Mileage on the odometer

[Adam Lucio]

I bought my 06 Ford Expedition back in Nov of 08 with 58K miles on it. Here it is June of 2010 only a year and a half later and it now has 108K. Yea, the miles tack on quickly being a midwest chaser, but Im sure it will easily go 200K and beyond. Highway miles do not put as much wear on a vehicle as stop and go city traffic. Hell, one of the best way to keep your fuel injectors clean is to get it on the highway and open em up.

The other day I tried to turn on my truck when it was already on [awful starter grinding noise] because it was idling so smooth and I forgot it was already on. I love Fords.

 

[Mark Blue]

I hope I'm not straying too far off topic in the "Equipment" section by what we're talking about, but it is interesting to note the differences between chasers and what they can and cannot do to make a chase successful.

Jason mentioned health problems, which both my wife and I can empathize with. We both have bad backs and have been through back surgery, so that's somewhat of a limiting factor in how far we can go each day. Scott, you sound like the marathon man having driven from WI to TX straight through (goodness sakes) and Nick you're right up there! The other factor that can come into play is the time storms initiate. I prefer it to be around 22Z or later as that stretches how far you can get, but those that start at 20Z means you have to get up really early to have been there unless you were close to begin with.

Anyhow, the mileage thing has been really bugging me. For those who know me you can probably understand as our ride is pretty sweet and we are blessed to be driving in such comfort and style. I definitely do not feel alone though as it seems to be a common issue amongst chasers.

 

[Alex Fisher]

Jason,

Not sure what year legacy gt you have. If it is recent, then it is the turbocharged 2.5 liter version (2005 being my favorite year). Basically any turbocharged vehicle requires a higher degree of maintenance than a naturally aspirated vehicle. Just look at aftermarket maintenance/warranty plans and check what they charge for turbocharged vs non-turbocharged vehicles. As a purchaser of a turbocharged vehicle you should be aware of increased maintenance requirements and costs -- just a natural tradeoff for the increased performance.

If your legacy gt is from before they introduced the turbocharged version, then I'm sure you know that they have a well-documented head gasket defect that rears its ugly head around 100k or so miles. If you do the headgasket job with the newer kit (which is now standard) your engine should be good for a long time.

I've had many Subarus that lasted well over 200k with simple regular maintenance. Oil changes ever 7.5k miles, trans and differential fluid changes every 30k miles.

You are correct that if you refuse to do oil changes in a reasonable time or get somewhat close to doing the recommended maintenance in the owner's manual, they will fail.

However, doing oil changes and reasonable maintenance is part of owning a car, not sure a car's inability to survive poor maintenance makes it suck.

I've used properly maintained Subaru Impreza WRXs as my chase and personal vehicles and they have been awesome, especially in the mud. Same goes for snow.

That being said, my brother's 1998 Nissan Altima lasted until 135k miles with only 5 oil changes and no preventative maintenance. Of course, good luck getting up a mountain in heavy snow with it.

To each his own, I guess.

Somewhere close to 1000 miles I'm sure. Central Iowa to NE Colorado just to get to the target and START the chase.

I've been missing the last few plains chase seasons so the overall mileage has been low, but a few years there between chasing in the plains, local chases, tropical intercepts, vhf mobile rover ham radio contests commuting, and for a short period a long distance relationship....I was clocking around 45,000 miles per year (personally). I think only in one year was that all put on my personal vehicle...as many years I chased in rental cars.

On the reverse side...when I was first dealt with the kidney issues I had less than 5000 miles for a 12 month period....I didn't go anywhere!

I'm with Scott W. I will never buy a new car...well not for chase duty. My Scoobie (Legacy GT wagon) just turned 100K and I'm doing a boat load of maintenance items and repairs. Subaru cars suck....only last if you maintain them well.

 

[John Wetter]

Interesting thread. I've put 93k miles on my Ford Escape since I got it in early 2006. I have a daily round trip commute of about 30 miles. My daily max is usually around 700 miles. I really don't care for the real long days commuting anymore. I'm a lot more prone to just saying heck with a day and waiting for the next just to avoid a huge drive sometimes.

The mileage doesn't bother me really, it's just part of the deal with the hobby I've chosen...

 

[Bart_Comstock]

My 2000 Jeep Grand Cherroke Limited has gone just over 20000 miles while chasing this year. The Storm Trooper (what I named my Jeep) over all has a little over 190000 miles on it.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Storm-Trooper/199009966600?ref=ts

The miles do not bother me, rather I see it as a positive that adds character to the vehicle and possibly as even a badge of honor on it. It was funny though when I had to buy oil weekly and bi-weekly for a while. The guys at O'Riely's got a good kick out of it.

 

[Jason Foster]

Jason,

Not sure what year legacy gt you have.

Alex...it's a 1997 LGT Auto w/ the 2.5 N.A motor.

Any car can do well with regular maintenance, but it has been alarming to me the amount of people that vouch for them that have also posted or mentioned having issued with head gaskets, transfer case issues, transmission failures and more. I find that the American cars are a bit more tolerant of lack of maintenance (except oil & coolant changes). I also don't like the newer models that now are partly engineered and manufactured with Toyota. But I do agree that the 2005-2007 generation were the best.

Since my car was owned by an autocross driver and mechanic, I suspect mine will last a while (if I don't sell it first). I actually only bought the Legacy vs. my intended Forrester purchase because the previous owner took such good care of the car. I've never been a fan of the longer front and rear overhangs on the Legacy/Outbacks. In fact my car lowered too...which is going to make my travels in hurricane surge waters a little interesting....might not be adding miles to the car unless I do a quick spring swap before my first hurricane chase.

 

[J West]

Longest "epic drive" was a few years ago alone from Cheyenne to home south of Milwaukee, stopping only for gas. That was a cruise at just over 1,000 miles. I'll cover a range between 600-1000 miles in a day while chasing, but my tolerance for 1,000 mile days is pretty low

Add me to the satisfied Subaru owner list too...

 

[Alex Fisher]

One reason that Subarus have an above-average transmission failure rate is because of the full time AWD. Normally, in a FWD or RWD car, if you transfer large amounts power to the ground when starting or shifting, the power will overcome the front or rear wheels' ability to maintain traction and the extra power will be dissipated through the wheels losing traction and spinning. In a full time AWD system, on the other hand, it is near impossible to break traction, so all the excess energy that would normally be released by spinning wheels is instead absorbed by the transmission. This places extra wear on the transmission and can lead to failure if one is not careful to avoid dropping the clutch (and believe me, the 165 or so horsepower in the late 90's 2.5 NA is certainly enough to do some damage to a transmission). Having been around Subarus for a few years and also having watched people with plenty of manual 2WD experience accidentally and obliviously proceed to destroy AWD transmissions by reckless starting and shifting, I'd venture that driver failure is a major part of the transmission problems .

The 4EAT transmission (auto) in the 97 legacy gt is actually a very solid transmission that has some history of use in domestic trucks, and has been known to handle north of 300 wheel horsepower without a problem. Haven't really heard much about problems with it.

Overall, they are solid cars, but you are certainly right that they don't react well to lack of maintenance. That being said, the only problem that is nearly guaranteed to pop up on the 1997 2.5 NA at some point is the head gasket issue. You need not live in fear of a transmission failure with that car.

Just springs or new struts as well?

Just keep up with the regular maintenance and you should enjoy it for a while. Definitely an excellent car.

Alex...it's a 1997 LGT Auto w/ the 2.5 N.A motor.

Any car can do well with regular maintenance, but it has been alarming to me the amount of people that vouch for them that have also posted or mentioned having issued with head gaskets, transfer case issues, transmission failures and more. I find that the American cars are a bit more tolerant of lack of maintenance (except oil & coolant changes). I also don't like the newer models that now are partly engineered and manufactured with Toyota. But I do agree that the 2005-2007 generation were the best.

Since my car was owned by an autocross driver and mechanic, I suspect mine will last a while (if I don't sell it first). I actually only bought the Legacy vs. my intended Forrester purchase because the previous owner took such good care of the car. I've never been a fan of the longer front and rear overhangs on the Legacy/Outbacks. In fact my car lowered too...which is going to make my travels in hurricane surge waters a little interesting....might not be adding miles to the car unless I do a quick spring swap before my first hurricane chase.

 

[Jason Foster]

Just springs or new struts as well?

Got STi pinks on there now...so just springs...to the highest level I can go without struts. From what I've been told (but not researched) only the springs are different between normal Legacy and Legacy Outbacks.

Sorry for the interruption guys...I'll leave the rest for PMs

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

Bought 2001 Mustang new in October 2001. Haven't had any out of town job the whole time nor gone anywhere really other than chasing. It's 2k shy of 200,000 now. Scary to realize 90% of that is for sure chasing.

Longest chase days are a few around 1100. It is those that make me cringe. I'm like, I just stuck 1100 miles on my car for one day. It's those and the "close" chases that somehow turn into 500-600 and make me go, "wtf".

I sure as hell don't ever want to buy a new car again. Been so nice having no car payment since 2006 after having one pretty much 100% of the time from 94-2006. Always big ones too as I'd be behind on the car and trading it in anyway on something else new. I've had at least 8 cars from 94-2006 all but one with car payments and the one without one I didn't keep but a couple months lol. But since 2001 I've had the same Mustang. In a way it sucks now that I actually don't want a car payment again, I have this rear wheel drive snowy roads wonder. Like I really don't want to get a car till it croaks but man winter sucks. If I had a job I had to commute to I'd for sure have to get rid of the thing in winter.

 

[Jesse Risley]

I have a 2005 Impala that I bought nearly new in 2006, as a program vehicle, with less than 14,000 miles on it. It now has 182,000 miles on the odometer, and much of that is indeed from chasing.

I've had no major repair issues with the Impala, save for having to replace the transmission last October, but I've since found out that those model years are prone to transmission problems anyhow.

I think the key to longevity, as previously mentioned, is preventative maintenance. You have to accept the fact that this hobby indubitably involves putting mileage on a vehicle; there is a cost associated to everything.

If you keep your oil and fluids changed as recommended, change your filters and replace older parts before they leave you stranded, you can easily get 250,000+ miles out of most any vehicle. For example, I've replaced the spark plugs, put in a new fuel filter and fuel pump (before each required replacement), cleaned the injectors and I plan to have the alternator bearing and brushes swapped out soon. Preventive maintenance like this can give you added peace of mind whilst you watch those miles accumulate on the vehicle.

 

[Mark Blue]

Longest chase days are a few around 1100. It is those that make me cringe. I'm like, I just stuck 1100 miles on my car for one day. It's those and the "close" chases that somehow turn into 500-600 and make me go, "wtf".

It's funny how you can wake up in the morning and the target looks so close that you think you can be there by noon if you leave at a reasonable time like 7 am. Then when noon rolls around you realize that you have 2 more hours to drive to arrive at the target location and you start to wish you hadn't stopped at the Loaf and Jug so many times. The more a guy goes out to chase the more fine-tuned the old skills become, especially at figuring targets and distance you can go in a normal day. I just wish I didn't have to work and could chase full time. I guess every situation has it's pros and cons though - LOL.

I have this rear wheel drive snowy roads wonder. Like I really don't want to get a car till it croaks but man winter sucks. If I had a job I had to commute to I'd for sure have to get rid of the thing in winter.

Back in 1996 my boss's boss came to my office one day and asked if I wanted to buy his wife's Bimmer. He was the 2nd owner and it was very low mileage car - it was a 1984 318i for $3000.00 cash. I couldn't resist because it was in really good shape so we went over and looked at it and drove it home. I know what you mean by a rear wheel drive wonder in the winter. I ended up buying dedicated snow tires on all four corners, then went to the hardware store and bought these tubes of sand that weighed like 75 lbs each and put those in the trunk right over the back wheels. That really made a difference and my wife was able to get around much better during the winter. Before that she was always asking me what we could do because she was slippy sliding all over the place in that car. Dedicated snow tires and the extra weight in the trunk over the rear wheels is the way to go for added traction on a rear wheel drive car. Denver winters are not that bad believe it or not, but when a SE Colorado low sets up and it cuts loose it can really go to town, so having good snow tires are a must during the winter.

 

[Matthew Havin]

I have a 2002 Toyota Corolla with just over 110K, and a 1998 Honda Odyssey (the old reliable 4-cylinder ones with a proper tranny) with a little under 150K. I have never bought a car new, and haven't had a car payment in years. I run AMSOIL synthetic oil for both cars (25,000+ miles between oil changes....... a MUST for chasers, or anyone for that matter) because I plan on having both cars for many more years. There's nothing available anymore like that '98 Honda, so I hope it lasts for another decade or more (VTEC, 7 passenger, 31+ MPG highway, drives like a car, roomier than a Subaru Forester for 1/2 the price... just a great car).

Sooner or later, I'll replace my Toyota Corolla with a Subaru (I'm looking at you.... 2007-2009 Subaru Legacy GT Spec B!) once I get completely bored with driving the thing.

We had a 1996 Toyota Corolla up until last year when I gave it to charity with just under 200K...... that thing will run forever! I had it for 5 years... racked up over 100K miles and spent less than $200 in repairs. By far the best car I ever owned... I dearly miss it already (the later Corollas feel... and are... cheaper).

 

[Jason Foster]

Sooner or later, I'll replace my Toyota Corolla with a Subaru (I'm looking at you.... 2007-2009 Subaru Legacy GT Spec B!) once I get completely bored with driving the thing.

I'm calling it now....within 60 days you'll have two tickets!

 

[Von Castor]

This has been a slow year for me, busy working too much this year. But I do the same thing... never by new. In fact 3 of the four vehicles I've owned (three trucks and a jeep)... have sold them for more than I bought them for. The last truck I sold for less because I really worked it and it had some body damage, hail damage. But as far as putting miles on a vehicle, I don't even think about it, except that every 18 miles or so its a gallon of diesel and diesel is nearly 3 dollars a gallon. My Ford has 170,000 miles, which I bought for 7,500 dollars a couple years ago. I have had to do some expected repairs, but I plan on driving it till the engine goes. That could be a while since the 7.3 liter diesel engines can last 500,000 miles.

I just traded my 2000 7.3 liter in December and the engine was still going strong. It was just that all the other little gotcha's were adding up. It had 350,000 when I let it go. Wish they still had that 7.3!