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Yeas that's a good point. I love to hate mopars, but I can't deny that I've known several people to drive their minivans past 300k. Same goes for Jeep Cherokees and the like. So mopars can't really be *that* bad.
They just look that way
I read about those 300k+ Chrysler minivans on a online forum. I wanted a road trip vehicle. I bought one with 100k, last year, in very nice condition, for $2500. 99.6% rust free. I knew it needed a radiator. I put a $60 new radiator and some $7 sway bar bushings on it. Easy to work on. I just have to be careful about hitting the ceiling with it on my lift. It feels like a new car to me. It's not my daily driver so I've put on about 1000 miles in a year. I added a hitch for my little utility trailer. Now I can get rid of my POS pickup.
I've never heard of a modern engine dying at 160,000.
Especially a Mercedes. Using quality "fully synthetic" oils and normal servicing, it will last and last. This engine must have been grossly neglected. 10 to 15 year old cars are common on the roads these days as the bodies not rot like they did 40-50 years ago.
My son has a 1996 Sebring Convertible he bought for $700. He has put about $300 and several weekends into it, but it is getting him around in style this summer. We do not know the mileage, but in early 2014, it had 178,000 on it (repair receipt in the glove box).
If one of the worst cars ever made can still work decently at over 200,000 miles, anything can. (well apparently except for a Mercedes)
We somehow got the urge to buy a brand new, base model 2000 Intrepid. Like the Sebring, the Interpid was frequently called one of the worst vehicles Chrysler ever built. My wife drove it for ten years, and 200K miles, with almost zero drama. It took a water pump, a starter, and it loved to eat front rotors. I did most things DIY, so none of that was a big deal. In 2010 we sold it to our friend's repair shop. He used it as a daily loaner for years, with hundreds of customers driving it. Still no problems. Last I checked it was being driven by the elderly father of the shop owner. It had 300K+ miles on, and never had a breakdown or major repair. This thing also has the infamous 2.7 V6, which many were unable to get 100K out of. For us, it was nearly bulletproof, with fantastic fuel economy. Weird, eh?
Those things are important but I'm not real enthusiastic to tear my driver door apart because the electric mirror buttons don't work. I'm the only one that drives it and I don't have to move the mirrors. Some things are too minor for the effort it takes to fix them. I will drive all the value out of the car so I'm not worried about the affect on resale value. That and the display on my radio is too dim. I might fix that some day.
Yeah, not everybody enjoys tinkering on vehicles. Can be a matter of taste.
I mean, some folks like watching big sweaty millionaires chase a ball. I don't get it.
Today I'm helping a friend fix the a/c on his wife's Honda Accord. I charge nothing but beer and conversation. Some folks wouldn't find that enjoyable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnd393
I read about those 300k+ Chrysler minivans on a online forum. I wanted a road trip vehicle. I bought one with 100k, last year, in very nice condition, for $2500. 99.6% rust free. I knew it needed a radiator. I put a $60 new radiator and some $7 sway bar bushings on it. Easy to work on. I just have to be careful about hitting the ceiling with it on my lift. It feels like a new car to me. It's not my daily driver so I've put on about 1000 miles in a year. I added a hitch for my little utility trailer. Now I can get rid of my POS pickup.
Yeah, they seem to be good vehicles. Which I find hard to understand seeings how they're made by Mopar... but I can't deny the evidence I've seen. My boss drives one every day with over 300K on it, and it's still in good condition. Personally I'm not in the market for a minivan, but if I was I'd definitely have to look at these.
We somehow got the urge to buy a brand new, base model 2000 Intrepid. Like the Sebring, the Interpid was frequently called one of the worst vehicles Chrysler ever built. My wife drove it for ten years, and 200K miles, with almost zero drama. It took a water pump, a starter, and it loved to eat front rotors. I did most things DIY, so none of that was a big deal. In 2010 we sold it to our friend's repair shop. He used it as a daily loaner for years, with hundreds of customers driving it. Still no problems. Last I checked it was being driven by the elderly father of the shop owner. It had 300K+ miles on, and never had a breakdown or major repair. This thing also has the infamous 2.7 V6, which many were unable to get 100K out of. For us, it was nearly bulletproof, with fantastic fuel economy. Weird, eh?
Yeah, I've heard horror stories about those V6 engines. Hard to know why some work and some don't.
Your post makes a good point about keeping a vehicle long-term: Once you've had it long enough, you get to know what parts are going to fail and why. Every vehicle has its quirks, and if you exceed 200k miles there's a good chance that you're going to replace certain parts more than once. That's not necessarily a big deal as long as you're aware of what the parts are and how to replace them.
For my sad old Lumina, repeat failures are:
1. The blinker switch. I've replaced it at least twice... don't remember for sure. Last time I modified it a little to prevent the repeat failure mode (added a support). We'll see how it holds up. It's not a difficult job with the right tools, which Autozone will loan for free. They also have a lifetime warranty on that switch, which has come in handy.
2. The driver's side axle seal. It leaked ATF when I bought the car at 158,000 miles. I replaced it, and it worked fine until about 280,000 miles. Replaced it again. I expect it'll hold until somewhere around 380,000 miles
3. Wiring to the cruise control switch. GM in their infinite wisdom built this car (and basically every vehicle they've ever made with cruise control up to this millennium) such that every time the blinker is used, the wires to the cruise control flex. That works ok for maybe 100K miles... after that, metal fatigue takes its toll on the wiring and it will start to break internally. Cruise control will work intermittently or not at all. You have to repair or replace the wiring to the switch. This has failed twice on the Dear Lumina. Last time I repaired it, I added in an additional loop of wiring to minimize the flex when the blinker is used. It's held for several years this way. If it fails again, I might just run the wires to toggle switches on the dash like a Peterbilt.
Especially a Mercedes. Using quality "fully synthetic" oils and normal servicing, it will last and last. This engine must have been grossly neglected. 10 to 15 year old cars are common on the roads these days as the bodies not rot like they did 40-50 years ago.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by reed067
We have a 00 Subaru Forester and that's exactly what we plan to do it's got 327K on it now and until I see flames shooting from underneath the hood I'll drive it.
you will definitely NEVER see FLAMES shooting from under the hood of your subie (unless a fuel line breaks)
White smoke out the tailpipe... likely... (several times before it's demise)
'So-Far-So-good' - Hope no smoke arrives! Good luck!
I'm in Talks to buy a 1998 Ford Ranger extended Cab 105k miles for my sons first car.
My Son started bitching about how,"he doesn't want a truck" till i pointed out that, the our neighbors son has a truck and every single day that kid has a different hot chick in his Truck.
Now he won't stop bugging me to buy the Truck
Teenagers
you will definitely NEVER see FLAMES shooting from under the hood of your subie (unless a fuel line breaks)
White smoke out the tailpipe... likely... (several times before it's demise)
'So-Far-So-good' - Hope no smoke arrives! Good luck!
So far no tail pile smoke "knock on wood"! All the power windows, sunroof, heated seats work. etc works. I only have high beams the stalk has a short in it replacing that here soon and the AC needs to be charged.
My whole thing about high mileage cars is, leaving me stranded. I have a rule, if the car leaves me stranded twice for any reason other than a dead battery or something really simple, The car is on it's way to the junkyard.
In my experience, a car failing to start means you weren't paying attention to maintenance. In the last 30 years I have put over 750,000 miles on vehicles, and never been let down. When it starts cranking slowly, buy a new battery. It's that simple.
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