Vehicles that just won’t die
These ‘Old Faithfuls’ rarely let us down
We asked our Driving experts about the cars they’ve owned with the highest kilometres — and their secrets on making them last so long. Here’s what they told us. Brian Harper: Most auto writers are too busy racking up the miles in car company test vehicles to do much with their own — assuming they actually have cars in the first place. I do own a trusty beater, a Chevrolet Malibu, I bought from my parents seven years ago; it just turned 85,000 kilometres.
However, the family 2002 Nissan Sentra — driven primarily by my wife and then by my daughter — lasted 12 years and 185,000 kilometres. It was still running fine (other than the checkengine light being on) when we donated it to the Kidney Car Program last year.
Oh, it was kind of rusty, the paint was peeling badly and it had suffered somewhat from a fairly major rear-ender, but there were no mechanical issues at all; even the exhaust system was original. Regular oil changes and periodic visits to our mechanic for the usual wear-and-tear items were the only things we did for it. Lorraine Sommerfeld: My 1984 Chrysler Mini Ram van, also known as the Ramchicken, had 260,000 kilometres on it when I sold it and someone put another 100,000 on it after that. For a little fourcylinder cargo van with a manual transmission that criss-crossed Canada and the U.S., that baby just kept going. It got stuffed with beds, dressers and dirt bikes, and on one memorable, neverending journey to Florida, my father. Brendan McAleer: The highest-mileage car I ever drove was my dad’s old BMW 535i, which just wouldn’t die. We put half a million kilometres on the odometer, and then the odometer broke and we just kept on driving it. It got traded in on a sensible Japanese car more than a decade ago and I get the sense it’s still out there somewhere.
The highest-miler I owned was a 1988 Mazda MX-6 GT. I still miss this car a great deal: I took it drag-racing with just under 300,000 kilometres on the clock and it went 14.2 seconds in the quarter-mile run. A V-6 Toyota Camry can do that time these days, but back then that was pretty quick, especially for a frontwheel-drive car. I sold it and bought an engagement ring with part of the proceeds. Graeme Fletcher: My highest miler was a 1969 Pontiac Beaumont. It was a horrible faded green colour and, having lived with its tail in Lake Ontario after the boat dock it was parked on collapsed, the rear fenders and trunk were gone. A lot of work later, I managed to get it certified and licensed. Its 307-cubic inch V-8 was not overly powerful, the threespeed automatic did not slip through its gears particularly well and the brakes barely braked, but it all worked as basic transportation.
Its most endearing trait was the fact it started every time, regardless of temperature or how long it had been parked. It was also very easily fixed; a hammer, a screwdriver and a pair of vice grips took care of just about everything.
It topped 500,000 kilometres before its tired body became just too much to re- repair. Remarkably, it was still mechanically strong the day it was retired. I’m not sure if this validates the old “they don’t build ’em like they used to” credo, but it sure was a workhorse of a car. Lesley Wimbush: My 1992 Mazda 323 has 250,000 hard-earned kilometres on the odometer and is still running strong. Admittedly, I’ve been rather lax about its cosmetic needs, so it looks like the beater that it is. But the fluids are changed regularly and it’s one of the easiest cars to diagnose and maintain; I do most of the basic repairs myself. Popi Bowman: This is a hard question, since I haven’t owned a vehicle in about 10 years and most were vintage. It’s probably a tie between a mid-70s bright yellow Volkswagen Super Beetle that a college friend gave me — despite sitting in a back yard for several years, it started up quickly with new spark plugs and an oil change — and an early-80s compact Mitsubishi pickup that had seen many hard years, and many kilometres (forgive me for not remembering) as a family member’s work truck.
Despite my fuzzy memory of other details, I clearly remember its responsive driving manners, stiff steering (and suspension), and impeccable reliability. The thing just wouldn’t quit — and not one problem, with minimal maintenance. I would bet it’s still running. Clayton Seams: I’m somewhat convinced that my 1999 Chevrolet Suburban has a lifespan similar to that of a giant sequoia. The odometer currently reads about 255,000 miles (408,000 kms) and my father bought it new in Dallas, Texas.
That means statistically, it’s driven the distance from the Earth to the Moon. Under my father’s care and mine, we’ve only had to replace the intake manifold gasket, fuel pump, transmission filter and many, many sets of brake pads.
The 1999 Suburban was the last to use the old-style GM 350 V-8 and that engine continues to run like a 14-m.p.g. top every morning.
I believe the reason behind its longevity is its low-output, under-stressed drivetrain and sturdy truck-like construction. It’s the first car I ever drove, a steadfast mechanical companion and I can’t see myself ever getting rid of it.