Wow, you folks have way more miles than me - I'm a pip squeak at 117,000 - I've got a long way to go. You do help me realise why I like fix'n my own car though: $$$$$. I could drop $ 18,000 - $60,000 on a new car or work on a $1000 beater (they used to be $50 -200, but I'm an old guy I guess). I think it was Lee Iochoca in a speach to the SAE who said that no car that Chrysler produced cost more than $4000 to build. In the same vein I have a friend with an Ivy League MBA and who's made tons of money as a venture capitalist who always points out that the cost difference between making 100,000 cars and 100,001 cars is about $1.00. The moral: watch your backs. Car mfgs are coming up with all sorts of ways to make sure you can't drive that old car forever; you'll have to buy a new one, it'll cost too much to fix the old one.

care to elaborate, sounds like an interesting discussion..

care to elaborate, sounds like an interesting discussion..

 

Amortization (sp) basically if it costs 1 million to develop a part and 5 dollars to make it, that is a cost of 6 dollars for 1 million parts, if you make 2 million then it becomes 5.5 dollars. not quite just one dollar for the last car, but you get the idea.

I had 405,000 on my 79' GL wagon and was the original owner (ok my parents bought it new). I sold it to a co-worker for her step-daughter and it is still going at over 420,000mi. I loved that car! Had to sell it to help buy a house for the Wife and I. Maybe I can buy it back

I had 405,000 on my 79' GL wagon and was the original owner (ok my parents bought it new). I sold it to a co-worker for her step-daughter and it is still going at over 420,000mi. I loved that car! Had to sell it to help buy a house for the Wife and I. Maybe I can buy it back My 82 Brat has 215,000 and climbing.

...The moral: watch your backs. Car mfgs are coming up with all sorts of ways to make sure you can't drive that old car forever; you'll have to buy a new one, it'll cost too much to fix the old one.

 

I have an example of this: I have a co-worker with an olds alero.

 

The oil filter is internal of some kind (not a normal one, it cost $11 if you do it yourself, basically they made it different so you HAVE to take it to the dealer since its the same cost)

 

The Auto tranny on the car has NO DIPSTICK! The manual says if its low, take it in for service. Period.

 

Sorry but if I cant check my fluids, no way I'd buy it.

about to hit 140,000 , still very young

i just turned 200k in the 86 3dr cpe

Its my 86 wagon check the link at the bottom of this post

nice

i hope my car does that good

I have an example of this: I have a co-worker with an olds alero.

 

The oil filter is internal of some kind (not a normal one, it cost $11 if you do it yourself, basically they made it different so you HAVE to take it to the dealer since its the same cost)

 

The Auto tranny on the car has NO DIPSTICK! The manual says if its low, take it in for service. Period.

 

Sorry but if I cant check my fluids, no way I'd buy it.

 

amen brother

i will never buy a new car they are too expensive and the manufacturer will ************ you

i'll stick with my user serviceable soob

sry in the mood for a rant but too tired to do it right

 

Gary

 

i remember that day. i had a few friends in the car (grand am, free), and we all screamed.

563,240 1986 gl d/r 5sp wagon

I still have the original engine on my 85 without any rebuild. See below for current miles.

 

These guys here with 300k plus miles have all those nips and tucks like Elizabeth Taylor.

The brat has 235k on it now, not orginal engine though, previous owner decided to insure that by driving the car without oil.

563,240 1986 gl d/r 5sp wagon

Daaaaaamn!

Is this 559,000 mile car still around? Did it die and how? What's the story on it?

yes its still around i still drive it heres the storymy aunt bought the car new in 86 in california at north hollywood imports to drive crosscountry (she don't fly) when she came home to southwest virginia at the time she lived in in pearl harbor snd left the car at their house in Cal. they made 4 to 5 trips a year to the east coast in it til 96 when she retired and moved back to virginia at the time the car had roughy 450,000 on it my aunt gave it to her son because she loved the car so much she woulded it to stay inthe family but 2000 he wrecked it it was parked on my aunt's farm thinking someday she would have it fixed but bad it never happened in 2003 in bought the car from her for a 100 bucks being that it was 4wd and me being out of a 4wd help alot in fixing it to drive to collage. it was totaled the frame rails were hiting the valve covers but the hit didn't affect the streering it still dove straight when i pulled it out of the weeds so i find a 88 wagon parts car 2wd

cut the front end off just after the strut towers and weld it on every thing lines up and looks good so i wet sand the car and paint it blue (because thats what we had laying around) i done all this before i tried to get the car to run it turns out i have 2 blown head gaskets due to being oil soaked no biggy tore it down replaced all the seals on the whole engine gaskets tbelts ect. put back in with a new carb and it runs this being the orginal engine i have all the paper work on the car since it was new even the window sticker

 

but since the car was fixed i hit a deer in the road tore up the front bumper alittle

granted it's a 94 but all she has on her is 148,336 on her as of this morning.

 

pic was taken a day ago