 50%?
Toyota trucks are unquestionably reliable, but I've found the long-term repair/maintenance cost to be around 10 cents per mile.
We have 206k on our Gen 1 Sequoia.
So you think you've spent $20.6k on your truck lifetime (or perhaps you haven't owned it the entire time)...that sounds high to me.
Are you paying for the repairs/maintenance or doing them yourself? On my ancient corolla I get about 4c/mile, but that is a mix of hiring out sometimes but often doing it myself. Hopefully the 4c will come down as the shameful era of professional mechanical help recedes further and further into my past.
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At what point do you declare that repairs to a high mileage vehicle are no longer worth it? When it's 30% of the car's fair market value? 10%? 50%?
Toyota trucks are unquestionably reliable, but I've found the long-term repair/maintenance cost to be around 10 cents per mile.
We have 206k on our Gen 1 Sequoia.
So you think you've spent $20.6k on your truck lifetime (or perhaps you haven't owned it the entire time)...that sounds high to me.
Are you paying for the repairs/maintenance or doing them yourself? On my ancient corolla I get about 4c/mile, but that is a mix of hiring out sometimes but often doing it myself. Hopefully the 4c will come down as the shameful era of professional mechanical help recedes further and further into my past.
I've logged every single maintenance or repair into Excel - date, mileage, cost. Tires are $850 a set and last 40k miles. (Sorry, not gonna cheap out on tires.) Timing belt and water pump are every 90k at $1300. Just replaced the alternator at $700. The tailgate actuator is a defective design that breaks about every 50k at $400 a pop. Oil changes aren't much. But everything else adds up. Now I have a rusted area under a rear door that's going to be about $1000 in body work if I decide to fix it.
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At what point do you declare that repairs to a high mileage vehicle are no longer worth it? When it's 30% of the car's fair market value? 10%? 50%?
Toyota trucks are unquestionably reliable, but I've found the long-term repair/maintenance cost to be around 10 cents per mile.
We have 206k on our Gen 1 Sequoia.
So you think you've spent $20.6k on your truck lifetime (or perhaps you haven't owned it the entire time)...that sounds high to me.
Are you paying for the repairs/maintenance or doing them yourself? On my ancient corolla I get about 4c/mile, but that is a mix of hiring out sometimes but often doing it myself. Hopefully the 4c will come down as the shameful era of professional mechanical help recedes further and further into my past.
I've logged every single maintenance or repair into Excel - date, mileage, cost. Tires are $850 a set and last 40k miles. (Sorry, not gonna cheap out on tires.) Timing belt and water pump are every 90k at $1300. Just replaced the alternator at $700. The tailgate actuator is a defective design that breaks about every 50k at $400 a pop. Oil changes aren't much. But everything else adds up. Now I have a rusted area under a rear door that's going to be about $1000 in body work if I decide to fix it.
Great data collection! You're getting most of it professionally done from those prices. I think DIY saves you roughly 2/3rds of hiring a mechanic, so I think we are actually seeing similar underlying costs.
It's good to see a fellow user of the old-fashioned Excel spreadsheet method of data storage/analysis.
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wow props to anyone driving a vehicle from the 90s, mine is only a decade old so I have a ways to go before I can join this thread but now I have more motivation. :D
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I've been driving my 2001 Tacoma for the past 16 years without fail. The frame has finally rusted out enough to make if unsafe to drive. Been pretty bummed all week and can't decide what a proper replacement vehicle would be.
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I've been driving my 2001 Tacoma for the past 16 years without fail. The frame has finally rusted out enough to make if unsafe to drive. Been pretty bummed all week and can't decide what a proper replacement vehicle would be.
2002 Tacoma?
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2001 Tacoma from somewhere they don't salt the roads in the winter?
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I've been driving my 2001 Tacoma for the past 16 years without fail. The frame has finally rusted out enough to make if unsafe to drive. Been pretty bummed all week and can't decide what a proper replacement vehicle would be.
No good on this one... but on the next one --- yearly fluid film inside the frame, on the frame & the thinner fluid film inside the body panels
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I've been driving my 2001 Tacoma for the past 16 years without fail. The frame has finally rusted out enough to make if unsafe to drive. Been pretty bummed all week and can't decide what a proper replacement vehicle would be.
No good on this one... but on the next one --- yearly fluid film inside the frame, on the frame & the thinner fluid film inside the body panels
You don't have to do it annually inside the frame, as it doesn't get worn/washed off -- definitely annually outside, though. My GX470 is on its 3rd winter now (2nd with fluid film) and it's holding up great.
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2003 Corolla, almost to 250k miles
Bought 3 years ago for $2000 at 195k, valued at ~$1500 now
Only major repair was front end suspension, done myself (parts: $200)
Still gets 30-32mpg combined city and highway.
To those wondering, yes, I drive a lot. Spent 8 months commuting 70 miles one way for an internship (never again). Spent the last 4 years commuting 15 miles one way into the city to get to University. Luckily, my rent is half of what it would be in the city, which more than makes up the cost difference. Also, I consider any more miles I get out of my Corolla to be free. That car has paid for itself already, and I'll drive it until something major fails.
I'd say all in all, it's a combination of good luck, preventative maintenance, and good Japanese engineering.
Here's to 300k!
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2005 Toyota Camry 230K (Bought for cash 7 years ago when it had 160k).
It is our only car for our family of 5 and this morning when I went to do my budget for next month I realized that I hadn't bought any gas during January!
Great car. Last year I had to take it to the dealership to get the CO2 sensor replaced (that I think the guy doing the inspection broke in the first place but that is another story and I can't prove it). Anyway, I had actually never been to a dealership before. The guy who was my service tech raved about the car, said it was in great shape and should last well over 300k. Then he told me that his Camry is going on 400k. I was pleasantly surprised that workers at a dealership would be so enthusiastic about older cars and keeping them going rather than replacing them.
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2003 Corolla, almost to 250k miles
Bought 3 years ago for $2000 at 195k, valued at ~$1500 now
Only major repair was front end suspension, done myself (parts: $200)
Still gets 30-32mpg combined city and highway.
To those wondering, yes, I drive a lot. Spent 8 months commuting 70 miles one way for an internship (never again). Spent the last 4 years commuting 15 miles one way into the city to get to University. Luckily, my rent is half of what it would be in the city, which more than makes up the cost difference. Also, I consider any more miles I get out of my Corolla to be free. That car has paid for itself already, and I'll drive it until something major fails.
I'd say all in all, it's a combination of good luck, preventative maintenance, and good Japanese engineering.
Here's to 300k!
I bought a used 2008 Corolla as my first major car purchase after graduating college. I remember making a large downpayment (relative to my salary at the time) and then throwing $800 a month at the loan to get it paid off in a little over a year. Most of this was made possible by still living at home with my parents :)
It was a pretty awesome car and I honestly could see myself enjoying driving an older model Corolla or Camry today. It wasn't exceptionally nimble in the rough Minnesota winters, but at the time, that seemed to be the norm for most sedans. The MPG on the 2003 Corolla is also especially impressive considering gas was still ~$1.50/gal at the time and high gases prices weren't a big concern for years to come.
Unfortunately the engine blew out on me and I ended up trading it in and getting $4,000 for it.
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Nothing insanely mustachian here but no car payments:
Mine- 1998 Chevy S10 @ 117k mi
DW- 2013 Hyundai Elantra @ 108k mi
I really think the Elantra will wet the bed before my truck does. The engine has gotten a little noisy despite regular full synthetic oil changes and tune up around 75k. We'll see what happens but may elect to sell and replace with a Honda/Toyota before it poops out.
Shoutout to this forum: When I found this forum I had a 2011 Silverado w/ a $26k loan. Sold it, erased loan, bought the S10 with cash and I'm truly just as happy if not happier with this truck. Serves all the same purposes as the Silverado. Smile everytime I see it and the amount I save monthly no longer having the truck payment.
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I had to put the old horse down.... I bought it used and got about 200,000 miles out of it. I put a fair amount of money into to it over the years, but it still eventually fell apart. I didn`t feel like getting anymore work done every 3-6 months to get it moving down the road. I just shopped around and bought an old 2003 Honda Civic that only has 115K miles, very low mpg, and in great shape inside, outside, and under the hood. I got to see the previous owner`s Carfax report and he only averaged 6-7,000 miles a year on it, kept his oil changes regular, and a year ago they got new tires. I am not sure if they put a new timing belt on it. I`m going to get that done very soon. Hopefully, I`ll get at least another 200K out of it with no major problems.
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Celebrating 9 year anniversary (cariversary?) with our 2004 Nissan Sentra base model today.
9 Years
~93,000 miles
1 set of tires
15 oil changes
1 set of brake pads
1 belt
1 Crankshaft Sensor
1 Replaced Battery
She's been good to us.
We are getting rid of her to travel around the world for a year, and hope her new owned can get another 50-100k miles.
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1995 Honda Civic DX Hatchback - 121K miles, original owner :-). My bike OTOH has plenty of miles.
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Opposite of a high mileage brag here but it seems like an appropriate place to put this:
I qualified for the special low-driver insurance discount as I drove less than 10,000km last year! That's 10% off!
My 2011 subaru has 87,000km on it, we both it in 2015 with 35,000 KM on it.
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2004 Saturn Vue V6. Currently at 149,569 miles.
Have had it since 72k miles. Great suv.
Very nice! You dodged a bullet with that one. You probably already know, but the four-cylinder (CVT) version of that car had all kinds of problems. My parents bought one new (2003) and its transmission started acting up at 50k and was nearly dead by 100k.
Same in our circle. Quoted mileages were about the same too.
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2004 Saturn Vue V6. Currently at 149,569 miles.
Have had it since 72k miles. Great suv.
Very nice! You dodged a bullet with that one. You probably already know, but the four-cylinder (CVT) version of that car had all kinds of problems. My parents bought one new (2003) and its transmission started acting up at 50k and was nearly dead by 100k.
Same in our circle. Quoted mileages were about the same too.
Best part is that there was a class-action lawsuit about it but it was right around the time GM "restructured" and it was targeted at "Old GM" so it ended up worthless.
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My collection of junk:
1992 LandCruiser FJ80, 254k miles, bought at 252k for $600. No, I didn't drive all those miles. Too bad for the sucka that paid $40k new for a vehicle that gets 14mpg on a good day. It's our trailer tow-er, junk hauler, canoe carrier to the tune of 1-2K mi/year.
2002 VW Golf TDI, 297K now, bought at 70K in 2006 for 10k cash. Yes, at 270k, it did drop a shaft in the manny tranny and it had to rebuild it into another case scavenged for free off the forum. And then at 290k the replacement turbo barfed up a bearing after only 70k of service, and it had to be rebuilt/combined with the OEM turbo for free. And then it was rear ended in traffic, totaled by insurance. Got a $3100 settlement, bought back for $250, went to JY & got good used color matching hatch & bumper& taillights for $175. Spent a day straightening the opening & hanging parts. Made about $275/hr for 9hrs of work.
'New' car: 2013 VW TDI sportwagen, bought at 136k last august for $5900 (cheap), but immediately spent $1100 for a new flywheel, timing belt & WP, rear springs & shocks,all maintenance fluids & filters. Wife's new commuter car, though it gets only 44MPG vs 48 for the '01. The safety & comfort improvements are worth the mileage hit.
In the springtime, I will sell the 02 TDI for $3,000 and a classic car for $15,000, to free up garage & brain space. Too much rolling stock here now.
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Today marks 15 years since I bought our 2005 Honda Pilot and brought her home. It was not at all a mustachian purchase, but damn she’s been a most excellent car. Just over 197K miles and she still has never had a mechanical breakdown. We’ve kept up on the scheduled maintenance and the extent of any repairs includes two power window motors and one “O” ring related to the power steering, all done by my DH.
She is our only car and we plan to keep her until something major happens.
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A couple months ago, my daily driver technically became a classic by hitting the 25-year-old mark. Runs fantastic, although the motor mounts seriously need replacing.
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I said goodbye to our 1999 Camry last weekend. It served us very well the last 6 years. I traded it in on a 2020 Toyota Corolla hatchback. The corolla is basically one of the most reliable vehicles ever made, and should last us a very long time.
The Corolla hatchback and 4Runner (which we also have) are one of the very few Toyota models still manufactured in Japan. Working in the quality field and learning a considerable amount about Toyota’s Lean Manufacturing Quality System, which has set the precedent for quality for many other companies, has really sold me. While the plants in Mexico, US, and Canada, still follow the same Lean philosophies, the Japanese culture has a sense of respect and responsibilities embedded deep within many, which I believe the models still manufactured in Japan are a notch above the rest in terms of quality.
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We have an 07 Chevy Cobalt with 185k miles. Runs good, needs some front end work.
Also have an 04 Ford Ranger. Truck was free to me, cost about 5k to get running again and in like new condition. 111k miles currently.
Wife's 07 Cobalt with 195k miles died last week. Timing chain broke and killed the rest of the engine. Rather than try to find a replacement engine, we bought a 09 Ford Fusion from wife's sister for $2500. It has 175k miles on it and if we can get it to 200k miles, we will be happy.
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Not sure if I can call it overly old, but the other week I picked up a 2002 Holden Barina with 111,000km for $3000.
It's got plenty of space for the driver for a small hatchback, and the 1.4L engine has plenty of go.
Let's see how long it lasts :)
I've got a photo of the odo at 111111 as well :)
Still running well at 146000km (91000 miles). The first service was expensive (timing belt), and I had to replace the pedal box a couple of years ago as something bent when I pressed the clutch, but aside from that it’s been fine.
Should be good for a while yet, but I wonder if I should sell it in a year or two while it’s still got some value left in it and buy something a few years newer. Waiting for the third gen Prius to get cheap enough, but I may not drive enough to justify it :)
Currently at 159000km. I spent about $1500 back in May to replace the clutch.
There's a bit of an issue where the heater doesn't work all that well and I think it's losing a bit of coolant. I'm hoping it's not a leaky head gasket, but the temp gauge is fine so probably not. My guess is that the radiator has sprung a leak.
The plan is to replace it in 6-12 months (after I move), probably with a second gen Prius (the city fuel economy is appealing). I'm getting over driving a manual transmission in traffic. It'll be due for a timing belt at 180000km, and I plan on being rid of it well before then.
Now at 171000km, hasn't been driven all that far lately thanks to COVID, maybe 500-600km in total since early July?
Replacing the radiator didn't fix the coolant leak, and I think the other leak is from the waterpump. I'm ready to move it on, but used cars are really expensive at the moment, so I'll keep it running a little while longer.
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The DH's 2004 Acura wouldn't start last week. First time ever. Turns out it still had the original spark plugs. Our DD is learning to drive on it so it is getting a lot more turning on and not going very long while she learns how to start a manual and get moving.
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I've had my 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid for ten years now (bought new, yeah, I know). It has 88,000 miles on it now and it's still going strong. I put 18,000 miles on it in the first year when I had a clown commute, but I've averaged about 7500 miles a year with it since then. It's impossible for me to bike to work, because it's 16 miles all highway each way and I got the job after I bought my house. Recently, I had to do the first real repairs on the car. Had a problem with a valve in the evaporative system that was stuck open and needed to be replaced. Also needed to replace the rear shocks and a blind spot system module on the right side of the car. Other than that, it's been a trouble-free car. Hoping to keep it at least another ten years if not more.
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DW heads up a homeschooling co-op in our area. I'm currently teaching the teenagers some basic car maintenance stuff. Last week, our two vehicles, which between them have over 425,000 miles, got oil changes, performed by teenagers who had never done anything like that before! :)
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DW heads up a homeschooling co-op in our area. I'm currently teaching the teenagers some basic car maintenance stuff. Last week, our two vehicles, which between them have over 425,000 miles, got oil changes, performed by teenagers who had never done anything like that before! :)
That is great. Hands on is the best way to learn!
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I'm replacing suspension bushings on my MR2 with....maybe 265k miles? The speedometer was broken for a while, so I don't really know how many miles are on it. The front ball joints are looser than I'd like so I'm going to replace those too.
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Most of my co-workers love to talk about buying new or very fancy cars. Have had many poke fun at me as the poorest guy they know. As moustachians I thought we could maybe use this thread to brag on our high-mileage cars (since no one else will ever envy them!).
Me:
I have a 2000 Toyota Sienna with 215k miles as our family car. Still running strong and we did a cross-country trip 2 years ago from coast to coast and back (my job paid for the trip which was a vacation for my family!!). Only major repair has been the AC compressor.
For my farm truck (and what I use to haul building materials when building my house) I have a 2001 Ford F-350 with 260k miles. Bought used in 2008 for $7k and kbb is more than that even now... Bad mpg but I only use it for hauling and towing (very good money-maker). Wouldn't recommend it from a MMM perspective due to somewhat poor reliability but a steady diet of parts keeps it running!
2012 Honda Accord. on track for 110K miles and is just as tight as the day I bought it. Regular maintenance: Oil brakes, etc I do my self.
Car has ANOTHER 150K in it, does not burn oil, does not leak oil.
I used to buy american cars, always took good care of them. Every american care I owned, would get 80-90k miles on them and something major would always go wrong: Head gasket, trans, etc and the all leaked oil . NO more, Honda's only for me.
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So, our beloved 2005 Honda Pilot that I’ve commented about above hit 200K miles this past Friday. Best car ever, don’t think I’m ever going to let her go.
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Though my new ski-town roommates are heckling me for it, I just bought a new set of winter tires for my 2011 Civic with 97K miles, instead of replacing it with an SUV or a crossover. Used Subarus with 100K+ miles still go for over $10K here! And from everything I've read, tires are much more important than anything else for winter driving. If there are ever 6 inches of unplowed snow on the roads, I don't think I'd want to be driving on it in anything.
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Though my new ski-town roommates are heckling me for it, I just bought a new set of winter tires for my 2011 Civic with 97K miles, instead of replacing it with an SUV or a crossover. Used Subarus with 100K+ miles still go for over $10K here! And from everything I've read, tires are much more important than anything else for winter driving. If there are ever 6 inches of unplowed snow on the roads, I don't think I'd want to be driving on it in anything.
Good snow tires will make nearly any FWD or AWD car practically unstoppable in any typical snow situation.
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Though my new ski-town roommates are heckling me for it, I just bought a new set of winter tires for my 2011 Civic with 97K miles, instead of replacing it with an SUV or a crossover. Used Subarus with 100K+ miles still go for over $10K here! And from everything I've read, tires are much more important than anything else for winter driving. If there are ever 6 inches of unplowed snow on the roads, I don't think I'd want to be driving on it in anything.
Good snow tires will make nearly any FWD or AWD car practically unstoppable in any typical snow situation.
Yeah, the only reason I briefly entertained replacing my (perfect condition) old car is the extra couple inches of clearance you get with a bigger car. But.... again, I'm not trying to offroad in the snow if I can avoid it, LOL.
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I dunno guys, I think I win; not for my planning, but thanks to fate.
Bought a Honda Fit, base model (no air, no power locks, unfortunately and not terribly a lot of fun!) but it's stable, it's simple, and it'll never die! $9500, when it was assessed approximately $13,500. That was November 2018.
Fast forward to July 2020, we saw a typical hail storm for the area; alas finally after 6 years of living here, my car finally got hit. Great news though, unlike other vehicles or other storms this produced the most consistent small hail in years. Since the car is a uni-body design including roof, there was no point in repairing things, so it was a full write off to the tune of $7000. After some negotiation, that became $8300.
My $1200 car now has 53K Miles on it, and has a few golf ball dimples in the hood and roof. Barely noticeable, hasn't harmed the paint and (so to the work of Spalding's golf ball design) supposedly is a faster car for it. It's going to drive for many many years to come...
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I have a Fit too. I find mine ridiculously fun to drive, unbelievably capacious, comfortable, and frugal as hell. Mine's a '12 base model (we previously had an '07 sport but the powertrain is the same so all it gets you is bigger tires and a spoiler).
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Though my new ski-town roommates are heckling me for it, I just bought a new set of winter tires for my 2011 Civic with 97K miles, instead of replacing it with an SUV or a crossover. Used Subarus with 100K+ miles still go for over $10K here! And from everything I've read, tires are much more important than anything else for winter driving. If there are ever 6 inches of unplowed snow on the roads, I don't think I'd want to be driving on it in anything.
I used to drive my Honda S2000 with a set of Dunlop WinterSport tires. Never a problem in your average snowstorm, and it was fun to cruise down the highway with the roof down, the heat cranked, and snow flying over the windshield.
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2012 Honda Accord 108,562 miles. 100% problem free. Bought it new exactly 9 years ago today, Veterans Day 2011.
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Been driving a 1997 Subaru Outback Sport with ~170k on the odometer since we returned to the USA in October. Neat little car. It needs some work, but it cost us almost nothing.......#stealthwealth.
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(Not strictly a super old or high mileage car, but I do think the story fits here....)
My retired parents were in the market for a new car. They knew the make, model and specs they wanted and got a quote from a dealership. Luckily, they had also grown a habit of always asking me to check before committing to big ticket purchases. A few emails later, I had saved them 5000€ and gotten them five years of 0% financing.
I could most probably have gotten them an even better deal, but they were happy with that, very much so. I usually go without a car, but they gave me their old one. 13 years old, 300000km and low fuel consumption. Super useful for work on our summer cottage, and now again for avoiding public transport during the covid19 pandemic.
It looks like it still has a few years of useful life in it. Once this pandemic is over, we'll park it at friends near the airport. That'll save us time and money getting to our cottage for shorter getaways.
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Not sure if I can call it overly old, but the other week I picked up a 2002 Holden Barina with 111,000km for $3000.
It's got plenty of space for the driver for a small hatchback, and the 1.4L engine has plenty of go.
Let's see how long it lasts :)
I've got a photo of the odo at 111111 as well :)
Now at 171000km, hasn't been driven all that far lately thanks to COVID, maybe 500-600km in total since early July?
Replacing the radiator didn't fix the coolant leak, and I think the other leak is from the waterpump. I'm ready to move it on, but used cars are really expensive at the moment, so I'll keep it running a little while longer.
As of tomorrow I'll have owned it six years. Currently at 174,000km. Considering I spent $3K on the car and have had a couple of $1000-1500 trips to the mechanic in that time, it's been a pretty good deal.
It's actually about to be sold in the new year as there's a few things that need to be done, and I've been offered a 2004 Ford Falcon (with just 118,000km) through family. It's got the automatic transmission and cruise control that I was after, but it's quite a bit larger (harder to park) and uses about 50% more fuel.
My thinking is that another $10-15 a week on fuel is much cheaper than a car payment. Since the last service was March 2018, it's about to get an oil change and transmission fluid change (along with a bunch of filters and spark plugs), and a couple of things I need to do for roadworthy. Just put new tyres on it today, and gave it a good clean over the weekend.
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But those aren't the only two options right? You could get a cheap car with fuel efficiency, auto trans, and cruise control...
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But those aren't the only two options right? You could get a cheap car with fuel efficiency, auto trans, and cruise control...
Not in the current used market. Prices are way up due to COVID, especially for small automatics. I was actually seriously considering biting the bullet and buying new/near new.
Besides, I don't drive a huge amount per year, and this car is a known quantity as it's been in the family since new.
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but $10-15/week is a lot of money - $500-800/year of gas, $2500-4000 over five years
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My Ford Fusion, which is so stinking fun to drive, is 9.5 years and just over 224,000 miles.
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1996 Suzuki Sierra 470000 km.....
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1994 BMW Station Wagon with 210k miles - bought off a neighbor for $2500 a few years back - I live in LA and I can help but smirk at all the people I know who have expensive leased Audis and Jeeps that just sit in front of their houses now through Covid Lockdown, sucking hundreds of dollars from their bank account every month....
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I have a 18 year old Mazda 6 (do they sell those in US?). It has served me pretty well since I bought it in cash 6 years ago for 3.5k EUR. I do use it for three things only: weekly groceries, monthly visit to in-laws and one road trip per year. That's why despite the age its mileage is only 175k km.
I do have a question to the MMM community though. The car is starting to have some very light rust in the fenders. Here in Poland is common due to the common use of salt on the roads during the winters. The question is: is it worth it to repair it? Do you have any experience with that, or any idea if it can be solved at all? Given the use we give to the car I would like to stretch the life of our beloved machine for as long as possible, but it would be one of those situations where I would be probably putting more money in the car than its market value. Still, if it gives me another 4 - 5 years of transportation at a very reasonable price.
Thanks a lot for your input.
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I have a 18 year old Mazda 6 (do they sell those in US?). It has served me pretty well since I bought it in cash 6 years ago for 3.5k EUR. I do use it for three things only: weekly groceries, monthly visit to in-laws and one road trip per year. That's why despite the age its mileage is only 175k km.
I do have a question to the MMM community though. The car is starting to have some very light rust in the fenders. Here in Poland is common due to the common use of salt on the roads during the winters. The question is: is it worth it to repair it? Do you have any experience with that, or any idea if it can be solved at all? Given the use we give to the car I would like to stretch the life of our beloved machine for as long as possible, but it would be one of those situations where I would be probably putting more money in the car than its market value. Still, if it gives me another 4 - 5 years of transportation at a very reasonable price.
Thanks a lot for your input.
You can get them in Canada, I assume the US.
For a while there was a massive problem with the Mazda 3 in Canada, they rusted like crazy I guess due to poor paint composition (and of course the literal truckloads of salt on the roads - at least where I was).
From what I've heard the only way to really deal with rust is to cut out the rusty metal and put new in. I think it will cost you more than the car is worth to do it properly (and even 'properly' isn't usually good for that long). Just keep it clean and dry, as much as you can. Drive it til it doesn't pass whatever safety inspections you have there.
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For a car of that age, it's probably not worth doing body work. If the rust is just starting to show, you can spray it with rust converter, then paint over that. For something extra durable, maybe pickup bed liner? :P
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Don’t have a truck, but spot someone giving away a free 300+lb safe on marketplace and all you have to pick it up with is a tiny 2-door Japanese sub-compact? No problem. In fact, easier than a pick up truck, only had to lever it up about 8” to slide in into where the passenger seat used to be
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1999 Jeep Wrangler Sport
185,000 miles
22 MPG
Dirt cheap and easy to fix when things break (they rarely do)
Purchased in 2014 for $8,000, worth about the same today, primarily because SoCal loves Jeeps
Also
2004 Honda Odyssey
150,000 miles
27 MPG
Leaking like a sieve from every orifice...more work than it's worth, and hoping to sell in the next couple of years.
Purchased this past summer for $4,200
When we move again in about a year and a half, I'm putting my foot down when it comes to commuting. Pulling my bike back out for trips to/from work. The Jeep will become solely a toy for family fun on weekends.
Jeep now has 205k miles on it and needs an engine rebuild. It's starting to get more difficult to find parts since it rolled off the line in 1998. I figure if I can get at least five more years after this rebuild, I'll hopefully be at $500k net worth and can justify spending a little more on a more modern vehicle. It would be really nice to not have stuff wearing out so often. In two years, my car will be old enough to rent a car.
We sold the Honda last summer for $2200 (depreciation worked out to about $40/month) and bought a 2012 Toyota Sienna for $8200 with 160k miles on it. So far, it's a much more reliable and solidly built car than the Honda. Will likely keep for 5-10 years, assuming it doesn't start stranding my wife and kids places like the Honda did. I can handle doing repairs, but she needs something she can rely on completely.
PCS'd to Texas and my commute became exactly zero miles for the past two years. Looking ahead at our next move next year and trying to get into a neighborhood that will be 1.5 miles from work (biking distance).
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Our 2010 Prius that we bought in 2016 now has 146K miles. In the very cold winter months the gas mileage dips down into the high 30 mpg range. Now that it's getting a little warmer, we're up above 40 mpg again. When it's warm enough to turn the butt warmers off, then we're up in the 46-50 mpg range. Not bad for a 10+ year old high-mileage car.
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I drive a 2013 VW Golf with 88,000 km. When we purchased this vehicle we planned to own it for 10 years then reassess. But then something happened last month....I accepted a position at a group of car dealerships. I will soon be getting rid of the VW hatchback for an SUV from my new employer.
On the one hand the position comes with a $50,000 increase in base salary which will allow me to retire earlier. On the other hand everything else about working for dealerships is anti-mustachian. Do I deserve a face punch, or do my retirement goals trump anti car culture concerns?
Update - after a successful first year of employment I was given an employer provided vehicle. The taxable benefit I receive is minimal, which I consider Mustachian. However, I don’t get to choose the vehicle I drive, and they currently have me in a GMC Sierra with a 6.2 litre V8 (very un-mustachian).
I justify this all because I’m earning and saving more than I did before, but I feel a little guilty sometimes driving around town in one of the least mustachian vehicles ever made!
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18 years ago, a couple months before DW and I got married, we bought a 1995 Corolla with 87,000 miles. At the time, I said "I want my kids to learn how to drive in this car."
That day has come to pass: 151,000 miles later, my oldest kid is learning to drive in that silvery-brown-but-slowly-turning-to-rust beauty. We recently replaced the (original!) shocks on all four corners, after one of them got water inside and froze over the winter :)
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The old car is now gone, had 174500km on it, and this week sold it to my mechanic for $500. It needed a fair bit of work and I wasn't prepared to spend the cash on it.
The newer car is at 122,000km (it's a 2004 Ford Falcon, with the 4.0L Barra inline six and an automatic transmission, on petrol). Fuel economy hasn't been brilliant, but it's in great mechanical condition and should be reliable. I inherited the car but ended up putting $1300 into it by the time it passed it's roadworthy inspection to transfer into my name (a full set of tyres, a full service as it hadn't had one for three years, a bunch of filters/etc ordered online, and the inspection itself). I've got a set of spark plugs and a bottle of transmission fluid sitting in the garage for when the car needs those.
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My Jeep has had a misfire in cylinder 1 and 2 since June, with the check engine light staying on and rendering it unable to pass state inspection. The misfire was due to low compression in those two cylinders, and likely from worn cylinder walls and/or rings/seals, as verified by wet compression test (not a valve issue). I put a bottle of Engine Restore in my oil late last summer, and started to see the CEL disappear occasionally, but not long enough to pass inspection. Thankfully, because of the pandemic, the rules were relaxed and I had some time to save up for an engine rebuild.
Well, two weeks ago, my CEL turned off, I cleared the stored codes, and it hasn't turned back on. This morning, I took it to the local Firestone and it passed inspection!! I saw an immediate compression increase with Engine Restore (as verified by my compression gauge), but the full effects took about six months to materialize (I'm not driving much). A $12 bottle of goop saved me a $6,000 engine rebuild. I almost gave the inspection tech a hug in the parking lot, I was so happy.
If you've got an older engine that has lost some compression over time, it's definitely worth a shot to use Engine Restore. However, if you've got a newer engine or a more complicated one, DO NOT use it. VVT, turbocharged/direct injection, etc requires extremely light oil weights to pass through tiny ports, and this will plug them up and kill your engine. My engine is a 1999 4.0, single cam, pushrod I6 that was originally based on a tractor engine from the 60's, and takes 10w-30 oil.
Today is an awesome day. It's like getting another stimulus check, except we saved for it and it's already sitting in the bank in cash just waiting to be invested.
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Most of my co-workers love to talk about buying new or very fancy cars. Have had many poke fun at me as the poorest guy they know. As moustachians I thought we could maybe use this thread to brag on our high-mileage cars (since no one else will ever envy them!).
Me:
I have a 2000 Toyota Sienna with 215k miles as our family car. Still running strong and we did a cross-country trip 2 years ago from coast to coast and back (my job paid for the trip which was a vacation for my family!!). Only major repair has been the AC compressor.
For my farm truck (and what I use to haul building materials when building my house) I have a 2001 Ford F-350 with 260k miles. Bought used in 2008 for $7k and kbb is more than that even now... Bad mpg but I only use it for hauling and towing (very good money-maker). Wouldn't recommend it from a MMM perspective due to somewhat poor reliability but a steady diet of parts keeps it running!
2012 Honda Accord. on track for 110K miles and is just as tight as the day I bought it. Regular maintenance: Oil brakes, etc I do my self.
Car has ANOTHER 150K in it, does not burn oil, does not leak oil.
I used to buy american cars, always took good care of them. Every american care I owned, would get 80-90k miles on them and something major would always go wrong: Head gasket, trans, etc and the all leaked oil . NO more, Honda's only for me.
I also have a 2012 Honda Accord that I bought new. Just hit 111k miles this past weekend. Also 100% problem free. It's pretty amazing.
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My 2005 Honda Pilot that I bought new in March 2005 continues to run like a champ. Approaching 203K miles and we still couldn’t be happier with it.
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I am going to have to bow out of the bragging on this thread....
My 2007 Honda Ridgeline is going to be sold with 250,000 miles on it
Amazing how low the depreciation per mile is going to be on this, paid $23,500 new in April of 2007 and 14 years later I'm probably going to get $5,000 for it.
Good truck, a little oil leak I can't figure out and that's about it.
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2010 Toyota CX7 was the only car we ever bought new. It has 278,000km on it and our son wants to buy it off us as his first car!
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Hubby's daily driver is a 1996 Jeep Cherokee. I drove a1998 Honda odyssey for 224k miles after it was "totalled" after being hit by a teenage driver. I sold it to a friend for the price of it's new tires, and he drove it for 20k more miles then when reverse went out he took the tires off and put them on his newer car. Donated it to the vocational school's mechanic program.
Loved that car!!
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Should be disqualified if your vehicle is not well maintained. That means needs to not be rusted out, not have leaks, and be in safe working order in all mechanical areas including factory safety systems.
Too many people driving rusted out jalopies on bald, 12 year old tires with no brake pads left, ball joints one pothole from catastrophic failure and making the Exxon Valdez look like a Sierra Club commercial on good environmental stewardship.
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Should he disqualified if your vehicle is not well maintained. That means needs to not be rusted out, not have leaks, and be in safe working order in all mechanical areas including factory safety systems.
Too many people driving rusted out jalopies on bald, 12 year old tires with no brake pads left, ball joints one pothole from catastrophic failure and making the Exxon Valdez look like a Sierra Club commercial on good environmental stewardship.
Lmao, good point.
Just over 210k on my '08 Rolla, still going stronk. New set of tires last year and fresh oil often.
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So I have an old Jetta 2006 and still going strong with about 170km. Hardly a lot for this forum I know. I thinking about getting a newer car sometimes (in a moment of weakness), but I really don't know what I'd get. None of the new cars actually interest me, too big, too expensive. I keep trying to find a used Toyota Tacoma (early 2000's), Honda Element, or even a good deal on a used Prius. Maybe I'm weird, but I'd rather buy one of those cars, spend a bit of money on any repairs/updates/paint, and drive them for the next 10 years.
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Though my new ski-town roommates are heckling me for it, I just bought a new set of winter tires for my 2011 Civic with 97K miles, instead of replacing it with an SUV or a crossover. Used Subarus with 100K+ miles still go for over $10K here! And from everything I've read, tires are much more important than anything else for winter driving. If there are ever 6 inches of unplowed snow on the roads, I don't think I'd want to be driving on it in anything.
Good snow tires will make nearly any FWD or AWD car practically unstoppable in any typical snow situation.
Yeah, the only reason I briefly entertained replacing my (perfect condition) old car is the extra couple inches of clearance you get with a bigger car. But.... again, I'm not trying to offroad in the snow if I can avoid it, LOL.
Around here it's fine to drive a lowered car all year round. They've gotten so tight with the safety stuff that they close the road s now (called a level 3 snow emergency) if we get as little as 4" of snow. Back in the old days I'd be scraping bottom on even full height cars battling to get to work in the Winter. Now they usually have perfect roads after all but the biggest storms, and in that case they close us down anyways... The Winter tires are helpful if you hit icy patches, but deep snow just isn't a concern at all anymore.
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2009 honda odyssey bought in 2018 at 145k miles, now at 185k miles.
Hope to see 200k miles on it, working fine for now.
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So I have an old Jetta 2006 and still going strong with about 170km. Hardly a lot for this forum I know. I thinking about getting a newer car sometimes (in a moment of weakness), but I really don't know what I'd get. None of the new cars actually interest me, too big, too expensive. I keep trying to find a used Toyota Tacoma (early 2000's), Honda Element, or even a good deal on a used Prius. Maybe I'm weird, but I'd rather buy one of those cars, spend a bit of money on any repairs/updates/paint, and drive them for the next 10 years.
Do you rustproof it?
Get a Mazda MX-5/Miata :)
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Tragedy for my 2003 Toyota Matrix. Got into an accident a few days ago (not my fault). The insurance company has decided it’s a write off, since they put the value at just over 4K. But I’m possibly going to argue that once I get the Gold Book value from the local automobile association tomorrow, since it’s in great shape with only 146,000 kilometres. Regardless, I still plan to buy it back, even if it costs me a few grand more than is sensible because I love my car and know it’s history. And I can afford to do it. That’s what money is for, right?
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Our one car household is at 198k. 2009 Toyota Matrix.
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I have a 2008 Toyota Corolla with 61k miles. I am the third old lady to own it. No repairs other than routine maintenance and brakes.
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I have a 2008 Toyota Corolla with 61k miles. I am the third old lady to own it. No repairs other than routine maintenance and brakes.
FWIW, brakes *are* part of routine maintenance.
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2004 Toyota Corolla. Just passed 250k miles! First repair I had to make other than routine maintenance was replacing the Catalytic Converter a couple of years ago. Last month the transmission cable broke so I had to make the call to pay for that repair (plus a few other things) or just call it a day. Made the repairs, and hoping for another 50k miles!
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2010 Toyota Prius (95k-ish miles), which isn't all that unusual, but makes me smile every time I see a big truck on the road. Eighteen months ago I sold my F-150 (after reading MMM) and bought the Prius. So now when I see an F-150 on the road, I like to imagine the dollar bills flying out the tail pipe as they hit the gas.
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I have a 92 Civic in my driveway with 639,000 miles. The last tank I calculated at the pump to be 65mpg. My 270k Honda Insight and 240k Honda Fit are babies in comparison.
EDIT: The Civic costs me $8 per month to insure.
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@Ecky, I’m pretty sure you win at 639K miles. That’s incredible.
My ‘05 Pilot with 204K miles seems like a baby now. If my beloved Pilot could continue being the awesome car it is until either that age or mileage, I’d be a damn happy camper!
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@Ecky, I’m pretty sure you win at 639K miles. That’s incredible.
My ‘05 Pilot with 204K miles seems like a baby now. If my beloved Pilot could continue being the awesome car it is until either that age or mileage, I’d be a damn happy camper!
Thanks! The car actually has a website. I picked it up earlier this year from its original owner of 1992, and have set about restoring it. It's amazing how cheap parts are for these old civics.
The site: www.Aerocivic.com
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Cool! I’ll check it out.
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How do you post pictures here?
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How do you post pictures here?
underneath the text box where you type your reply, there's a link that says "Attachments and other options". That'll get you what you need
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I’ve been kicked out of the high mileage car club. We replaced our ‘05 Pilot with a new Passport.
We do still have a 1995 Geo Tracker with 198K miles that we drive around in the mountains near our house, so perhaps that will allow me to remain a member of the club.
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I’ve been kicked out of the high mileage car club. We replaced our ‘05 Pilot with a new Passport.
We do still have a 1995 Geo Tracker with 198K miles that we drive around in the mountains near our house, so perhaps that will allow me to remain a member of the club.
Hey our Passport has 775 miles on it now!..:)
I just got the new Winter wheels and tires for it today.. When you look at the monster Winter tread its no wonder the OEM won't go in half an inch of snow!
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Our Passport now has 338 miles on it. I think it’ll be a very long time before we reach 200K miles again. It’s amazing how much less driving one does when not commuting to a job ~5 days a week!
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@Ecky, I’m pretty sure you win at 639K miles. That’s incredible.
My ‘05 Pilot with 204K miles seems like a baby now. If my beloved Pilot could continue being the awesome car it is until either that age or mileage, I’d be a damn happy camper!
Thanks! The car actually has a website. I picked it up earlier this year from its original owner of 1992, and have set about restoring it. It's amazing how cheap parts are for these old civics.
The site: www.Aerocivic.com
No kidding...I remember that from many years ago!
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Turned 300,000 miles on my daily driver MR2 last night! It will be 31 years old in a couple more months.
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Turned 300,000 miles on my daily driver MR2 last night! It will be 31 years old in a couple more months.
That’s amazing!!
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Well, it took me way too long, but I finally tackled the big job on my old Hyundai. Started off as an annoying belt squeak, but turned into me replacing the serpentine belt, pulleys and tensioner, the harmonic balancer, timing belt, pulleys and tensioners, timing belt cover and water pump. Would have been an absolutely brutal bill from a mechanic, so I’m glad I finally gathered the courage to tackle the timing belt and fix the squeaking issues (and do water pump since it’s timing belt run and I was in there already and it’s a 15 year old hyundai with 225k), it runs perfect now.
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I just sold my honda for $1800 more than I paid for it... After owning it for 5 years. The only money I put into it was new tires and regular maintenance. If you have an old car sell it now! I'm very excited to be car free again.
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2012 Honda Accord sitting at 115k miles, all problem free.
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2007 Focus hatchback with the 2.0L and auto tranny. Just passed 120k miles. I've had it for 5 years, and put 10-12k miles yearly on it. I've replaced an engine mount, and the coolant thermostat. Little things too..horn, brake light bulb, etc. This year it's developed a very slow power steering fluid leak, and recently the engine rpms and headlights fluctuate at idle, unless the fan or AC is on lol. Need to figure that one out. Routine maintenance hasn't been too bad of a chore. Gotta ways to go to hit the high mileage clubbers in here.
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I have a 2009 Nissan Altima hybrid with 268,000 miles on it. I've replaced the serpentine belt once, new rotors, front suspension, oxygen sensors and that's about it. I get oil changes every 10k miles with full synthetic and it seems to be fine.
It has some many dents and dings and the back looks terrible because I was rear ended and they wouldn't pay for the cosmetic damage as surprise surprise the car wasn't worth the repairs.
I'm kind of curious how long it will go before it just completely craps out. I was thinking of replacing it this year but with car prices being what they are then the journey to 300k miles is on!
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2012 Honda Accord 108,562 miles. 100% problem free. Bought it new exactly 9 years ago today, Veterans Day 2011.
Sitting at 117,340 (still) 100% problem free miles.
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2009 Ford Focus, 110k miles, got it about 5 years ago, used.
It has been an awesome little car. No mechanical issues at all, but it is now rusting under driver and passenger doors with a rust hole on each side. It is a pity, because makes the car look really bad, I'm unsure on what to do to fix it or even if is worth it at all. The car is probably worth about 2k.
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2009 Honda Civic
Currently 145k
Our daily driver for the first 30k years
Then five years of college driving for two kids (while we were working overseas)
We took it back when college kids graduated and got jobs and got their own cars
BUT
Almost every conversation began and ended with How is the Civic? Does it need an oil change?
So all maintenance has been performed on time every time
It is still a really, really nice Civic
This month I replaced the window belts (that disintegrating rubber strip on the bottom of the four windows)
And the door checkers
We bought a new Civic in 1989
We bought this Civic new in 2009
I am holding out to buy the next new Civic in 2029 -- twenty years seems about right
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2003 Toyota Sequoia with about 160,000 miles. I bought it from a family member for $500 where it was being used as a farm runabout. When we got it detailed before I took it, the cleaner said it was the dirtiest vehicle he'd ever cleaned! But it's in good shape (only a few duct-taped areas) and may it live long. Or at least until used car prices settle down. It's only 2WD and I occasionally run into issues with driving it in places a 2WD vehicle shouldn't go (but I'm also pretty good at getting unstuck - had lots of practice when I lived in a truck camper and drove a dually). I put winter tires on it and it's respectable in snow. I especially love it because I can put my mountain bike inside the vehicle for protection.
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Seems better to have low miles than to be driving all the time polluting the environment and contributing to climate change.
My car purchased new in August 2006 has 52,000 miles. It's the only car in my household. And as a plus, I haven't been on any planes in about 15 years.
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So, we now have a teen driver, and because we have lots of kids, we often have to go three directions at the same time. So we are now a three-car family. Now, before you unleash your face punches, I have to brag a bit. Our third car is 15 years old and has 203,000 miles. AND its arrival has actually reduced the average age of our fleet. AND I got it for free, from a friend that didn't want to pay for some repairs on an old beater. Since I do most of my own car maintenance and repair, I'm taking care of those few squawks, and I'll have a roadworthy car for very little money indeed.
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2015 Hyundai Sonata with 280,000 KM on it. I'm in outside sales and do a lot of driving. :)
Wife's car is a 2009 Toyota Corolla - @265,000 km.
We maintain the cars well, both run great.
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So, 3/3 of our vehicles, all with over 200K miles, went down in under 24 hours yesterday/day before.
One was deliberate, and was first, as my husband started disassembling a big chunk of it to try to replace the heater core (has had no heat for years). But then mine died on the way home when an idler pulley broke. And then, after we discovered the idler pulley is largely unavailable in the continental US, his died on the way back from a failed attempt to find the pulley in a junkyard. So after we had his towed home, we did a partial reassembly on the heater core replacement in progress (no heater core installed yet) so we can drive to the ER or at least to somewhere an ambulance can access if we have to.
Part for mine located at a dealer three states away, so it'll be here next week. Haven't even started troubleshooting his yet, but it's pouring rain so that will have to wait.
We may have to replace his, and if we do, we may buy something under 100K miles. The horror!
Meanwhile, the tractor still runs!
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So, 3/3 of our vehicles, all with over 200K miles, went down in under 24 hours yesterday/day before.
One was deliberate, and was first, as my husband started disassembling a big chunk of it to try to replace the heater core (has had no heat for years). But then mine died on the way home when an idler pulley broke. And then, after we discovered the idler pulley is largely unavailable in the continental US, his died on the way back from a failed attempt to find the pulley in a junkyard. So after we had his towed home, we did a partial reassembly on the heater core replacement in progress (no heater core installed yet) so we can drive to the ER or at least to somewhere an ambulance can access if we have to.
Part for mine located at a dealer three states away, so it'll be here next week. Haven't even started troubleshooting his yet, but it's pouring rain so that will have to wait.
We may have to replace his, and if we do, we may buy something under 100K miles. The horror!
Meanwhile, the tractor still runs!
Dang! Do they all park in the same garage? Perhaps they're scheming against you?
I always have a backup vehicle, too. Right now it's a '79 Ford Econoline van I got for free, because my '91 Nissan flatbed (my preferred backup) needs a head gasket.
"If you've got room you might as well keep it"--Country philosopher.
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So, 3/3 of our vehicles, all with over 200K miles, went down in under 24 hours yesterday/day before.
One was deliberate, and was first, as my husband started disassembling a big chunk of it to try to replace the heater core (has had no heat for years). But then mine died on the way home when an idler pulley broke. And then, after we discovered the idler pulley is largely unavailable in the continental US, his died on the way back from a failed attempt to find the pulley in a junkyard. So after we had his towed home, we did a partial reassembly on the heater core replacement in progress (no heater core installed yet) so we can drive to the ER or at least to somewhere an ambulance can access if we have to.
Part for mine located at a dealer three states away, so it'll be here next week. Haven't even started troubleshooting his yet, but it's pouring rain so that will have to wait.
We may have to replace his, and if we do, we may buy something under 100K miles. The horror!
Meanwhile, the tractor still runs!
Dang! Do they all park in the same garage? Perhaps they're scheming against you?
I always have a backup vehicle, too. Right now it's a '79 Ford Econoline van I got for free, because my '91 Nissan flatbed (my preferred backup) needs a head gasket.
"If you've got room you might as well keep it"--Country philosopher.
They all park in the same don't-have-a-garage (which is why we're not inclined to work on things in the pouring rain). The Wrangler will fit in the barn, but it's the one that's running again now, just without heat.
I don't know if they're conspiring. At this point it's really gotten to the point it's funny. It'll stay that way unless we run out of dog food... ;)
We just put a new engine in that Wrangler in October - it had been dead a couple years until then. So it could easily have been worse. This is why we keep a backup.
I learned to drive in a '63 Econoline - those things just keep going.
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So we're nowhere near the high miles seen in this thread, but some of our cars are heading there.
2013 Subaru Crosstrek Limited. Bought new. About 150k miles on it. Replaced CVT tran by Subaru under warranty at 53k miles and short block at 94k miles. Just borked a CVT controller. In the olden days, I'd just sell it off and buy something new, but this market has driven prices up tremendously. This is a car I let one of my kids drive, and he doesn't take good care of cars, so I'm not getting him a new car. So our mechanic will do the work along with other stuff and it'll keep on going.
2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. I know this is the ultra car on MMM. 39k miles on it. I do some serious offroading with a club. This week, it's an extra car, being used because my older son's car backed the rooftop antenna into a not quite open garage door, allowing water to get in. So any chance of rain and he leaves it here.
2017 Subaru Legacy Limited. We bought this one year used. Sedans drop like a rock in value, so we did take advantage of that. DW drives it. 44k miles on it.
2019 Subaru Crosstrek manual. 19k miles on it. It's sort of my "nice" car. Good mileage. With the discounts I'm able to get on gas, it costs me less per mile to drive than any Tesla. I lowered it 1.2 inches on RS-R springs and like it's handling characteristics and looks far better. Yes, I'm a car guy.
2004 Honda S2000. 81k miles. My son bought it a year and a half ago with 80k miles on is. He may want to buy a different sports car, in which case, he'll sell it to me. I've had toy cars in the past (before kids college). College is all done, so I have money again.
2020 Subaru STi. 21k miles at less than a year. This is my son's commuter to go the hour away to work. He'll likely run it to 100k miles. The worst part of this car is the stupid 19" wheels with rubber band tires. He put a massive dent in one wheel and was told that 2 others are bent when he replaced tires. He ended up buying some used 18" STi wheels and putting some snows on them. He'll probably buy some other 18's for the summer.
So we only have 6 cars for 4 drivers. My garage with a lift can hold 5 of them if needed. I expect a year from now, we may have more.
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So, 3/3 of our vehicles, all with over 200K miles, went down in under 24 hours yesterday/day before.
Update: 2/3 vehicles running again. We put a not-quite-right idler pulley from the junkyard on mine as a temporary measure until the right part gets here. We won't drive it far or fast, but this will let us go get groceries in a vehicle that has heat. Delivery delayed but still expected Tuesday night.
His truck is going to take some work, but at least he was able to go to town for parts!
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Well, it's official: the beater a friend gave us is now road-worthy enough, and is now registered and insured. We're a 3-car family. The cars are 15, 15, and 26 years old, and have 203k, 214k, and 244k miles each.
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My 2013 Honda Civic Si is still going strong: 135k miles and still does a mean 0-60 and can go 90 MPH if I need to (you would be surprised how fast you have to go to use the passing lane for 20 seconds on I-95 between Providence and Boston), and I get 32 mpg on the highway. Had some clutch work done on it about five years ago, am on my second set of tires. Nothing else but oil changes and such. In my 10-yr financial plan that started in 2016 I figured I would have to get a new car by now but now I am going to see how long she lasts.
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My 2014 Forester just rolled over 40k miles. Out of interest I plugged it into Carvana and got an instant offer for about what I paid for it in Feb '18.
If the used car market wasn't so crazy right now I might try to roll into something less expensive.
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2008 Toyota Corolla with 230,000. I still think of this car as "new." 😂
I'd love to see it go another 10 years. It's the best little car.
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Some huge mileages here, with very small running costs.
Our (UK) 2006 Ford Mondeo station-wagon has covered 150k miles, and I'd estimate that it costs us in the region of $500/year in repairs. Last year it had a new steering rack (fitted by a mechanic I know) and new rear brake discs and pads (which I did). In the UK, there is a road worthiness test (called an MOT) which is required annually. The last check was in December, there is some rust underneath that will need patching (welding), and the whole brake system pipework needs changing before the next check (due to minor corrosion).
The following link shows an image of the car type, and if you scroll down, you'll see the results of all the annual checks since 2008 (if anybody is interested!):
https://www.carveto.co.uk/mot-history-check/?affiliate=mot-check+main+page%2C+top&carVrm=bt55rhu
This is a list of the 'advisories' from the last check, in December:
Nearside front brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))
Offside front brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))
Nearside rear brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))
Offside rear brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))
Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material both front to rear pipes (1.1.11 (c))
Nearside track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (i))
Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))
Nearside rear tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))
Rear integral body structure is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced crossmember (6.1.1 (c) (i))
Nearside rear brake hose slightly deteriorated (1.1.12 (b) (ii))
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Some huge mileages here, with very small running costs.
Our (UK) Ford Mondeo station-wagon has covered 150k miles, and I'd estimate that it costs us in the region of $500/year in repairs. Last year it had a new steering rack (fitted by a mechanic I know) and new rear brake discs and pads (which I did). In the UK, there is a road worthiness test (called an MOT) which is required annually. The last check was in December, there is some rust underneath that will need patching (welding), and the whole brake system pipework needs changing before the next check (due to minor corrosion).
The following link shows an image of the car type, and if you scroll down, you'll see the results of all the annual checks since 2008 (if anybody is interested!):
https://www.carveto.co.uk/mot-history-check/?affiliate=mot-check+main+page%2C+top&carVrm=bt55rhu
This is a list of the 'advisories' from the last check, in December:
Nearside front brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))
Offside front brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))
Nearside rear brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))
Offside rear brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))
Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material both front to rear pipes (1.1.11 (c))
Nearside track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (i))
Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))
Nearside rear tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))
Rear integral body structure is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced crossmember (6.1.1 (c) (i))
Nearside rear brake hose slightly deteriorated (1.1.12 (b) (ii))
Wow, they called out a deteriorated, but still functional, tie rod end boot? Dang, I'm glad I don't have to deal with that sort of nit-picking. I can only imagine what the inspector would call out on my cars...
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Sad news. My '95 Corolla is no more. It was done in, not by mechanical failure, nor rust, nor even my teenage drivers. I lent it to my brother, and he got rear-ended on a slushy highway. Because of its age and mileage (245k), the insurance company totalled it. We owned that car for almost 19 years. Bought it before we got married. Brought our first two kids home from the hospital in it. Moved across the country multiple times in it.
Now I'm in the market for a car. Again.
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I walk, and have no car to maintain.
*mic drop*
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Good news! The insurance company paid us $1700ish for our '95 Corolla. Three days ago, we found its replacement. We are now the proud owners of....a '97 Geo Prizm (basically a rebadged Corolla) with only 150k miles. Which we paid $1700 for. So, for the cost of the title and plate transfer and sales tax (can you believe that IL quadrupled the sales tax on old cars?), we now have a car that is two years younger and has almost 100k fewer miles. I'll have to work through some deferred maintenance (change fluids, a couple minor squawks, maybe change the timing belt, since there's no record of that happening), but because it's basically the same car, I already know where everything is and how everything comes apart.
After spending a couple months driving a positively massive Pontiac Grand Prix, I am thoroughly enjoying the amazing visibility, the maneuverability, the fuel efficiency, and the honest simplicity of this car. Oh, and it handled yesterday's huge snowstorm like a champ.
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2012 Honda Accord with 118,620 problem free miles.
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2003 Chevy Trailblazer - 185k - my daily driver
2009 Ford Escape - 130k - "disposable" car for the teens to learn how to drive
2018 Chrysler Pacifica - 70k - Mrs HawkeyeNFO's daily driver
So 2 old cars, but the average is an age of 12 years old, with over 128k miles. I do also have a garage queen / toy roadster convertible, but it's not frequently used. If you can do most of the maintenance yourself, like oil changes, brake service, and some other items, it really keeps the ownership costs low.
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2012 Honda Accord sitting at 115k miles, all problem free.
Just hit 119k miles. Still 100% problem free.
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I walk, and have no car to maintain.
*mic drop*
LOL!
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I was directed to this thread by another member. I don’t know if anyone will be interested but it makes me feel better to post/brag here haha.
We bought our Prius for $6k with 95,000 miles on it back in 2018. It went very well until 2021, when we needed to get the ABS accumulator replaced and a wheel bearing fixed. A mere two weeks later we were in a fender bender. The car still drove, but I needed to use a crowbar to bend the fender back enough to open the driver’s door.
Then earlier this year the catalytic converter got stolen, so that was another $2k, including a guard to stop it happening again. A few days later we were left stranded eight hours from home after some debris got into the MAF sensor (a friendly mechanic diagnosed that for us).
Cut to a week ago and we were almost left stranded again, this time by an inverter water pump failure. Needless to say my wife and I were feeling pretty exhausted by the car at this point.
We started looking into new cars, but we wanted a report from our mechanic Todd (Tampa Hybrids, highly recommended if you are in the area). He gave us renewed faith in the car, and said we’d just been unlucky. He said worst case scenario is the battery fails and the engine goes tomorrow, and those run at $2k and $2.5k respectively to replace, so we would still be money ahead to keep the Prius and not get a brand new car or another Prius (bearing in mind that to get another ten year old Prius with less than 100k miles is in the $13-14k range right now).
Anyway, the fun part of the story is Todd said he knew a Cuban guy who could do a budget repair job on the front end. We had panel shops look at the car in the past and they had quoted us anywhere between $3k and $5k to fix the damage. This guy found a fender, a headlight, a fog light surround and did what he could with the existing bumper and hood to make it look smooth with some carbon fiber vinyl. My wife and I thought the end result was hilarious and love it.
We have 173,000 miles on now and we want to get as many as we can. Before and after photos attached.
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Been driving a 1997 Subaru Outback Sport with ~170k on the odometer since we returned to the USA in October. Neat little car. It needs some work, but it cost us almost nothing.......#stealthwealth.
Still driving this POS, still haven't changed the oil, 180k on the clock now.
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2011 Chevy Aveo, salvage title. My salvage-yard mechanic, who I only use if I have something extremely specific I want put in or taken out, told me he has a customer who has taken his over 300,000 miles by changing the timing belt every 80,000 instead of 100,000 miles. I did mine at 90,000 and it just hit 100,000.
The cooling system gave me trouble for a while, but that turned out to be because the guy who rebuilt it after it hit a deer (hence the salvage title) put in a lot of common hoses, and that system needs molded hoses. So new (proper) hoses and a heater core flush sorted it out.
At the moment I am pushing the limits of what you can move in a small car. Most recently I fit two 7-foot trees in it. I've fit one entire pallet in it, and several items of furniture. Thinking about roof racks or one of those $350 Harbor Freight trailers to expand my hauling capabilities as we're in DIY season and I don't have a boyfriend with a truck at the moment.
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Well we said goodbye to our 2004 Acura TL with 202,000km on it.
DS was driving back from quidditch practice in Kingston (DS has reached peak nerdom) and was hit on the 401. No one was hurt. Phew. DS was deemed not at fault. Phew. Both vehicles were insurance write offs.
We negotiated a $4,650CAN settlement that captures HST and all the towing charges.
We are now a one car family with four drivers. And both offspring have been involved in car accidents that resulted in vehicle write offs but were not injured in less than six months apart.
That acura engine is in such good shape. At the wreckers DH started it up to get all his CD's out of the stereo and it turned over on the first try. As it has done every time since we bought it in 2007 even in cold weather. My brother always referred to it as a piece of junk - he the owner of a fancy audi convertible that he replaces every four years because he starts needing tows. A very good example of how little my brother knows about cars.
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We just bought a new (to us) car. A 2009 Holden Cruze with 170,000 kms on the clock. It is immaculate and feels like a new car. Such luxury.
It was about half price of others on the market, and as far as I can tell the main reason was it being manual. Put a stick shift in a car and it becomes a heap cheaper as 3/4 of Australians under 30 can't drive it.
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It isn't me, but there's some bloke in the land down under with a similar email and his Focus is due up for its 345,000 kilometer service. Hats off to ya, mate, those are some real miles!
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My 2008 Pilot with 192K miles I think qualifies bragging. I bought it for 26K brand new. My two kids both grew up in this car and the car is gone through all kind of use and abuse. We also had a major accident driving at high speed and we all came out without a single scratch.
And that is not all .. We have been renting this car for last 3-4 years and more or less recovered 15K .
I have few other cars much newer but I can say this car still drives better than most other cars.
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Not a car, but thought maybe this belonged here. Over the last 12 years running a small landscaping company, we have a fleet of 3 - 4 lawn tractors in use at any one time. We’ve always bought the entry level John Deere tractors because they are fairly inexpensive to buy and run, and since we have new people all the time, if a crew trashes one, it’s not a big loss like if we ran a commercial unit that’s 5-10x the price. Obviously, if it was just me, I’d run around with a very nice commercial unit because I know how to take care of things, but when you have 4 crews based in 3 different cities and new people all the time, shit happens. Anyway, we used to replace the old tractors every 2 years at roughly 300-400 hours because that’s about all they would last before developing issues that weren’t worth fixing, but over the years I’ve gotten better at tracking and performing maintenance on these units and better at doing bigger repairs myself, to where we’ve more than doubled the hours/years we can keep these units running, most of the time I can keep them working for 4-5 seasons at 800-1000 hours, and still sell them in good working condition after that. The John Deere place I get parts at is always blown away by the number of hours of work I’m getting out of the entry level machines. 1000 hours doesn’t seem like much, and for a car driving normally it wouldn’t be, but these machines are run at full-throttle all the time when working, which makes it the wear-and-tear equivalent to running a car for 1000 hours on a race track, or 1000 hours of towing a heavy load, so it’s actually quite a lot to get out of the cheap units.
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Not a car, but thought maybe this belonged here. Over the last 12 years running a small landscaping company, we have a fleet of 3 - 4 lawn tractors in use at any one time. We’ve always bought the entry level John Deere tractors because they are fairly inexpensive to buy and run, and since we have new people all the time, if a crew trashes one, it’s not a big loss like if we ran a commercial unit that’s 5-10x the price. Obviously, if it was just me, I’d run around with a very nice commercial unit because I know how to take care of things, but when you have 4 crews based in 3 different cities and new people all the time, shit happens. Anyway, we used to replace the old tractors every 2 years at roughly 300-400 hours because that’s about all they would last before developing issues that weren’t worth fixing, but over the years I’ve gotten better at tracking and performing maintenance on these units and better at doing bigger repairs myself, to where we’ve more than doubled the hours/years we can keep these units running, most of the time I can keep them working for 4-5 seasons at 800-1000 hours, and still sell them in good working condition after that. The John Deere place I get parts at is always blown away by the number of hours of work I’m getting out of the entry level machines. 1000 hours doesn’t seem like much, and for a car driving normally it wouldn’t be, but these machines are run at full-throttle all the time when working, which makes it the wear-and-tear equivalent to running a car for 1000 hours on a race track, or 1000 hours of towing a heavy load, so it’s actually quite a lot to get out of the cheap units.
That sounds satisfying! I get that businesses have to pay attention to costs, but it is frustrating that so much stuff just gets used and thrown away when a little maintenance could keep it working.
Nice job.
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DH's old beater truck finally met it's end. 200,000 miles! We bought it for $2000 in 2012 and it lasted 10 years - about 8 more years than we'd expected! It was old, rusty and sad when we bought it, and even worse when we sold it to a scrapper.
Technically it was still going and still drive able at lower speeds, but it would have cost $800 to fix some transmission issues, and the truck was only worth about half that amount.
Pretty impressive!
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DH's old beater truck finally met it's end. 200,000 miles! We bought it for $2000 in 2012 and it lasted 10 years - about 8 more years than we'd expected! It was old, rusty and sad when we bought it, and even worse when we sold it to a scrapper.
Technically it was still going and still drive able at lower speeds, but it would have cost $800 to fix some transmission issues, and the truck was only worth about half that amount.
Pretty impressive!
I think it’s safe to say you got your money’s worth out of that truck! Out of curiosity, how much did you get from the scrap yard for it? Even if they gave you nothing for it, your purchase cost was less than $17 per month of use. That’s like 1/30th the amount the average person with a car payment spends per month on purchase cost
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DH's old beater truck finally met it's end. 200,000 miles! We bought it for $2000 in 2012 and it lasted 10 years - about 8 more years than we'd expected! It was old, rusty and sad when we bought it, and even worse when we sold it to a scrapper.
Technically it was still going and still drive able at lower speeds, but it would have cost $800 to fix some transmission issues, and the truck was only worth about half that amount.
Pretty impressive!
I think it’s safe to say you got your money’s worth out of that truck! Out of curiosity, how much did you get from the scrap yard for it? Even if they gave you nothing for it, your purchase cost was less than $17 per month of use. That’s like 1/30th the amount the average person with a car payment spends per month on purchase cost
Yes we sure did get our money's worth out of that truck! Definitely didn't expect it to last that long, and we worked it really hard the last two years too! DH hauled home stone for a retaining wall (50ft L x 3ft H) in multiple trips - what amounted to several huge pallets worth. Plus loads of gravel, landscaping rock, dirt, sand, furniture, you name it! So not only was it drive able, but it also moved a LOT of heavy things.
The scrap dealer gave us $450. :)
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2013 Honda Civic with 32K miles on it. Prior to that a 2001 Honda Civic with 121K miles on it which I only traded in because I needed a/c and it would cost more than the car was worth to install it.
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DH's old beater truck finally met it's end. 200,000 miles! We bought it for $2000 in 2012 and it lasted 10 years - about 8 more years than we'd expected! It was old, rusty and sad when we bought it, and even worse when we sold it to a scrapper.
Technically it was still going and still drive able at lower speeds, but it would have cost $800 to fix some transmission issues, and the truck was only worth about half that amount.
Pretty impressive!
I think it’s safe to say you got your money’s worth out of that truck! Out of curiosity, how much did you get from the scrap yard for it? Even if they gave you nothing for it, your purchase cost was less than $17 per month of use. That’s like 1/30th the amount the average person with a car payment spends per month on purchase cost
Yes we sure did get our money's worth out of that truck! Definitely didn't expect it to last that long, and we worked it really hard the last two years too! DH hauled home stone for a retaining wall (50ft L x 3ft H) in multiple trips - what amounted to several huge pallets worth. Plus loads of gravel, landscaping rock, dirt, sand, furniture, you name it! So not only was it drive able, but it also moved a LOT of heavy things.
The scrap dealer gave us $450. :)
Wow, you almost got 1/4 of the full purchase price back lol, too good
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A friend's dad was about to donate a 1994 Nissan pick-up. He asked if I wanted it for $200. I said yes so that our family in the area would have a vehicle for trips to the feed store and dump. My in-laws insured it. About two months ago my 200k mile Subaru engine died, so I'm currently driving a $200 vehicle! Manual transmission and cheap to operate. Not sure what mileage it gets as the speedometer/odometer are not working.
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I think it’s safe to say you got your money’s worth out of that truck! Out of curiosity, how much did you get from the scrap yard for it? Even if they gave you nothing for it, your purchase cost was less than $17 per month of use. That’s like 1/30th the amount the average person with a car payment spends per month on purchase cost
Yes we sure did get our money's worth out of that truck! Definitely didn't expect it to last that long, and we worked it really hard the last two years too! DH hauled home stone for a retaining wall (50ft L x 3ft H) in multiple trips - what amounted to several huge pallets worth. Plus loads of gravel, landscaping rock, dirt, sand, furniture, you name it! So not only was it drive able, but it also moved a LOT of heavy things.
The scrap dealer gave us $450. :)
Wow, you almost got 1/4 of the full purchase price back lol, too good
The older the car, the better it holds its value :) We bought our '95 Corolla in 2003 for $4500. It got totalled in 2022, and the insurance company paid us $1700 for it. Our purchase price came down to about $12.50/mo!
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I like this way to calculate. Need to go back and add together purchase price + repairs for our past couple of cars. It'll be a bit to figure the cost of gas and registration/insurance to see what our total cost of ownership was.
ETA: Purchase plus repairs for our previous car ended up ~$100 a month.
The current car is going to dip under $200 a month in the next month or two, and we're going to keep that car for quite a while.
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2012 Honda Accord. 125,600 miles. Will begin adding to that total more now that I am headed into the office more frequently, unfortunately.
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Sold my newer car (a 1995 with 150,000 miles). Engine had been knocking for a while. I didn't want to deal with replacing the engine, and a local guy (that had a spare engine) had asked about it earlier, so we made a deal... That means more miles on the remaining car. Just had the 303,000 mile maintenance done on that one... Just a few posts up I was at 300,000. :D
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2001 Honda civic with 275 000-ish km (170 000 miles). I'd like to brag that not only is it 21 years old (I bought it brand new), we've always been walk-more/drive-less peeps, so even though it was a work commuter car, that's still only about 13,100 km/yr average. Mainly used as a "ute" with a roof now, lol. If you sit anywhere but the driver's seat you're likely to get a sliver and dirty butt.
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2012 Kia Sorento with 213,000 miles. We bought it from a mechanic friend of ours in 2019 with 170,000 - the engine had been replaced and had about 60K on it, and the transmission had also been replaced and had about 30K on it. It was expensive for us ($6500), but I plan to keep it and let our 14 year old use it when he starts driving.
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The older the car, the better it holds its value :) We bought our '95 Corolla in 2003 for $4500. It got totalled in 2022, and the insurance company paid us $1700 for it. Our purchase price came down to about $12.50/mo!
Using the CPI, that car could cost $7,156 in today's dollars. So in today's dollars the cost was $5,456 or about $24/month.
I sold my 4-yr car at the beginning of the year for more than I paid for it, but they certainly weren't selling 2022 cars at 2017 prices!
The older the car, the better it holds its value :)
The older the car, the less value it has to depreciate.
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I haven't posted on this thread in forever, so here goes. In the last few months, we've used DH's 2002 Ford F150 twice to transport stuff to one of our rentals. It's 500 miles one way. Yesterday, I moved it out of the driveway. I looked down and noticed it's up to 107,000 miles. Woot!
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Okay, who can brag about having the highest miles per dollar? (or km per dollar)?
Considering purchase price plus repairs, we've driven this car (Prius) about 60,000 miles and spent about $15K (very rough) so about 4 miles per dollar for what we've put into it, other than gas, but we've only owned this one since 2016 (bought with 101,000 miles)
And with today's fuel prices, each tank (in summer) we have about 47 mpg and $4.50 per gallon, so about 10 miles per dollar
People who buy new cars are going to be averaging under 1 mile per dollar. Ha!
I need to take this into account when considering if our next car should be an EV. Not sure we drive enough miles to see a great benefit. (will need to calculate)
Who has the oldest car you've driven for many miles and not have had to do many repairs? You're gonna win the distance per dollar prize!
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I just asked DH. He's had to replace two coils in 20 years, which he did himself. He also upgraded to some great looking rims that he scored on CL. He also got a burnt-out red shell on CL, for which he paid $200 and painted to match the truck, using materials and equipment he already had. He is only on his second set of (self-installed) brakes. That's it besides tires (still on the third set) and fluids, also DIY. He paid $20k cash out the door in 2002. All in all, he's done okay on it. No plans to replace it any time soon, knock on wood.
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My old 2008 Accord is at about 235K. I really only drive it to work now. I've estimated that I need another 6000 miles of use till retirement. The car is making terrible noises, valves are clacking. The shocks are shot. I have 2 different sizes and 3 different brands of tires. The A/C isn't working. The catalytic converter is plugged. The transmission slips a little in first gear. None of the interior lights work. The seats are all split. Other than that. It's great.
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Okay, who can brag about having the highest miles per dollar? (or km per dollar)?
Considering purchase price plus repairs, we've driven this car (Prius) about 60,000 miles and spent about $15K (very rough) so about 4 miles per dollar for what we've put into it, other than gas, but we've only owned this one since 2016 (bought with 101,000 miles)
And with today's fuel prices, each tank (in summer) we have about 47 mpg and $4.50 per gallon, so about 10 miles per dollar
People who buy new cars are going to be averaging under 1 mile per dollar. Ha!
I need to take this into account when considering if our next car should be an EV. Not sure we drive enough miles to see a great benefit. (will need to calculate)
Who has the oldest car you've driven for many miles and not have had to do many repairs? You're gonna win the distance per dollar prize!
My 95 Toyota I’ve had for 20 years and 170k, purchased used in 2002, gets around 36mpg, I do most of my own work with a couple exceptions like the clutch and timing belt. I did a rough calculation that it’s total cost is around 4 miles per dollar, but that’s including purchase cost, every repair, new set of tires and oil change etc, as well as insurance for 20 year of driving.
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I just asked DH. He's had to replace two coils in 20 years, which he did himself. He also upgraded to some great looking rims that he scored on CL. He also got a burnt-out red shell on CL, for which he paid $200 and painted to match the truck, using materials and equipment he already had. He is only on his second set of (self-installed) brakes. That's it besides tires (still on the third set) and fluids, also DIY. He paid $20k cash out the door in 2002. All in all, he's done okay on it. No plans to replace it any time soon, knock on wood.
Well, perhaps I spoke too soon. Today DH's truck wouldn't start. He thought it might be the fuel pump. Turns out is was the power train computer relay. It cost him $25.00* and a trip to Auto Zone to repair. Love that dude! While we were there, we went to the cheap produce market in the "bad" neighborhood. We got three pounds of organic baby carrots, two pounds of strawberries, one pound of cherries, and two big beefsteak tomatoes. I also got change back from my six one-dollar bills. Errand bundling for the win!
*It could have been even cheaper, but he broke a different relay while he was diagnosing the problem, so we had to buy two.
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@Dicey, in non-mustachian universes, people buy brand new cars when their “old” car needs a repair. I mean, you can’t have an “unreliable” car, can you? ;)
That $25 repair is outstanding!
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He thought it might be the fuel pump. Turns out is was the power train computer relay.
Side note as this is one of the things that I've noticed over several decades now... While I'm sure fuel pumps do fail sometimes. Not once ever has it been the fuel pump on any of the great many non-start incidents I've been involved with. Yet, that always seems to be the first assumption of what it is. Power windows are the same way, the motor gets blamed first, but I can only remember one case where it actually was the motor. Usually the switches, sometimes relay, sometimes wiring. :) OK, I feel better now. :)
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He thought it might be the fuel pump. Turns out is was the power train computer relay.
Side note as this is one of the things that I've noticed over several decades now... While I'm sure fuel pumps do fail sometimes. Not once ever has it been the fuel pump on any of the great many non-start incidents I've been involved with. Yet, that always seems to be the first assumption of what it is. Power windows are the same way, the motor gets blamed first, but I can only remember one case where it actually was the motor. Usually the switches, sometimes relay, sometimes wiring. :) OK, I feel better now. :)
It's kind of the same thing with water pumps and overheating.
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He thought it might be the fuel pump. Turns out is was the power train computer relay.
Side note as this is one of the things that I've noticed over several decades now... While I'm sure fuel pumps do fail sometimes. Not once ever has it been the fuel pump on any of the great many non-start incidents I've been involved with. Yet, that always seems to be the first assumption of what it is. Power windows are the same way, the motor gets blamed first, but I can only remember one case where it actually was the motor. Usually the switches, sometimes relay, sometimes wiring. :) OK, I feel better now. :)
DH has been mechanically inclined ever since he started riding and repairing his own minibikes as a kid. He's a "check the fuses first" kind of guy. IMO, being able to fix things is a mustachian superpower.
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2008 Dodge Dakota, 150,000 miles. The rear wheel wells are really rusting so I'm not sure how much longer I will feel OK with driving it to work. I suppose when the outline of the wheel well substantially loses its outline/definition.
It was free from a family member last year so very low price per mile!
It started leaking from the grab handles when raining and eventually this got so bad that the passenger footwell would fill with an inch of water. I figured sunroof seal was bad so called about getting it replaced. They didn't have the part and kind of had trouble finding it. I became suspicious--"hmm, they don't seem to replace these very often" I thought to myself. Some Internet sleuthing led me to it being a clogged drain. 10 minutes of fiddling and garden hose testing and the problem was solved for free. I guess sunroofs don't actually need to seal that well as water absolutely gushes out of the drain when I test with the hose.
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2008 Dodge Dakota, 150,000 miles. The rear wheel wells are really rusting so I'm not sure how much longer I will feel OK with driving it to work. I suppose when the outline of the wheel well substantially loses its outline/definition.
It was free from a family member last year so very low price per mile!
It started leaking from the grab handles when raining and eventually this got so bad that the passenger footwell would fill with an inch of water. I figured sunroof seal was bad so called about getting it replaced. They didn't have the part and kind of had trouble finding it. I became suspicious--"hmm, they don't seem to replace these very often" I thought to myself. Some Internet sleuthing led me to it being a clogged drain. 10 minutes of fiddling and garden hose testing and the problem was solved for free. I guess sunroofs don't actually need to seal that well as water absolutely gushes out of the drain when I test with the hose.
I used to have a Dakota Sport (I can't remember now if it was a late 80s or early 90s) and the drains in the bed were so easily clogged with fine grit from driving on dirt roads that I used to keep a coat hanger in the vehicle for clearing them out. Nice to know some things never change!
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IMO, being able to fix things is a mustachian superpower.
Absolutely!
<flexes arm muscles in a superhero kind of way>
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IMO, being able to fix things is a mustachian superpower.
Absolutely!
<flexes arm muscles in a superhero kind of way>
Hee, you made me think of this:
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IMO, being able to fix things is a mustachian superpower.
Absolutely!
<flexes arm muscles in a superhero kind of way>
Hee, you made me think of this:
Yeah, baby!
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Not a car, but thought maybe this belonged here. Over the last 12 years running a small landscaping company, we have a fleet of 3 - 4 lawn tractors in use at any one time. We’ve always bought the entry level John Deere tractors because they are fairly inexpensive to buy and run, and since we have new people all the time, if a crew trashes one, it’s not a big loss like if we ran a commercial unit that’s 5-10x the price. Obviously, if it was just me, I’d run around with a very nice commercial unit because I know how to take care of things, but when you have 4 crews based in 3 different cities and new people all the time, shit happens. Anyway, we used to replace the old tractors every 2 years at roughly 300-400 hours because that’s about all they would last before developing issues that weren’t worth fixing, but over the years I’ve gotten better at tracking and performing maintenance on these units and better at doing bigger repairs myself, to where we’ve more than doubled the hours/years we can keep these units running, most of the time I can keep them working for 4-5 seasons at 800-1000 hours, and still sell them in good working condition after that. The John Deere place I get parts at is always blown away by the number of hours of work I’m getting out of the entry level machines. 1000 hours doesn’t seem like much, and for a car driving normally it wouldn’t be, but these machines are run at full-throttle all the time when working, which makes it the wear-and-tear equivalent to running a car for 1000 hours on a race track, or 1000 hours of towing a heavy load, so it’s actually quite a lot to get out of the cheap units.
That sounds satisfying! I get that businesses have to pay attention to costs, but it is frustrating that so much stuff just gets used and thrown away when a little maintenance could keep it working.
Nice job.
THAT!
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Can't remember if I posted but we have four drivers at our house now. DW and I carpool in an late 90s CRV with north of 300K miles. One teen has a late 90s Miata. 140K miles. Other teen has a late 90s Chevy Malibu with 190K miles on it. There are a couple more (collector) cars but they have more years than miles to brag about.
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2006 Ford Focus with 164,000kms. Hasn't missed a beat since my wife bought in 2009. Have replaced most of the wear parts (incl. brake discs, shocks, belts & clutch). Otherwise the worst we've broken is a couple of light bulbs & a light socket.
The closest to a breakdown from memory was a combination of a hard start fault & my wife not tapping the accelerator. I didn't try until after calling roadside assist - car then started first try & I had to sheepishly call back and explain we were all good.
We're a one car family and neither of us use the car to commute to work. So the odo is only creeping up, maybe 4000 kms per year. 345,000kms is impressive, we'll be happy with anything remotely like that - probably would take until after 2050!! Hoping to keep it going long enough for our next car to be electric...
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2003 Toyota Tacoma. 2wd 4 cyl. Gets nearly 30 mpg. I don't drive too much and got a smoking deal from a buddy a while back. Doesn't require much maintenance and can carry anything I'd ever need to throw in it. I just now hit 80,000 miles on it, so it will probably rust into pieces before the engine dies. I tell my wife all the time that I will drive it until I have a million dollars or a million miles on it, whichever comes first (fingers crossed that it's the million dollars). People do seem to give me some hate in our neighborhood though because we live in a nice place but I have such an old truck. More than once I have been mistaken for a handyman or someone driving around to pick up scrap metal or sneaking into the neighborhood ponds to fish. No one actually thinks I live here, which is annoying.
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2003 Toyota Tacoma. 2wd 4 cyl. Gets nearly 30 mpg. I don't drive too much and got a smoking deal from a buddy a while back. Doesn't require much maintenance and can carry anything I'd ever need to throw in it. I just now hit 80,000 miles on it, so it will probably rust into pieces before the engine dies. I tell my wife all the time that I will drive it until I have a million dollars or a million miles on it, whichever comes first (fingers crossed that it's the million dollars). People do seem to give me some hate in our neighborhood though because we live in a nice place but I have such an old truck. More than once I have been mistaken for a handyman or someone driving around to pick up scrap metal or sneaking into the neighborhood ponds to fish. No one actually thinks I live here, which is annoying.
Lol. The ultimate stealth wealth.
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2003 Toyota Tacoma. 2wd 4 cyl. Gets nearly 30 mpg. I don't drive too much and got a smoking deal from a buddy a while back. Doesn't require much maintenance and can carry anything I'd ever need to throw in it. I just now hit 80,000 miles on it, so it will probably rust into pieces before the engine dies. I tell my wife all the time that I will drive it until I have a million dollars or a million miles on it, whichever comes first (fingers crossed that it's the million dollars). People do seem to give me some hate in our neighborhood though because we live in a nice place but I have such an old truck. More than once I have been mistaken for a handyman or someone driving around to pick up scrap metal or sneaking into the neighborhood ponds to fish. No one actually thinks I live here, which is annoying.
Lol. The ultimate stealth wealth.
Is it stealthy? Around here, the joke is that a 25-year-old Tacoma indicates you're in the presence of somebody who really has their shit together. My brother-in-law constantly jokes about his never-ending quest to get his hands on a 25-year-old Tacoma!
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He thought it might be the fuel pump. Turns out is was the power train computer relay.
Side note as this is one of the things that I've noticed over several decades now... While I'm sure fuel pumps do fail sometimes. Not once ever has it been the fuel pump on any of the great many non-start incidents I've been involved with. Yet, that always seems to be the first assumption of what it is. Power windows are the same way, the motor gets blamed first, but I can only remember one case where it actually was the motor. Usually the switches, sometimes relay, sometimes wiring. :) OK, I feel better now. :)
I had the fuel pump in my Tacoma die at around 270k miles - fortunately it was polite enough to fail in my driveway!
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2003 Toyota Tacoma. 2wd 4 cyl. Gets nearly 30 mpg. I don't drive too much and got a smoking deal from a buddy a while back. Doesn't require much maintenance and can carry anything I'd ever need to throw in it. I just now hit 80,000 miles on it, so it will probably rust into pieces before the engine dies. I tell my wife all the time that I will drive it until I have a million dollars or a million miles on it, whichever comes first (fingers crossed that it's the million dollars). People do seem to give me some hate in our neighborhood though because we live in a nice place but I have such an old truck. More than once I have been mistaken for a handyman or someone driving around to pick up scrap metal or sneaking into the neighborhood ponds to fish. No one actually thinks I live here, which is annoying.
Lol. The ultimate stealth wealth.
Is it stealthy? Around here, the joke is that a 25-year-old Tacoma indicates you're in the presence of somebody who really has their shit together. My brother-in-law constantly jokes about his never-ending quest to get his hands on a 25-year-old Tacoma!
Yes, I have an 04 Tacoma with 285K on it. Whenever I bring it in for maintenance/repairs, there's someone who wants to buy it.
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2003 Toyota Tacoma. 2wd 4 cyl. Gets nearly 30 mpg. I don't drive too much and got a smoking deal from a buddy a while back. Doesn't require much maintenance and can carry anything I'd ever need to throw in it. I just now hit 80,000 miles on it, so it will probably rust into pieces before the engine dies. I tell my wife all the time that I will drive it until I have a million dollars or a million miles on it, whichever comes first (fingers crossed that it's the million dollars). People do seem to give me some hate in our neighborhood though because we live in a nice place but I have such an old truck. More than once I have been mistaken for a handyman or someone driving around to pick up scrap metal or sneaking into the neighborhood ponds to fish. No one actually thinks I live here, which is annoying.
Lol. The ultimate stealth wealth.
Is it stealthy? Around here, the joke is that a 25-year-old Tacoma indicates you're in the presence of somebody who really has their shit together. My brother-in-law constantly jokes about his never-ending quest to get his hands on a 25-year-old Tacoma!
Yes, I have an 04 Tacoma with 285K on it. Whenever I bring it in for maintenance/repairs, there's someone who wants to buy it.
I get offers all the time from people to purchase it. I can't say I haven't toyed with the idea before since a lot of them offer twice what I paid, but I wouldn't be able to get into anything as useful/reliable for the price.
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The mileage isn’t so high but I think my 2007 4 cylinder Honda Accord might just be getting old enough to qualify for the list.
It just hit 150,000 miles.
I bought used in 2011 for $10k cash.
I do my own maintenance so except for having Walmart install new tires once it has never needed a shop. I’ve done oil and fluids on schedule. Spark plugs, battery, brake pads and rotors all just once. Shocks & struts don’t leak but eventually will be needed.
In 2018 I added the goal to my written financial plan to try to keep the Accord until it reaches 300,000 miles or we reach $3M invested. I hope I can stick to this goal. I drive under 6,000/yr so it will take 25 years to reach the mileage goal and hopefully much, much less time to reach the money invested milestone.
The road salt of the Wisconsin winters is going to be the demise of the Accord. The rust has started but isn’t bad yet. If we lived someplace without road salt it could be my car for life.
My wife drives our newer car a 2012 Toyota Highlander with 138,000 miles. 2 kids who like to take friends along and our Golden Retriever prompted us buy this 7 seater used a couple years ago. Oil, fluids and plugs done at home so this Toyota has never needed a mechanics since we’ve owned it. This Toyota is probably too new/ low mileage to brag about.
At annual family gatherings it seems like there is always someone with story about a new Chevy that burns oil or a Ford that needed a transmission. I know they all can break and have problems but I will probably stick with a Honda or Toyota when we get another car.
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The road salt of the Wisconsin winters is going to be the demise of the Accord. The rust has started but isn’t bad yet. If we lived someplace without road salt it could be my car for life.
I have plans later this year to jack up all of our cars and give them a liberal coating of Woolwax to help keep the water and salt off the body. Hopefully it'll help stave off the rust a few extra years, and slow down the spread of the rust as well.
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I have plans later this year to jack up all of our cars and give them a liberal coating of Woolwax to help keep the water and salt off the body. Hopefully it'll help stave off the rust a few extra years, and slow down the spread of the rust as well.
I have thought about this as well, after going to a car show and seeing painted undercarriages. I spring for the undercarriage wash at the car wash through the winter, but salt really is a killer.
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Up here we can get the undercarriage and inside the body panels sprayed with oil in the fall. It keeps the rust at bay and the vehicles don't seem to be catching fire...
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1990 Toyota farm truck with hd lumber rack, 288,567 miles and counting. It hasn't gone highway speeds in a while, but I drove it to town recently and it has a stumble under load that a dose of sea foam hasn't cured so cap/rotor/plugs/wires/filters are in the works.
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DH's old beater truck finally met it's end. 200,000 miles! We bought it for $2000 in 2012 and it lasted 10 years - about 8 more years than we'd expected! It was old, rusty and sad when we bought it, and even worse when we sold it to a scrapper.
Technically it was still going and still drive able at lower speeds, but it would have cost $800 to fix some transmission issues, and the truck was only worth about half that amount.
Pretty impressive!
I think it’s safe to say you got your money’s worth out of that truck! Out of curiosity, how much did you get from the scrap yard for it? Even if they gave you nothing for it, your purchase cost was less than $17 per month of use. That’s like 1/30th the amount the average person with a car payment spends per month on purchase cost
Yes we sure did get our money's worth out of that truck! Definitely didn't expect it to last that long, and we worked it really hard the last two years too! DH hauled home stone for a retaining wall (50ft L x 3ft H) in multiple trips - what amounted to several huge pallets worth. Plus loads of gravel, landscaping rock, dirt, sand, furniture, you name it! So not only was it drive able, but it also moved a LOT of heavy things.
The scrap dealer gave us $450. :)
Wow, you almost got 1/4 of the full purchase price back lol, too good
$2,000 in 2012 had the same purchasing power as $2,564 today, so you really only got 1/6 of it back in today's $.
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Checking in after a year. Put 10.7k miles on my '07 Focus. Now at 130.7k. Got a ways to go to hit some of the inspirational numbers in this thread. Looking forward to it.
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Can we start a Rant On Your High Mileage/Old POS Car thread? Lol. I’m a big fan of driving older cheap vehicles and doing the maintenance myself to spend a small fraction of what the average person spends to get around, but the diy part does come with the occasional headache. Went to use the 16 year old hyundai last night and discovered all the 3 brake lights weren’t coming on. Bulbs are good, fuse was blown, so I replaced that. Fuse blew again instantly. As per my philosophy, I will now spend my Sunday tearing my old car apart to figure out what’s up. A temporary pain today that still beats an extra decade of working career to afford a life of financing a new car every few years habit.
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Can we start a Rant On Your High Mileage/Old POS Car thread? Lol. I’m a big fan of driving older cheap vehicles and doing the maintenance myself to spend a small fraction of what the average person spends to get around, but the diy part does come with the occasional headache. Went to use the 16 year old hyundai last night and discovered all the 3 brake lights weren’t coming on. Bulbs are good, fuse was blown, so I replaced that. Fuse blew again instantly. As per my philosophy, I will now spend my Sunday tearing my old car apart to figure out what’s up. A temporary pain today that still beats an extra decade of working career to afford a life of financing a new car every few years habit.
Okay, so a couple hours in and I’ve discovered the cause, one of the pairs of wires that go to the tail lights ran under a plastic trim panel that was held on with a couple screws and a bunch of metal clips that hold it to the interior bodywork and one of the clips was slightly pinching one of the wires. I spent yesterday cleaning and vacuuming the inside of the car, and must have put enough pressure on that clip when I was climbing in and out to finally break through the wire insulation and it shorted the whole brake light circuit. Another 30 min to put everything back together and it’ll be back to working as new. Not sure what a mechanic would have charged to find that but I’ll bet it wouldn’t have been cheap
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Can we start a Rant On Your High Mileage/Old POS Car thread? Lol. I’m a big fan of driving older cheap vehicles and doing the maintenance myself to spend a small fraction of what the average person spends to get around, but the diy part does come with the occasional headache. Went to use the 16 year old hyundai last night and discovered all the 3 brake lights weren’t coming on. Bulbs are good, fuse was blown, so I replaced that. Fuse blew again instantly. As per my philosophy, I will now spend my Sunday tearing my old car apart to figure out what’s up. A temporary pain today that still beats an extra decade of working career to afford a life of financing a new car every few years habit.
Okay, so a couple hours in and I’ve discovered the cause, one of the pairs of wires that go to the tail lights ran under a plastic trim panel that was held on with a couple screws and a bunch of metal clips that hold it to the interior bodywork and one of the clips was slightly pinching one of the wires. I spent yesterday cleaning and vacuuming the inside of the car, and must have put enough pressure on that clip when I was climbing in and out to finally break through the wire insulation and it shorted the whole brake light circuit. Another 30 min to put everything back together and it’ll be back to working as new. Not sure what a mechanic would have charged to find that but I’ll bet it wouldn’t have been cheap
I'm right there with you...the running lights on my trailer plug don't work. Fuses are good, relays are clicking (though admittedly I haven't multimetered them out), and brake/turn lights work. Everything works except running lights, and I get a quickly diminishing 3 volts on the relevant harness wire.
I really don't want to chase down the entire trailer harness, so I built a jumper harness that plugs into the trailer wiring and into my aux 12v plugs in the back, so on the rare instance I tow I can just plug the jumper harness in and manually have running lights. ~10 min vs untold hours...
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Not mine (though it was sitting in my yard up until a week ago) is my FIL's VW. He bought it, new, in 1967 when he was fresh off the boat coming back from Vietnam. He's driven it cross country multiple times and has rolled the odometer at least 4 times (so, 400+k miles?). He doesn't drive it long distances anymore, but does use it to drive around town.
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Checking in with winter weather - sometimes you wonder just how reliable your car is and if you want to risk breaking down when the windchill is -30. Or when you get a brand new battery and it struggles to turn over after sitting outside overnight.
Significant other and I were planning a 250 mile trip to see family at holidays. First we worried about forecast snow amounts, then got a flat tire day before trip! Spent hours worried about safety of trip/car/etc. Ugh, winter trips just aren't worth it. I'm going to try to convince my better half to have a "no winter trips" policy. Why do people insist on seeing each other for Christmas?
When that car had issues, a bummer was that i wouldnt even consider taking my car that distance. Maybe my frugality needs to be toned down a little. On the other hand, if I could replace in-person visits with phone calls...
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265,000 miles on the 4Runner. 252,000 in the Highlander.
I love Toyota's.
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Checking in with winter weather - sometimes you wonder just how reliable your car is and if you want to risk breaking down when the windchill is -30. Or when you get a brand new battery and it struggles to turn over after sitting outside overnight.
Significant other and I were planning a 250 mile trip to see family at holidays. First we worried about forecast snow amounts, then got a flat tire day before trip! Spent hours worried about safety of trip/car/etc. Ugh, winter trips just aren't worth it. I'm going to try to convince my better half to have a "no winter trips" policy. Why do people insist on seeing each other for Christmas?
When that car had issues, a bummer was that i wouldnt even consider taking my car that distance. Maybe my frugality needs to be toned down a little. On the other hand, if I could replace in-person visits with phone calls...
Sounds like the perfect scenario where renting a newer car through a car rental agency would come in handy.
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265,000 miles on the 4Runner. 252,000 in the Highlander.
I love Toyota's.
Nice! We have a 2016 Toyota 4Runner that we will drive until the wheels fall off. It has ~46K miles on it now and we drive it ~7K miles a year, so it may outlive me.
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2012 Honda Accord at 127k trouble free miles. Wife's 2015 Honda CRV sitting at 96k.
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2012 Honda Accord at 127k trouble free miles. Wife's 2015 Honda CRV sitting at 96k.
2013 accord 6MT at 125k, not quite trouble free miles though . AC compressor needed to be replaced, as well as starter. Regular maintenance otherwise. Hopefully just breaking it in
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One of my old land rovers managed to get over 150k miles since it left the factory in 1966
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Currently have a 2002 Mazda B3000 (Ford Ranger) that is still running well at 200k kilometres. We have been given our in laws 2019 CRV this spring though and I am pleasantly surprised at the amount Honda comes up in this thread.
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This story is courtesy of Mr. Dicey. One of his buddies had a 2001 Toyota Tacoma. He passed it on to his son. The truck now has 495k miles on it. The son took post-college job in Florida. He packed his stuff in the truck and drove from the Bay Area. He and his dog arrived safely and he started the new job. A few days later, the truck broke down on his way to work. He found a nearby shop and they replaced the ORIGINAL fuel pump for him in a couple of hours and got him on his way. He would have fixed it himself, but he didn't have any tools with him.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if that young man sees this post one day.
PS - That is not a typo. Four hundred and ninety five thousand miles on the original fuel pump.
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This story is courtesy of Mr. Dicey. One of his buddies had a 2001 Toyota Tacoma. He passed it on to his son. The truck now has 495k miles on it. The son took post-college job in Florida. He packed his stuff in the truck and drove from the Bay Area. He and his dog arrived safely and he started the new job. A few days later, the truck broke down on his way to work. He found a nearby shop and they replaced the ORIGINAL fuel pump for him in a couple of hours and got him on his way. He would have fixed it himself, but he didn't have any tools with him.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if that young man sees this post one day.
PS - That is not a typo. Four hundred and ninety five thousand miles on the original fuel pump.
I honestly believe it Tacoma's run FOREVER and most Toyotas in general. The only knock is how high the cost is for a used one in British Columbia its commonly referred to as the "tacoma tax" because people ask so much for used cars that it is hardly ever a reasonable option to buy used compared to other trucks.
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This story is courtesy of Mr. Dicey. One of his buddies had a 2001 Toyota Tacoma. He passed it on to his son. The truck now has 495k miles on it. The son took post-college job in Florida. He packed his stuff in the truck and drove from the Bay Area. He and his dog arrived safely and he started the new job. A few days later, the truck broke down on his way to work. He found a nearby shop and they replaced the ORIGINAL fuel pump for him in a couple of hours and got him on his way. He would have fixed it himself, but he didn't have any tools with him.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if that young man sees this post one day.
PS - That is not a typo. Four hundred and ninety five thousand miles on the original fuel pump.
I honestly believe it Tacoma's run FOREVER and most Toyotas in general. The only knock is how high the cost is for a used one in British Columbia its commonly referred to as the "tacoma tax" because people ask so much for used cars that it is hardly ever a reasonable option to buy used compared to other trucks.
There are definitely cases where buying new and taking great care of a vehicle for many years is the most efficient way to go. It helps to start by buying a solid vehicle.
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This story is courtesy of Mr. Dicey. One of his buddies had a 2001 Toyota Tacoma. He passed it on to his son. The truck now has 495k miles on it. The son took post-college job in Florida. He packed his stuff in the truck and drove from the Bay Area. He and his dog arrived safely and he started the new job. A few days later, the truck broke down on his way to work. He found a nearby shop and they replaced the ORIGINAL fuel pump for him in a couple of hours and got him on his way. He would have fixed it himself, but he didn't have any tools with him.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if that young man sees this post one day.
PS - That is not a typo. Four hundred and ninety five thousand miles on the original fuel pump.
I honestly believe it Tacoma's run FOREVER and most Toyotas in general. The only knock is how high the cost is for a used one in British Columbia its commonly referred to as the "tacoma tax" because people ask so much for used cars that it is hardly ever a reasonable option to buy used compared to other trucks.
There are definitely cases where buying new and taking great care of a vehicle for many years is the most efficient way to go. It helps to start by buying a solid vehicle.
I have one of those 1st gen Tacomas. I bought it new 19 years ago and it has 290,000 km. It's been pretty reliable, but corrosion's a bit of a problem in eastern Ontario. I'm debating replacing it though.
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This story is courtesy of Mr. Dicey. One of his buddies had a 2001 Toyota Tacoma. He passed it on to his son. The truck now has 495k miles on it. The son took post-college job in Florida. He packed his stuff in the truck and drove from the Bay Area. He and his dog arrived safely and he started the new job. A few days later, the truck broke down on his way to work. He found a nearby shop and they replaced the ORIGINAL fuel pump for him in a couple of hours and got him on his way. He would have fixed it himself, but he didn't have any tools with him.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if that young man sees this post one day.
PS - That is not a typo. Four hundred and ninety five thousand miles on the original fuel pump.
I honestly believe it Tacoma's run FOREVER and most Toyotas in general. The only knock is how high the cost is for a used one in British Columbia its commonly referred to as the "tacoma tax" because people ask so much for used cars that it is hardly ever a reasonable option to buy used compared to other trucks.
There are definitely cases where buying new and taking great care of a vehicle for many years is the most efficient way to go. It helps to start by buying a solid vehicle.
I have one of those 1st gen Tacomas. I bought it new 19 years ago and it has 290,000 km. It's been pretty reliable, but corrosion's a bit of a problem in eastern Ontario. I'm debating replacing it though.
Corrosion and Collision are by far the top two killers of Toyotas. I often see Tacoma trucks around here with 300-400k on them being advertised still in the 5 figures. Toyotas are just unbelievably reliable when taken care of, and even when something goes wrong, it’s hard to mechanically total a vehicle when it retains so much value.
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We have a 1999 Lexus SUV, with about 300k miles on it. The thing is a tank. My husband takes exceptionally good care of it.
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This story is courtesy of Mr. Dicey. One of his buddies had a 2001 Toyota Tacoma. He passed it on to his son. The truck now has 495k miles on it. The son took post-college job in Florida. He packed his stuff in the truck and drove from the Bay Area. He and his dog arrived safely and he started the new job. A few days later, the truck broke down on his way to work. He found a nearby shop and they replaced the ORIGINAL fuel pump for him in a couple of hours and got him on his way. He would have fixed it himself, but he didn't have any tools with him.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if that young man sees this post one day.
PS - That is not a typo. Four hundred and ninety five thousand miles on the original fuel pump.
That's impressive. My '99 Tacoma lost its fuel pump around 280k miles - thankfully it was polite enough to do it while in my driveway.
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Last car was a 1996 Toyota 4Runner - bought it for $7,000 in 2017 with 210,000 miles on it. Zero leaks, zero issues with it. It had bit tires, and a lift kit. Great for what we were planning to do.
2017 i put roughly 50,000 miles on it with my wife while we lived out of it traveling through US and Mexico. Got back to Seattle and put an additional 8k-10k miles on it roughly. It was right around the 260-270k mile marker when a spark plug blew out of the cylinder head(with such force it dented the hood). Completely stripped the threads. Had a helicoil put in and traded the vehicle(due to not being able to utilize the vehicle for what it should be used for) to a friend who had a 2003(or maybe its a 06) Toyota Camry - base model - hand crank windows. It was a direct swap so i didn't pay squat for it and it was claimed as a "gift" so no taxes due. The Camry had 205,000 miles on it and since the swap in 2020 we have just rolled over 245,000 miles. It needs some work - struts and shocks, rear brakes are coming due, new fuel injectors, catalytic converter is possibly going bad(zero symptoms of one that is bad other than fault code that is generalized and its the last thing i haven't replaced) but overall the vehicle has been running great gets great gas mileage and is damn reliable.
I will likely always own older cars especially if they are Toyotas - regardless of the fact that buying new and holding on to this age may end up being cheaper. Most of these older cars will get shipped off to 3rd world countries where they roll the odometer anyways so why dont we do it? Just gotta be willing to get your hands dirty to keep costs down.
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From the post above:
"...where they roll the odometer anyways so why dont we do it?"
Because it's the wrong thing to do?
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From the post above:
"...where they roll the odometer anyways so why dont we do it?"
Because it's the wrong thing to do?
I think they mean that they keep driving it until the odometer rolls over, i.e a million miles
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From the post above:
"...where they roll the odometer anyways so why dont we do it?"
Because it's the wrong thing to do?
I think they mean that they keep driving it until the odometer rolls over, i.e a million miles
That's a very generous interpretation ;-)
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We have a 1999 Lexus SUV, with about 300k miles on it. The thing is a tank. My husband takes exceptionally good care of it.
Wow. Talk about getting your moneys worth.
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We have a 1999 Lexus SUV, with about 300k miles on it. The thing is a tank. My husband takes exceptionally good care of it.
Wow. Talk about getting your moneys worth.
Even better when you consider it would probably still sell for excellent money. I’ve been seeing a lot of Toyota FJ Cruisers that are selling for basically the same money as the same car would have sold for 10 or 12 years ago, but with 100-200k more kms on them, and I’ve seen a lot of older Lexus models, especially the Lexus version of the Land cruiser, going for insane money
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My "modern" daily driver will turn 23 in April, I've had it just over 20 years and taken it from 28k miles to the current 192k miles, though I don't do as many miles per year now. The previous one had 273k miles on it when it went off the road, but I still have it in the shed, gradually returning it to roadworthy condition. Despite the general hate for cars, they're a passion of mine, I enjoy restoring and repairing them. That's probably a good thing, as I currently have five, six if you include my Dad's old car.
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1995 GMC Yukon, 206k miles. Got it for free several years ago. I drive very little, so it's impossible to make an ROI work to buy anything else. I'm happy driving this thing until it returns to the dust whence it came. I take care of it, and nobody cares what I drive.
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Just turned 304,001 miles on the daily driver, but also found serious rust damage hidden behind one of the wheel liners. During normal times I'd probably be trading it in for another car, but car prices are still way high and selection very poor. Might be worth another round of sheet metal work to repair it.
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225K on Lexus LS400. Paint is like new since it is garaged all the time. Seats need reupholstered but I am going to look into some fitted seat covers instead -- should look pretty decent. Drives like a dream. Umm, I saw a youtube video of one that has lasted 1M miles on same untouched engine. Originally sold for $65k, I bought for $5k in 2011. The A/C still works believe it or not -- never been recharged.
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225K on Lexus LS400. Paint is like new since it is garaged all the time. Seats need reupholstered but I am going to look into some fitted seat covers instead -- should look pretty decent. Drives like a dream. Umm, I saw a youtube video of one that has lasted 1M miles on same untouched engine. Originally sold for $65k, I bought for $5k in 2011. The A/C still works believe it or not -- never been recharged.
Great find, and great value. Those were incredibly good cars.
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Having been out of the country for the past seven months, my 1999 Jeep has been sitting in the driveway. It's got about 201k miles on it, and I'm sure every single seal has dried out and leaking. I gave it an oil change before I left, filled the gas tank, and put fuel stabilizer in it. I hooked it up to a trickle charger, and asked my wife to start it up once a week and let it run for about 15 minutes, but it got unplugged almost immediately and never plugged back in, and she never started it once, although a couple of neighbors did borrow it to jump the battery and drive it around on a couple of different occasions, the most recent being just a couple of days ago.
I get home tomorrow, so we'll see what kind of condition it's in.
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...aaaand that battery is toast. Charged it all night and couldn't get it to turn the starter at all. I don't remember when I bought it, but it might still be under warranty.
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...aaaand that battery is toast. Charged it all night and couldn't get it to turn the starter at all. I don't remember when I bought it, but it might still be under warranty.
It might not be toast. When a car battery gets that low, the charger often can’t get it to take a charge, but if you have another car battery with a good charge you can use, connect it in parallel to the bad battery with a set of jumper cables, and hook the charger to one of them, often it will allow the dead battery to recharge. I have a 95 Tercel that I drive very infrequently as a backup car, as in I’ll put in on the road for a few months every couple years or so, and I often won’t be able to charge the battery unless I do that trick.
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Interesting. How long do you leave it connected to the jumper battery before disconnecting?
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We now own two 2006 Honda Odysseys, one with 225k miles, the other with about 80k. Since we live in the midwest and winter can be really rough on bodywork, I bought a Woolwax undercoating kit and spent a couple hours yesterday under the newer one, liberally coating anything that looked slightly rusty (or potentially rusty) with a nice coat of Woolwax. Here's hoping I can hold the rust off longer this time...
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Interesting. How long do you leave it connected to the jumper battery before disconnecting?
For a full charge, like overnight, with both batteries connected to a 12v car battery charger
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Honda Accord: 224,000
Honda Accord2: 180,000
Honda Odyssey: 364,439
Yeah, we love our Hondas.
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Honda Accord: 224,000
Honda Accord2: 180,000
Honda Odyssey: 364,439
Yeah, we love our Hondas.
As well you should. Talk about enduring value.
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It just dawned on me that the thread title says "or old", not just "high-mileage"!
At thirteen years, my car (VW CC, a sedan) is old by consumerism's standards. It's a youngster on this thread, but age is its only hope to qualify. At 102,000 miles total and with average miles per year dropping, it will never be high mileage by this thread's standards.
Private party market value of $3500 to $4,000 might be high-ish for this thread, but far cheaper than a five year old vehicle. Super high safety record as well, last I checked (fatalities for this model are less than 1/3 of an average sedan's). MMMish, maybe?
Anyway, congrats to the many cool examples on this classic thread.
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My 2011 RAV4 just crossed 150k mi a week or to ago. Putting new tires on tomorrow.
We've been racking up miles lately, driving to & from the new house on weekends as we continue to fix it up.
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We bought our 2005 Corolla new. Other than a new muffler (thanks Ontario's salty roads in winter) it hasn't really needed any repairs or had any real problems. (My son broke the rear door handle, but I was able to replace that for 40$ and a few hours of swearing in the garage.)
I'm hoping to get another ten plus years out of it. :P