I have routinely gotten 200,000-plus miles out of my cars (as an adult,
of course) with the original engine and trans over the past 35 years.
My '96 Dodge Caravan tow vehicle may be the only Mopar minivan in the
country that is approaching 250,000 miles without having had to replace
what seems to have been a very poor and short-lived auto trans (fingers
crossed! :-)
Besides the oil changes you mention, the biggest factor is to have a
commute that puts a lot of miles per start-up on the car. Cold starts,
short drives, stop and go kill a motor. My commute is 160 miles per
day, I live in Michigan and visit family regularly on the east coast.
That's my secret. For reliability, change all hoses and belts at least
every 3 years or when due, if sooner. Fix things as they start to
break. And just wait until the car rusts away around you.
Unfortunately, in the rust belt, sometimes the car dissolves before it
ever starts using oil between changes. It's depressing to have to drive
a great car that is full of holes. And, if you have teenaged kids, they
seem to get rid of old cars from time to time by hitting things.
JohnD
'96 Dodge Caravan 249,000 miles and counting (burns a quart every 2500
miles)
2003 VW Jetta variant TDI diesel 135,000 miles (goal is 500,000 without
a rebuild)
--
Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 06:21:43 -0400
From: "Linda Grunthaner" <grunthaner@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: FI Cleaner
Kevin,
Sorry I'll be driving my 165K mile Saturn wagon to the Motor City to
visit friends so I can't make the ralley but Pinky will be there in
spirit. I'm going to have to get all these events on my calender early
for next years planning.
Hey other than oil changes at 3K miles and regular service any other
good tips for obtaining high mileage? I had to get a newer motor & trans
on my Saturn when the trans blew. at 159K. I got them at a
http://www.6thplanetusedparts.com/ 70K miles on both. I hope to get
another 100K. I think the trans went from years of back & forth movement
to get out of snow. I'll never do that again. The motor was OK a little
valve tap so I figured if I was swapping out the trans why not go for
the engine too.
I just love cars : ) and cycles too!
Lin
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