Getting 200K+ miles out of a car

When I bought the 1992 Isuzu Trooper in 1996 with 45K miles
on it, I decided that this was the one I would try to drive
"into the ground," that is, see how many miles I could get
out of it. A daily 60-mile commute for the last six years
has advanced this project big time!

From my careful records, and here are some of the particulars.
At about 198K miles now, the engine doesn't burn much more
oil than it did when I bought it. A quart every 2000 miles
now vs. every 2500 miles then. (I remember being dismayed to
discover the car's oil consumption only after I had bought it.)

I've just had to replace the (manual) transmission because the
front-wheel drive transfer case suddenly started
rattling. (According to my mechanic, the design prevented
the transfer case alone from being replaced.) When I replaced
the clutch a few of months ago, at 185K, he showed
me how I had gotten every last mile out of it -- the disc was
worn down exactly to the rivets. I have new front brakes, but
the rear brakes can wait a while longer because I had replaced
their pads around mile 75K.

The things that have failed that aren't supposed to wear out
are these: A hose in the power steering system, the fuel pump,
and the radiator, all within the last two years. (The replacement
fuel pump failed too, but at least it had a lifetime warranty.)

I'm on my second Meineke muffler -- they seem to last about
two years -- and so I'll find out soon if their lifetime
warranty means just that.

--
(Charles Packer)
http://cpacker.org/whatnews

You really should be doing regular maintenance on the parts that
normally wear out, such as belts, hoses, etc. Rubber goes bad after a
period of time whether you have 0 miles or 200,000. They are usually
cheap to replace, and if they break while you're driving, you're SOL.

I don't know why you think these other parts such as the radiator don't
wear out. EVERYTHING wears out eventually; some just aren't regular
maintenance items.

You really should be doing regular maintenance on the parts that
normally wear out, such as belts, hoses, etc. Rubber goes bad after a
period of time whether you have 0 miles or 200,000. They are usually
cheap to replace, and if they break while you're driving, you're SOL.

I don't know why you think these other parts such as the radiator don't
wear out. EVERYTHING wears out eventually; some just aren't regular
maintenance items.

"Charles Packer" > wrote in message
om...
> When I bought the 1992 Isuzu Trooper in 1996 with 45K miles
> on it, I decided that this was the one I would try to drive
> "into the ground," that is, see how many miles I could get
> out of it. A daily 60-mile commute for the last six years
> has advanced this project big time!

Take proper care of the vehicle (which it sounds like you are doing) and
it may never "drive into the ground." Of course, things will wear out
and need to be replaced, but that goes with the territory with any car,
not just a high mileage one.

> From my careful records, and here are some of the particulars.
> At about 198K miles now, the engine doesn't burn much more
> oil than it did when I bought it. A quart every 2000 miles
> now vs. every 2500 miles then. (I remember being dismayed to
> discover the car's oil consumption only after I had bought it.)

The oil consumption is not really a major issue, IMO. I have heard some
say that using up to a quart of oil between oil changes is actually good
for the engine. Maybe some techies around here can enlighten us on that.

> I've just had to replace the (manual) transmission because the
> front-wheel drive transfer case suddenly started
> rattling. (According to my mechanic, the design prevented
> the transfer case alone from being replaced.) When I replaced
> the clutch a few of months ago, at 185K, he showed
> me how I had gotten every last mile out of it -- the disc was
> worn down exactly to the rivets. I have new front brakes, but
> the rear brakes can wait a while longer because I had replaced
> their pads around mile 75K.
>
> The things that have failed that aren't supposed to wear out
> are these: A hose in the power steering system, the fuel pump,
> and the radiator, all within the last two years. (The replacement
> fuel pump failed too, but at least it had a lifetime warranty.)

Sounds like you are really getting your money's worth from the vehicle.
Also, the parts you mention that shouldn't fail can and do fail and need
replacing.

> I'm on my second Meineke muffler -- they seem to last about
> two years -- and so I'll find out soon if their lifetime
> warranty means just that.

I have not had the opportunity to deal with Meineke - no store in my
town - so please do let us know how it turns out if you get the
opportunity to test their warranty claim.

--

Friends don't let friends shop at wal-mart or circuit city.

"Charles Packer" > wrote in message
om...
> When I bought the 1992 Isuzu Trooper in 1996 with 45K miles
> on it, I decided that this was the one I would try to drive
> "into the ground," that is, see how many miles I could get
> out of it. A daily 60-mile commute for the last six years
> has advanced this project big time!

Take proper care of the vehicle (which it sounds like you are doing) and
it may never "drive into the ground." Of course, things will wear out
and need to be replaced, but that goes with the territory with any car,
not just a high mileage one.

> From my careful records, and here are some of the particulars.
> At about 198K miles now, the engine doesn't burn much more
> oil than it did when I bought it. A quart every 2000 miles
> now vs. every 2500 miles then. (I remember being dismayed to
> discover the car's oil consumption only after I had bought it.)

The oil consumption is not really a major issue, IMO. I have heard some
say that using up to a quart of oil between oil changes is actually good
for the engine. Maybe some techies around here can enlighten us on that.

> I've just had to replace the (manual) transmission because the
> front-wheel drive transfer case suddenly started
> rattling. (According to my mechanic, the design prevented
> the transfer case alone from being replaced.) When I replaced
> the clutch a few of months ago, at 185K, he showed
> me how I had gotten every last mile out of it -- the disc was
> worn down exactly to the rivets. I have new front brakes, but
> the rear brakes can wait a while longer because I had replaced
> their pads around mile 75K.
>
> The things that have failed that aren't supposed to wear out
> are these: A hose in the power steering system, the fuel pump,
> and the radiator, all within the last two years. (The replacement
> fuel pump failed too, but at least it had a lifetime warranty.)

Sounds like you are really getting your money's worth from the vehicle.
Also, the parts you mention that shouldn't fail can and do fail and need
replacing.

> I'm on my second Meineke muffler -- they seem to last about
> two years -- and so I'll find out soon if their lifetime
> warranty means just that.

I have not had the opportunity to deal with Meineke - no store in my
town - so please do let us know how it turns out if you get the
opportunity to test their warranty claim.

--

Friends don't let friends shop at wal-mart or circuit city.

wrote:
> You really should be doing regular maintenance on the parts that
> normally wear out, such as belts, hoses, etc. Rubber goes bad after
a
> period of time whether you have 0 miles or 200,000. They are usually
> cheap to replace, and if they break while you're driving, you're SOL.
>

Indeed, I did have the belts and hoses replaced at about 150K
miles. At that time, I asked my mechanic what else might fail such
that the car would be inoperable, and he suggested the alternator,
so I had him replace that too.
--
(Charles Packer)
http://cpacker.org/whatnews

wrote:
> You really should be doing regular maintenance on the parts that
> normally wear out, such as belts, hoses, etc. Rubber goes bad after
a
> period of time whether you have 0 miles or 200,000. They are usually
> cheap to replace, and if they break while you're driving, you're SOL.
>

Indeed, I did have the belts and hoses replaced at about 150K
miles. At that time, I asked my mechanic what else might fail such
that the car would be inoperable, and he suggested the alternator,
so I had him replace that too.
--
(Charles Packer)
http://cpacker.org/whatnews