I bought an old Toyota with 150,000 and re-did the suspension, tires, wheels, CV's, bushings, brakes etc. Its just as reliable as anything new and ain't no payment princess. Forget that world....
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: Dart 500]
#3025620 03/20/2212:53 AM03/20/2212:53 AM
If you don't live where rust eats vehicles they do not have to wear out. Some maintenance is needed from time to time but it is a lot cheaper than buying new.
My work truck is a 2000 Chevy. I've had it since it was new. 320,000 miles on it now and it runs great, I would not hesitate to to head out cross country with it tomorrow. I put a trans in it a couple of years ago, cost me 2K for a rebuilt (including the R&R). Other than that, over its lifetime it has had a power steering pump, spider gears in the diff, a radiator, an alternator, an AC compressor, and batteries, tires, belts and hoses. Company keeps trying to give me a new one but I refuse, I tell them this is a science project now.
Last edited by Ramrod39; 03/20/2212:57 AM.
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: Sniper]
#3025636 03/20/2206:42 AM03/20/2206:42 AM
i am use too 150-160k cars, now just seems every thing is over 200k ,
There's a small time dealer downtown that sells cars with 200k plus exclusively. Everything on the lot was $2899. I recently bought an '03 ram V-10 autio with 176k. We'll see how that pans out when I actually start using it. My DD '13 Ridgeline is at 160k. Still looks and drives great . Wifey's '06 Pilot is at 140k. Again looks and drives great. I suppose I will maintain these high mileage vehicles because I'm not giving up my low mile HC!
Your DD's are both Hondas....you have a LONG way to go with both of them.
You better hope so because working on them is a cast iron PITA
Compared to what? I did a complete engine (JDM) swap on my daughters winter beater Honda. Was a piece of cake. Did a complete engine cradle swap (Michigan destroys everything with rust)....no problem. Did a JDM swap on my DD (Pontiac Vibe...alias Toyota Matrix)...no problem. Its all a matter of reference.
Never, ever argue with an IDIOT. They will drag you to their level and then beat you with their years of experience
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: oldjonny]
#3025638 03/20/2207:31 AM03/20/2207:31 AM
What I haven't seen mentioned is anyones tolerance to quirks on some of these high mile vehicles. Some quirks are easy fixes some are not or more expensive than it's worth to solve. I'm talking occasional things like rough idle once in a while, shifting funny occasionally, heater ductwork maybe hanging up depending on settings, rattle you can't quite pin down, CLE coming on for no reason, lights that burn out more frequently than others, etc, etc...
I recently sold a C3500 dump that I owned for a few years to complete some projects.Truck had 240k on it and I maybe put 500 miles a year on. It had some or all of these quirks but never left me stranded and always hauled the mail. That being said, It would drive me nuts if i was depending on to make a living.
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: redraptor]
#3025911 03/21/2212:41 AM03/21/2212:41 AM
What I haven't seen mentioned is anyones tolerance to quirks on some of these high mile vehicles. Some quirks are easy fixes some are not or more expensive than it's worth to solve. I'm talking occasional things like rough idle once in a while, shifting funny occasionally, heater ductwork maybe hanging up depending on settings, rattle you can't quite pin down, CLE coming on for no reason, lights that burn out more frequently than others, etc, etc...
I recently sold a C3500 dump that I owned for a few years to complete some projects.Truck had 240k on it and I maybe put 500 miles a year on. It had some or all of these quirks but never left me stranded and always hauled the mail. That being said, It would drive me nuts if i was depending on to make a living.
Owner forums and a good code reader are essential. My dash lit up like a Christmas tree and I had no idea why, checked the forums and it was a wheel speed sensor causing it. I got 4 of them off Amazon for $35 ( I believe Toyota wanted over $100 just for one). If its an older vehicle whatever issue its having has happened to lots of other people and it'll be all over the owner forums.
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: Dart 500]
#3025931 03/21/2207:29 AM03/21/2207:29 AM
Its pretty easy to swap VW diesels into those, you get 50mpg. Your Arizona van would be a good candidate
That is interesting.
Is there a shop anywhere in the USA that routinely transplants VW diesels into older Chrysler minivans?
I would guess that pre-1995 models with OBD-I no longer have to get emissions tested, except in California.
I remember reading years ago that Chrysler was building special minivans for VW to sell under the VW nameplate as the “Routan.” Did any of those get VW diesel engines for the European market?
My fuzzy memory seems to recall that VW “tweaked” the front end shape and grille of their Chrysler built minivan Routan version to make them slightly more aerodynamic. Cd of 0.31 versus Chrysler’s 0.34 if I remember right.
Richard Beck wrote that Motoring Life claimed a new Chrysler Voyager SE 2.5 l turbo diesel got 65 mpg. One in every three Voyagers sold in Ireland was a Grand version, which the magazine called “the luxury limousine of the MPV sector,” at over £45,000. All Voyagers offered the choice of gasoline or diesel engines, the Voyager getting the 2.4 liter with either five-speed manual or four-speed automatic, and the Grand Voyager with the 3.3 V6 and an automatic - both had the 2.5 liter turbodiesel as an option with a five speed manual.
end quote
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: 360view]
#3026070 03/21/2203:12 PM03/21/2203:12 PM
Its pretty easy to swap VW diesels into those, you get 50mpg. Your Arizona van would be a good candidate
That is interesting.
Is there a shop anywhere in the USA that routinely transplants VW diesels into older Chrysler minivans?
I would guess that pre-1995 models with OBD-I no longer have to get emissions tested, except in California.
I remember reading years ago that Chrysler was building special minivans for VW to sell under the VW nameplate as the “Routan.” Did any of those get VW diesel engines for the European market?
My fuzzy memory seems to recall that VW “tweaked” the front end shape and grille of their Chrysler built minivan Routan version to make them slightly more aerodynamic. Cd of 0.31 versus Chrysler’s 0.34 if I remember right.
Richard Beck wrote that Motoring Life claimed a new Chrysler Voyager SE 2.5 l turbo diesel got 65 mpg. One in every three Voyagers sold in Ireland was a Grand version, which the magazine called “the luxury limousine of the MPV sector,” at over £45,000. All Voyagers offered the choice of gasoline or diesel engines, the Voyager getting the 2.4 liter with either five-speed manual or four-speed automatic, and the Grand Voyager with the 3.3 V6 and an automatic - both had the 2.5 liter turbodiesel as an option with a five speed manual.
end quote
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: Dart 500]
#3026074 03/21/2203:22 PM03/21/2203:22 PM
Here's the first van it was in, he just swaps the VW motor in, drives the vans until they fall apart and swaps the engine into another van. Someone said in the comments its in a newer egg shape van now lol
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: Dart 500]
#3026185 03/21/2209:16 PM03/21/2209:16 PM
Well if anyone is looking for an AZ rust free 2001 CTD 4X4 long bed I’ve got the unit in my garage. 200k miles….. actually going to put it on marketplace tonight.
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: redraptor]
#3026439 03/22/2204:01 PM03/22/2204:01 PM
What I haven't seen mentioned is anyones tolerance to quirks on some of these high mile vehicles. Some quirks are easy fixes some are not or more expensive than it's worth to solve. I'm talking occasional things like rough idle once in a while, shifting funny occasionally, heater ductwork maybe hanging up depending on settings, rattle you can't quite pin down, CLE coming on for no reason, lights that burn out more frequently than others, etc, etc...
I recently sold a C3500 dump that I owned for a few years to complete some projects.Truck had 240k on it and I maybe put 500 miles a year on. It had some or all of these quirks but never left me stranded and always hauled the mail. That being said, It would drive me nuts if i was depending on to make a living.
If those things are dealt with as they arise over the years it don't hit you all at once and is a lot easier to swallow, it's when the previous owner ignored a bunch (oh it's just the cig lighter quit, oh it's just an EVAP leak...) of little things until it adds up to one big huge bill to fix everything all at once that will get you.
I am not causing global warming, I am just trying to hold off a impending Ice Age!
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: HotRodDave]
#3026624 03/23/2212:58 AM03/23/2212:58 AM
This truck has 378,000 miles. I bought it sort-of new. I am the only registered owner but the Dodge dealer drove it enough to put 3000 miles on it. Regular maintenance, driven and used like a truck but not abused. Garaged every night.
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: Kern Dog]
#3026628 03/23/2201:49 AM03/23/2201:49 AM
Looks good for that many miles. We have a 2000 Toyota 4Runner with close to 250,000 miles on it. It runs great, handles great, doesn't use any oil. I just took it on a 500 mile trip and drove it 75 mph the whole way. Got more than 20 mpg and it didn't use any oil. Really can't complain about that rig. Never had any big problems with it, just regular maintenance and normal wear and tear. It eats front brakes if you use them hard but that is about the only weak area on the rig.
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: Dart 500]
#3026645 03/23/2206:08 AM03/23/2206:08 AM
A statistic was recently quoted on The Car Doctor radio show/podcast. Only 25% of car owners in America properly maintain their vehicles. When the first car manufacturer/ oil company stated "10,000 mile oil change intervals" the majority of the public took that as motivation to go 12,000-20,000 miles between changes on a 3k mile rated filter........and NOT checking the oil level. EVER.
Keep old mopars alive.
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: 2boltmain]
#3026649 03/23/2206:51 AM03/23/2206:51 AM
Seems like about 25 to 30 years ago Consumer’s Reports magazine tried to evaluate motor oils by having engines rebuilt by the same company, then running motor oils in those engines for 1500 miles change out periods in Taxi Cabs service in New York City. After 1000,000 miles of service the rebuilt engines were torn down and wear parts were measured. Consumer’s Reports wrote that this method “failed” because they could not measure “statistically significant” differences in the dimensions of the wearing parts versus new.
But to me the most interesting part of that long ago CR report was that some taxi cab companies in New York City had a long term policy of changing conventional motor oil at 500 miles, and claimed that they could prove by their records that it was cost effective in the long run. This was before synthetic oils were widespread.
I wonder if any NYC Taxi companies still use conventional oil and change it at 500 miles?
I know in the mid 1990s there were big 18 wheeler trucking companies that claimed that non-synthetic Shell Rotella changed frequently was doing better than synthetic oils run longer.
Today overnight radio stations run synthetic Shell Rotella ads about every 20 minutes all night.
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: 360view]
#3026678 03/23/2209:42 AM03/23/2209:42 AM
Seems like about 25 to 30 years ago Consumer’s Reports magazine tried to evaluate motor oils by having engines rebuilt by the same company, then running motor oils in those engines for 1500 miles change out periods in Taxi Cabs service in New York City. After 1000,000 miles of service the rebuilt engines were torn down and wear parts were measured. Consumer’s Reports wrote that this method “failed” because they could not measure “statistically significant” differences in the dimensions of the wearing parts versus new.
But to me the most interesting part of that long ago CR report was that some taxi cab companies in New York City had a long term policy of changing conventional motor oil at 500 miles, and claimed that they could prove by their records that it was cost effective in the long run. This was before synthetic oils were widespread.
I wonder if any NYC Taxi companies still use conventional oil and change it at 500 miles?
I know in the mid 1990s there were big 18 wheeler trucking companies that claimed that non-synthetic Shell Rotella changed frequently was doing better than synthetic oils run longer.
Today overnight radio stations run synthetic Shell Rotella ads about every 20 minutes all night.
Another podcast I listen to is out of Baton Rouge Louisiana. Louis Altazan owns AGCO automotive- a good sized independent repair shop. This 50 plus year tech recommends running full synth for the added protection. But do NOT extend the oil change interval because your running full synthetic. He (and many shops) make a lot of money replacing neglected engines and transmissions that do not have a lot of miles.
Last edited by 2boltmain; 03/23/2209:44 AM.
Keep old mopars alive.
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: AndyF]
#3026699 03/23/2210:53 AM03/23/2210:53 AM
Looks good for that many miles. We have a 2000 Toyota 4Runner with close to 250,000 miles on it. It runs great, handles great, doesn't use any oil. I just took it on a 500 mile trip and drove it 75 mph the whole way. Got more than 20 mpg and it didn't use any oil. Really can't complain about that rig. Never had any big problems with it, just regular maintenance and normal wear and tear. It eats front brakes if you use them hard but that is about the only weak area on the rig.
4runners need good quality HD brakes. Mine had your regular auto store junk when I bought it that were warped so bad the entire vehicle felt like crap, so I put EBC rotors and pads on the front, it fixed most of it but I still had warping from the back so I went on rock auto and got Stop tech HD calipers, rotors and pads. Now it stops smooth as butter.
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: Dart 500]
#3026710 03/23/2211:41 AM03/23/2211:41 AM
I have a buddy with the same 4Runner and he upgraded to later model brakes with bigger wheels and tires. I don't remember exactly what he did but I think the next generation of brakes can be retrofitted. They are an inch bigger and require the 17 inch rims rather than the 16 inch rims that these came with.
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: AndyF]
#3026738 03/23/2212:45 PM03/23/2212:45 PM
I have a buddy with the same 4Runner and he upgraded to later model brakes with bigger wheels and tires. I don't remember exactly what he did but I think the next generation of brakes can be retrofitted. They are an inch bigger and require the 17 inch rims rather than the 16 inch rims that these came with.
Yes thats what mine has stock, I'd still try the higher end EBC pads/rotors first, should be fine as your runner (I'd assume) is a good bit lighter.
Re: thoughts of buying a high mileage car/truck
[Re: Dart 500]
#3026742 03/23/2212:51 PM03/23/2212:51 PM