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Comments
I aslo like my cars to be reliable with low maintenance cost. Thus the rules out the luxury brands, and german/eurpean cars.
Leo
I've always admired Saabs. Just don't want to have to rely on one. Or have to deal with repairs, in terms of both dollars and convenience. Very important in a one-car household.
As an example of this, I recently went to our local pull-apart junkyard for two repair parts. Our 1988 Olds Delta 88 (180K) needed a new headlight lens cover. Cost new $150+. Cost used $75. Cost at pull-apart where there were many old similar models to pick from $26(including bulbs). I also was looking for a muffler for my 95 Mazda Protege (136K). Cost new $135-180, cost used $75, cost at pull-apart where I was lucky to find one suitable wreck $6.
To a similar extent, the cost of having a mechanic do such work is related to how familiar they are with the car and the availability of aftermarket parts.
I run into this all the time. Someone says to me "Oh, you run down on Saabs but I never have trouble with mine". So I say "Okay, let's go for a drive in it".
Well, whaddya know, sure it runs and looks "okay", but within three blocks I'm saying "what's that clunk?" and he's saying "WHAT CLUNK? Oh, that, I just slow down when I hear that".
And then I notice a pool of power steering fluid in his garage and he says "Yeah, well, I just put in a pint every few weeks...what's the big deal?"
Driving a car like that would make me nuts.
Leo
The 1988 Olds Delta 88 (180K). Paint-poor, windshield-small crack on passenger side, transmission- slow leak, front shocks- should be repalced, rubber engine mounts- should be replaced, everything else- good to excellent.
1995 Mazda Protege (136K). Looks and drives like new. Excellent condition.
I agree that one should not drive a car with faulty mechanicals and possibly endanger himself or others. But just because a car has high miles and a few minor flaws, this dosen't relegate it to the scrap heap.
So the high mileage goals you may have also have to take into account your standards. If you want a high mileage car that looks and operates without fault, that usually costs a fair amount to achieve.
I didn't try to sort out the replies by locale, but I wonder if they wouldn't show that southern cars outlast those that have to undergo the rigors of cold weather driving.
I think a lot of what happens is that when you drive a car a lot, chances are you're going to keep up with maintenance. But if you don't drive as much, you might be more likely to let things go. Also, as cars age, and become second/backup cars for the family, they're just going to sit around more. I had to depend on that Dart for my daily transportation for years, so I had to make sure it was (semi) roadworthy. OTOH, that Newport I picked up hadn't been driven more than a few miles at a time in probably a decade. In fact, the roughly 15 mile trip home was probably the longest trip that car had seen since the Reagan administration! Probably one of the highest speeds it had seen since then, too! Mechanically it was fine...those old big-blocks and torqueflites could put up with a lot of abuse, but the body and interior were literally falling apart around the drivetrain!
Heck, I'd give you the 1K and a cheap ticket on a plane so you could get back.
Anything that makes it across country is worth 1K 8^)
TB
58 VW