Conference vmsnet::car$note:carbuffs

    My '86 Toyota Van just went by the 150K mark. I'm hoping to keep it for
    another 50K or until my 40th birthday (2yrs/4mo) when I'll just have to
    treat myself to a new vehicle. If its still running I'll probably keep
    it for its utility.
    
    George

    1984 Mazda B2000 pickup - 252,137 miles.
    
    Two head gaskets, one clutch assembly, one transmission, one carb.,
    front brake pads about every 50K, rear brake shoes only once, only
    a few sets of plugs.
    
    Motor rated at 75 HP new, maybe 40 now.
    
    Total expense of purchase, interest, repairs, maintanence, and fuel
    has been less than $22,000, in 13 years, a cost of about 87� per mile.
    
    Rob

    Shouldn't that be 8.7 cents/mile? Not bad!!!
    
    Ray

    
    Or $220,000 :^). 

    The cost of ownership has been $22,000.00 so it looks like I was
    off a decimal point. 8.7� per mile.

        '89 Toyota Corolla sedan, 156K miles
        
        
        Besides the 'consumables', replaced a speedometer cable at 70K,
        and a starter at 150K. That's it. Some rust on the wheel wells
        and lower edges of doors.
         
        This is 'mid-life' for a Corolla, right? :-)
        
        
        b
        

182,000 on my '84 Caravan.

2.2 ltr 4cyl

Rebuilt top end once

Several starters

Carb rebuild recently

normal wear and tear

I'll drive it into the ground. I checked Kelley's Blue Book and the resale on it
isn't even worth mentioning.

Jim

    1986 Chevy Nova	161K
    
    Running by adding oil once in awhile
    
    Replaced a few mufflers
    
    Timing belt around 100K
    
    1 battery
    
    Have been driving for 33 years and this is the best car I have ever
    owned.
    
    

  >  1986 Chevy Nova	161K
    
  >   Have been driving for 33 years and this is the best car I have ever
  >  owned.
    
    
      This is the best car you ever owned? I really feel sorry for you.8^)

    
    Re .383:
    
    I know exactly what .382 means. I had an '86 Nova (see .230) that had
    164K on it when an intellectually challenged individual in CT smeared
    it across the road. It performed exactly as advertised and was
    virtually problem-free for its entire life, and my primary emotion when
    it got killed was that I wouldn't find out just how far I could push
    that little sucker.
    

    
        Our '89 Cavalier just tripped 250K yesterday. This is the car that
    never got its first oil or filter change until 80k miles. I hated this
    car the day my wife drove it home. Seeing that car pull in the driveway
    was well...beneath me, so to speak. 4 exhaust systems 1 cat, 5 front
    brake jobs 2 rear, and a new set of driver door hinges is about it.
         During last summer it towed our 2400lb. Boat over many mountain
    passes with the engine slammed into the rev limiter in 2nd and 3rd
    gears for 15 miles at a time getting to the summit. Oh yea, and my
    daughter did burn out the original clutch last year.
         I must be kidding myself though...I'll hafta run right out and buy
    a case of Schlock 70 to undo all the bad things this poor car has been
    through. In a couple weeks the engine is being donated to Palmer High
    schools auto tech class. And they will install the ah *special* engine
    thats sitting in our garage.
    
    -john

    
    	OK, John, what are you putting into it now?
    

Turned over 300,000 miles on my '85 Saab over the weekend.
Hasn't been without problems but all told it has been pretty
good.  Had a valve job 50k or so ago, it left me high and
dry a couple of times because of a fuel pump relay that would
occasionally overheat and cut out, but otherwise it just keeps
going, and going, and going.  Oh yes, I have changed the
battery also.  Still runs well, most people don't realize how
old it is.  No sign of rust.  Inside headliner needs some serious
restoration, constant maintenance needed to keep up with all
the little things that go wrong but the mechanical stuff just keep
on ticking.

183,000+ on my 84 Caravan. Had the top end rebuilt about 80K ago. Usual wear and
tear for that many miles, except what happened to it the other night. Threw #1
piston rod down through the oil pan and it bled all over Rte 2. It'll be a nice
funeral. Cost of repair is more than the vehicle's worth in dollar value, but
the sentimental value is high. It'll be sad to see it go. We'll find one of
those donation organizations, or if anybody out there would like it for parts...
Four new tires, front end rebuilt. I'll post this in the forsale notes also.

Jim

    My 1989 Z24 wagon now has 218,000 on it. Other than normal stull like
    brakes, tires, exhausts and struts, I replaced the alternator
    
    Steve

    
    	I was just talking to a guy here at MRO with an '85 Toyota Fore-
    	runner that's about 5K miles away from 300K miles.
    

    I worked in the Augusta, Maine office for a couple of weeks, and met
    Pat Coughlin, the Logistics Guy There. His '88 ('89?) GrandPrix was
    297,000 and change. Today I heard (via con-call) that he has crossed
    300,000 miles. And it looks like a new car, no rust, no dents, no
    dings.
    
    .mike.

    another GTI this one an 85 just turned  150k this morning
    
    runs good looks ok comfortable very cheap to own and operate.
    
    31-33 mpg 87 octane
    
    		Dean

    
    	'86 Volvo 240 GL Wagon		248,000
    
    	(I got it w/218,000+)
    
    		Glen(n)

Our 1987 Volvo 740 wagon just crossed 150,000 miles this morning on the way to
work.  It still looks and runs like a new car.  I have done extensive work on
the exhaust, suspension, and brakes, plus some electrical work (mainly cleaning
grounds).  If anyone is looking for 740's, 1987 was a great year in my opinion.

By the way, I fixed the hesitation problwem.  The silver pipe that supplies
warm air to the intake had a tear in it.  I replaced it and the car runs great.

Jim

    89 Taurs just crossed the 150K barrier.
    
    Between  110,000 and 120,000 the car fell apart and I go caught
    in the money trap. Since then it has run flawlessly.
    
    Replaced: Both Half Drive Shafts, Tie Rods, F& R Struts, Brake Pads all
    around, rotors, calipers, cylinders, front wheel bearings, plus all
    the other normal maintenance items.
     

    
    	'86 Volvo 240 GL wagon		250,007
    
    		hit 250K this morning, between Nashua exit 8 and 7.  Got
    	lucky, and traffic stopped at 7 so I could take the obligatory
    	picture of the odometer.  At this rate, I only have to drive it
    	2 more years to hit 300K.  (or start doing lots of road trips)
    
    		As far as I know, drivetrain is all original.
    
    			glen(n)

    
    1987 Honda CRX Si - broke 250,000
    
    Not one for too much sentimentality, but I have to say:
    I really <heart> my car.
    
    The new 200 HP Prelude is suuuuuuuuuure lookin' nice, but
    the engine on this CRX is running like the day I bought
    it, and it's too nice not having a car loan :^)  I have
    some rust, but I never bought the rust-proofing, so I
    suppose that could be my fault.
    
    - Sean
    

RE: <<< Note 465.397 by WONDER::REILLY "Sean Reilly, Alpha Servers,
<<<    I have
<<<    some rust, but I never bought the rust-proofing, so I
<<<    suppose that could be my fault.
   
    
    I'm not so sure I'd look at that way myself. Of all the vehicles I've
    owned/used, the ones that rusted the worst were the ones that were
    "rust proofed". Even the Nova that was "factory rust proofed" went
    really quick in the highly salted Syracuse environment. Lotsa bridges =
    lotsa salt.
    
    But then YMMV...
    
    .mike. 

    
    To add to what Mike said - I well remember how proud I was when
    I took delivery of my branny-new '81 C10. My first new truck and
    I of course took the dealer's advise and got the rustproofing
    done....nothing's too good for my baby. About a year later my annual
    case of NCF led me to trade the truck in for something even
    shinier.
    
    Fast forward to about 1988 and what do I see in the K-Mart
    parking lot one day but my old '81. Imagine my surprise when I
    saw how much rust that thing had accumulated! Door bottoms, rocker
    panels, cab corners....all the places they loaded with that goop.
    Also all the same places my brother-in-law's '82 C10 was rusting
    but he put his $300 into sales tax instead of rustproofing. :)
    
    DAP

    
    Syracuse?  Highly salted?  :^)  Shoosh, been there, done *that*!
    
    I went without the rustproofing because of reccommendations that
    it wasn't worth the bucks.  
    
    Back then I could also order the car without a stereo (so sue me,
    but I've *never* heard a factory stereo I liked, sorry not even the
    Infiniti Bose systems).  CRX Si was the top of 3 models of CRX, and 
    I could even order it without a/c and without power windows!  Try and 
    do that with a top-end model nowadays.  :^( 
    
    - Sean