Our VW T4 from 2002 has 300k km on it. I consider this half it's total possible mileage, if not less. I wish they would still build reliable cars like these today.
Our VW T4 from 2002 has 300k km on it. I consider this half it's total possible mileage, if not less. I wish they would still build reliable cars like these today.
Average vehicle milage before being scrapped is still on the rise, so I assume they still do.
> I wish they would still build reliable cars like these today.
How do you know they don't?
Look at Nissan. Their CVTs are known to have an effective life of about 60,000 miles. Anything beyond that is betting against the reaper. Because of the way the transmission is mated to the engine (in order to reduce the overall size) most times the cost to replace it costs more than the car is worth. Many times insurance will total a seven or eight year old Rogue or Altima if the CVT needs replaced. This is because Nissans depreciate in value so quickly, and it's somewhat of an ouroboros in that they depreciate in value so quickly because of the short lifetimes of the CVTs.
Meanwhile Mitsubishi has been suffering issues with their AWD systems failing, and because the Eclipse Cross and Outlander Sport are sold primarily as AWD that affects a majority of their sales.
Ford's had the issue with the dual-clutch automatics failing on the Focus, Fiesta, and Escape.
Dodge has... Well, really only the Durango currently that's reliable. The Charger PHEV is having all sorts off issues, from the battery packs overheating to random software glitches to the engine refusing to disengage from the electric portion of the drivetrain. The Hornet's been getting the shit kicked out of it by Kelley Blue Book and Consumer Reports because the transmissions are ripping themselves apart and the BCMs are bricking themselves.
Jeep's had issues with the Cherokee, Wrangler, Gladiator, and Compass because of the Pentastar engine nuking itself before 100,000 miles either by losing too much oil or the water jackets cracking. Meanwhile the differentials in the Wrangler and Gladiator have had problems that Stellantis denies.
Back before about... I'd say 2016? 2017? You had a lot less issues with new cars. Most issues were simple recalls like transmissions slipping out of gear or premature wear on the cams, not something that would entirely junk the car.
https://www.murileemartin.com/Junkyard/JunkyardGallery-300kM...
Check out this list. This guy is at the junk yard all the time. It's possible he isn't checking newer cars for high miles, but notice how all these mega high mile cars are from the 80s and 90s.
And related to the article, note the 500,000 mile Ford Econoline.
> It's possible he isn't checking newer cars for high miles
I read a few of the articles, he states the problem is that cars starting in the late 90's have digital LCD odometers that can't be easily read on a dead car
Electronics don't usually last for more than 30 years. Pre-2007 cars can be driven for that long because they had minimal electronics and relatively oversized manufacturing. This was because managers hadn't yet taken charge of reducing material thickness to the absolute minimum.
> Pre-2007 cars can be driven for that long
Even in the final years of the 20th century it was considered a big deal and a testament to a car's quality if it got past 100k miles. Even in the decade before that it was common for odometers to only have five digits, because most people would never need the sixth.
> This was because managers hadn't yet taken charge of reducing material thickness to the absolute minimum.
Henry Ford sent people to junkyards to see what parts hadn't failed, in order to make them cheaper.
Most new vehicles can be driven to 100k kilometers without significant issues.
Back in the 80s that was just unheard of. Most cars needed significant repairs before 100k and even require welding and sealing to prevent the floor from falling out. Material quality, paint, bearings, tires and fluids were of significantly lower quality back then.
100K kilometers? Even a Chevy Chevette could make it that far without major trouble. 100K miles, that’s about when 80s cars started to become more trouble than they were worth, IME.
In Europe we were pumping out some very crappy cars in the 80s. And in the north-east cars would have structural rust problems within five years.
When is the last time you had a car undercoated? Because back then that was the first thing you did with a new vehicle.
Ah, got it. I have tried very hard to forget about 70s/80s Fiats. :-)
When is the last time you had a car undercoated?
I take your point, but the real answer is “when I lived the U. S. Midwest”, where they salt the roads. Since we moved to the milder climate of Washington state, even our ‘81 VW’s body is in great shape. But, yeah, in the 80s: straight from the dealer to the undercoat place.
i have a running 80s vehicle with over 400k kilometers (its a VW T3)
Survivorship bias. Try doing that with an Austin Metro, Citroen Visa, Fiat Strada.
On average modern cars are significantly better than what we had in the 80s
I had one too!
Mine had a Subaru engine, Mercedes wheels, Audi Drive train, a Porsche suspension, and brakes from a Toyota Highlander.
How did you keep your Volkswagen running?
Manual or automatic? Because the Eurovans here in the US are famous for eating their automatic transmissions.
Yes, manual. It is very rare to find automatic cars of that age in Europe.
20+ year old cars are much less safe than modern ones. I would strongly consider a newer car if I were you.
A 2006 car is pretty safe. It won't have gizmos like lane departure warnings or automatic braking but crash safety will be about as good as a new car, especially if you buy one that had good crash safety ratings at the time, such as Mercedes or Volvo.
Fords too. By 2006, they'd pulled all the Volvo intellectual property they could out of the acquisition and ported it to their flagship vehicles.
The T4 is better than the T3 where you are the crumple zone.
Can you really or is it like the T1N Sprinters where yeah you technically can take the longblock to half a mil or more but you'll have replaced everything external to it twice over by then?
It's pretty common for this generation of vehicles, especially diesel. This was before all the environmental things were added, which may be good for pollution, but are terrible for longevity. In parts of Europe everyone has diesels, so mechanics know how to fix them, and wearable parts like injectors and turbos can be easily and cheaply remanufactured.
I have a 2007 Fiat Ducato which has done at least half a million kilometres (the odometer only goes up to 399,999). Only issue is the EGR valve is stuck closed (can't get to it without removing the engine, so not worth fixing), and the body is banged up (ex builders van). Still gets 8l/100km (30mpg) on the highway.
Damn I had no idea the T4 got produced that long. I drove a 1996 T4 with the good old Vorkammerdiesel many years ago - practically a tank.