Jump to content

Ole Reliable

Grumpy Bear

By Grumpy Bear
in The Off-Topic Bar

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grumpy Bear Senior Enthusiast

Grumpy Bear

Posted
Posted (edited)

 

 

Ole Reliable

 

IMG_0261.thumb.JPG.861d232b07a07caaddbdb9994727fc7f.JPG

 

She's 16 years old and our primary trip vehicle to ANYWHERE. Took her this spring to Denver. 2,000 miles round trip. 30 mpg on that trip. Zero oil usage. Flawless operation and comfortable beyond compare. She still looks new. I expect an additional 16 years from her in this shape. If I live that long. 😬

 

InkedIMG_0179_LI.thumb.jpg.622448e1144a9012c6e7a1268df0e02c.jpg

 

192,000 and anywhere, anytime. 10 years old. 19 mpg on E-85, 28 on gasoline. Original brakes with years left  on them. Uses no oil. Looks new, runs new. Quite as a mouse. 

 

I run things until the "Pick and Save" gives me a check somewhere over 200K, a few over 300K, or someone makes me an offer I can't refuse. I've owned fewer new cars that one has fingers on one hand and not many more than that used. I've traded exactly one to a dealer for a new one. 

 

Reliability isn't about years or miles. It's about care and condition.

And that...you have a say in. 

 

 

Edited by Grumpy Bear
  • Replies 38
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Popular Posts

PunchT37
PunchT37

I’m really not too afraid of this thing either. 1971 Pontiac LeMans I bought in 1985. It WILL drink gas though as it’s around 630 hp and 610 tq with a 3 speed trans.     

OnTheReel
OnTheReel

What about owning multiples of the same vehicle & generation? Had FOUR 1986-1992 Toronados. This 92 was the last one I owned and the only one that I have a picture of since they pre-date the digit

newdude
newdude

Same platform, just longer wheelbase.  Both are the GM Zeta platform.  SS, G8 and Commodore VE and VF are SWB Zeta, Caprice (Holden and Chevrolet) and Buick Park Avenue were LWB Zeta.    5th

Posted Images

Grumpy Bear Senior Enthusiast

Grumpy Bear

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Tell me True

 

Anyone else have a personal ride (non-fleet) a decade or more old and/or 200K plus miles that you still have full confidence in? Something you would or do drive cross country without a serious concern. 

 

Photo? It story? 

PunchT37 Enthusiast

PunchT37

Posted
Posted

Yep. Have had all my past vehicles trusted and old. 
 

Still have my 2000, 1500 I bought in 9 of ‘99. Drive and trust more than my ‘25 1500. 
 

 

IMG_3584.jpeg

IMG_3577.jpeg

  • Thanks 1
PunchT37 Enthusiast

PunchT37

Posted
Posted

I’m really not too afraid of this thing either. 1971 Pontiac LeMans I bought in 1985. It WILL drink gas though as it’s around 630 hp and 610 tq with a 3 speed trans. 
 

 

IMG_2181.jpeg

IMG_1909.jpeg

IMG_1908.jpeg

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 2
KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted

All have been used as trip vehicles. All reliable. All but the Acura are over 150K miles. Seems we’re favoring the Honda Van for trips now. The Acura once was enough. We’re too old, ouch. There’s more but family members use those. And I’m always looking. 

IMG_0778.png

IMG_0944.jpeg

IMG_0943.jpeg

IMG_0809.jpeg

  • Like 1
PunchT37 Enthusiast

PunchT37

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, KARNUT said:

All have been used as trip vehicles. All reliable. All but the Acura are over 150K miles. Seems we’re favoring the Honda Van for trips now. The Acura once was enough. We’re too old, ouch. There’s more but family members use those. And I’m always looking. 

IMG_0778.png

IMG_0944.jpeg

IMG_0943.jpeg

IMG_0809.jpeg

I might`a thought you needed a dealer license. But then I thought, he ain`t sellin`.🙂

KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, PunchT37 said:

I might`a thought you needed a dealer license. But then I thought, he ain`t sellin`.🙂

The Acura my wife bought new as a toy. The Genesis was CPO with 1K miles. She says she ain’t selling ever. It barely leaves town. The Van I helped my daughter buy new I probably paid for 3/4s of. I traded her a low mileage CRV for it. The Ridgeline was a recent purchase. I let my grandson use the avalanche. I got to have a truck around. My favorite is the Genesis. I’m only allowed to drive it Sunday to church to put gas in. My least favorite is the Ridgeline. It’s a fine vehicle. Sometimes they just don’t fit. The biggest surprise is the minivan. You have to drive one for awhile to get it. About a dealer license. Way back when I lived in New Jersey I was turning over so many vehicles I got a notice from the DMV. That if I kept the pace up I would have to get a used vehicle dealership license. Working for my father one year we had lots of rain outs. Living near Fort Dix there were plenty of used cars lots. Every time it rained I’d come home with a different car. Every lettered or numbered car made I’ve had at least one example. Some were nice, some not so much. I slowed down only because I eventually needed a truck for work. And my wife would get attached to a car and put her foot down. When the kids got older. I’d have a toy and she would. I favored the larger performance cars she liked the small ones. The Acura was her last one. When she came home with the Genesis I was shocked. 

  • Like 1
KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, PunchT37 said:

Yep. Have had all my past vehicles trusted and old. 
 

Still have my 2000, 1500 I bought in 9 of ‘99. Drive and trust more than my ‘25 1500. 
 

 

IMG_3584.jpeg

IMG_3577.jpeg

Is that actual miles? Damn, you want a Ridgeline?😁

PunchT37 Enthusiast

PunchT37

Posted
Posted
26 minutes ago, KARNUT said:

Is that actual miles? Damn, you want a Ridgeline?😁

Ain’t been driving much in the last few years. Shift worker with tons of overtime. 

KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, PunchT37 said:

Ain’t been driving much in the last few years. Shift worker with tons of overtime. 

That’s within my favorite years up to cylinder deactivation. My Avalanche will never leave the family. I bet you feel the same with your gem. The Ridgeline will probably end up with a family member. Dibs have been called.

PunchT37 Enthusiast

PunchT37

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, KARNUT said:

That’s within my favorite years up to cylinder deactivation. My Avalanche will never leave the family. I bet you feel the same with your gem. The Ridgeline will probably end up with a family member. Dibs have been called.

I wasn’t about to trade that thing. I’ve seen plenty with over 300k on em. 
 

Good ole LM7 with 4L60E. 
 

Used to work at the chevy dealer when the 800’s were current.
 

 

  • Like 2
txab Senior Enthusiast

txab

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, PunchT37 said:

I’m really not too afraid of this thing either. 1971 Pontiac LeMans I bought in 1985. It WILL drink gas though as it’s around 630 hp and 610 tq with a 3 speed trans. 
 

 

IMG_2181.jpeg

IMG_1909.jpeg

IMG_1908.jpeg

Love the smell of fuel and a 4 barrel!

  • Thanks 1
PunchT37 Enthusiast

PunchT37

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, txab said:

Love the smell of fuel and a 4 barrel!

How bout the sound of it coming towards you at wide open throttle? About 6400 rpm`s on that engine.

  • Haha 1

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • KARNUT
      Post Pics of your "Other" Rides

      By KARNUT · Posted

      Well one of our most reliable vehicles was sold yesterday. The first and only I gave for free to a grandkid. If they got skin in the game they take care of it. My wife bought new. Five years later my daughter got it to use. We got it back and gave it to our grandson after graduation. He did zero maintenance just oil changes. When the AC quit he drove his mother’s car rather than get it fixed. Instead he just bought a beater and sold the Elantra. 
    • KARNUT
      OCI, not when but why?

      By KARNUT · Posted

      I usually do as well or better than the sticker for mileage. Usually better going west than east. North then South. Wind makes a difference. I’m not usually a conspiracy theorist. But it did dawn on me I’m going by the vehicle calculation. Now that would be interesting.
    • Grumpy Bear
      OCI, not when but why?

      By Grumpy Bear · Posted

      https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/fuel-economy-stickers-don-t-tell-the-whole-story-aaa-data-reveals-why/ar-AA26ocHk?ocid=winp2fptaskbarhover&cvid=6a4122ea3dae47e5b8dfbed5d4fd3d55&cvpid=648f6b4fc2fa4eddb4c12893aeb957ed&ei=59
    • KARNUT
      OCI, not when but why?

      By KARNUT · Posted

      What’s missing in all this is patience and investment in the future. Buy a 170K starter home. Ten years later sell it invest in a more expensive home. Eventually you’ll have a 600K home and pay starter home payments. Buy a starter car. Maintain it well. Save the payments after it’s payed for then buy an expensive car if you desire. Buy a tumbler make your own coffee, pack your lunch. Cook your own dinner. Most importantly take care of your car.
    • Atlas
      OCI, not when but why?

      By Atlas · Posted

      People mislead themselves. Statistics are highly useful indicators.   Here's the tie-in to this thread. If an oil sample tests shows a wear indicator of 7 using cheaper ACDelco oil, and a wear indicator of 2 (lower = less wear) using a particular brand of Mobil oil, and wear has a linear relationship with engine lifespan, anyone could assume that Mobil is reducing wear by more than 50% (let's just say a 200% reduction for you red state people trying hard to do math) which leads to increasing engine life by 2x. Perhaps, in a vacuum, by itself, when dreamed by AI.   Yeah?! That's what the statistic is saying, isn't it?   No, it isn't. It didn't come out and say engine life is doubled. That's a very bad assumption, and a case of severe myopia by assuming something potentially untrue about the only data point in focus.   Average cost of a new car is 50k. You bet it is.   The median cost of a new car is more like 35k. Expensive cars are skewing the perception that "average" now means a $50k price of entry for a very average automobile. And that's not true. People who don't understand statistics twist the living heck out of them to mean all sorts of things they don't actually mean.   "Average" new car payment is $1000/month. Yep, it is. And in that number are all the $35k new car buyers who bring significant equity, and the $25k new car buyers who finance the car for a month just to get a rebate, and then pay it off. Know what isn't in that number? All the payments made by people who don't finance a car.   Picking one's own data point (don't have a car payment, never paid $50k for a new vehicle, my house cost $170k, I afforded a middle class lifestyle on $4.50/hr) is just a data point. Just like earning $25/hr in an area where the median home price is almost $1 Million is a data point. In fact, it's a lot of data points given that 80% of the US population lives in/around major cities. They're not idiots; the vast majority of them do it to make a living because that's where the big money is.   The highs have become higher, lows have become lower, and how your personal mileage varies is not truth for an entire country. At the same time you can't NOT acknowledge the data. While it doesn't paint YOUR personal picture, it certainly tints the reality that you also live in, as does your single data point.    

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...