Ha Ha My Beater Finally Broke Down.. 185,000 Miles..

old-chevy-dude · May 13, 2011

in 2004 I bought my GF at the time a 2002 Kia Optima (used $10,400, with 20K on it) as her Jeep Cheorkee Sport took a dump with about 200K on it..

well we broke up and the car was in my name so it became my beater, then in 2009 my best bud since 1984 and his wife split after 22 years and she got their only car in the divorce.. so I gave him the Kia, it was paid for and was just a beater so I didn't care.. He has put over 50K on it since 2009.

yesterday it broke down with 185,000 miles on it. cost all of $110 to repair..

the main line on the power steering pump broke and he had no steering.. he called me, I brought the AV and we used a tow rope to tow it to a Good-Year shop about a mile from where he was..

$110 later he was back on the road....

not a fan of imports, but I have to say it's been a good beater.. and let me tell you, he beats on it, hasn't been washed since I gave it to him, and I know he went nearly 2 years without an oil change, just topped it off now and again..

Mckenzie · May 13, 2011

Your a good friend to help him out like that!I never knew the kia's were that good of a car. Our little Camry has 188,000 miles on it with literally zero trouble and its still going strong.

MikeNH · May 13, 2011

Hyundai and Kia make solid cars and have for a few years now. I worked in the shop at a Hyundai dealer and very rarely did we see cars come in with major failures.

old-chevy-dude · May 13, 2011

Your a good friend to help him out like that!I never knew the kia's were that good of a car. Our little Camry has 188,000 miles on it with literally zero trouble and its still going strong.

thanks..

Jorge is family, he's always been there for me and my family, I have known him since high school, he was my boss at the Pizza Hut I worked at back then, he's good people, he and his wife are my daughters god-parents, he is 12 years older than me but never treated me like a kid or looked down on me always saw me as an equal.

he lost his Pizza Resaurant (not pizza hut, he opened his own business in 2000) in 2009 due to the economy, had to file BK, the wife cleaned out the rest because of all that..

I'm friends with both of them, which is tough not getting in the middle, but they are family.. good people/friends are hard to come by these days... gotta help them out when you can..

Beer Belly · May 13, 2011

I work P/T for Enterprise Rent a Car, and I've gotta tell ya...the Kia's and Hyundia's hold up the best out everything else in the fleet....including Honda and Toyota

05GMCZ71 · May 13, 2011

They don't make em like that anymore. My mothers 08 Hyundai Santa Fe is a piece of crap! SO far it's been in for:

Alternator Failure, (took the battery with it) Tire Pressure Monitor issues, drivers side door handle broke off (well came apart) Oil pressure indicator problems, water leak in the rear tailgate, and won't hold an alignment. Also, it appears we may be having oil sludge issues with this engine. (3.5L V6) Thankfully it's still under warranty but even my dear sweet old mother admitted: "It a piece of crap!" On the one or two times I've gone down to pick my mother up from the dealership, I see plenty of em in the service drive so obviously they have issues too.

Hyundai and Kia make solid cars and have for a few years now. I worked in the shop at a Hyundai dealer and very rarely did we see cars come in with major failures.

old-chevy-dude · May 13, 2011

^^^ hit and miss I think, I have known a few Kia/Hyundia owners who have had vehicles like that and others that run forever.. same with Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford, GM, whatever..... My wife's best friend has a 2005 Honda Civic that is always in for work, my neighbors have a 2008 Camry, same thing always in the shop.

but our 2007 Camry has been rock solid for over 70K miles.. In all honesty it's a hit or miss thing with any vehicle nowadays..

beave84 · May 13, 2011

My buddy has a Ford Fiesta work beater from the early 90's, the ones that looked like a lady bug, with a Mitsu 1.3L I think and a 5 speed and has 340K+ on it. He nevers changes the oil beacuse it leaks an oil change every 3K . Its three different colors, no back seat, radio quit, head lights on a toggle, but it will not die and still get 35+ MPG. My dad had an 87 Plymouth duster with the Mitsu 2.2 turbo for a work car and had over 200K when I parked it in a minivan when I was 16. I had a 1996 Ford explorer with the 4.0 that had 190k on it and ran great till I went off road in it and ended up on my roof..... one of the reasons I don't drink anymore...

Prokopchuk_9 · May 13, 2011

I work P/T for Enterprise Rent a Car, and I've gotta tell ya...the Kia's and Hyundia's hold up the best out everything else in the fleet....including Honda and Toyota

LOL you mean "enterprise smash a car" i love renting cars

05GMCZ71 · May 13, 2011

Probably so. And given the fact that Hyundai/Kia ripped off a lot of the technoligy and exterrior designs from the Jappanese auto makers, that would fall right in line.

^^^ hit and miss I think, I have known a few Kia/Hyundia owners who have had vehicles like that and others that run forever.. same with Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford, GM, whatever..... My wife's best friend has a 2005 Honda Civic that is always in for work, my neighbors have a 2008 Camry, same thing always in the shop.

but our 2007 Camry has been rock solid for over 70K miles.. In all honesty it's a hit or miss thing with any vehicle nowadays..

old-chevy-dude · May 13, 2011

well realizing that the CEO of Hyundai was appointed in 2003 I believe, and he is the former cheif of disign operations of Honda Japan, the rip off designs and technology doesn't surprise me in the least.

Probably so. And given the fact that Hyundai/Kia ripped off a lot of the technoligy and exterrior designs from the Jappanese auto makers, that would fall right in line.

^^^ hit and miss I think, I have known a few Kia/Hyundia owners who have had vehicles like that and others that run forever.. same with Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford, GM, whatever..... My wife's best friend has a 2005 Honda Civic that is always in for work, my neighbors have a 2008 Camry, same thing always in the shop.

but our 2007 Camry has been rock solid for over 70K miles.. In all honesty it's a hit or miss thing with any vehicle nowadays..

05GMCZ71 · May 13, 2011

add a faulty rubber door seal for the drivers door to the list Looks like we'll be taking it back in next week for more warranty work.

cmackvr6 · May 14, 2011

So you gave him a car and he hasn't changed the oil in 2 years...... I would be kinda pissed.

You are a definitely a good friend for doing that though!

old-chevy-dude · May 15, 2011

So you gave him a car and he hasn't changed the oil in 2 years...... I would be kinda pissed.

You are a definitely a good friend for doing that though!

why should I be pissed? I signed the car over to him, his responsibility not mine, title is in his name, he pays the insurance and whatever for it.. I gave him the car, i.e. it is his, I didn't loan it to him, it's not my place to care how he maintains it..

IF the car breaks down because he hasn't maintained it, it's his problem.. I think it is a little irresponsible of him not to take care of it, but he has 2 kids to pay child support for, and only works part time since he lost his business, hell he is living in a rented room because he can't afford an apartment, oil changes are the least of his worries, thankfully he was smart enough to put synthetic into the car so it hasn't turned into sludge..

but it's his car, my point of the thread was that even with it being neglected the thing is pushing 185K without any major issues..

cmackvr6 · May 16, 2011

So you gave him a car and he hasn't changed the oil in 2 years...... I would be kinda pissed.

You are a definitely a good friend for doing that though!

why should I be pissed? I signed the car over to him, his responsibility not mine, title is in his name, he pays the insurance and whatever for it.. I gave him the car, i.e. it is his, I didn't loan it to him, it's not my place to care how he maintains it..

IF the car breaks down because he hasn't maintained it, it's his problem.. I think it is a little irresponsible of him not to take care of it, but he has 2 kids to pay child support for, and only works part time since he lost his business, hell he is living in a rented room because he can't afford an apartment, oil changes are the least of his worries, thankfully he was smart enough to put synthetic into the car so it hasn't turned into sludge..

but it's his car, my point of the thread was that even with it being neglected the thing is pushing 185K without any major issues..

I don't think I said YOU should be pissed. I said I would be.

If I GAVE a friend a car and they cant spend $16 at autozone for a do-it-yourself oil change every couple of months........ then they called ME to come tow it/fix it when it breaks down. Yeah, I would tell them to F off and get a goodyear credit card and call AAA.

Not changing the oil for two years is just ignorant wheather the car has 1k or 185k. If you cant save $.50 per day for an oil change every month or two, you should not own a car, period.