@Thomas_Thumb wrote:
@Horseshoez wrote:
@AndrewF, you seem to have a very negative opinion of modern automotive engineering, fortunately the reverse of what you claim is true. Cars are lasting longer than ever these days, and that is in spite of extended maintenance intervals.
1. Got 13 years on my 1993 V6 Toyota Camry before trading it in toward a 2006 Honda Accord V6 hybrid.
2. 16 years and 194k miles on my 2006 Honda Accord hybrid before selling it to a Honda dealer. They subsequently sold it off their lot in 4-5 days.
3. 18 years on my wife's 2007 Toyota Highlander hybrid before the hybrid battery failed. Sold the vehicle for parts.
4. So far 8 years on my 2018 Audi A6 3.0T. The last year with analog gauges and their super charged engine. Anticipate having it another 8 years.
Service by Audi dealers is expensive so I go to a VW shop where possible. Half the cost of Audi. Even the same set of new tires was 25% less at VW.
Past a certain age parts are hard to come by for many vehicle models and repair costs can increase significantly. Comprehensive insurance becomes too expensive. I try to keep a car for 15 years but, probably wouldn't buy a daily driver over 10 years age. On the other hand, I'd consider purchasing an older "hobby car" such as a 2nd gen, mid engine, turbocharged Toyota MR2 from 93' or 94'.
I haven't had any trouble sourcing parts for my Buick or my Ford because the production run ran into the many millions on both platforms and so many people still have them today.
Where you run into supply shortages is when you're driving something old and weird that they didn't make very many of, like an old luxury car that didn't share a platform with something common.
I always choose old cars that had a very large production run because it means the aftermarket is huge.
I often have 3-5 suppliers when I need parts not counting off brand Chinese stuff you might use in a pinch.
GM itself is one of them.
