Oldest Car

[2527]

Who has the oldest car used routinely (not a garage queen or hobby car)?  I have a 1998 Honda Civic. 

[kendallf]

I sold my daily driver 1973 Buick Century last year.  I miss it.  I have another Buick, a 1983 Regal T Type, that I hope to make my DD next year.

[Frankies Girl]

My 1996 Ford Explorer gave up the ghost last year, so 17 years for me.

[Gray Matter]

I have a 1997 Jeep Cherokee.  Not the oldest car here, but she deserves some recognition.  She's a bit arthritic, but still gets around!

[DunkCityFan]

1996 jeep cherokee.

[Gray Matter]

DunkCityFan - You just had to one-up me, didn't you?

[Jack]

I have:

• 1998 VW Beetle TDI (diesel) -- daily driver, but currently down for a major overhaul
• 1996 Ford Ranger 4x4 -- currently daily driver, but will soon be used only for occasional hauling and off-roading

I plan to buy a third car soon (to replace the Ranger for daily use and also for autocrossing), and will probably go a little newer -- say, an early 2000s Mazda Miata -- just for reliability/convenience's sake, but getting something even older (e.g. an early '90s Chevrolet Corvette or perhaps even a '70s Nissan 240z) is a distinct possibility.

To paraphrase Memphis from Gone in 60 Seconds, new sports cars are for self-indulgent wieners, but old sports cars are for connoisseurs.

[Rural]

1981 Toyota Corolla Tercel (Toyota was a bit confused on the name that year). My husband drives it; the seat no longer moves, and I can't reach the pedals in the position it's stuck in.

[mlavelle87]

1995 Toyota Corolla. My friends have taken to calling it the "lowrolla" (opposite of high roller).  Whatever. It cost me $1000 4.5 years ago and though it has 176k miles on it, it still gets me around as I fight a mountain of student loans.

[Argyle]

1994 Toyota Tercel.  60,000 miles.

[NinetyFour]

Only 60,000 miles?  Do the wheels still turn?

[wortdog]

92 Eagle Talon @ 104,000 miles

[Self-employed-swami]

I have a 95 tercel.  It is my city car, so I don't have to drive around in my work truck when I am at home.

$292,000 km.  It got a 'new' engine last year that only has ~230,000km.

[Jamesqf]

'88 Toyota pickup.  Not my primary vehicle, but used regularly for hauling, or driving to destinations on very rough dirt roads.

[DunkCityFan]

DunkCityFan - You just had to one-up me, didn't you?

Just had to. Actually thinking about trying a DIY fuel pump replacement today. If it doesn't work, you might have the oldest one by next week.

[ethilo]

1986 Mazda B2000 long bed pickup truck. 188k miles on it.  Bought it for $500 10 years ago and it's still running.  I've driven it as my primary car this whole time.

Sadly, it needs a major overhaul of the brakes system (from pedal to pad since most are original parts).  The overhaul will cost something like $700+ so I think it's time to retire the old bird.  It's too bad because everything else works great, wish I could buy the same car all over again.

[Rural]

1986 Mazda B2000 long bed pickup truck. 188k miles on it.  Bought it for $500 10 years ago and it's still running.  I've driven it as my primary car this whole time.

Sadly, it needs a major overhaul of the brakes system (from pedal to pad since most are original parts).  The overhaul will cost something like $700+ so I think it's time to retire the old bird.  It's too bad because everything else works great, wish I could buy the same car all over again.

Can you get another vehicle as good as that one will be with redone brakes for $700? If not, I'd do the brakes.

[Dibbels81]

1997 Geo Prizm.  The Geo is the twin of the Corolla, and you can pick these up for cheap and they're extremely reliable. 

[2527]

I had a 92 Prizm and had to sell it in 2000 with 120,000 miles on it because we were moving.  I swear if I still had it, it would still be running. 

1997 Geo Prizm.  The Geo is the twin of the Corolla, and you can pick these up for cheap and they're extremely reliable.

[ketchup]

1996 Volvo 850 wagon.  159,000 miles.  Runs like a champ, and is still shiny and clean.  Only bought it in July though.  Before that I had a delightful 1988 Chevy Sprint with 69,000 miles on it that I smashed into a Jeep. :(

[secondcor521]

1995 Toyota Corolla, bought new from the dealer for IIRC $14K 10 days before our first child was born.

It just rolled past 196K miles, and that first child is a freshman in college.

Cosmetically it has suffered in my care, but it's my daily driver and mechanically still extremely solid.

I'd like to get a newer car, but this one is so cheap to run and I'm so used to it.  Further, paying even $5K or $8K for a new-to-me-used car for cash is a pretty painful thought.

[Spork]

I have a largish stable.  Average age: 23 years.

1975 Triumph TR6 - not a garage queen... more like a garage ugly step sister.  Not overly reliable.  Not overly perfect looking.  Not a daily driver.

1981 Chevy Pickup - probably the ugliest truck ever.  One side smashed by a falling backhoe.  One side has really badly applied flames on it that have faded to pink and are applied so they point up (like the tire is on fire).  Not a daily driver, but used regularly as a farm truck.  I paid for this truck with a large pizza (with everything).

1999 Mustang GT - terrible on mileage, but daily driver.  Looking to replace it with more mpg.

2005 Toyota Matrix - the new car.  Daily driver.

[FuckRx]

1971 ford maverick...have driven it as my only vehicle from 2005 until 1/2013. I am debating whether I should drive it again or sell it. Right now driving a smart car.

[StarswirlTheMustached]

My family staged an intervention* to keep me from buying a pair of clapped out '73 Superbeetles and frakenstiening them into a working car.  I imagine at this point it would have "Garage Drama Queen" and or Nightmare status.

I'm currently lusting after a '51 Dodge. None of it would be 'daily driver' material, simply because I've no need to drive daily. =/

*The intervention went something like this:
(Them "You have no idea how to fix cars!"
Me: "It's a bug! How better to learn?"
... etc, etc..
Them: "It's a death trap on the roads"
Me: "You just said I'd never get it on the road!"
...etc, etc...
Them: "It would cost an awful lot of money you don't strictly need to spend."
Me: "... well played, family. You win.")

It will repeat the if I make serious overtures about the Dodge, I'm sure.

[apennysaved]

My husband's 1999 Toyota 4Runner.  Not old compared in years, but that baby has 276,000+ miles on it and is still running strong.  Sadly, we are going to sell it to get something more fuel efficient, but the reliability has been outstanding.  Prior to finding this blog, my husband's job had him driving all over the state of Texas which explains the mileage and since he could expense mileage, we didn't worry about it too much.  But now that we found this blog, things are changing...

[Argyle]

Wortdog, not sure what you mean about the wheels still turning, but 60,000 miles in 19 years is still 3000 miles a year -- more than it should be when I bike so much.

[jawisco]

We have a 1983 toyota pickup, a 1984 toyota dolphin motorhome, and a 1989 toyota corolla all-trac. 

The motorhome is guest quarters as our house is pretty small (850 square feet) and not ideal for hosting guests (only 1 bedroom).

All have collectors plates from my state (any vehicle over 20 years old eligible), so no recurring registration fees on these vehicles.  No vehicle inspection of any kind here, so it is easy to run older vehicles...

[mrm]

I've got a 1986 Nissan Pickup I bought for $750 bucks two years ago.  Everyday driver.  The odometer stopped long before I ever bought it. 

[prodarwin]

I have a 98 SL2 and a 94 Miata.  Neither of them are cars I would consider "old".

I'm still searching for a clean 95 SW2 to swap my '98 for as a DD.

[Mr.Macinstache]

I sold my daily driver 1973 Buick Century last year.  I miss it.  I have another Buick, a 1983 Regal T Type, that I hope to make my DD next year.

Nice... T-types are desirable cars... I would be nervous DD'ing it in fear it might get stolen.

[exranger06]

1992 Honda Accord EX. Has 166,000 miles. I drive it back and forth to work about 3 times per week, the other days I drive my truck (oh the anti-mustachian horror! ;) ). It's in damn-near-perfect condition, especially for a 21 year old car: no rust, no dents or major scratches, interior is spotless, mechanically perfect, all accessories work, etc. I have antique license plates on it lol. I'm confident I can get another 10 years out of it.

[wannabfrugal]

1986 Mazda B2000 long bed pickup truck. 188k miles on it.  Bought it for $500 10 years ago and it's still running.  I've driven it as my primary car this whole time.

Sadly, it needs a major overhaul of the brakes system (from pedal to pad since most are original parts).  The overhaul will cost something like $700+ so I think it's time to retire the old bird.  It's too bad because everything else works great, wish I could buy the same car all over again.

Can you get another vehicle as good as that one will be with redone brakes for $700? If not, I'd do the brakes.

Seconded.  I've done a couple repairs to my '99 Camry using this logic.  If i buy a new to me car, I'm out that cash, plus I don't know it's history.  So a 1k repair is a way better deal than a 1k new to me car :)