Your hatred for me is mis-directed.

I drive a Japanese body-on-frame SUV, model year 2006. It is paid for and I love it. I will keep it as long as I can.

The first car I ever had was a 1972 Renault I got from my cousin for $50. It got 50mpg and was the ugliest car on the road. One day shortly after I got it I stopped at a garage that specialized in Renaults because it was acting funny. The mechanic unscrewed the mayonnaise-jar radiator overflow tank and it was full of MUD. It was operating with mud in the cooling system. Flushed/changed the coolant and it ran fine.

Another car I had in college - a Saab 99, forget what year. I changed out the clutch friction plate in that thing one night with a flashlight in my mouth and one socket wrench and a length of spark plug wire*. It took me 20 minutes.

Can't say that I enjoyed working on those old cars because they seemed to give out as well.


*Bonus points if you know what the spark plug wire was for.

Originally posted by AwakeinNM
I drive a Japanese body-on-frame SUV, model year 2006. It is paid for and I love it. I will keep it as long as I can.

The first car I ever had was a 1972 Renault I got from my cousin for $50. It got 50mpg and was the ugliest car on the road. One day shortly after I got it I stopped at a garage that specialized in Renaults because it was acting funny. The mechanic unscrewed the mayonnaise-jar radiator overflow tank and it was full of MUD. It was operating with mud in the cooling system. Flushed/changed the coolant and it ran fine.

Another car I had in college - a Saab 99, forget what year. I changed out the clutch friction plate in that thing one night with a flashlight in my mouth and one socket wrench and a length of spark plug wire*. It took me 20 minutes.

Can't say that I enjoyed working on those old cars because they seemed to give out as well.


*Bonus points if you know what the spark plug wire was for.

An improvised clutch alignment tool?

reply to post by hotel1


Bzzzzt.


Although improvised is right.

Hint: You need someone to help you.

*Bonus points if you know what the spark plug wire was for.

....just guessing, but....spacer tool?


I have a 1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5, with the 3.4L V6 engine and a 5 speed 4x4 manual transmission. I stuck a TRD supercharger on it about a year after I bought it and was greatly pleased by the increase in power, especially evident in the higher gears; I no longer had to downshift to maintain speed on steep highway grades. (I also gained a mile or three per gallon in fuel efficiency, which surprised me...burns hotter and cleaner or something? I dunno. Took my Dad's advice and didn't dig too deep into it, lest I inadvertently let the magic out)
Replaced the struts and shocks recently, since the factory ones were (finally!) losing their grip on their jobs, and I had a brief period where 50% of the time when I got in the car and turned the key, nothing happened....fixed that by cleaning the brushes in the solenoid. My brother, who is a far better mechanic than I will ever be, replaced the clutch grip plate for me this past summer when it finally began showing signs of slipping, having worked flawlessly since the factory till then. He said it was an easy job, took him half a day and that's it. Other than those things, it's been routine maintenance only...and that has been a bit 'spotty', since I'm not the greatest at schedules and routines(the technical term for this is Irregular Routine Maintenance).
It has 320k miles on it, and runs like it's down for another 1,000k, at least. I freakin' love that car.

reply to post by Tsurugi


Ding ding ding. Used spark plug wire works also and doesn't cost anything.

You get someone to push the clutch in, and then when the throwout bearing pushes the fingers of the pressure plate in, you jam the wire between the fingers and the housing and then release the clutch. The pressure plate stays put so you can take it off.

More gadgets mean theres more to go wrong on it.
Sure you can have your cd mutli player, or air con ( whats wrong with opening a window?) or your anti roll software but their all additional extras that cost you just so you think your getting a wow factor.
Nah I'll stick to an old diesel Toyota Hilux thank you

DRIVE A FORD!

GM W-bodies are were its at.

Ive got a hard top of this,


Had it for years as a performance DD, plenty of replacement parts on can find in a junkyard and most major things are under lifetime warranty at Autozone. Havent paid for brake pads or suspension components in years. Upgrades fall a little short compared to alot of other cars so most performance upgrades will have to be custom.
Say what you will about cheap plastic GM interiors but damn the thing is reliable, if properly cared for. Paid $3500 back in 2004 for it and you can pick up a Vert with a DOHC for about that now.

reply to post by jimmiec


Dude you are badmouthing Japanese motors

of course you are full of it

first thing you learn in life is that German or Japanese motor is 200% better than American.

You are not well

reply to post by VigilantGirl



Not true at all, common misconception actually. Lots of American engines are good for 300k+. Chrysler Slant-Six comes to mind, along with the 1st Generation Small-Block Chevy V8.

BMW's are terrible cars, I've had to work on way more 3 series beemers than I'd ever want to. Had a friend who thought the 328 was the best car ever made, yet he never had one longer than 100k because they literally started to fall apart around then.

Back on topic now. As far as late model cars not lasting very long, it's called Planned Obsolescence. People stopped buying cars, and driving them till the quit. Most people these days have never owned a car older than 10 years or so. Also, the more accessories, emissions equipment and other needless things cause more strain on the mechanical parts along with the doomed to fail electronic sensors that are just put through too much (engine heat is a big one for that junk). O2 sensors going out and causing the car to run like sh*t. Also, because of all the safety regulations (which are good), cars are much heavier than earlier models, the extra weight causes lower fuel mileage, poorer performance and handling, and puts more strain on the drivetrain.

reply to post by talesone


Can't drive something that doesn't run

reply to post by VigilantGirl


Actually, I overhaul more Japanese engines than any other car. Toyota has had a recall on 2 different engines for head gasket failure. The 4 cylinder engines head gaskets of most Japanese engines eventually blow. There are exceptions. Nissan has timing chain issues.

reply to post by jimmiec


Just another reason I will not own any car or truck made after 1970 and I ride a 1965 Triumph Motorcycle all of which I can work on my self with ease. I refuse to line the pockets of the big nasty auto industry.

The old cars really held up well, of course every car breaks, but the old ones went much further. For instance, I have never had to replace a Toyota fuel pump. I replace GM & Ford fuel pumps all the time. More GM than any other and mostly on their trucks.

I got a call yesterday from a lady. She said her 93 Toyota Camry was diagnosed as needing a fuel pump. She let it sit for 4 months because she could not afford to repair it. I told her that those fuel pumps never go bad and to get the car towed to me. So, i get the car and the fuel pump is not working. Hmmm. I removed the pump only to find that the pump had slipped off the hanger. I threw a new hose and clamps on it and vrooom. She ran like a top. I still have yet to replace a fuel pump on a Toyota!!

Originally posted by VigilantGirl
reply to post by jimmiec

 

Dude you are badmouthing Japanese motors

of course you are full of it

first thing you learn in life is that German or Japanese motor is 200% better than American.

You are not well

BZZT.

Not better than the GM 3.8, 3.1 and 2.8L V6es. Not better than the Mopar slant 6. Not better than the Northstar engines (the head gasket problems are caused by the coolant, not bad design). Not better than the 4.6L Ford Modular. Not better than the venerable 2.5L Mopar I-4, certainly.That engine can match a Toyota 22RE any day for reliability.

Every manufacturer has hits and misses. The Americans' problem lately has been sticking with the 'misses' far too long.

My father, a former engineer for Ford, saw with his own eyes the order from head office to "loosen the tolerances" on the then-in-development 351 Cleveland. The bean counters wanted to sell parts, and with 100,000 miles' service the bearings were just barely burnished. Not acceptable. Loosen the tolerances. They reversed that kind of thinking somewhat with the Modular V-8 (4.6L) My brother was a prototype mechanic for Ford when that one was in devel. Same scenario, but they let the high-relaiability design pass (I imagine so as to compete better with Lexus and Infiniti, since that was the full-size Lincoln engine, as well as For and Mercury)..

When I see ads bragging about 40 mpg cars I often rant to anyone who will listen "Yeah, but the Honda Civic VX from 1993 got 52 mpg! And the 1990 Dodge Omni got 45 mpg, the 1989 Geo Metro got 53mpg, and the '82 Chevette Diesel got a whopping 55 mpg!" Hybrids? Humbug! Hell, the TDI Passat Station Wagon that they make here in Tennessee gets 60 mpg! But they send those to Europe, because the EPA says they pollute too much. That's because they measure pollution per gallon of fuel used, rather than pollution per mile driven. They know their system is broken and Big Oil pays them not to fix it!

reply to post by seamus


Yea they used to build great engines. My personal favorite is the 3.8. They do have intake gasket problems which can totally destroy the engine. The intake gasket is made out of plastic. You can buy aftermarket steel intake gasket's and that makes them bulletproof.

Personally i like loose engine tolerances. Loose equates to more power, better gas mileage and less wear due to friction. That old 400k mile 350 engine might burn some oil, but it will also go 30mph faster than a brand new one.
I use 0.002 on bearing clearances when i build an engine. They have gotten too tight in the new engines IMO.

The problem for mechanics, particularly for those that work at dealerships is the greedy dealership owners. When I first started in the early sixties the labor split was 60/40 and you didn't need thirty thousand invested in tools.

When I retired in the nineties the labor split was 30/70 and I have a $12,000 tool box setting in my garage with $10,000 or more in electronic testing equipment in it, not counting various air tools, battery powered tools and many thousands of dollars in quality hand tools. Plus a laptop with very expensive software that has to be updated every year.

The junk they sell for cars are very difficult to diagnose and incredibly hard to work on. Wonder why your tuneup costs a $600-$1000 get in there and do it yourself and you'll find out.

Anybody can change a sparkplug, right? Hey, try it on your V8 Ford truck, oops, did the little 8mm piece of crap twist off in the aluminum head. You might be able to get it out with this high dollar tool, otherwise the head will have to come off and to do that you'll need to pull the cab completely off the frame.

reply to post by elfrog


I hear ya, I worked a lot of different dealerships. Each was a new experience. Some relied heavily on car sales while others relied heavily on service/parts. The ones people get ripped off the most at are the ones who don't care about their technicians. I have spent well over $100k on tools over the years. I had $25k worth stolen a couple years ago. They just keep coming up with new fangled nuts and bolts to keep the consumer from being able to work on it. Well, that means the technicians have to buy more tools. The dealerships sure won't buy them. Dealerships decrie high overhead/operating costs as the reason they get $125 an hour for labor. The fact is that the technician that they pay as little as they can and does half their paperwork for them to boot pays a big chunk of that.

Had to share this. My daily driver is a 1980 Mercedes 300SD. What a brick! and Economical too. In an emergency there is a 1986 Volvo 740 diesel sedan sitting quietly for an emergency.

Why such old cars? They were quite expensive in their day, and I paid peanuts for them. No mortgage to the banksters, proven reliability, and being diesel is a plus to my way of thinking.

In New York State every vehicle built from 1996 on requires an emissions test that it more of a pain than it is worth. Auto shops are pulling in the bucks having to perform the tests and repairs required. I don't mean that our cars should go without repairs to keep them in good running order, but really these tests go way beyond making life miserable for an auto-mobile owner.

As the OP suggests, modern autos are junk compared to old timers like mine. True there are lots of intriguing technologies that gives me some envy, but I've no qualms about doing without considering my cost of operation.

For years I considered yearly vehicle maintenance to be about $1,000 but raised that to $1,500 a few years ago due only to inflation. Last years expense for the Mercedes was about $1,200, the Volvo was less than $100. This does not include oil changes, tires, lights, and other common repairs. It does include things like brakes, struts/shocks, steering etc.

FYI the Mercedes has 210,xxx on it and I usually drive about 12,000 miles. The Volvo has 76,000 miles and it was driven less than 2,000 miles.

I'm planning on purchasing a pickup truck in the near future and like my cars it will be older.

reply to post by Benchkey


Old Volvo's and Mercedes run forever. A good old diesel Mercedes will go 600k easy. Those are some good choices.