Hold on to that clunker!

Let’s be honest. We’d all rather cruise around town in a brand new car instead of a 10-year-old clunker. But with money and credit as tight as they are, there’s plenty of incentive to keep our old wheels running a little longer.

The auto experts here at Consumer Reports say that any car can reach 200,000 miles if you’re willing to keep replacing parts. But it helps if you start out with a vehicle that has a good reliability record. One way to do so is to use the Consumer Reports reliability ratings, although you have to be an online subscriber to see the detailed report on individual cars.

Even if you're not a subscriber, though, there are a number of things you can do to make your car or truck last longer ...

Mike Quincy, one of our long-time auto writers, says the most important trick to keeping a car performing properly is to follow the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule and make any repairs promptly. If you think you’re saving money by skipping an oil change, you’re wrong, Quincy says. Missing even one oil change can accelerate premature engine wear and cause engine damage, reducing long term reliability.

Your vehicle’s owner’s manual includes a maintenance schedule that tells you how often to change fluids such as oil, transmission fluid, and antifreeze; when to rotate tires; and when to check and replace parts such as filters, belts, and hoses.

But don’t go overboard.  Over-maintaining your car is a waste of money, too. A common service scam to watch for is a dealership or repair shop that tries to add maintenance items that aren’t specified in the owner’s manual. That can add hundreds of dollars to a service visit. That’s when it really pays to be a tightwad.

What are the non-essential items that you can usually do without? They include radiator flushes and new fuel filters.

To avoid getting unnecessary work, make a copy of the recommended service page, show it to the service manager and say, “this is what I want.” There’s really no need to insist on seeing the replaced parts unless you can tell what a worn one looks like.

Another simple thing you can do is to get out the cleaning products periodically. Regular cleaning inside and out can make the car a more pleasant place to be as you pile on the miles; washing and waxing can help preserve the paint and keep the sheet metal below it from rusting. Vacuuming sand and dirt out of carpets and seats can minimize premature wear that leads to tears and holes.

No matter how much TLC you give your old car, sadly, it will eventually become a money pit. It might be that your car is spending more time in the shop than on the road, or that it is no longer safe. Here are the top signs that could mean it’s time to say good bye:

•    It needs repairs costing more than its value.
•    The vehicle’s structural integrity is threatened by a badly rusted floor pan or sills.
•    Despite repairs, the car remains unreliable, and it seems likely you could be left stranded.
•    It has been in a flood or serious accident.

Have you held onto your car longer than you planned to in order to save money? Then tell us how you extended the life of your car without breaking the bank. Write to tightwad at cro dot consumer dot org. And for more tips from Consumer Reports, see our recent report on how to make your car last and last.

Comments

[Paul]

Yep, I've held onto my 1997 Camry for much longer than I intended. I'm a "car guy" and in 2005 I traded my Audi A4 Quattro V6 in for the "family car" (a Toyota Highlander) and have been driving my wife's Camry since (it's actually been in her family since new).

I really, really, really miss driving a fun-to-drive car, but I haven't been able to justify buying a new car yet. The Camry just keeps running, gets really decent gas mileage (I get 25-30 MPG all the time), and it's cheap to own (low maintenance and insurance costs).

I dream of racing down the road in a used 2007 Civic Si, or a 2006 BMW 325I, or even enjoying an upgrade to a 2008 Accord EX 4cyl. But these are just dreams for now. I'm too cheap to make the leap.

[Newton Blaisdell]

I have a 1986 Ford pickup with a 300ci 4-speed manual transmission. It had a new motor 20,000 miles ago. Now it needs a floor pan & a new gas tank & door hinge pins -- all original parts. But that will cost only about $150 as I can do the work myself. It also has 4 studded winter tires with less than 200 miles on them. Everyone tells me to forget it, but I bought the truck in 1988, know every sound in it, and am going to fix it anyway.

[filip]

Very nice article. I have a '87 Vauxhall Corsa with an unknown number of miles on it (it has only five digits to show the mileage but it should have more than 250,000 km). However, it drives fine and it's very reliable. Costs are really low since I got the car for free and yearly maintenance costs are very low if you do it all yourself.

An example: my dealer replaced the hand brake cable of my wife's car for nearly 200€. I did the same with my Corsa for 26€ (2 cables, one for 6€ and one for 20€). If you drive sensibly and keep your eyes open for strange noises, etc. you're set for a loong time.. :-)

TOD SAYS: Right on the money, Filip. I don't know a lot about the Vauxhall, living on this side of the pond, but I checked out some photos and they're real lookers. You're ahead of the game since you got it for free!

[Bruce Beauchamp]

I own a 1996 Toyota Corolla with 200K on the engine. I set out to buy a newer car although my Toyota has been running very well since we bought it used 5 years ago. When I found out that this particular model and year were very well made, and looked at the price of a new vehicle, I decided to keep old faithful. It seems the newer cars are not as reliable as older vehicles.

[Michael Talley]

Excellent & informative article.
Most especially since new cars lose so much value so quickly, never before has proper maintenance held such value.
We sell new, used & rebuilt parts.
Here are some sober warnings just on the parts side of the equation:

The Better Business Bureau reports 543 complaints on just 3 used auto parts companies in the last 36 months.

Some of us are so fixated on price alone that we forget the cost of high risk.
Questions to ask ourselves while parts shopping:

Can I afford a wrong, or defective part?
Can I identify a fake "rebuilt," "remanufactured," or inferior aftermarket counterfeit?
How do I avoid a part from a fire or flood vehicle?
How do I identify a fake warranty?
Is there a core charge?
Am I liable for restocking fees or return shipping charges in the event of a problem requiring a return?
Can I afford to pay for the same parts &/or repair 2 or 3 times?

Sincerely,
Michael Talley CEO
Talley Trans, Inc.

TOD SAYS: Those are excellent points, Michael. It's like we say about hiring a contractor. Don't always go with the lowest bidder, unless you know what you're getting for the money. Credibility is key. Counterfeit replacement parts have been a problem, so it's imperative to know whom you are dealing with.

[Ken]

Agreed on keeping the "clunker". By some incredible blessing, I was able to acquire a 1993 Mitsubishi Diamante with 52,000 miles for $500 from a family friend who retired at the time. The KBB value of the car was somewhere in the $6-7K range. I'm up to 113,000 miles right now with one engine rebuild mainly for gaskets and other such parts but like you recommended, still did not cost more than the value of the car.

Overall, I am very happy with my car, even if it's not the latest and greatest. [And] my aftermarket stereo system is lightyears better than anything standard in the newer cars. It all depends on what you consider important.

[Howard]

My 93 Camry has over 230K miles and runs great. Paint is rough in a few spots but not much body rust. With a 30mpg average, it's a very inexpensive car to keep. I annually put about $500 or less in upkeep or repairs. I too dream of a nice sports car, but until we turn the car over to my daughter once she can drive, it's all mine.

[Csquared]

The easiest and best way to make your car last longer is to keep up with the oil changes. Oil is the lifeblood of the engine and that's the most basic thing you could do. It preserves the engine very well. I've been able to take a few cars beyond the 100K mile mark w/out doing any major repairs, just by changing the oil at regular intervals. I usually do my own oil changes and use synthetic oil. I don't have the cars anymore only because I sold them to family members. But they were running solidly after >100K.

As the vehicle approaches 100K, I did some minor tune up things. I changed the spark plugs which were pretty easy on my cars, and also cleaned the distributor cap. It was a little trick my mechanic friend showed me. Basically, remove the distributor cap and look at the contact points in the cap. They might have some sort of white mineral buildup on those points. So I'd take a flathead screwdriver and chip off the buildup and it basically cleaned the contact point so the electricity would flow a little better.

Hope that helps!

[Erin]

I have a 1998 Toyota Camry with 160,000 miles on it. I bought it used with maybe 50-60,000 miles on it. I've had it for about 5-6 years and use it to commute daily to school and now to work.

I take it to Jiffy Lube every 5-7,000 miles. I've recently replaced some belts on it but other than that and changing the air filter regularly and replacing the tires every 2 or so years (PA roads are rough on tires) I haven't done much to it.

The things that have broken were little things like the driver side power window (replaced the window motor with one bought on eBay for $48 and it works like new!) and the exterior door handle (many of my friends with Camrys have had this problem but its cheap and easy to fix).

I think just checking between oil changes to see if your car needs an extra quart, keeping all the fluids topped off and making sure if you hear or see a problem you get it looked at immediately is all it takes. I'm hoping my car will keep running for another 5-10 years.

[Robert Rose]

I have a 2000 Honda CRV with 135,000 miles on it. It still runs as good as new. I don't follow manufacturers recommendations on oil changes. I change my oil about every 10,000 to 12,000 miles. I have been doing this for years on various vehicles with no adverse results. The reason I do this is because of a study performed by Consumer Reports quite a few years ago that recommended me to. You guys tested New York City taxi cabs and found that oil still performed perfectly after thousands of more miles of grueling stop and go driving than the oil companies recommended. Have you folks found information to the contrary????

TOD SAYS: Thanks for writing to us, Robert. Let me clarify. In the original oil article, we said that the conventional wisdom of changing your oil every 3,000 miles was unnecessary. We tested the engine oil under extreme conditions (in NYC taxi engines running nearly
24-hours/day). We have always maintained that you should follow the intervals found in your car's owner's manual. Period. The takeaway here is that you can ignore the commercials that try to sell you on changing your car's engine oil every 3,000 miles. If you stretch the intervals to longer than what's stated in your manual, you do so at your own peril.

[Tim]

The article is very helpful overall, but I would like to comment on foregoing fuel filter changes and radiator flushes. While not immediately affecting the running of your vehicle, not doing these things will lead to problems down the road. A clogged fuel filter will lead to a burnt out fuel pump and sediment in the cooling system (caused by not flushing the radiator) leads to water pump damage. That's my $.02. Thanks for the post.

TOD REPLIES: Today's fuel is very clean compared to 20 years ago. Hence, the fuel filter isn't as taxed as it once was. Plus, there's a "sock" on the outside of the fuel filter which really does most of the filtering. If this does take on debris, you'll likely experience your engine not responding as normal, but you will NOT likely burn out your fuel pump.

The pressure release valve maintains a certain amount of pressure on the fuel rail, which keeps the pump from burning out.

As for the radiator flush, most modern antifreezes/coolants do not build up debris in the system, and you might introduce all sorts of stuff if
you open it to the outside.

Bottom line: check your owner's manual. If the manual says to flush the system or change a fuel filter at "X,000" miles, do it. But don't be talked into having these procedures done outside of the vehicle's
maintenance schedule.

[Brian]

I have a 1995 Ford Ranger, 4 cylinders, 5 speed with 230,000 miles on it and counting. I have spent a total of around $2,000 in repairs on it since I drove it off the lot with 6 miles on it, not counting regular maintenance items like tires, brakes, serpentine belt, and clutch. Those repairs were because parts simply wore out. It is a daily driver, and I still get 22 mpg in daily driving to and from work in traffic, and 26-27 mpg on the highway when I go to visit the relatives. The secret is proper maintenance and fluid schedules according to the intervals in the manual. Great article.

[Bob Daniels]

I have a 1993 Geo Prism with 346,000 miles. it is a great car.
My last car had 240,000 miles on it. I look at things differently. When someone can tell me what i get other than the following - car payments, higher insurance, higher maintenance (when a car is new, I have to meticulously maintain it according to recommendations) I will buy a new car.

[Lyman]

Two years ago I bought a 97 Chrysler Sebring convertible (poor reliability) with 89k miles from the original owner here in Tucson for $6k. It came with complete maintenance records and I have kept mine as well. In 25 months and 15k miles, I have spent just over $6k on maintaining it in excellent condition. This includes scheduled maintenance, tires, and brakes but not insurance or registration.

In just the past four months, I have spent $3k on water pump, timing belt, radiator and several leaking gaskets. The engine and transmission are still performing faultlessly with no evidence of internal problems, the exterior looks like new, and I still enjoy driving it.

My rule of thumb is that if one-time repairs cost more than the retail blue book value (now $4k +/-), I buy another "oldie but goodie". However, since I have now spent on repairs what I paid for the car originally,and since the frequency and costs are now increasing exponentially, is my rule of thumb still valid?

[Lighting Bulbs Lens]

I have a 1993 Geo Prism with 346,000 miles. it is a great car.
My last car had 240,000 miles on it. I look at things differently. When someone can tell me what i get other than the following - car payments, higher insurance, higher maintenance (when a car is new, I have to meticulously maintain it according to recommendations) I will buy a new car.

[S uspension System]

have a 1993 Geo Prism with 346,000 miles. it is a great car.
My last car had 240,000 miles on it. I look at things differently. When someone can tell me what i get other than the following - car payments, higher insurance, higher maintenance (when a car is new, I have to meticulously maintain it according to recommendations) I will buy a new car.

[Jon]

I have a 96 Nissan truck with 305,000 miles and it's been a very good vehicle. I can't see buying a new vehicle when this one is running fine. It gets 22 to 25 mpg and other than normal issues hasn't left me stranded or cost me alot in repairs. Not including wear items (tires, brakes, etc.) i've spent around $500 in repairs since I bought it in 97 with 11,000 miles on it. Mostly alternators (2) and a water pump.

[Noel]

I own a 1987 BMW 528e with 250K on the clock original power train
no leaks no weird noises, body integrity still like new, so i decided to spend about $6000 on it two years ago, the blue book value is probably "0" but i did not do it to increase the value but to preserve the appearance. I know that if i like and enjoy my car i'll be willing to hold on to it longer. Things i fixed. New exterior paint, redo front bucket leather seats, head liner. since my car runs like new i plan to hold on to it for another 10 years at which time i will reassess it's condition. should i buy a new 5 series today it will set me back $45.000 + tax + interest. My car is so solid there's not even a small rattle, engine sounds like new, tranny is also in great shape. Repairs needed in the last 12 months "0" except for basic maintenence. Is it worth it 100% no payments no high insurance premiums at this point even the license is cheap on it. By the way my bimmer is fully loaded. A/C, Cruise control, sun roof, power locks, power windows, onboard computer, ABS, premium wheels, leather seats completely automatic.