Ah, she's a baby! We've got 225k on our '89. Fresher engine now so I'm driving it daily. Love it. And even though it's TBI to me, it's still modern enough. The SEFI on my Town Car to me is modern, it's sequential and such! Both will still do 80 mph+ and get there without fail regardless of the induction method so that's what matters to me. I don't have to be faster or more fuel efficient than the other guy.. I see so many modern cars in the yards so the whole modern is better is BS. It's about maintenance and serviceability. I forget what I looked at but perhaps it was a GM mini van. I saw the alternator was tucked up under the cowl and said F that, when it goes yep, time to scrap it lol.
the old s-series Saturn's & ford contours/mercury mystiques had the alternators between the engine & firewall, just above the cv axle.
to replace the ac compressor on some Audi's, you have to pull the bumper & headlights off, pull the rad support forward to get it out.
trailblazer/envoy have the front diff attached to the oil pan w/ the shaft going through the middle of it.
the gen of G. Cavaran/T&C that just ended have the spare tire under the van under the 2nd row of seats. how do get it out on the side of the road w/ a flat?
on my wife's 2014 Captiva, you have to pull the front bumper cover off in order to pull the headlight assembly off to change the bulbs.
a lot of newer vehicles don't come w/ a spare tire & some of those don't even have a spot for one.
there are a lot of stupid designs out there, question is: What are you willing to live w/?
Maybe if people looked @ what they are buying 1st & declined the purchase of these time consuming/expensive labor rate vehicles, maybe they will stop being made.
I just read that the new f350 sd will be approx. $100k, some retards are going to pay that & manufacturers are going to be like, wow what an idiot o well more profit in my pocket. you over there, go raise the prices of everything else. how about the people say no to this crap until the prices come back down.
don't get me wrong, I do like some newer vehicles. but I look it over before I buy it. that helps to inform of future money layouts for repairs/services.
I just sold my 03 Grand Am w/ 168k on the 3.4L that I've driving for the last 13yrs & nothing beyond routine stuff. but it was either put on 4 tires & do the brakes & drive it for another 2yrs & then not being able to sell it due to mileage or sell it now as is, as a cheap car to someone who cant afford a better one. I sold it in less than 24hrs to the 2nd person who called, sight unseen for $1500. just my pics & listing. they were & are very happy w/ it.
I went to look @ the new Impalas & Malibus & couldn't wrap my head around them having 4cyl engines. don't care about them having turbos. it was that there so much room in there that it looked like someone threw a motorcycle engine in there.
I was trying hard to stay w/ Gm but I couldn't find anything that I liked. so I went & bought a rwd Hemi Dodge Charger R/T. I obviously am not concerned w/ mpg, just spm & that's what I get w/ my vehicles. except my wifes, I cant stand driving it, it struggles to get out of its own way.