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Are you driving an old car?
- Thread starter coolwater
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2004 Lincoln LS V8 Sport. January 2004 manufacture. It will probably hit 140K sometime this week, or next week depending on how much I drive.
I bought it in September 2008 with 56K on the clock. The only non-maintenance work has been a broken window regulator and a broken coolant "T" joint. The T joint left me stranded and having to have it towed in.
I bought it in September 2008 with 56K on the clock. The only non-maintenance work has been a broken window regulator and a broken coolant "T" joint. The T joint left me stranded and having to have it towed in.
1996 Toyota Carolla ~166,700 miles.
20 mile (both ways) workday commute. Light use on weekends. For long trips I rent a car, to save wear and tear.
20 mile (both ways) workday commute. Light use on weekends. For long trips I rent a car, to save wear and tear.
2000 5-speed Chevy Prizm (the hybrid w/ Toyota engine); the iron worms will get it before that engine goes. I think there's only around 90k miles on it now, someone had it just to ride to work in Syracuse from a nearby suburb. The dealer kept it and detailed it up instead of wholesaling it on, and I scarfed it up for a lot less than the Subaru I was thinking of shopping around for. I have been so happy with it, nothing but oil changes and one bad sensor on something or other a couple years ago, some brake work last spring. That model and year had a rep for being hard on tires. I don't think it's worse that way than my other vehicles, but then I don't put 30k miles a year on a car any more.
That is the 30yr mark, 5yrs past the 25yr mark when vehicles qualify for antique tags.
In the UK if something has wheels, basically it can pass as a car, but that's the exception. In many places, after some time, vehicles are considered as collectors, antiques, classic, historic vehicles... They are so far away from every current security, emissions standard, they have to have a different status, for the purpose of insurances, MOT, etc...
Thanks for the replies.
I had just wondered whether 1985 had any particular significance as a chosen cut-off date.
It's virtually a corolla with chevy overcoat right?
We've wondered now and then what the Chevy part is. Maybe the glovebox?
The Town Cars(RIP) are virtually indestructible. There's a reason why Panther platform cars(Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, Town Car) were so popular as fleet and livery vehicles. Basically, they were the last "classic American" body-on-frame rear wheel drive sedan. Most "fender bender" and even somewhat more severe type accidents can be fixed by swapping body panels-there's no real need to worry about frame integrity as it takes a pretty severe impact to mess with it(contrast that with unibodies). The 4.6L Modular V8 has been around a while and has virtually all of the kinks worked out of it. They fare well in "police" conditions with lots of idling and low speed driving, but also have a big wide torque band that makes them comfortable and low RPM interstate cruisers. I've seen these engines easily rack up a half million miles and-if taken care of-can look virtually new inside. They also have a timing chain and are a non-interference design so even if the chain breaks it won't kill the engine. In classic American form, they're roomy under the hood so that they're easy to work on. I've had police mechanics tell me that they can do an engine swap in an afternoon.
The LS is a bit of a different beast, but the(Jaguar-derived) AJ-V8 is superb. Mine is the 3.9L version which was exclusive to Ford/Lincoln but does have a lot of advanced technology(at least by 2004 standards) like VVT and an electronic throttle. It's also non-interference and has a timing chain. At least on the LS owner's club, I've seen one person report timing chain failure. The rest of the body is basically solid, although it is unibody. The transmissions on some are "iffy" but if taken care of(like anything else) can last the life of the car. I change my transmission fluid every 30K miles, which is what the engineer who designed the thing suggested. The suspension was completely unlike anything to ever come out of a Ford factory at the time, which threw off a lot mechanics when they were new. The suspension is basically solid, though, and has a lot of European influence.
I'm anal about maintenance on it. I've been running full synthetic for most of the time I've owned it. I do my best to stay on top of preventative maintenance, which I think helps any car.
I could also mention the broken side view mirror, but that was 100% my own stupidity.
My significant other's 2001 Subaru Forester S just turned over 178,000 recently. My own 2000 Forester's engine died two summers ago somewhere around 160,000 miles.
I've kept up with the maintenance but it has needed quite a bit of work over the last several years - timing belt, new rear struts, new rear wheel bearings, new front half shafts, new wheels, a few sensors, some front end suspension work, most of the exhaust, various electrical...and in the last 12 months body corrosion has started to become more obvious, especially on the rear hatch. I need to replace the fuel filler pipe this summer as it is leaking. All of the door gaskets are ripped - I live in an an area with very harsh winters, the door gaskets get iced up and tear when you open the door.
Hoping to squeeze another 2 years/30-50k miles out of her before selling - as long as the transmission holds out I think I can get away with that plan. Great car in the winter, on bad roads or when hauling things.
I've kept up with the maintenance but it has needed quite a bit of work over the last several years - timing belt, new rear struts, new rear wheel bearings, new front half shafts, new wheels, a few sensors, some front end suspension work, most of the exhaust, various electrical...and in the last 12 months body corrosion has started to become more obvious, especially on the rear hatch. I need to replace the fuel filler pipe this summer as it is leaking. All of the door gaskets are ripped - I live in an an area with very harsh winters, the door gaskets get iced up and tear when you open the door.
Hoping to squeeze another 2 years/30-50k miles out of her before selling - as long as the transmission holds out I think I can get away with that plan. Great car in the winter, on bad roads or when hauling things.