Posted on 04/09/2012 4:05:36 PM PDT by NoLibZone
What's your sense on the state of modern auto and motor plant technology?
Does CAD, modern tech, etc push the emotional 100,000 mile threshold, to a new higher number?
I’ve seen over 400,000 miles from some Fords and Chryslers that used synthetic oil.
Most people have no idea of the manufacturing revolution that has occurred over the last 15-20 years. Incredibly accurate manufacturing machines combined with modern computerized engineering processes make far better parts that go into cars.
And then add to that modern quality control....ISO-9000 and such....it’s hard for a parts vendor to get away with making crap anymore.
So, yes, 100,000 miles for a new car, properly maintained, is barely broken in.
We had a ‘94 Explorer that we sold at 250K that still did not burn oil. If you let it sit a few days, the mains would rumble for 2 seconds or so. I have no idea how good or bad it was taken care of for the first 90K of its life.
We sold the 03 Explorer with 170K and it too burned no oil.
I could not have fathomed such things in the ‘60’s or ‘70’s.
“I’ve put about 750,000 on my Yugo GT, and I’ve never even had to open the hood.”
PM me when you get ready to sell it. I want to build a long wheelbase tube frame 500+ hp V8, tubbed, race car. I am shooting for the fastest Yugo on the planet. Maybe Paul Shanklin or Rush would sponsor me. (^;
1. I agree, that a car designed and built to be maintainable and to last, if well maintained, can last essentially forever. Imagine if cars were maintained like aircraft, where they would have true preventative maintenance. We would still have plenty of 1950’s cars on the street as daily drivers.
2. Take another look. Hyundai’s of 15 years ago were crap. The last 2-3 years of models are at or even beyond parity with the Japanese, who have rested on their laurels for a LONG time (particularly Honda). People still buying them are buying on inertia and habit.
3. On modern cars, the electronics are going to be killers for collectors of the future (if any) or for long-term ownership. LCD displays have a very finite lifetime, whether or not they are actually used, and they can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to tool.
By the way, my cars are 26 and 27 years old, respectively, one of which I drive every day. There is virtually nothing on either that I can’t repair, rebuild, or replace.
When I speak of maintenance, I am not speaking of motor swaps. Cars from the 50’s were good for about 60K because they didn’t have simple things like oil filters. I also talk to folks that say the lack of a crankcase ventilation resulted in premature engine failures back then. I run a ‘76 Old Custom Cruiser during the summer with almost 200K on the clock and tow a 4000 lb pop up a couple weeks a year too on the same engine it came with. I just do routine maintenance on that.
As for the new Hyundais being a great car, that remains to be seen. I remember all my buddies telling me how great their Jap cars were 20 years ago and couldn’t understood why I was running Olds Deltas and Buick Park Avenues. My cars looked like new when I sold them while theirs rusted away around them. You don’t know if cars are any good until you have them on the road for years.
Just for fun, I typed in Hyundai 1990-99 into an ebay search to see how many are for sale. 7 cars. Did the same for Chevy. 650+ for sale. We will have to readdress your theory 10 years from now to see if you are right.
As for the electronics on cars, I ran across a K-Car based New Yorker, an ‘87 that was a roach, for sale that still had the crappy digital dash that still worked and the talking lady telling that the door was Ajar still spoke. Hard to say when that stuff will give out. Those cars were real junk.
The 80’s/90’s “green” dashes were low voltage vacuum fluorescent, and those will last longer than LCD’s, particularly in an automotive environment. The full-color LCD displays of today...not so much...
I'd always get a new car every 3-4 years..was just easier, and simpler..and also, since back then, I wrote off a good part of the car for business..can't do that any more..as I'm retired.
But that's not the reason for wanting to keep this one. It's the base model..FWD..who needs 4WD in Florida?..and it has a 5 sp...which I love, and today is almost impossible to find. It's only a little 4 banger..but with the 5sp it has plenty of pep..moves out nicely..and I've been getting consistently 28-30 mph..combined city/highway.
The real reason is that the tailgate window opens seperately, which I love, and that I can just fit my kayak AND my racing bike inside..literally by a 1/4", and thus don't have to worry about racks, and more inportantly..stuff getting stolen..I looked at a whole buch of new models last year, and none can do that..and the ones that I found I couldn't get in a 5 0r 6 sp manual
I've always taken my cars to the dealer for service, according to the schedule, and this way, whenever I've had any problem, even after the warranty was expired, it's always been taken care of at no charge, or hardly anything..also, I've always kept records..so I know what the car cost me to service each year.. For the first 4 years..averaging 15k miles/year, it went in about every 4000 miles...and the total cost each year was less than $250. Once I hit 60k..the service costs went up, a lot, and plus disc brakes all around, and soon, I'll be looking at a second set of tires.. that's what I meant about forgoing those costs, and gettign a new one every 3-4 years..and having just the payment..
We'll see how it turns out...(g)
To me this is a huge scam.
i just rebuilt the Iron Duke 2500 CC engine for my Chevy S-10 at 200,000 miles.
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