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I wonder if the average person keeps their car as long as the people on this board. I suspect this is an elite group who put a lot of time and effort into their old cars which make them more reliable.
I wonder if the average person keeps their car as long as the people on this board. I suspect this is an elite group who put a lot of time and effort into their old cars which make them more reliable.
I hold on to my 1985 Toyota Supra for dear life, it has luxuries most new cars don't have, like a tape player, which still works beautifully, comfy leather seats, a car key I can have reproduced for $3, headlights I can replace very easily myself for $10, flip up headlights, and no annoying seat belt alarm.
I get behind the steering wheel of lots of new cars when I rent one to get out of town, and I have no desire to own any of them, although that new Toyota Corolla I rented last year was rather sweet.
I wonder if the average person keeps their car as long as the people on this board. I suspect this is an elite group who put a lot of time and effort into their old cars which make them more reliable.
I see no need to saddle myself with a constant continuous car payment.
Until this Feb, it gave me no trouble.
As discussed in many posts here, for the $2,300 I put into it, I can't buy a reliable vehicle as mine has been.
We just did an 8 1/2 hour weekend trip in it, only bought gas once along the way and had 1/2-3/4 tank left when we got home. Could have gone without getting gas, but we believe in not letting it go below a half tank.
Everything on it works perfectly. Even the rear wiper!
I live in NY, well known rust belt and pothole Haven. NY and PA are known for worst roads in the country.
Our highways are even riddled like a washboard due to freeze/thaw, shift/heave cycles constant with our Winters.
Now that people are financing vehicles for 6 or 7 years or more, it makes sense to me to keep it.
It's a very nice feeling to have a reliable car that is paid off. If you do your maintenance as required, then you pretty much know what shape is your car and how reliable it will be in a long trip.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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C-D auto posters are definitely not Unique / keeping old iron running.
Time and effort to keeping an older car running?
Far less time spent that hauling my neighbors back and forth to 'dealers' for recall / problems + the time most folks sit around waiting for a tow, (on their NEW cars).
3m miles in personal 'beater' vehicles, ZERO tows (But I HAVE driven 'questionable' vehicles home.. I live in the boonies and don't like to WALK, especially in a blizzard!).
30+ motorized vehicles at the moment, little time to spend 'Fixing" them. I prefer to DRIVE them!
Something I really like!
No PLASTICS on my car!!
No electronics / ignition system to fail is another bonus of evil diesels that run on FREE veggie oil. ! (No Soot, no smoke, no detectable emissions)
Any car can break down... plenty of new cars do... but the repair and maybe the loaner is someone else's problem.
As far as driving old cars... the most I put on my really old car was a 600 mile round-trip...
Car, 1930 Model A Rumble Seat Coupe... bone stock... driven by myself from Oakland CA to Reno via Highway 50... not in a tour or a group of other old cars.
Met up with my group in Reno and toured during the National Meet and then back home.
It was a pleasure to drive and had no issues with traffic... keeping a steady 50 mph I had a never ending stream of passer bys giving the thumbs up...
Car place 2nd place overall for the touring class... which is for cars actually driven and not trailer queens.
No I wouldn't dare. I took one of my car, not so old, the battery died on me while I was in Sierra, I had to coast the car down hill on a hand break. Never again.
It's a very nice feeling to have a reliable car that is paid off. If you do your maintenance as required, then you pretty much know what shape is your car and how reliable it will be in a long trip.
Mine has been reliable, the axle broke after turning a tight corner and hitting a huge pothole. Probably a big pothole broke the rear spring too. Only needed one spring but they come in pairs so might as well do both.
Ignition switch was questionable, so replaced it before it became a problem. Oil pan was rusted almost through, again a casualty of salted roads.
I maintain it, so I don't think those repairs are outlandish as some seem to think.
If I have no other trouble for 5 to 8 more years, I would consider myself lucky.
I also found a new good cheaper mechanic shop when I coasted to a stop after the axle broke. Needless to say it needed a tow, can't drive with a broken axle! The repairs included the tow, oil and filter changes etc needed to repair it.
And I still can't get anything but what I've got for a $27/ month payment, the equivalent of what it's cost me. I see no need to saddle us with a $300 payment right now, for something that might be worse.
All other years except tires and brakes and routine maintenance were virtually trouble free. And I'd still take it Florida and back.
I guess each to their own. And I'm not financing another one. The brand new '14 we bought to replace a '98 caravan was paid for in cash.
A little short now to replace the '06, so need more years out of it.
If you have done the factory recommended service, you should be good to go.
For a car withh that kind of milage, i would recommend you do a complete fluid drain and replace.
Pay special attention to the radiator, flush and fill.
The only thing that sucks with older cars is the no "hi teck gizmos" thing.
Another thing to consider, in timing belt cars, most manufactures tecommend replacement every 75000 to 80000. Timing chain cars dont need replacement.
Have fsith in your car, let it run a marathon!
Excellent advice. Sadly, not enough do this.
My 20 year old Ford I have driven coast to coast with zero issues. But I do keep all maintenance up to date including all fluid changes.
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