I know they don't. In the early 2000's many of us drove 80's squarebody vehicles, K5s, Broncos, K10's etc. and they were great! I know those vehicles were easier to work and potentially more robust and durable than vehicles made now?

My question is, I have a 2018 F150 (with the supercharged v6 with replaced cam phasers about 70k mi ). If in the next year or two I were to get a new ride, is this vehicle something that would be worth and/or realistically a good idea to hang on to for 10-15 more years and let my son drive it as his first vehicle?

What kind of periodic running/maintenance would be involved? I have a covered area out of the way I would be able to keep the truck in long term as well.

How many 70's-80's vehicles do you see on the road today? Those were terrible times for most automakers. Contrast that with the cars from the 1940's through the 1960's which were on the road in the 80's still doing daily-driver status.


I would not be inclined to keep any vehicle with forced induction long term. Forced induction motors are stressed to a higher degree than their NA counterparts. Things just wear out faster.


If I were to look at something from the last 20 years to keep forever it would have an LS (or LT) in it. The unfortunate thing about that is that Chevy never put a good transmission in any of their trucks (in stock form anyway). 99-04 Ford F series with the 4r100 is a good choice. You can get the 4.6 or 5.4 in those, and once the spark plugs and cam phasors are sorted out those are very reliable engines. I mean, cops used the 4.6 for 2 decades.

Another truck to look at is the Toyota Tundra from 07-present with the 5.7. That's a solid truck.

Old cars did not last long at all.

You were lucky to get 70k miles from anything in the 70's, 1960s vehicles were even worse.

Almost every modern vehicle will do 200k if you do even the most basic maintenance

Interesting perspectives. I wouldn't go out of my way to go get an older vehicle. Just trying to see if this one is even worth saving.

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. And it's cost me a lot of money over the years. And I know I'm not alone.

Quote:

---

Nostalgia is a powerful thing

---

Quote:

---

Do they make em like they used to?

---

No, they don't make them like they used to. From nearly every standpoint "they" currently make them much, much, much better.

Quote:

---

I know those vehicles were easier to work

---

Maybe, in some instances. But you had to work on them much, much, much more often. And at inconvenient times.

Quote:

---

Forced induction motors are stressed to a higher degree than their NA counterparts. Things just wear out faster.

---

This is true for Johnny Teenager slapping a turbo on his 97 Honda Civic or diesel bros doing diesel bro stuff. It is generally not true for a motor that is designed for forced induction. If Ecoboosts failed at the rate some on this board assert, Ford would be out of business.

Quote:

---

My question is, I have a 2018 F150 (with the supercharged v6 with replaced cam phasers about 70k mi ). If in the next year or two I were to get a new ride, is this vehicle something that would be worth and/or realistically a good idea to hang on to for 10-15 more years and let my son drive it as his first vehicle?

---

Quote:

---

What kind of periodic running/maintenance would be involved? I have a covered area out of the way I would be able to keep the truck in long term as well.

---

The biggest issue IMHO would be the vehicle sitting that long rarely being driven rather than any perceived mechanical deficiencies.

This article is mainly about higher prices and how people can't afford to buy cars as often. But if cars were being made ****tier and ****tier don't think they'd be lasting longer.....

The New Math of Driving Your Car Till the Wheels Fall Off

Quote:

---

To cope, many owners are squeezing more life out of their current ride. U.S. vehicles' average age hit a record 12.5 years in 2023, increasing for the sixth straight year, according to S&P Global Mobility.

---

Quote:

---

The average age of Americans' vehicles has risen significantly over the past 50 years, according to data from the Federal Highway Administration. The share of cars that are 10 or more years old climbed from 16.9% in 1977 to 44.2% in 2022.

---

All that said, these are obviously cars built 10ish years ago. Who knows if cars built today last as long. I do know they have more **** that can go wrong.....also mentioned in the article

Quote:

---

There are other reasons drivers are holding on to their cars. Newer models have become more expensive to repair. Seemingly simple fixes can run up large bills when damage affects sensors, screens and other new technology that has become more standard.

---

It's not like the bottom end will come apart on these motors, but turbos and superchargers are almost consumable items. They don't last forever and swapping out a turbo with an integrated manifold is not cheap or easy.

Couple that with manufacturers moving towards non-rebuildable turbos and integrated manifold/turbo housings and it just isn't the same reliability in my eyes as a "simple" LS based motor.

To be fair I have never owned or worked on a supercharged anything. Not sure how the maintenance and price compares on those. I do know lots of supercharged cars have boost/vacuum leak issues, many times the supercharger has cracked or warped a plastic intake manifold.



Also, boosted engines like to be warmed up before you get into the boost. If you start it up and just give it a bootfull you'll end up with scored bearing surfaces and low oil pressure which will eventually eat the bottom end. People have gotten used to modern cars not needing a warm up time. Now that everything has a turbo, we're going to see some bottom end rebuilds to keep these cars on the road in 20 years.

GM pickups were better in the 90's to 2007.5, when they implemented displacement on demand in the engines. The GMT400 and GMT800 pickups were much simpler and would run forever if properly maintained.

Quote:

---

The biggest issue IMHO would be the vehicle sitting that long rarely being driven rather than any perceived mechanical deficiencies.

---

So part two of my question would be, aside from regular maintenance , what would recommended use/running be? Go drive it around the town once a week? Take a road trip every few months ?

lazuras_dc said:

---

Quote:

---

The biggest issue IMHO would be the vehicle sitting that long rarely being driven rather than any perceived mechanical deficiencies.

---

So part two of my question would be, aside from regular maintenance , what would recommended use/running be? Go drive it around the town once a week? Take a road trip every few months ?

---

At least once a week and run it long enough to get fully hot. Don't just start it and let it idle for 5 minutes. Take it to work and shopping one day a week. Get it on the highway, don't just do stop and go stuff.

My mother in law has a 2017 Fiat 500L she bought brand new. It has about 5 or 6000 miles on it. That car has problems. She drives it to HEB about twice a month and never exceeds 30mph. So even though its brand new and low miles, it is not doing well.


Latest thing was the oil drained out of the head and it wouldn't start. There's a special procedure for Fiats if they've been sitting for a long time. Thing is, this car wasn't sitting for months. Maybe two weeks.

EskimoJoe said:

---

GM pickups were better in the 90's to 2007.5, when they implemented displacement on demand in the engines. The GMT400 and GMT800 pickups were much simpler and would run forever if properly maintained.

---

Yep, best trucks GM ever built. Wish they could go back to those engines. I had an 06 for 8 years and put almost 100000 miles on it. Only had one issue with a fuel sensor. Many times the number of issues in my 14 with only 95000 miles.

Besides worse engines. They just keep adding complex electronics and sensors. I'm tempted to buy the lowest trim possible just to cut some of that out.

My 17 Q50 is approaching 100k. Have warranty until next February. HAs been a good reliable car that is fun to drive. Asked my service guy about keeping them long term. He said the biggest concern is if the turbos go. 8 to 10k to fix them (at the dealer anyway.) Did a quick search online. They have to drop the engine to get to them. Seems like a ****ty design.

Problematic that there could be a wear and tear failure that costs what the car is worth to fix. My older G37 is NA and still going strong at 155k. Not positive what the percentages on the turbos failing really is, but disinclined to find out personally and rethinking my previous "keep it for a long time like the g37" attitude.

htxag09 said:

---

This article is mainly about higher prices and how people can't afford to buy cars as often. But if cars were being made ****tier and ****tier don't think they'd be lasting longer.....

The New Math of Driving Your Car Till the Wheels Fall Off

Quote:

---

To cope, many owners are squeezing more life out of their current ride. U.S. vehicles' average age hit a record 12.5 years in 2023, increasing for the sixth straight year, according to S&P Global Mobility.

---

---

Ironic that I sold a 12.5 yr old tundra 5.7 for $12.5k. Then got another 5.7. Better grab one while you can...

The answer to everything is

LS swap it

As a certified old fart, I think I can answer.

When it comes to longevity, modern cars win hands down. Dad would get new car fever at 50,000 miles. He was horrified when we hit 100,000 with our 2001 Oddy and had no intention of trading. (It made it to 300,000)

I agree with those who say modern cars can hit 250,000 with good maintenance. Older cars would seldom last to 75,000

The downside is that the electronics and gizmos are less robust and harder to work on. Let one sit for a few years, and it will be junk. A car from the 50s might take fresh gas, oil change, and a battery, and crank right up.

Dad and I got a 1940s John Deere running with a carb overhaul and fresh fluids, after it had been sitting for 20 years. I love all the bells and whistles on a new tractor, but no way one can be easily resurrected from decades of inactivity

Cars became increasingly reliable, on average, from the mid 90's through the eve of covid. I'm not as sure about many cars built in the last few years both from a build quality standpoint and from the standpoint of more complex power trains and electronics (especially looking at you Toyota).

CanyonAg77 said:

---

As a certified old fart, I think I can answer.

When it comes to longevity, modern cars win hands down. Dad would get new car fever at 50,000 miles. He was horrified when we hit 100,000 with our 2001 Oddy and had no intention of trading. (It made it to 300,000)

I agree with those who say modern cars can hit 250,000 with good maintenance. Older cars would seldom last to 75,000

The downside is that the electronics and gizmos are less robust and harder to work on. Let one sit for a few years, and it will be junk. A car from the 50s might take fresh gas, oil change, and a battery, and crank right up.

Dad and I got a 1940s John Deere running with a carb overhaul and fresh fluids, after it had been sitting for 20 years. I love all the bells and whistles on a new tractor, but no way one can be easily resurrected from decades of inactivity

---

True.

But the brakes will be seized, every seal and gasket will be leaking, the speedo cable is shot, and most of the lights, grounds, and electrical systems won't work.

There is definitely a good news/bad news side to technology.

Engine rebuilds around 50k miles were not uncommon in 50-70s cars. And the emissions systems in the 70s were horrific to engines that were not really designed for them.