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centerchannel68 · 07:53 PM

Sorry about the load times, even if I honestly think you all are being huge whiny babies. Anyway, because I'm nice to whiny babies, I rehosted them at photobucket after the original complaints, so I reapplied the image tags. So lateralus, it wasn't really necessary to convert them to links, as I had already rehosted them at photobucket. The original complaints were of my personal server.

Woot.

I just took pics, and conveniently here's a thread for it:

Just hit 250k miles last month. Installed some Acura Integra GSR alloys with 205/50/15 Dunlop Direzzas... AA traction on this car is freaking hilarious. It grips like a mad man, but there's still too much body roll. That will get solved in a few months, I have some KYB GR2s waiting to be installed, and once I find the right springs they'll be thrown in.

In the future:
Honda Centercaps, for the wheels. Right now they're empty.

Swaybar bushings, maybe bigger swaybars from an LXI or SEi
Install a cheap bazooka tube with built in amp that I scored for almost nothing
Install some cheap speakers to replace the crap that's currently in it
Install a factory honda CD player, to replace the factory honda cassette deck
Poly Shifter Bushings... right now the shifter is kinda sloppy
Black front lip from a 90-93 accord, or an early integra.

Why am I doing this to such an old car, one that is FWD, and one that has less than 100hp?

Well... I love this stupid car. I used to HATE hondas, they drove me nuts, but man... this thing converted me. The interior is one of the best I've seen, high quality materials that still look great after 18 years, and still WORK great. What really suprised me was how FUN it is to drive around town... my neon was pretty fun, and although it was much faster, this thing is just simply amusing to drive around town. It has 4 wheel double wishbone suspension, so maybe that's it. It also has a pretty quick ratio on the steering rack, so that's part of it also. On the highway.... well.... it kinda sucks. When this car was new, it had 98hp, from it's 2 liter carbuerated engine.... after so many years and miles, I'm sure it's slightly down on power...but... whatever. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. When this engine dies, I'll see if I can convince one of my buddies to help me swap in something a bit more exciting.

Anyway, just thought I'd share. If you have some nice pics of a high mileage vehicle, let em rip!

PS: Yeah, there's a tiny bit of rust. I'll fix that. Yeah, I know the front bumper is hanging funny. I'll fix that too.

Buckaroo · Mar 25, 2007, 07:15 PM

I have 390,157 miles on my Ford Aerostar.

Has the material on your seats torn yet? I've owned two Civic Hatchbacks and the upolstry started to shread on both of them after about 4 or 5 years.

Gossamer · Mar 25, 2007, 07:16 PM

Torrenting again? 10KB/sec downloads are frustrating!

centerchannel68 · Mar 25, 2007, 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by Buckaroo

I have 390,157 miles on my Ford Aerostar.

Has the material on your seats torn yet? I've owned two Civic Hatchbacks and the upolstry started to shread on both of them after about 4 or 5 years.

Nope, they're still mint. The only problem with the interior is hte shift boot has a slight cut in it, and..... eh.... hrm. .. well, the rubber on the clutch pedal was worn out, but I replaced it. It's very strange how great this car is, for it's age.

Doofy · Mar 25, 2007, 07:23 PM

Well, those pics were well worth the download wait. I think I'll print 'em off and stick 'em in solid gold frames on my mantelpiece so I can gaze longingly at their splendour whilst sipping the Courvoisier.

centerchannel68 · Mar 25, 2007, 07:27 PM

Originally Posted by Gossamer

Torrenting again? 10KB/sec downloads are frustrating!

Originally Posted by Doofy

Well, those pics were well worth the download wait. I think I'll print 'em off and stick 'em in solid gold frames on my mantelpiece so I can gaze longingly at their splendour whilst sipping the Courvoisier.

Must suck to not understand tabbed windows, freakin' babies.

Lateralus · Mar 25, 2007, 07:27 PM

My '93 Buick Park Avenue is nearing 175k and couldn't be more mechanically sound. And I'd be more than happy to keep driving this thing for years just to see how much more I can get out of her.

Problem though is that back in December I had an incident with an 18 wheeler (his fault) and lost my entire driver's side fender and picked up some damage to the door.

I had been planning on replacing the fender and the door when the weather warms up here in a few months but I think the final nail in the Buick's coffin went in last month during the aftermath of an ice storm. I was driving down a well cleared city street when some dick in front of me driving an F-350 slammed on his brakes. I hit mine, but the street was very slick so I went smack into his trailer hitch.

Didn't do a horrendous amount of damage. Nothing structural and the radioator is fine. So is the grille. But the entire bumper piece and all related trim is going to need to be replaced.

I was willing to do the fender and the door since I love the car so much but I don't know about the rest of it.

Doofy · Mar 25, 2007, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by centerchannel68

Must suck to not understand tabbed windows, freakin' babies.

Good job Tooki ain't around or your ass would be owned.

(Edit: Thanks Lat

)

bstone · Mar 25, 2007, 07:40 PM

Rob, I am very impressed with the age of your car. What is your secret?

Doofy · Mar 25, 2007, 07:50 PM

Originally Posted by bstone

Rob, I am very impressed with the age of your car. What is your secret?

It's a Honda.

Sorry dude but if you've never seen an 18-year-old Honda before then you need to get out a bit more.

bstone · Mar 25, 2007, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by Doofy

It's a Honda.

Sorry dude but if you've never seen an 18-year-old Honda before then you need to get out a bit more.

I do need you. You're correct. I live on campus of school, walk 12 minutes from my apartment to the Science Center and then back to my apartment. I do my shopping at the Co-Op less than a mile away.

So, care to share?

centerchannel68 · Mar 25, 2007, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by bstone

Rob, I am very impressed with the age of your car. What is your secret?

1. Buy a honda or a subaru.
2. Wax often, especially before winter.
3. Keep it clean
4. If something breaks, fix it as soon as you can. That way all the little stuff doesn't break over time so you're wound up with a $1500 car that needs $4000 worth of work.

bstone · Mar 25, 2007, 07:58 PM

Originally Posted by centerchannel68

1. Buy a honda or a subaru.
2. Wax often, especially before winter.
3. Keep it clean
4. If something breaks, fix it as soon as you can. That way all the little stuff doesn't break over time so you're wound up with a $1500 car that needs $4000 worth of work.

How have you managed the upkeep of the internal components? Motherboard? RAM? Oil changes?

ghporter · Mar 25, 2007, 08:01 PM

Originally Posted by Doofy

It's a Honda.

Sorry dude but if you've never seen an 18-year-old Honda before then you need to get out a bit more.

It's odd to see an 18-year old Honda that is still relatively original and not "improved" with unfinished fiberglass ground effects, spinner wheel covers and other stupid stuff...

Oh! That came out out loud, didn't it? Sorry...

Seriously, I've sworn by Hondas for a long time, and I think this shows that a little attention to maintenance now and then pays off if the platform is sound to begin with.

centerchannel68 · Mar 25, 2007, 08:02 PM

Originally Posted by Gossamer

Torrenting again? 10KB/sec downloads are frustrating!

Originally Posted by Doofy

Well, those pics were well worth the download wait. I think I'll print 'em off and stick 'em in solid gold frames on my mantelpiece so I can gaze longingly at their splendour whilst sipping the Courvoisier.

Originally Posted by Lateralus

My '93 Buick Park Avenue is nearing 175k and couldn't be more mechanically sound. And I'd be more than happy to keep driving this thing for years just to see how much more I can get out of her.

Problem though is that back in December I had an incident with an 18 wheeler (his fault) and lost my entire driver's side fender and picked up some damage to the door.

I had been planning on replacing the fender and the door when the weather warms up here in a few months but I think the final nail in the Buick's coffin went in last month during the aftermath of an ice storm. I was driving down a well cleared city street when some dick in front of me driving an F-350 slammed on his brakes. I hit mine, but the street was very slick so I went smack into his trailer hitch.

Didn't do a horrendous amount of damage. Nothing structural and the radioator is fine. So is the grille. But the entire bumper piece and all related trim is going to need to be replaced.

I was willing to do the fender and the door since I love the car so much but I don't know about the rest of it.

If you honestly enjoy driving it, fix it. It's better for the earth to fix something than it is to throw it away and keep getting 'newer different' things. All cars need work. Ultimately it just depends on whether or not you like your car enough to keep it. My neon... I liked that car, but the build quality and interior just got to me eventually, otherwise I'd still have that. I'll keep my SVX forever, and I plan on keeping this honda as long as I can also. FYI, this car WAS totalled at one point. I slid into the back of a truck at about 5mph, but his truck was tall, so the bumper didn't hit mine at all, and smashed both headlights, the hood, the fender, wrecked the radiator, the radiator core support, and bent the frame. All from roughly a 5mph impact.

Here's the damage, which really doesn't look like much, but was enough to total the car.

Here you can see how far back the radiator support was pushed....about 2-3". UGH. I paid $800 to have the frame straightened out, a new radiator installed, and the sheet metal 'roughly' hammered out to where it was supposed to be. I then befriended a badass bodywork guy, who had a junk accord laying around, who replaced my hood, fixed my fender, and replaced the headlights for $200. I gave him $75 extra a few weeks later. It was a total deal.

bstone · Mar 25, 2007, 08:05 PM

What's the gas mileage? Do you have cruise control? Power windows? Auto tranny?

centerchannel68 · Mar 25, 2007, 08:07 PM

Originally Posted by bstone

How have you managed the upkeep of the internal components? Motherboard? RAM? Oil changes?

It's a honda. So it won't need much. That said, when stuff does go wrong, I get it fixed. The waterpump failed last winter, and I ordered a new one, but it REALLY REALLY failed when Kristin was driving to work, so i had it towed to a shop. Threw in a new timing belt and stuff, all for about $400. Not bad for work I don't have to do. I redid the suspension last August with a kit purchased from Ebay for abotu $160, it included the upper front control arms, all the bushings, swaybar endlinks, balljoints, tierods, etc. Tons of stuff. That was a very good investment, and after a weekend of work it drove like a freakin' NEW car. Oh yeah, after that accident, when my car got towed the tow-truck broke the exhaust....which I was pissed about, but whatever. It DID last over 200k miles, so I guess it was time. I replaced it with a $170 walker replacement exhaust. In retrospect I wish I would have gone with a pacesetter, for an extra $50 or so, a few additional ponies would be nice.

But yeah. When something breaks, FIX IT! It sucks to constantly do that, but if you don't you're soon going to have a piece of crap, no matter what you drive! All cars need maintenence, and I'd rather drive a properly maintained 98hp 20 yr old honda than a 5-10 yr old car with crap wrong with it.

centerchannel68 · Mar 25, 2007, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

It's odd to see an 18-year old Honda that is still relatively original and not "improved" with unfinished fiberglass ground effects, spinner wheel covers and other stupid stuff...

Oh! That came out out loud, didn't it? Sorry...

Seriously, I've sworn by Hondas for a long time, and I think this shows that a little attention to maintenance now and then pays off if the platform is sound to begin with.

Thanks for the compliments!

But yeah, it is going to be 'tuned', but I want to keep it OEM looking. Nothing drastic will change, at all. Even the performance. It'll just be 'tweaked' a little to make it a bit more fun to drive.... but even without any changes, it really is a blast to drive around!

Only exterior mods I have planned are a front black plastic lip from an old integra or accord. MAYBE, MAYBE a small rubber lip on the trunk lid. A friend of mine has a 88 civic with a little rubber trunk lip like that, and it looks very nice, and classy. It's less than 1/2" tall.

Doofy · Mar 25, 2007, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

It's odd to see an 18-year old Honda that is still relatively original and not "improved" with unfinished fiberglass ground effects, spinner wheel covers and other stupid stuff...

Really?

There's loads of 'em around here. It's prolly to do with the fact that no self-respecting blinger would be seen dead in a Honda here, since they're classed as an old ladies' car.

centerchannel68 · Mar 25, 2007, 08:12 PM

Originally Posted by bstone

What's the gas mileage? Do you have cruise control? Power windows? Auto tranny?

25-33mpg. It would be better, but EX and LX models have a carbuerated engine...so.... mpg and power suffers. The same year, they offered the LXi and SEi (both kinda rare), which had EFI... they had about 30more hp, and got better mpg.

Yeah, LXs are pretty optioned out. They have power steering, brakes, windows, cruise, and a bunch of other misc stuff. The LXi added a sunroof, efi, and rear disc brakes, and the SEi was an LXi with special stereo, and leather interior. SEis are really rare. If I find a deal on clean 89 SEi, the red 92 accord I have is going bye bye, because the 3rd generation accords are just so much more fun to drive.

bstone · Mar 25, 2007, 08:14 PM

Why are they more fun to drive? How much do these things cost?

centerchannel68 · Mar 25, 2007, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by Doofy

Really?

There's loads of 'em around here. It's prolly to do with the fact that no self-respecting blinger would be seen dead in a Honda here, since they're classed as an old ladies' car.

Yeah, they're pretty common. Which is great. New rotors for this thing are only $12 each.

As for an old ladies car...whatever... lots of people have hondas, and many are pretty quick, and very competitive machines. Last year, an 89 accord won the Improved Touring B class of the SCCA last year.... so... sorry dude but if you've never seen an tweaked Honda before then you need to get out a bit more.

centerchannel68 · Mar 25, 2007, 08:31 PM

Originally Posted by bstone

Why are they more fun to drive? How much do these things cost?

The suspension. It's a double wishbone type suspension on all 4 corners.

Double wishbone suspension - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

With a fairly low curb weight (under 2500lbs), and that suspension, it's just a fun car to drive. It is very agile, nimble, and grips well in corners. Throw in cheap parts, simple construction so it's easy to work on, reliability, and fantastic build quality and a marveous rattle free interior, and it's a pretty solidly great car.

$: Cheap. You can get a pretty clean one for under $3000. Avoid dealerships, check craigslist, I see them for sale all the time... some are pretty banged up, but some are clean and just need a simple and cheap fix. I saw one for sale a few weeks ago that needed both front axles and brake pads, and they only wanted $400 for it.... and it was pretty clean. It was an automatic though. Blech. Avoid autos. Autos make the car a lot slower, noisier, and worse mpg.

Doofy · Mar 25, 2007, 08:37 PM

Originally Posted by centerchannel68

As for an old ladies car...whatever... lots of people have hondas, and many are pretty quick, and very competitive machines. Last year, an 89 accord won the Improved Touring B class of the SCCA last year.... so... sorry dude but if you've never seen an tweaked Honda before then you need to get out a bit more.

Yep, I'm aware of how fast they can be - not at all bad for a run-of-the-mill utility box. But this (as relating to Glenn's statement) isn't about speed... ...this is about image. And around here, they're old ladies' cars, they're "white goods". All the young wetheads/blingers tend to go for Citroens and Opels.

centerchannel68 · Mar 25, 2007, 08:42 PM

Ah. Gotcha.

imitchellg5 · Mar 25, 2007, 08:56 PM

Had 275k on our 1994 Silverado but we got rid of it last year. Good truck.

ghporter · Mar 26, 2007, 07:25 AM

Doofy, it looks like the Honda customizing craze here is related to the combination of available (older) cars that still run and custom parts to "bling" them up. There are tons of stupid bolt ons available for Hondas up to about 25 years old! I'm waiting to find a Honda 600 "riced up" around here. (This particular car, for those who aren't big fans, is about 3/4 the size of an ORIGINAL Mini Cooper, with a 600cc engine. Fun little cars, but they look like you should put them in your pocket instead of parking them.)

centerchannel68 · Mar 26, 2007, 07:33 AM

Sorta. Parts for this style accord, in terms of actual performance parts, are pretty hard to come by.

Goldfinger · Mar 26, 2007, 08:01 AM

Originally Posted by ghporter

Doofy, it looks like the Honda customizing craze here is related to the combination of available (older) cars that still run and custom parts to "bling" them up. There are tons of stupid bolt ons available for Hondas up to about 25 years old! I'm waiting to find a Honda 600 "riced up" around here. (This particular car, for those who aren't big fans, is about 3/4 the size of an ORIGINAL Mini Cooper, with a 600cc engine. Fun little cars, but they look like you should put them in your pocket instead of parking them.)

Honda has never really been that popular in Europe. Mostly because they didn't have good diesel engines for years.

Gossamer · Mar 26, 2007, 08:05 AM

Originally Posted by centerchannel68

Sorta. Parts for this style accord, in terms of actual performance parts, are pretty hard to come by.

Performance parts? Bah. All I need is a wing and a 5" muffler.

CMYKid · Mar 26, 2007, 10:19 AM

I still miss my Supra, which had 268,000 when I sold it, all on one clutch. Still was good to hit 120 at least once a week during the early morning/empty highway commute to school.

G4ME · Mar 26, 2007, 11:15 AM

just rolled 349K yesterday, 200K-250K is common now adays, lets see if you get roll with the big boys

beat that rob

sek929 · Mar 26, 2007, 11:49 AM

Taking a vehicle over 300K is silly, the amount of work a car needs by that time means you could have financed a brand new car with brand new parts and a warranty.

sek929 · Mar 26, 2007, 11:50 AM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

Had 275k on our 1994 Silverado but we got rid of it last year. Good truck.

Chevy 350 V8 = Teh ballz

My dad put 200K on an 88 Silverado, original everything besides tires and brake pads. Rock-solid vehicle.

G4ME · Mar 26, 2007, 11:56 AM

over the past 4 years, i have invested only 500 bucks between new rubbers, new battery, and some exhaust work, past 8 years (since I have owned it) an additional 500 bucks for some more exhaust work, and new alternator.

so umm no your wrong

highstakes · Mar 26, 2007, 12:09 PM

Honda knows how to make a car. Since we purchased our first 1996 Accord, we have about 4 Honda's and Acura's. I bought a 2005 TSX, and for under $30k, its very well equipped and probably has the best gearbox for this class.

olePigeon · Mar 26, 2007, 12:14 PM

Another car you'll see constantly still on the road: 92-94 4-cylinder Toyota 4x4 Pickup.

shifuimam · Mar 26, 2007, 12:23 PM

I had a 1994 gold Nissan Maxima SE that had almost 240,000 miles on it when I finally ditched it. The transmission was starting to go out, and it wasn't really worth it to rebuild on a car that old (this was in 2005).

I've totaled two out of the four cars I've owned. I totaled my 1990 Maxima GXE in an accident that was 100% not my fault, and I totaled the '94 Maxima in an equal-fault accident that destroyed the front end of the car (body work, mostly - the engine and transmission weren't damaged). I've been in at least one accident in 3/4 of my car, and the car that was spared (a '96 Camry XLE) I only owned for a few months...so I didn't have a chance to wreck it.

OldManMac · Mar 26, 2007, 12:50 PM

I have a Pontiac Grand Am, 1997, V6, 3.1L, Gt coupe, with 189,000 miles. One of the good things is that it gets 30mpg+ on the highway, if I keep it under or around 70mph. The bad thing is that, so far, it has cost me exactly $4269.28 to keep it running, which includes 5 sets of brake pads (plus the originals), 2 A/C compressors (plus the original, and it needs another one), 2 sepentine belts (plus the original), an intake manifold gasket job (which I found out is very common on that engine, as is the brake wear issue), a set of front control arms (which is also common, as the bushings wear rapidly, and it needs another set), an alternator, all the power steering hoses replaced, and the normal wear and tire items, like batteries, tires, and regular oil changes. I bought it used, at 3 years old, and it had 41,000 miles on it, and I had it inspected before I bought it. It was in showroom new condition.

I don't think I'm going to be buying another domestic brand next time.

highstakes · Mar 26, 2007, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by KarlG

I don't think I'm going to be buying another domestic brand next time.

I dont like most domestic cars, but in terms of quality, Ford and GM are closing the quality gaps. They are not as good as Japanese manufacturers, but they are much better than their European counterparts.

Thorzdad · Mar 26, 2007, 01:48 PM

We're on our second Nissan Maxima. The '91 Maxima had around 314,000 miles on it when we finally sold it in 2001.
We replaced it with a 2001 Maxima. It now has around 223,000 miles on it.

imitchellg5 · Mar 26, 2007, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by sek929

Chevy 350 V8 = Teh ballz

My dad put 200K on an 88 Silverado, original everything besides tires and brake pads. Rock-solid vehicle.

That's how ours was. Always kept up on normal maintenance and nothing ever broke except for a rusted out exhaust pipe. We put a Flowmaster on then

centerchannel68 · Mar 26, 2007, 02:01 PM

Eh, betcha $5 the tie rods and ball joints were shot. It's something that doesn't leave your car stranded, but makes it feel 'sloppy'. If you ever get some replaced, you'll notice how much tighter everything feels. My SVX probably needs balljoints and stuff now too, actually. No car can go 200k without wearing out the tie rods, ball joints, etc. They wear just like brake pads.

Jawbone54 · Mar 26, 2007, 02:04 PM

Hopefully my Honda lasts past 200,000 miles. I fully expect to drive it until it falls apart.

G4ME · Mar 26, 2007, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by centerchannel68

but makes it feel 'sloppy'.

but its a truck

sek929 · Mar 26, 2007, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by G4ME

over the past 4 years, i have invested only 500 bucks between new rubbers, new battery, and some exhaust work, past 8 years (since I have owned it) an additional 500 bucks for some more exhaust work, and new alternator.

so umm no your wrong

Exception that proves the rule, most used cars would never bee so hassle-free and you know it.

So no, I'm not wrong.

sek929 · Mar 26, 2007, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by centerchannel68

Eh, betcha $5 the tie rods and ball joints were shot. It's something that doesn't leave your car stranded, but makes it feel 'sloppy'. If you ever get some replaced, you'll notice how much tighter everything feels. My SVX probably needs balljoints and stuff now too, actually. No car can go 200k without wearing out the tie rods, ball joints, etc. They wear just like brake pads.

Bingo, you use a car for over 250K miles and 99% of the time you are looking at a major overhaul of a hell of a lot of parts that were never made to last that long.

Also, I sold my 95 Intrepid to my roommate, who promptly had a ball joint snap on him. The engine is absolute money, it's the other parts that made financing a far newer vehicle with a warranty way more worth it than dumping money in a car nearing 200K miles.

centerchannel68 · Mar 26, 2007, 03:36 PM

Originally Posted by G4ME

but its a truck

So what? Suspension stuff on a truck still wears out. Just because it started and turned and stopped does not mean it was in totally awesome shape. There are tons of things in the suspension that can wear out.... even **** like swaybar bushings or swaybar endlinks can be a pretty big deal, and will need to be replaced.

centerchannel68 · Mar 26, 2007, 03:39 PM

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

Hopefully my Honda lasts past 200,000 miles. I fully expect to drive it until it falls apart.

ANY car will last 200,000 miles, IF YOU MAINTAIN IT. The simple fact is that all cars are fundamentally the same freakin' thing, and things like brake rotors, shoes, pads, master cylinders, pedal covers, idler pulleys, timing belts, oil, spark plugs, air filters, headlight bulbs, tires, tierods, balljoints, suspension bushings, swaybar endlinks, shocks, struts, springs, exhausts, starters, catalytic convertors, and even the GLASS wears out over time, and is MADE TO BE REPLACED.

This is true of ANY car, and ANY car will hit 200k if maintained properly, with quality parts.

centerchannel68 · Mar 26, 2007, 03:44 PM

Originally Posted by sek929

Exception that proves the rule, most used cars would never bee so hassle-free and you know it.

So no, I'm not wrong.

Originally Posted by sek929

Bingo, you use a car for over 250K miles and 99% of the time you are looking at a major overhaul of a hell of a lot of parts that were never made to last that long.

Also, I sold my 95 Intrepid to my roommate, who promptly had a ball joint snap on him. The engine is absolute money, it's the other parts that made financing a far newer vehicle with a warranty way more worth it than dumping money in a car nearing 200K miles.

Originally Posted by sek929

Taking a vehicle over 300K is silly, the amount of work a car needs by that time means you could have financed a brand new car with brand new parts and a warranty.

I completely and totally disagree with you. A new car is a good way for idiots and soccer moms to spend a bunch of money, but if you aren't a moron and actually know a few things about cars, getting a used car with high mileage is JUST fine, especially if it's been proven to be a fairly reliable car in the first place. So far, not including the accident with the 89 accord, we've had to:

Do the suspension ($180), struts ($140), snow tires (300ish), summer tires (300ish), timing belt and waterpump (400ish).... and... even though the accident caused the exhaust to break on the tow, I'll throw that in, so another $300 to be safe. That's $1500 in maintenence on a car we puchased for $500. So $2000 total. It does NOT make finanancial sense to instead have purchased a newer car, because not only would that probably cost more than what I spent maintaining this one, it would UNDOUBTEDLY need work also, as EVERY CAR DOES.