Old vehicles and reliability

[KARNUT]

I’ve never kept daily driven vehicles very long. I’ve had old toys, classic etc. I’ve only had one totally fail. My uncle was following me so there wasn’t any walking. I was taking a tractor to a show my V-10 exploded with 40K miles. A factory defect. So about 2 years ago I took possession of an aging Odyssey. Yes I had an 02 avalanche a toy to me not daily or trip vehicle. And my wife has her 11 Genesis bought new. And her Acura her toy. I have to have a reliable trip vehicle. My first older vehicle for a trip vehicle the Odyssey went through required maintenance for the job. I’m used to a new vehicle every two- three years. Adding to my list was an older semi low mileage as people would say reliable vehicle. Stuff started happening. First the avalanche plastic on the floor under the brake pedal. The brake light switch fell apart. A caliber failure along with a rubber brake hose. No big deal. It’s not a trip vehicle. The starter failed on the Genesis in town, no problem. The low mileage 01 Acura in a climate controlled garage drops the plastic neutral safety button. Again in town. Saturday the pristine always garage kept Ridgeline starts this low howling. I’m just over a week from a 7 hour drive. Alternator bearing is singing. A little lube seems to help it but not trip ready. All not a big deal in town. So am I going to be thinking about it driving the 9 year old 161K mile odyssey on that trip? Oh yeah. I think 10 years old is about enough for a trip vehicle for peace of mind. Maybe even 5. December to remember is around the corner. These events of the last few months I see as tap on the shoulder. Things wear out, you’ve been warned.

[customboss]

55 minutes ago, KARNUT said:

I’ve never kept daily driven vehicles very long. I’ve had old toys, classic etc. I’ve only had one totally fail. My uncle was following me so there wasn’t any walking. I was taking a tractor to a show my V-10 exploded with 40K miles. A factory defect. So about 2 years ago I took possession of an aging Odyssey. Yes I had an 02 avalanche a toy to me not daily or trip vehicle. And my wife has her 11 Genesis bought new. And her Acura her toy. I have to have a reliable trip vehicle. My first older vehicle for a trip vehicle the Odyssey went through required maintenance for the job. I’m used to a new vehicle every two- three years. Adding to my list was an older semi low mileage as people would say reliable vehicle. Stuff started happening. First the avalanche plastic on the floor under the brake pedal. The brake light switch fell apart. A caliber failure along with a rubber brake hose. No big deal. It’s not a trip vehicle. The starter failed on the Genesis in town, no problem. The low mileage 01 Acura in a climate controlled garage drops the plastic neutral safety button. Again in town. Saturday the pristine always garage kept Ridgeline starts this low howling. I’m just over a week from a 7 hour drive. Alternator bearing is singing. A little lube seems to help it but not trip ready. All not a big deal in town. So am I going to be thinking about it driving the 9 year old 161K mile odyssey on that trip? Oh yeah. I think 10 years old is about enough for a trip vehicle for peace of mind. Maybe even 5. December to remember is around the corner. These events of the last few months I see as tap on the shoulder. Things wear out, you’ve been warned.

I have a low mileage 1974 D200 IH 4x4 pickup that I slowly restoring while I drive it. Perfect for the mountains where we live. I paid $5500 for it. No serious rust. 
 

I can work on it or get it fixed by any basic mechanic. 
 

Hard to argue with those economics. 
 

Comes down to choice but economics of driving an older used vehicle and repairing it are cheaper than buying the new junk. 

[KARNUT]

10 minutes ago, customboss said:

I have a low mileage 1974 D200 IH 4x4 pickup that I slowly restoring while I drive it. Perfect for the mountains where we live. I paid $5500 for it. No serious rust. 
 

I can work on it or get it fixed by any basic mechanic. 
 

Hard to argue with those economics. 
 

Comes down to choice but economics of driving an older used vehicle and repairing it are cheaper than buying the new junk. 

Yes locally. I’ve done that since I was 17. The last 3 years working while training my replacement. I had a 92 highly modified Chevy truck my last one. Had it 12 years. When I sold it the truck had about 120K miles. The engine and transmission refreshed at 80K miles. It easily laid waste to most all comers. But that’s different than a dedicated trip vehicle. The truck with it’s gearing was reliable. It got about 8 miles per gallon even with overdrive. That one would be easy to work on the road. At my age I’m not interested. And my wife definitely would complain.

[Atlas]

What I like about the old stuff as customboss mentioned, if you have the knowledge/skill you can keep an old carbureted vehicle with minimal electronics on the road fairly easily and fairly cheaply. Parts are getting harder to find for some of those rigs, and if we're thinking about young people here, having the time/space to work on something is harder to come by these days. If parts are not necessarily hard to find, they may be harder to obtain immediately. Auto parts stores stock parts based on the prevalence of vehicle registrations in the surrounding area, so it's why you can find something like a starter for a 2010 Toyota Camry on the store shelf. A fuel pump for an '85 Camaro? Water pump for a 95 Jetta? Wheel bearings, hub assembly for a '92 Suburban? You might be waiting for that stuff to come from a distribution center. Downtime is money and/or opportunity cost.

 

The real downside is those older vehicles lack modern safety and convenience. While I can live without the convenience, safety isn't something I am willing to discount. Not with all the crazies on the road today, I choose life.

 

As for everything else, I think there's a sweet spot where reliability is generally pretty good for most modern cars, and with everything, maintenance is key. They can be worked on, even the new-new stuff. Old-new stuff, from the mid 1980's to mid 2000's is still pretty easy to work on. Where it gets complicated is with the intro of the modern canbus electronics and where software controls have replaced physical "stuff" like buttons. Now you're diagnosing software with inputs/outputs from an integrated power module or other control module. Harder to work on, but not impossible, and it gets easier if you're familiar with a modern bi-directional scanner. There's a lot to know, and most people just don't want to take the time/energy to know it.

 

As with most vehicles, it's the vehicle that falls apart around a well-maintained engine/transmission, usually.

[customboss]

Hey I have factory installed lap belts and a tank like FRAME!!! 
I have 2 feet in the grave anyway  

Edited October 28, 2025 by customboss

[KARNUT]

23 hours ago, KARNUT said:

I’ve never kept daily driven vehicles very long. I’ve had old toys, classic etc. I’ve only had one totally fail. My uncle was following me so there wasn’t any walking. I was taking a tractor to a show my V-10 exploded with 40K miles. A factory defect. So about 2 years ago I took possession of an aging Odyssey. Yes I had an 02 avalanche a toy to me not daily or trip vehicle. And my wife has her 11 Genesis bought new. And her Acura her toy. I have to have a reliable trip vehicle. My first older vehicle for a trip vehicle the Odyssey went through required maintenance for the job. I’m used to a new vehicle every two- three years. Adding to my list was an older semi low mileage as people would say reliable vehicle. Stuff started happening. First the avalanche plastic on the floor under the brake pedal. The brake light switch fell apart. A caliber failure along with a rubber brake hose. No big deal. It’s not a trip vehicle. The starter failed on the Genesis in town, no problem. The low mileage 01 Acura in a climate controlled garage drops the plastic neutral safety button. Again in town. Saturday the pristine always garage kept Ridgeline starts this low howling. I’m just over a week from a 7 hour drive. Alternator bearing is singing. A little lube seems to help it but not trip ready. All not a big deal in town. So am I going to be thinking about it driving the 9 year old 161K mile odyssey on that trip? Oh yeah. I think 10 years old is about enough for a trip vehicle for peace of mind. Maybe even 5. December to remember is around the corner. These events of the last few months I see as tap on the shoulder. Things wear out, you’ve been warned.

Well I made my first trip in the Ridgeline since I squirted penetrating oil behind the pulley. My local drive usually is about 9 miles each way. No noise. With the exception of our trips for fun. They are 5-7 hours each way. About 4 -6 times a year. The Ridgeline will be good for that. The Odyssey will resume trip duty. At least the Ridgeline saved it 8K miles this year. I’m thinking maybe I’ll change the starter in the next few months as a precaution. Then maybe the alternator. That’s just my OCD. We’ll see. I really would like a Traverse. The reliability rating sucks. It seems it’s happening with most GM stuff. It’s a shame. 

[Atlas]

39 minutes ago, KARNUT said:

Well I made my first trip in the Ridgeline since I squirted penetrating oil behind the pulley. My local drive usually is about 9 miles each way. No noise. With the exception of our trips for fun. They are 5-7 hours each way. About 4 -6 times a year. The Ridgeline will be good for that. The Odyssey will resume trip duty. At least the Ridgeline saved it 8K miles this year. I’m thinking maybe I’ll change the starter in the next few months as a precaution. Then maybe the alternator. That’s just my OCD. We’ll see. I really would like a Traverse. The reliability rating sucks. It seems it’s happening with most GM stuff. It’s a shame. 

 

Why not just replace the starter and alternator instead of thinking about it for a few months? My father in law has what seems like a similar problem. If he were to change those things now, there would be two fewer things to talk about for the next 6 months until those things finally give up, and then there's a story about that too. Although, he hasn't started quoting himself on forums yet.

 

I take reliability ratings with a grain of salt. Many of the reported problems are related to infotainment. The ratings have not yet separately categorized "boomer issues with tech" from actual defects. And for the things which are actual defects, many of them don't affect the operation of the rest of the vehicle.

Edited October 29, 2025 by Atlas

[customboss]

1 minute ago, Atlas said:

 

Why not just replace the starter and alternator instead of thinking about it for a few months? My father in law has what seems like a similar problem. If he were to change those things now, there would be two fewer things to talk about for the next 6 months until those things finally give up, and then there's a story about that too. Although, he hasn't started quoting himself on forums yet.

 

I take reliability ratings with a grain of salt. Many of the reported problems are related to infotainment. The ratings have not yet separately categorized "boomer issues with tech" from actual defects. And for the things which are actual defects, many of them don't affect the operation of the rest of the vehicle.

Great point. BOOMER ISSUES WITH TECH VS ACTUAL DEFECTS!

[Atlas]

3 minutes ago, customboss said:

Great point. BOOMER ISSUES WITH TECH VS ACTUAL DEFECTS!

 

Not going to lie. I struggled to get my iPhone integrated with my new Silverado's infotainment system and wi-fi. And I work in tech, and was having Boomer moments with it.

 

The problem is, GM wants you to use its in-car wifi point, and it comes enabled/hot from the dealer, and then you have to pay for a data plan after the trial. I don't want to pay for that, it's redundant when my phone has its own data plan. So, uncoupling wifi yet still allowing Carplay to function is a clunky process and it left me frustrated and wondering who has time for this. Features are nice - and some days I want an old 1.5 DIN Delco brick radio with the "screen" being an LCD clock which also displays the radio station when the radio is on. And that's it.

[KARNUT]

42 minutes ago, KARNUT said:

Well I made my first trip in the Ridgeline since I squirted penetrating oil behind the pulley. My local drive usually is about 9 miles each way. No noise. With the exception of our trips for fun. They are 5-7 hours each way. About 4 -6 times a year. The Ridgeline will be good for that. The Odyssey will resume trip duty. At least the Ridgeline saved it 8K miles this year. I’m thinking maybe I’ll change the starter in the next few months as a precaution. Then maybe the alternator. That’s just my OCD. We’ll see. I really would like a Traverse. The reliability rating sucks. It seems it’s happening with most GM stuff. It’s a shame. 

I guess you couldn’t resist a little jab. I quoted myself because it lines up with the original post. You don’t have to go back far. It’s makes it easier for older people with short memories who would be cruising these threads instead of working. The average person who keeps one vehicle has just gone up to 12 years. My 02 avalanche and 01 Acura have the same alternator. The 2010 Mazda and 2015 CRV same too. As well as the 05 Elantra GT. Vehicles I’ve owned or bought for people. So I’m thinking maybe the Ridgelines issue may be an outlier. I’m an odds player. So as far as I can tell there’s time left. 

[KARNUT]

5 minutes ago, Atlas said:

 

Not going to lie. I struggled to get my iPhone integrated with my new Silverado's infotainment system and wi-fi. And I work in tech, and was having Boomer moments with it.

 

The problem is, GM wants you to use its in-car wifi point, and it comes enabled/hot from the dealer, and then you have to pay for a data plan after the trial. I don't want to pay for that, it's redundant when my phone has its own data plan. So, uncoupling wifi yet still allowing Carplay to function is a clunky process and it left me frustrated and wondering who has time for this. Features are nice - and some days I want an old 1.5 DIN Delco brick radio with the "screen" being an LCD clock which also displays the radio station when the radio is on. And that's it.

I’m an old guy myself. I have no problem watching my phone screen and simply using Bluetooth. I don’t use the on board GPS. My radio IHeart and pandora on my phone is all I use. 

[customboss]

Here’s some new tech from stellantis Hurricane engine. 4 cylinder turbo. What’s GM doing to burn cleaner? 
 

 

[Atlas]

18 hours ago, customboss said:

Here’s some new tech from stellantis Hurricane engine. 4 cylinder turbo. What’s GM doing to burn cleaner? 
 

 

 

While the new GME T4 is a feather in Stellantis' cap, I'm not sure I trust them to deliver reliability right now. That company has some serious issues, and their Hurricane 6-cylinder still isn't sorted.

 

 

[customboss]

1 hour ago, Atlas said:

 

While the new GME T4 is a feather in Stellantis' cap, I'm not sure I trust them to deliver reliability right now. That company has some serious issues, and their Hurricane 6-cylinder still isn't sorted.

 

 

Understood. That cap on the spark plug to diffuse gases and ignition mix is interesting. A cleansing injector to clean things MIGHT keep diffuser clean. Our available fuels are so wonderful. NOT. 

[KARNUT]

1 hour ago, Atlas said:

 

While the new GME T4 is a feather in Stellantis' cap, I'm not sure I trust them to deliver reliability right now. That company has some serious issues, and their Hurricane 6-cylinder still isn't sorted.

 

 

There is a recent ad that stated 10 years and 100K miles warranty on a new Ram. I only saw it once. If that’s a trend. That could be a game changer for them. 

Edited November 3, 2025 by KARNUT