Posted on 05/04/2024 4:11:17 AM PDT by RomanSoldier19
Here at Jalopnik, we know there’s nothing wrong with keeping a beloved old beater running for mile after mile, and we regularly celebrate high mileage heroes. Now, it turns out the rest of America is catching onto this way of thinking as the savings of holding onto an old car for longer begin mounting up.
Drivers across the country are increasingly holding onto their cars for longer than ever, with an increasing number hitting more than 100,000 miles in their cars, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal. The trend comes as drivers realize the savings to be had by simply not replacing their car every five years. As the site explains:
(Excerpt) Read more at jalopnik.com ...
I had 317,000 miles on my 2004 Honda Pilot when I sold it. I still wish I had it back.
My boss still has a 2001 Chrysler Towne and Country mini van. Just hit over 80k miles garage kept. Paint is still great on it. Has a vacuum leak somewhere and the mechanic changed a few parts and even with his $14k scanner, the engine light keeps coming back on.
“Cars stopped being fun decades ago, because you’ve gotten old, not because of the cars.”
No, they stopped being fun due to govt. mandates
The motors ..with proper maintenance..will last a long time.
Usually it’s the body of modern cars that will go before the engine.
2000 Silverado 275k miles only problem I’ve had is fuel pumps.
I’m on my 3rd
I was looking for a used Toyota Sequoia. It took me 10 months to find the right one. Used ones either had 200K miles on them or were priced at $80K and up. I saw one online at a nearby dealer. A 2024 model for $105K.
I found one at a GM dealer with 50K miles and an asking price of $48K. Jumped all over that. It is a 2018 with the 5.7 V-8.
Little old lady out west, had a 1997 Isuzu Trooper that needed some techincal fix. She thought about getting another vehicle.
I suggested that she keep the Trooper. Many good mechanical points. Sturdy truck masquerading as an SUV.
She barely won. LOL When her friends would brag on their new cars she would ask them how hard it was to pay their bills, while she had zero debt. She drove her old Ion like it was a badge of honor on financial stewardship. I couldn't be prouder.
Mines a 2019. 104k and had stuck lifter issue. Wish we didn’t go with all the electronic stuff. I used to be able to work on cars with points and distributor. So much stuff now I’m afraid I’d screw something up.
The electronics are the wild card now. The only thing in common with cars 15 years ago are 4 wheels.
“an increasing number hitting more than 100,000 miles in their cars”
Since I learned to drive, I’ve had each vehicle I’ve owned for at least 200,000 miles.
There is a concept called maintenance. That is a vehicle is maintained in proper working condition by the expenditure of funds. A properly maintained vehicle can and does have a long life.
Rather than consider “trading” at some predetermined interval there is an alternate course. Consideration can be based on the cost of owning and operating the vehicle based on miles driven.
Generally in a properly maintained vehicle, the cost of owning and operating per mile will decrease over a very long period of time if there is routine maintenance. The tendency however is to allow break down maintenance to prevail. The breakdown is considered reason to find a new or different vehicle.
It is a poor car indeed that cannot stretch out a lifetime of a quarter million miles or so, with decent maintenance. But that is the pinch - decent maintenance. Back in the days of the Model A Ford, overhauls of the engine were absolutely necessary after about 40,000 miles or so, but then, it was straight mineral oil lubrication, no oil filters, and very little in the way of dust filtration through the carburetor. Grit was part of the fuel system.
With the introduction of fuel filters, air filters and oil filters, most of the grit problem was alleviated, and with the introduction of multi-grade detergent oil, the longevity of the engine was vastly increased. The attention given to tolerances and the wear characteristics of the materials used in cylinder walls, valves, pistons and piston rings were much better matched to the demands of higher temperatures and higher engine speeds. The internal combustion engine of today is a marvel unimaginable in 1935.
In the years 1942 to perhaps the last half of 1946 or so, NO new cars were available for sale, and owners were forced to keep their vehicles running for WAY longer than the normal lifetime of a typical car then. There were enterprises that specialized in reconstructing a ten or fifteen year old car back to its original configuration, for about the price of a brand new car at the time, up until the mid-1950’s, when new car construction finally caught up with the demand. You could by a new Ford or Chevrolet in 1950 for as little as $1,600 or so, just to provide a framework for the pricing structure then.
100,000 miles is nothing on todays cars. I have just shy of 140,000 on my Toyota and will drive another 100K before buying another car. Cars are made much better today.
On top of all that, people just can’t afford a new mortgage (car payment). The prices have gone thru the roof in recent years.... and that includes USED cars.
I drive a 2005 Buick Rendezvous. Runs great. The only money put into it (so far) is normal wear-and-tear issues. Once it becomes a money pit, then I’ll replace it. Maybe buy a Fred Flintstone car?
Not everybody is well off and just can’t afford to buy new shit every 5 years.
I bought a one-owner 1969 VW Beetle from our best friends. They bought it new.
It sat for 22 years in their garage. We trailered it to our garage. It took 18 months to fully restore and has a brand new (beautiful, sparkling blue) paint job.
The engine runs great. Installed a professionally rebuilt original carburetor.
New interior.
Installed a new clutch, pressure plate and throw-out bearing.
Installed a front disc brake kit on front wheels. New rear brake drum shoes. New brake master cylinder.
It has 85k original miles.
With installed interior insulation and pad under new carpet, it is quieter to drive than when new. The outside molding strips are now stainless steel (originals were aluminum).
New VW badges and script. New running boards. New chrome bumpers. New tires. New hub caps. Repainted original wheels. New tail light lenses.
New radio antenna. The AM (only) radio is original and still works but only picks up German language stations.
After installing new upper and lower ball joints and a front-end alignment, it drives perfectly. New shocks. New spark plugs and wires. Original wheel jack.
Original VW horn beeps like a beloved Beetle horn always did.
All factory numbers match as shipped from Wolfsburg, Germany in 1969.
No rust.
An original VW Beetle is an amazingly well-designed and well-built vehicle. No wonder so many were built and sold.
Total cost to buy and restore - about 15K.
It’s so nice, I am afraid to drive it much...kept in the garage most of the time.
I own two 2007 Jeep Liberty SUVs. Small, lighter, turn tight, and converted to right hand drive. I deliver mail in them. The gold one has 260,000+ and the white one has 300,000+ miles.
The engines are fantastic. they just don’t stop running. Both cars have transmissions replaced or repaired, and ball joints and drive shafts are non stop replacement items.
What would I buy new that would possibly take the abuse any better unless built on a truck frame? A truck frame that wouldn’t turn as well or as tightly, and get worse gas mileage on my stop and start daily circuit?
I also own a 2007 Mercury Montego with over 240,000. My wife’s Nissan is our “road tripper” and has passed 200,000 and drives like a new car with a great Bose stereo system. The lowest mileage vehicle I own is my 2013 F150 with 125,000.
Preventive maintenance is the key. We change the oil and other fluids well before the guidelines and use only synthetic oil. We replace small parts and other sub-systems well before trouble appears. We keep the electronic fuel control system in top shape by replacing all of the sensors periodically, usually within 60K. I have also found it good to reground the frame, engine block, and chassis. The sensors are sensitive to even less that 1/2 a volt and the system is usually grounded only by a strap to the block at the starter. Adding multiple grounds directly from the battery terminal to other points, keeps all of the sensors functioning properly.
I’m almost 55, I’ve only owned 3 cars. Number 1 got beat to death over the course of about 15 years. Number 2 had a good run until some dumb chick made an illegal left in front of it causing number 3 to happen. Jeeze, I’m now realizing that was almost 10 years ago. It doesn’t feel like a 10 year old car. Except the speakers. I really need new speakers.
Dad has a very nice 74 Pontiac Gran Ville with a good sounding 455 / 4BBL. Sounds great.
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