missed it by one mile
Back in the good old days, when everything was so much better and greater, a 15 year-old car with 100k miles on it still on the road was…rolling junk, unless the owner was absolutely OCD about maintenance and spent more on it than it was actually worth. Now we’re stuck with cheap tin cans and rolling shit boxes that just won’t die, no matter how abusive we are to them. Like my 2005 Scion xB (Toyota bB); it turned over 100k miles yesterday on the way to a trailhead. That’s actually low mileage for a 15 year old car, but then I just don’t drive much since at least someone around here loves the planet. 🙂
My xBox has been the most reliable car I’ve owned; well, how could a car be more reliable than with zero repairs? Maybe if it could grow new parts that one could then remove and sell? My cars have been getting steadily more reliable; the xB has more than earned its “toaster” moniker. So what’s been your most reliable car?
I did a very thorough write-up of my xB here, almost four years ago. So if you want the full details of the xB’s origins, like how a Tokyo urban rolling “lounge car” came to be an Oregon back-woods bomber, click the link.
Let’s just say it suits me to a T, in terms of my body size (and age) as well as my driving patterns, which consist almost solely of very short urban runs to my rentals eight blocks away, the hardware store 12 blocks away, or if they don’t have want I need, Home Depot a mile and a half away, where it tangles up with the big boy trucks. If I need to haul something long, I throw the roof cross bars on it.
And the other main use is recreational, as in 5-40 mile long trips to the trailhead of the day.
That involves winding, scenic two lane highways and rough, pot-holed gravel forest roads. Some of those potholes are almost big enough to swallow the xB, and hitting them at 35-40 mph makes for an endless torture test of its suspension (and our bodies). I keep waiting for something to break down under there, but not so far. I’m more likely to drift off the road and go tumbling down a steep hillside from taking a gravel curve too fast. Hopefully not.
A caveat: the xB does actually have a minor mechanical issue and has had so since day one. Presumably a slight defect in the transmission input shaft that causes the clutch release bearing to not ride on it properly. That caused a noise from the release bearing early on and Toyota replaced the release bearing twice, under warranty. But it eventually came back, because almost certainly the real issue is the input shaft the release bearing rides on is slightly out of tolerance. It’s mostly a non-issue, but on cool, wet mornings the clutch can be a bit jerky, and once in a while the release bearing howls on start up, but that ends within a few seconds. At this stage of the game, these are just personality defects which I’ve long gotten used to. My tolerance for that sort of thing probably explains why I’m still married dafter 42 years and why I keep my cars so long.
The xB’s most endearing quality (other than reliability and fun to drive) is its vast interior space. Except for a bit of width, it interior dimensions are essentially the same as the big double cab pickups of the day. That’s sort of what it is: a pickup Mega-cab on (little) wheels. So I get all of the benefits of such a large vehicle with none of the downsides. And of course I still have my ’66 F100 to fall back on if I really do need a bed. Or my Promaster if I need two beds. A vehicle for every need, including Stephanie’s TSX wagon for high-speed road trips.
One of the craziest things about the gen1 xB is that they have what must be the highest resale value of just about any car. Do a Google search for a gen1 xB, and you’ll find them priced between about $4k and $8k (!). And that’s for a car that cost $13,500 new! Is there a 15 year old car with a lower depreciation?
That means my xB hasn’t depreciated a bit (or actually appreciated) since I did a tally of its costs so far in that 2016 post. So the additional costs since then of three oil changes, a set of rear brake shoes (installed by me), insurance and registration has amounted to barely 15 cents per mile since then. Cheap wheels.
And since there’s nothing better out there to replace it with, I’m planning to keep it indefinitely. As is apparently the case with some neighbors two blocks away who have two of them. See you back here for the 20 year update.
My 2005 Ford Escape with 220K miles. Never a tune-up, just plenty of oil and fluid changes.
Front rotors would warp each 75K miles which appeared to be a common trait for this model. Also had the rear axle (four wheel drive) replaced. Rear shocks replaced as a pair when one developed a leak.
So pleased with car, I bought a 2012 Escape. Its not as good as the ’05 model.
I was in the market for a used xB several years ago but wanted a 5 speed and they were geared too low. The final drive ratio on the manuals was much lower than the automatics. Having previously endured several 2000 mile round trips in my 89 Corolla 4WD with similar low gearing buzzing along at 4500 RPM at 75mph, I took a pass on the manual xB. Too bad: I really liked the xB otherwise.
The Corolla was great around town getting about 28mpg but that dropped to 24 on the interstates.
Love the toasters! I have a 2004 xB, among the first ones when they started selling them in California. Automatic. Drive the crap out of it, commute, family car, hauling, it does it all, though long distance it is a bit loud and rough. Just hit 350k miles the other week with it, other than routine maintenance and a wheel bearing, I haven’t had to do any work to it. It does like to wear out tires at a fast rate, but it’s a small common size, so no biggie. One of the best cars I’ve had!
I don’t normally keep cars that long/for that many miles.
The one I’ve had for 16 years our 2003 Mountaineer now has over 155k. I did have the trans rebuilt at ~135k and while they were out put new U-joints in the drive shafts. I’ve done two wheel bearings, but the same one twice as went with the cheapie and it didn’t take long for something to mess up with the reluctor for the ABS sensor, so I replaced the same one twice. Other than that tires, brakes, fluids, light bulbs and cleaning the sunroof drains a couple of times is all I’ve ever done to it. However the shocks are due and the upper ball joint boots are shot so they are living on borrowed time.
The one that is the winner is the 2010 Fusion Hybrid that we bought with a little under 45k on it and put just a bit over 100k in 3.5 years before it was totaled. I replaced a bulb, changed the oil and replaced/rotated tires. Probably would have kept until at least 200k if it hadn’t been totaled as my wife really liked it.
I don’t keep a car as long as some of you do, of the cars on my list, the most notable ones that didn’t have issues were my ’92 Subaru Justy 5 speed 2WD which went 50,000 miles with nothing but oil changes and one preventative valve adjustment and my ’98 Chevy Tracker 2WD 5 speed, which achieved 60,000 with no issues other than the plastic pieces and fasteners from the soft top breaking.
I hear you guys about not wanting to do highway miles in a small buzzy car. I’m getting too old to do that now, that was a significant factor in trading my Versa Note. That thing was running 2,000 rpm at 40 and 3,500 rpm at 70 and the sturm und drang made road trips unpleasant unless I kept it under 65mph and that is too slow these days.
Our VZ Commodore wagon. 220,000 Km. One starter, 2 fuel pumps and a couple of coil packs, one radiator. I did the hoses as well with the radiator. And the CD died, so it was replaced by a Bluetooth unit. Engine has never been opened up, ditto the trans & diff. Exhaust & discs are OEM. I plan on keeping it for a while yet.
2011 Chevrolet Malibu, 4-cyl. Bought new, sold 6 years later with 102k miles.
Here is a list of ALL REPAIRS done (non-scheduled service, excluding wear items and maintenance):
I paid for ONE repair–broken driver seat springs (2 of 4) at 95k miles. I thought foam in cushion disintegrated, but must’ve been a common problem, dealer service guy showed me in 5 seconds. (I weigh less than 180). I replaced the foam cushion too.
And I had a Camshaft Position Sensor replaced after the Check Engine Light went on at 88k–but, happy day! It was covered by the Emissions warranty (5yrs or 90k miles I think), so cost me $0.
2-3 recalls..a seat belt screw needed replacing, and some other minor thing. I did them while getting oil changed.
I did maintain it well, changed the oil when computer said 45% left. It was a Michigan car too–cold, salt, and HORRIBLE roads. Tires lasted 65k, brakes went over 90k.
This is easily the best-built, most reliable car I have ever owned, and probably the most reliable car I will ever own. I’ve generally had good luck with cars, but this one I hit the jackpot!
A 2006 Ford Focus 1.6LX, petrol, 5 speed manual, pretty straightforward situation.
I bought it in 2007 with 11,000 (i think) on the clock and sold it in 2012 (4.5 years) with 132,000 on the clock. The oil was done about 3 times and I think one set of brake pads and linings, and tyres. I changed the wiper blades, at 110,000, miles. And that was it. Not even a bulb.
Terrific car all round. Recommend one to any one.
Found a picture from about 1994 of my ’86 Jetta GL I bought in ’91. It had 100k miles when purchased, needed rear brakes, tires and front wheel bearing, along with an A/C receiver drier and recharge. It looks the same now, the 13 inch rims were later upgraded to 14 inch MK3 takeoffs, though I still have original rims.
301,262 is current milage. Original 5 speed manual trans and 1.8 gas engine. From ’91 to 2008 was my drive to work car, retired now and only gets a few hundred miles of around town use these days. Still runs well and uses almost no oil. Steering rack and pump also original. AC faded away about 3 years ago, haven’t bothered to look into it, not really important for just driving around locally in cool Washington State, have a truck with good AC when needed.
I’ll just list what’s been replaced over the years quickly. Fuel pump and relay, alternator, starter, clutch and rear main seal, CV joints, pads, rotors, wheel cylinders, wheel bearings, turn signal switch, wiper switch, headlamp switch, cooling fan switch, rear brake shoes, shocks, center and rear muffler, outside door handles, drivers window regulator (manual), radiator, waterpump, timing and drive belts, balljoints, outer tie rod ends, drivers seat backrest frame. The clutch has about 175k miles, still works well.
Needs lower control arm bushings, I have new arms with bushings I need to install soon. Only repair I haven’t done myself was the clutch and rear main seal replacement, that was done at a VW dealership I worked for at the time.
Only was towed twice, once shortly after I bought it with a broken timing belt (had 120k on it), and a second time in 2006 when a accident punctured the radiator, along with taking out the grill, AC condenser, headlamp, hood, radiator support and right fender. Fixed for $500, $250 for used and new parts, another $250 to paint hood and fender.
I plan to keep it on the road as long as can be kept on the road. Its been a great car, easy to work on, parts are inexpensive and easy to get, good MPG. 28 years and counting, original paint and interior have held up well.
Forgot to include picture from 1994.
Can’t get a decent odometer photo, here’s one from about a year ago.
2019 photo of the Jetta.
Splendid!
1993 Subaru Impreza. Bought it at 19,000 miles in 2000 and sold it in 2016 with 178,000. During those years it went from Pa to Oklahoma, Wisconsin and then Missouri.
Over those years it got tires and oil changes. A couple of brake pads and timing belt change. Towards the end it was still a great highway cruiser but it would have needed a lot of work and it wasn’t all that safe these days given the increasing size of the US fleet. Sold it to a farmer for $1000. Best car I’ve ever owned. It didn’t owe me a single thing.
2005 Scion Xb 307,000 miles shes a beast!