Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Landis
When I worked for a GM dealer...it was advertised that ANY modern GM vehicle should be good for 250k miles with SCHEDULED ROUTINE MAINTENANCE...which has ALWAYS been the key! Japanese cars have nothing on the newer GM cars...or any other domestics for that matter. Maybe a different story thirty years ago. Look at all the Jap cars getting recalled these days! Saving Detroit was a GOOD thing...and I'll leave it at that. Ron
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I have done "scheduled routine maintenence" on my "2 owner"(my Aunt the original owner and me after 1988) 38 year old '74 Olds Cutlass Supreme-built 10/73 and have gotten 482,000 miles on the original Olds 350 with the same lower end that left the factory-still doesn't smoke or knock-uses about a qt now between oil changes. Tranny rebuilt once and a trans go kit installed (th350) installed new bearings and seals in the original rear end (still spinning the 3.08 ring and pinion it left the factory with.) I enjoy this smooth riding cruiser as my daily driver, and because I work on cars for a living- I enjoy not having to get in any of the complicated late model stuff to go home. This car has been reliable to the point if it did "blow up" tommarow, I wouldn't even be disappointed. I enjoy the fact if I ever did have a major problem with a drivetrain component, it wouldn't cost a small fortune to fix it. As far as the late model stuff that I have to repair during the day, I will note that the same thing happens to the newer cars when people who don't maintain them get a hold of it, they are finished in short order. Lately I have had a lot of Hondas and Toyotas with major repair problems on the hook that people buy second hand. They think because they buy a car with one of these "nameplates" that their problems are "over". Then they come in with blown head gaskets (no coolant), cracked heads (same problem), locked up/rod knocks (due to a car using a little oil that they never check). Numerous electrical gremlins due to the ever popular "rewiring" under the dash, and so forth. And the now popular broken off plastic door handles (especially on Toyotas). I don't have anything against those cars personnally (although I will never have one). I am just noting that these are 2 of the more popular Jap brands that people perceive as trouble free, that without proper care, wind up in the landfill like the rest of the vehicles do. So the lesson here is to maintain your car no matter what it is, learn a little bit about how your particular car operates, fix small problems before they become big ones. And don't treat it like a disposable investment. They are too expensive to replace.
I know there will always be "lemons" here and there, but I have seen less of those as of late. A lot of the stuff manufacturers have problems with is when the try new technology (such as in the early '80s) with lightweight components and transverse fwd to save weight for mileage, trying to overcomplicate things (such as using actuators and a bcm for controling HVAC functions instead of a cable) (and the drive by wire nonsense)among many other things too numerous to mention. Lesson to manufacturers-use what works.