If you're in your 20's, that's just an inconvenience. In you're 80 and live in Minnesota or Phoenix, possibly deadly. All about choices.
How old is too old for a vehicle to be reliable?
- Thread starter Elkins45
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2022
- Messages
- 281
It isn't the age so much as how the car was treated during those years along with what platform/model it is.
I have a 23 year old grand cherokee with a 4.7. Not known for reliability in nearly any metric. But, it has 250k miles on it everything still works bc the previous owner was constantly babying it and fixing it. He even rebuilt the motor. I only bought it bc it was cheap and this guy is well known in my area as an old racer/wrench.
On the other hand....I have seen dodges/jeeps/nissans/chevys etc not make it 50k miles bc they were abused.
My general criteria is to pick a solid model known to have a reliable trans and engine. Find a used example that has been taken care of. And then expect to wrench on it on a regular basis.
Example would be a 99-04 tahoe/suburban.
Even better is if you know a lot of the miles were highway miles.
Essentially, I look for unicorns at my price point. It just takes time and patience.
I have a 23 year old grand cherokee with a 4.7. Not known for reliability in nearly any metric. But, it has 250k miles on it everything still works bc the previous owner was constantly babying it and fixing it. He even rebuilt the motor. I only bought it bc it was cheap and this guy is well known in my area as an old racer/wrench.
On the other hand....I have seen dodges/jeeps/nissans/chevys etc not make it 50k miles bc they were abused.
My general criteria is to pick a solid model known to have a reliable trans and engine. Find a used example that has been taken care of. And then expect to wrench on it on a regular basis.
Example would be a 99-04 tahoe/suburban.
Even better is if you know a lot of the miles were highway miles.
Essentially, I look for unicorns at my price point. It just takes time and patience.
I like to buy a car that has 50,000 miles but is a bit on the older side so the price is a bit lower. I don’t mind running it to 150,000 miles.
I have a 24-year old vehicle with 177k miles on which I perform all the repairs and maintenance. As I recall, about 3-4 years ago, OEM parts availability declined. Aftermarket parts quality and availability has generally been spotty with some exceptions. Over the last 5 years or so, I've elected to repair only the items that affect vehicle safety or are absolutely necessary, such as tie rod ends, shocks and alternator. Items I have not repaired include slightly worn inner tie rods (no wheel wobble as yet), sagging engine mounts (so no full throttle accelerations) leaky valve cover gaskets (I have a burnt oil smell), a cracked inlet duct (doesn't affect A/F mixture yet), door actuators (I never lock the vehicle). One needs to know what to fix and not to fix, otherwise a repair shop will make a lot of money servicing an older vehicle.
My then-33½-year-old Mazda went to Little Rock and back without incident shortly after it turned 600k. When it had about 6k, it left me stranded once 12 miles from home.
My use would be mainly short trips to town (10 mi) every other day, and an occasional drive to the big city an hour away. None of my other vehicles has radar or any of that stuff, so no need on an occasional car either.
I guess a more accurate question would be to ask when does the average car get so old you’re afraid it’s going to start falling apart on its own, not failing just from wear? Assuming there is such a thing as an average car, of course. Just as a reference point I bought my 2017 Titan because I’m afraid to drive my inherited 98 Chevy very far. It’s been well-maintained but things are starting to fail just from age. It only gets driven 3-5K miles/year and every trip is a guessing game as to what part will break next.
Your results can vary widely depending upon what you're driving. My co-worker has a 4-year-old Cadillac XT4 that has left her stranded twice in the last 2 weeks with a multitude of warning lights and a refusal to run and drive. Nothing maintenance related, all failure related. Second time was the transmission, she's still waiting to hear about that.
I'd say anything older than 20 years/250K is seriously unchartered territory.
Everybody looks for unicorns. The problem is that right now the market seems heavily populated with horses better suited for the glue factory.
No reason your 98 Chevy would leave you stranded any more than an 08 would in that usage. Now if you want piece of mind, a 5 year old 80,000 mile Toyota, Honda, Hyundai would be the way to go.
When standard replacement parts are hard to find, and the auto mechanics don't know how to deal with the old tech.
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2022
- Messages
- 281
Don't be such a Neigh sayer.
Yea-halfway between Death Valley and Las Vegas. Can't drive those things (200,000 or 300,000 mile vehicles) out West.........
What part of the country are you in? Yes-it matters....
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2022
- Messages
- 281
Cars are just parts.
I've put 10k on my Trooper since I bought it in November. And it sat for a month while I put a head gasket on it.
I've put 10k on my Trooper since I bought it in November. And it sat for a month while I put a head gasket on it.
And in a part of the country where it IS NOT miles and miles to the next town.
I sold a '96 Accord LX in April to some folks who intended to daily the car. It only had around 135K on it, but even at 27 YO it's worked out fine for them. They did have to replace a brake line and the brake light switch and I did tell them that they should have the timing belt done sooner rather than later, but other than that the car has done fine for them.
I dallied a then 22-23 YO '94 E350 for about a year and a half because I was too cheap to just go out and buy something new and it was pretty good as well.
Older does not equal troublesome and something newer and ragged on is going to have its own set of issues.
I dallied a then 22-23 YO '94 E350 for about a year and a half because I was too cheap to just go out and buy something new and it was pretty good as well.
Older does not equal troublesome and something newer and ragged on is going to have its own set of issues.
I have a 07 Ram with Hemi and 224K that I would take anywhere. Yes, I have replaced the fuel pump and the spider gear in the 3.92 rear axle. It is the Laramie model with all the important goodies. I also have a 1965 VW Beetle that I drove two days ago and it I would say is my most reliable car. It always starts runs and stops. It doesn't have any creature comforts or extra associated breakdowns. Takes only 2.5 quarts of oil for an oil change and 10.5 gallons of gas from empty. I converted it to 12 volts and a 1600 motor That I bought for $10.00 at a swap meet and rebuilt it 30K ago. Gives me over 30mpg. Those 2 vehicles I consider my most reliable. I wouldn't hesitate too much to take the Ram to be serviced by somebody other than me , but I would never take my VW bug to anybody else for service. There are specific thing on the VW that must be done to keep it reliable that nobody would know about unless they owned one. I don't think one of those would be a good choice for you. Find a little old lady car like a Toyota corolla .
Similar threads
