Oldest daily driver... with highway speeds

[philipswanson]

Originally Posted by TexasAndrew

Happy Monday everyone!

I cannot understand why anyone would drive an automatic, ever.
Looking forward to any words of wisdom!

Thanks!

Andrew

Automatics are great too. Why not a stick? Sore knees from pushing the clutch in especially in traffic. My 6 speed automatic in my Challenger is much faster than the manual transmission in the same car.

[Karl]

I love old cars but they do need fettling (which is half the fun)
The older they are the more fettling they need . My 1910 Hupmobile has had a cam shaft done 500 miles ago and a gearbox /clutch rebuild 600 miles ago It had a complete engine restoration by the previous owner 3000 miles ( 10 years ) ago . In something so primitive its actually easier and safer to pull the whole engine and pull it to bits on the bench and fix it . While you are there it makes sense to check every thing. 500 (and 600 miles ago ) the bearings were perfect Now suddenly I have a cement grinder in the bottom of the crankcase and I'm pretty sure I've done a big end. Babbitt bearings which will need to be poured and scrapped . An almost lost art so the repair will not be cheap !! The cause -I bet we have an oil Blockage in the oil drippers to the bearings

People tell me what a lovely car . When I drive it I have a fixed wide smile on my face for the whole trip and my day is made . I brought it with my Dad beside me before he died. Reliable HELL NO, Cheap to Run HELL NO Could I sell it for what it owes me HELL NO Would I sell it HELL NO !

That encapsulates the joy of owning and driving old cars and also the weakness of our hobby They are great fun to drive but they aren't a modern car . The Hot rod movement makes them (mostly) more like a modern car (if sometimes only perception wise) and hence at least in this country has a bigger following.

[oldandtired]

I was having problems with my 2003 Ford F-250. Had to replace the fuel pump. The pump is inside the tank which had a bit over 30 gallons of fuel in it when it pooped out. That was not a whole lot of fun. The LED on the passenger side airbag turn off switch went out. All part of a $120 part from Ford, $80 from NAPA, and so much fun pulling apart the dash to get to it to replace. I went down to Toyota and bought a new Tacoma. When I went to the office to sign the paperwork, they tried to sell me a five year extended warranty, the least expensive of which added about $60/month to the payment on a five year loan. That is over $3500 for their "minimal" extended warranty over 5 years with the first three years/30000 miles covered bumper to bumper anyway. The hard sell included a 30 minute or longer spiel about how the vehicle had multiple computer modules, with the main one costing over $4000 along with the comment "and they do go out" coupled with a module sitting on the desk to show us as he went through his spiel. After listening to all of that about how unreliable their vehicle is I still didn't buy the warranty and he was amazed. I told him if I had any problems the first three years it was their problem and it would be gone before it was out of warranty if it couldn't make it 30000 miles without the electronics going South. The guy also told me they wanted to see the vehicle every three months even if it wasn't ready for an oil change and if I didn't bring it in on schedule, it could void the warranty. They charge over $100 for an oil change and they rotate the tires. I can do both except I can't because the service records have to be in the computer...you know, the warranty and all.

[tubman]

I'll probably be crucified for this, but my girlfriend bought a Kia Soul in 2012. I acquiesced, mainly because it came with a 10 year /100,000 mile warranty. We were under no pressure of the kind mentioned above at the time of purchase. Now, at slightly over 60,000 miles of service over the last 7 years, we had one minor problem two years ago that was corrected with no problem. We had a service appointment at 10:30 AM, and they said it would take one hour. Slightly before 11:30, the car was ready to go, freshly washed and vacuumed, no charge, no problems whatsoever. None of the maintenance on the car has been done by the dealer.

Toyota seems to have become a victim of their own success.

[ford38v8]

A new truck? I had to reinforce the tailgate to prevent it from bending if I sat on it too hard. A couple bags of cement in the bed and it would bottom out, had to install airbags in order to carry a load. Threw a code when the gas cap failed to seal perfectly. My wife can't get in unless I carry a step stool for her. The latest ridiculous location for the oil filter? Upside down so you can't unscrew it without making a mess. A built in phone operator that can't understand what I say. A paint job that won't last 50,000 miles. An airbag that can explode in your face with shrapnel, with replacement cost more than the truck is worth from a simple fender bender.

All that said, headlights that actually light up the highway and tail lights that can be seen. An idiot light that tells you when a tire is low on air. Another light that reminds you to change the oil. A heater that is totally adjustable. Autobahn highway speeds. Windshield wipers that work when you need them to work. A seat that reclines to fit you comfortably. A button to push when you want to travel at the same speed for hours. Ignition key with a built in fob that locks/unlocks everything. Several 110v outlets for whatever your needs.

[barnstuf]

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As an old timer I was amazed to read right here on this thread by several who posted that cars of the 1950's and 1960's were worn out at 100,000 miles. Baloney. I bought a new 1947 and in 1953 traded it towards a new 1953 Mainline Tudor with V8 & overdrive. The 1947 had just turned 200,000 miles and had no major repairs. I drove the 1953 197,000 miles with no major repairs and traded it towards a 1959 Country Squire V8 which I drove 209,000 miles with no major repairs until trading for a new Mustang in 1964. I still have the Mustang and because off a change in employment was no longer driving high miles. To further this story my oldest son married in 1977 and his wife owned a new Toyota Corolla. They put 550,000 miles on that car before retiring it. Yes, it was a rust bucket but the motor was never touched and the clutch was original. Most of those miles were 65 mph driving on the Connecticut Turnpike as she had a 60 mile one way commute weekdays. Rusted rocker panels and floorboards were the items replaced at least twice by my son. Their next Toyota was totaled in an accident at 350,000 miles . Regardless of a cars year of origin proper maintenance pays off.

[cas3]

myself, i would take the 66 he sold over anything new today