This old car doesn't owe me anything

[fatelk]

I hope you all don't mind a rambling off topic thread. It seems a lot of folks enjoy talking about cars from time to time so I figured I'd post about my old car. I just got back from taking a quick trip out of state for a work emergency, and was thinking about it as I was driving home.

It a cheap GM car, a little Saturn sedan that my wife bought brand new 20 years ago, shortly before we met. It still has a couple tiny blue specks left in places of some "washable" paint they decorated it with after our wedding, and there's a little piece of baling wire still near the exhaust pipe that my dad put there to tie the string of tin cans to as we were leaving the church for our honeymoon.

It now has right at a quarter-million miles on it, nearly every one driven by my wife or myself. It's carried us on several cross-country vacations, countless smaller trips, and a lot of memorable drives such as bringing newborns home from the hospital.

It's been incredibly reliable. I've replaced a starter and motor mount (cheap- did it myself) and a couple other small, inexpensive things like sensors over the years. The only costs have been gas, several sets of tires, several batteries, and always, always consistent oil and transmission fluid changes. It burns/leaks maybe 1/2qt of oil every thousand miles, not bad considering. It still gets 38mpg highway miles, just checked it today. It's the bare-bones model with manual windows and locks (remember those?) A person just couldn't ask for more reliable, inexpensive transportation that that.

It's on it's last legs and getting pretty much worn out. It still purrs down the road but it's showing it's age. My oldest will be old enough to start driving this year; she'll probably learn to drive in it.

For such a cheap little car it has served us very well. I know it can't last forever but I told my wife when I got home that if the engine or transmission disintegrates on the way to church tomorrow morning, this old car doesn't owe us a dime. I know it's silly to feel attachment to an old junker, but when it finally stops running and heads off to the scrap yard it will be a sad day.

Anyhow, just some musings I had today. Thanks for listening!

[MyFlatline]

Don't you wish they were all made that way to last...Not so much any more.. Lucky you for the memories..

[abunaitoo]

I to get attached to my cars.
Bought my 1986 Toyota tuck new,
Body rusted so bad, it leaked more inside than out.
These trucks are popular here, and I sold it just this year.
It was replaced with a 1999 Nissan frontier.
We also have a 1990 Nissan Maxima that's still going strong.
I like older model cars and trucks.
I can still fix them, and they give less trouble than newer models.

[NyFirefighter357]

I remember my girlfriend in the early 1990's bought a Saturn SL2 basic model 5 speed. I could get over 45 mpg on road trips. It also got use through some bad winter storms.

[tigweldit]

Still got the car I took my driving test, for my first drivers license, in. That was in 1971. The car is a 1969 Firebird 400 convertible. I've rebuilt every part at least once. Take care of your stuff and it can last a long time.

[skeettx]

1986 Toyota T-100 with 224,000 miles
1999 Mitsubishi Montero Sport with 243,000 miles
1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 150,060 miles
What fun and they are still running well
When we go more than 100 miles out of town, we rent cars
Mike

[rking22]

my 2003Yukon flipped over 300,000 leaving Memphis for San Antonio 2 years ago, took it back on the same trip last year. Daily driver is an S10 v6 5speed with 220,000. Farm truck is 96, Z71 with a bit over 240,000. They last if taken reasonable care! Bought the Wife a Sonata 2 years ago, it's at 36,000 on it's way to a quarter million. Don't know if I get attached to them but my daughter has laid claim to the z71 ,,,when I die. She knows me, and her Mustang has over 250,000 miles on it! She gets attached to them.

[Cast_outlaw]

1990 chev 1500 307000 on the chasi 70000 on remaned 4.3 v6
1992 ford b600 school bus 425000 cumins 5.9
1992 chev blazer 265000 bush/hunting truck
2001 GMC Sierra 420000 6.6 duromax
2011 vw golf wagon 75000
All running all reliable

[shooterg]

The 1968 Dodge Dart with 312,000 is parked out back - only because the 2001 Dodge Neon with 261,000 gets twice the gas mileage. The wife's 2000 neon has 216,000. I've always felt cheated if a car doesn't go over 300K without major work !
The 2001 has killed 3 deer and was ambushed by a Toyota truck bumper once, so it does wear some junkyard body parts but I have never had a car payment and ain't starting now.

[modified5]

That is amazing for a Saturn! Well done taking care of that one. As a auto tech for 25 years, I condemned many of those to the wrecking yard. Most were abused though.
After 25 years, I am done working on them for a living. Time to get my hobby back. I am picking up from a friend of mine a 1982 3/4 4wd Suburban that was an old forest service rig. Manual everything and carburated. Time to get back to basics and have fun again. It will be my daily driver when I am done.

[fatelk]

Funny thing is I hated the little car when I first started driving it. The tiny 1.9 liter 4-cyl engine is pretty wimpy. It took me a while to get used to it. As to longevity, I was taught that cars will generally last a lot longer if you take care of them, keep the fluids full and clean, and drive them carefully. Avoiding rough, aggressive driving will make mechanical parts last longer.

I learned to drive in a 1949 Chevy 2 ton truck. I imagine that truck was long ago recycled into rebar.

[Bookworm]

Mrs Bookworms' daily driver is a 2001 Dodge Stratus. It has 260,000 miles on it, and gets driven ~90 miles/day.

We bought it in 2001, wrecked. It was hit in the right front, something pushed the RF wheel straight up. Had 3K miles on it. I had a guy fix it, we've been driving it ever since.

It's on the short list to replace, as in the next few months. Solid car, still gets ~30MPG, depending on how it's driven. Put a Maaco paint job on it about 4-5 years ago.

It doesn't owe us a thing either.

[labradigger1]

03 Silverado 4.3 v6, 267000 miles and going strong.

[Remmy4477]

93 F150 with a 6 cylinder, pushing 250,000 miles.
Ugly, not a fast truck, hauls anything I drag home. The rods are getting noisy at startup and the clutch is getting thin. Probably rebuild the engine and a new clutch this summer.
Cannot justify payments for a new truck/SUV with a 4&1/2 ft bed

[nun2kute]

You guy's can really put a smile on my face in the morning. don't know any Saturns, but I got some really good memories in an old Dodge Dart from when I first started driving. Haven't been attached to a vehicle for quite a while,(the last one was a 69 Chevelle SS that would go sideways anywhere I wanted it to) but I got a 93 ford 150 out back that is waiting for better (warmer) weather so it can have a new clutch part put in. My only concern with my vehicles are they have to get me down the road, and the only payments are for maintenance and petro.(I've had some really Fugly vehicles) Other than that I just run them into the dirt and then get something else to work on.

[Petrol & Powder]

Keep em-going !

I've lost count of the cheap old vehicles I've had. For the most part I got more out of the vehicles than they got out of me.

You never make money when it comes to vehicles but sometimes you lose less

[shaper]

In 2000 I found a 1989 Silverado on the back row of the lot. It had not been taken care of. Had 240,000 on the odometer. I built a 350 engine and put it in. today it has over 450,000 and is still running strong. everyday driver.

The wife,s father passed in 2002 and she inherited his 1998 Lumina . At 180,000 miles the 3.1 engine stared bleeding lubricants from every gasket. Some idiot at GM decided a plastic head gasket, pan gasket and valve cover gasket would save them some money. I parked it for a while. Right now it is at a friends shop having the engine replaced. The little car was very dependable and got 27 mpg no matter how I drove it. I refuse to buy the high tech cars of today, and it scares me to think the cars on the road with me dos not have a driver in it. I miss my 1966 Pontiac La Mans.

et

[Petrol & Powder]

One thing that amuses me is the constant lamenting about "new" cars and statements about "you can't work on them anymore". Something I've heard repeatedly for decades.

I remember when fuel injection started to replace carburetors and EVERYONE said that's it, game over; we're never going to be able to work on cars again........
Well fast forward to today and just about any shade tree mechanic can replace fuel injectors, mass air flow sensors, throttle position sensors and know when to do those jobs.
Same thing happened with front wheel drive, transverse mounted engines, electronic ignition, coil packs, crank triggers, ABS brakes and dozens of other changes.

Americans are very resourceful and rather self sufficient. Not everyone is mechanically inclined but some folks are. And some of them are pretty bright for "good ole boys". They will find a way to get by.

There's a lot of mechanical "DNA" in the souls of Americans.

[mold maker]

My son now drives the "73 Chevy pickup that my Dad bought in "75. In between it served me for 9 years. The "73 Suburban I bought new was traded for an "03 Dodge, which I still drive.
To me, having a fancy new ride w/lots of bells and whistles, is way down in priority.

[BigAlofPa.]

My 02 Saturn has 212k on it. Its a 5 speed great on gas. But yeah they lack power. By myself it does ok on hills. If i have people with me. Im in 3rd gear before i get to the top. My 01 GMC Jimmy has 197k. It needs a transfer case. I'll tackle it when it warms up.