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I'm curious when people say "no issues", does that mean you've never done anything other than regular maintenance? And regular maitenance includes replacing items of regular wear and tear like oil and filters for the most basic, to stuff like radiators, mounts, suspension parts, clutches, timing belts etc. Just curious if anyone is really getting over 200K on a car without having to change a major wear item like something I just mentioned.
Anyways, I'm a car enthusiast and specifically into German cars. I have an S4, allroad, R32 and 2 Benzes. All never had any major "issues" other than regular maintenance, including my '85 Benz 30D with maybe half a million miles on it (odometer stopped working at around 300k, lol).
I mostly work on my own car, and have mechanic friends who can help me if a job is too big for me to tackle, so I'm very fortunate in that right.
To me something isn't an "issue" unless it's persistent or catastrophic.
Persistent being a part of the car that breaks over and over, maybe I have to replace it once a year.
Catastrophic for me basically means blown transmission, popped head gasket, failed water pump, timing belt, electrical bugs etc
My RSX has 210k, I've had to replace basically the whole suspension over the last 10 years but that's normal, those parts wear out and I shudder to think how many people are just driving around on blown out joints and bushings.
I've also had to change out the radiator twice I think, the fuel pump once, vtec solenoid gasket, brakes, engine mounts, starter, and probably more. But to me those are all normal things that are expected to fail on any car on a long enough timeline, they're inexpensive, easy to fix, not catastrophic.
That sounds like a lot but remember all this was over the course of a decade of driving this car.
If I was burning through transmissions, head gaskets, or had bugs in the electrical system, I would then consider the car to have "issues".
The one thing I would consider an issue with the RSX is the A/C compressor and condenser have both failed. That's a case where having mechanic friends was a major help, might not have been able to change the compressor on my own.
But...I mean you don't need A/C to drive, so that's more of an annoyance than anything else.
OK, that all makes sense. I just always wondered what people really meant by "no issues" and if they were really driving cars for hundreds of thousands of miles with "no issues/no maintenance". In this case, what I was saying is perfectly in line and I would say most cars, unless it is a lemon, probably have no issues as long as you properly maintain them. Worst cars I've had were an Eagle Talon - the thing was just cheaply made and put together so even though it was the only brand new car I ever owned, it was pretty much falling apart from the lot. Maybe it was a lemon? The other was a Ford Ranger. Also felt very cheaply put together and engine literally developed holes in it.
As for my cars, I highly recommend all of them for different reasons.
The W123 300D Turbo is the only car I've experienced that literally requires little to no maintenance and just keeps running. It has been through driving all around the country, all kinds of elevations and temperatures and the only thing I do regularly is change the oil. It has been through hell and neglected for much of its life but I still drive it very often. It doesn't look great since all the paint and trim is original and it has some leaks that I would normally fix right away on any other car but this thing is a beater tank that I don't want to or need to spend much money on and it keeps running. Everything is original except the radiator and some regular wear items like suspension and brake pads and tires.
The B5 S4 is a dream car for me and currently just a garage queen but just a perfect car, imo. The engine is also bulletproof and the heritage behind it is a big part of why I love cars. Mine is modified with OEM RS4 body panels and a bunch of other things underneath. It loves to be driven hard and I push it when I drive it but after several years of being my daily, pretty much saving it to enjoy later. Other than the mods I have done and typical maintenance, the only thing I ever had to deal with was replacing the clutch and part of that was my own user error.
The MKV R32 is another mini-dream car. I had a MKII GTI, which was one of my favorite cars and between it and the old Mercedes, the car that really solidified to me the difference between German engineering and other cars. I appreciate other cars I had, like the Talon and Integra but the GTI was on a different level. Anyways, I always wished they made one with a VR6 and AWD and my wish came true when they released the R32s. Very similar to my S4 but also completely different characteristics. I put my R32 probably through the most as far as hard driving on tracks and it is a joy. Only thing major I've had to do was replace the cylinder head cover and with over 100k, when my mechanic opened the engine, he was pleased to see it looked like it was brand new. I often switch out which cars I drive but this is currently what I consider my daily driver.
The C5 allroad is basically the same car as my S4 but in "all road" configuration. Same engine, lightly modded but better for road trips with the family and able to go pretty much anywhere while also laying waste to unsuspecting motorists. This one is close to 200K and replaced a radiator and some fuel lines from the turbos.
Most recently acquired a W211 E350 4MATIC. Pretty much an alternate for the allroad for more urban family hauling. What I like about MBs is they are much easier to work on yourself than VW/Audi/Porsche mainly because they have more space in the engine bay. It's at around 150k and just a nice, smooth and comfortable car for "chill" driving but still very capable when needed. Only big thing I did was realized a wheel was cracked by the previous owner so I replaced them all with something lighter and slightly more aggressive offset, which really improved the overall feel and handling.
All these cars are over 100K, really enjoyable and every car I own, I plan to own for life so I take care of them. I'm not a fan of the newer cars with more and more electronics and assistance and designed to be disposable. I enjoy driving and want to feel and be in control with what's going on (like on a skateboard).
My wife and I currently share a 2016 RAV4. Thing has run for 200k miles without a single real issue, and we’ll probably keep it forever.
I’ve been cool with sharing a car with my wife since I WFH but I’m also lightly enthusiastic about cars, I’ve just never cared quite enough to justify spending money on a “fun” car for myself. I recently reached a point in my career and with saving money that I’m kinda thinking fuck it, and I may buy an ND2 Miata RF soon…
That would be a great choice for something to enjoy just driving around in! You should do it!
Topic: Vehicles? (Read 1090 times)