93-year-old Florida woman retires her ’64 Mercury

[Old Fart]

 
These days, most people consider themselves lucky if a new car lasts 5 to 10 years. Make it to 100,000 miles in your vehicle, and the car company might make a commercial about you. That makes 93-year-old Rachel Veitch a notable exception. Veitch is retiring her 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente after more than 576,000 miles on the road.
 
For complete article: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/93-old-florida-woman-retires-her-64-mercury-204007316.html

[Conan The Librarian]

Now that's cool! I wish she was my neighbor. My kind of lady! 
 

[guzzijohn]

Quote from Old Fart:
"These days, most people consider themselves lucky if a new car lasts 5 to 10 years. Make it to 100,000 miles in your vehicle, and the car company might make a commercial about you[/url]."


Overall most cars today are way more reliable and last much longer than cars did before about 1990. My previous 1991 Accord had 293K when I sold it and it was still a solid running car. My 2001 Honda Accord has 164K, my 2003 has 132K, my 97 Nisson PU has 110K, even my 1976 Moto Guzzi Cycle has 103K and I would not hesitate to take any of them cross country tomorrow. None of them even show any rust and except for the bike none get waxed and not even washed very often. Many cars/trucks now domestic or foreign make at least 200K and many go past 300K. Growing up in the 60s and early 70s you hardly ever saw a vehicle make over 100K without serious repairs or being traded and remember how quick and badly they would rust?
GuzziJohn

[Conan The Librarian]

I generally agree with GuzziJohn about the durability of today's cars. High mileage cars are no longer an oddity today. I remember reading Popular Mechanics and similar magazines from the 1950s and there used to be advertisements featuring people who got extremely high mileage out of a car by taking great care of them and being diligent about maintenance (85,000 miles, which is nothing today.)
 
I think a lot of that is the quality of today's roads, the tendency for a lot of people to use highways for long distance commutes to work, and low maintenance ignition and suspension systems. We don't need to take the car in for a lube job every 3000 miles anymore, and ignitions are electronic instead of points and condensor based. Spark plugs last 100,000+ miles. Tires are drastically better today too, in terms of safety and in terms of durability. 
 
Back in the 1960s Mercedes Benz had an ad featuring a salesman who logged more than one million miles on his sedan.

[Cuts Crooked]

Being from the midwest, my biggest enemy has always been rust. Almost every vehicle I've ever owned was running fine when I got rid of it.......but you could throw a good sized dog through any given fender!

[Old Fart]

Just so you guys understand...... 
I just copied that text, thier opion on cars not mine. 

[Sourdough]

1981 Ford Ranger F-150 (last year they were full size), over 280K when I gave it to my son.  Snowplow hit it, totaled.
1982 Honda Civic, 180K sold it, not big enough for car seat.
1985 Jeep Scrambler, 210K sold it too many vehicles. 
1987 Ford F-150, Over 360K.  Sold it to a teenager in 2008, he wrecked it two months later.
1991 Ford Aerostar, 230K traded it in 2004 for a new pick-up.
1994 Mazda Miata, 136K Runs great, no problems yet.  Still driving it.
1997 Ford F-150, 70K Engine kept blowing spark plugs out of the head.  Sold that lemon in 2004.
2002 Kia Sportage, 140K Still running great.  Gets the wife to work everyday.  Great on ice and snow.
2003 Chevy S-10, 160K Still running great.  Gets the kid to the university everyday. 
2004 Ford F-350, 60K Blew Diesel engine last fall.
With the exception of the 1981 Ford, the 1982 Honda, and the 1994 Mazda Miata, all were or are 4X4s.
The old 1987 F-150 was the best of the lot.  300 six with fuel injection.  The little Honda was wrecked six months after I sold it.  Young GI Driver was injured and sent home.  She failed to retitle it so the base called me to remove it.  She refused to tald to me about it, so my partner and I dismantled it.  The engine is currently powering a Kitfox airplane. 
 

[LabRat2k3]

Whoever wrote that is full of hot air. I don't know of anyone getting in a commercial for putting 100k on a car now days. Cars do last alot longer now, heck odometers didn't even go to 100k until what the late 1980's or '90's. Just a couple of decades ago you would have been crazy to buy a used car that had "rolled over" the odometer, but now it is common to buy one with over 100k on it. I would have to see some documentation to prove the mileage claim because the odometer on that thing would read 76000.

[Land_Owner]

That seems atypical I think.  Mostly our retirees sell their automobiles that are 20-plus years old with less than 50,000 original miles on the odometer.  Those are some sensational purchases, when you can find them.  Keep your eyes peeled for retirement village newspaper classified ads.  Cheap, reliable, well maintained, and many times - antique!

[Old Fart]

The reason this caught my eye was my english teacher in middle school.
She had bought a new 49 chevy coupe when she started teaching.
When she retired she was still driving the same car.
Of course she only drove about 1 or 2 miles to work.
What I found interesting is today most people don't keep a car that long.
Low or high mileage, they tend to tire of the same old car or need to keep up with the nieghbors.

[guzzijohn]

I never really "tire" of my vehicles as they kind of become like pets in a way. I drive them until what ever may need fixing is starting to exceed what the vehicle is worth. Currently I am having a terrible argument with myself whether or not to sell my old Moto Guzzi that I have had since 89. The main reason for getting a new bike was my wife comfort (back and hip surgeries) and that the new bike is so much safer in handling, stopping and being seen. But I don't want my old one to turn into a garage queen.
GuzziJohn

[Conan The Librarian]

I do tire of my cars over time, but it's because my needs change over time. Sports car, family wagon, road car, etc. The one thing that does seem to have eternal utility is a good pickup with decent towing capacity and a big bed. Best invention in the world, I think.