MyEmily

Well, my pcar had broke 100k on my birthday. Love the car!! I stipulated in my divorce settlement to keep the car. Have no major issues with it all. Troubles free and still kicking dust on the highways in the southwest. In my opinion, she is still as young and agile as the first day I got her. Took care of her like I took care of my kids. Feed her the best. Change her essentials regularly. In return, she have provided me more joy than my ex did, well...

Reality is setting in. It passed 100k miles. Can't expect her to run trouble free, can I? What are the signs I should be looking for? It's too trouble free and I'm just worry I may be pushing my luck. Anybody here with similar miles usage and their heartache repairs and maintenances?

TIA

malexgcab

Congrats to you and Emily.

pissedpuppy

got rid of my first p-car w/178,000 on the odometer

Macster

Not reality setting in. More like imagination with a dash of anxiety setting in...

Added: What to expect? Everything. Based on my high miles this can range from wheel bearing to oil filler tube cap. From the MAF to the coolant tank. From the sway bar links to the CV boots. From the fuel pump to the coolant cap. From the 02 sensors to the VarioCam solenoid/actuator. From the door lock assembly to the brake light switch and clutch interlock switch.

Pay attention to the car. Notice if the engine cranks slower/longer before starting.

Notice if the idle gets rougher or varies up and down.

Check the vital fluid levels once in a while.

Look for signs of leaks under the car.

Watch the coolant temp gage, the battery voltage gage and note any change from the temperature that has been the norm for the 1st 100K miles; note any change in where the voltage levels is after engine start, and after driving the car some distance/time.

With every service have the tech inspect the car. He should do this anyhow, but politely ask this be done. If you can arrange to be there and be under the car with him and have him point out areas of concern.

The water pump is a worry. (The one in my Boxster lasted 170K+ miles but of course a water pump can fail at any time.)

Be sure the radiator ducts are kept free of trash/dirt build up. My Boxster is in for service today and I always ask the tech blow the trash/dirt out unless in his opinion the bumper cover needs to come off to do a more thorough cleaning. So far the bumper cover has stayed in place but the stuff gets removed every so often and thus doesn't build up to the point it has to be dug out with a pick axe.

Be sure the body water drains are kept clear.

Be sure to keep up on services. Those due on miles as well as time. Do a coolant drain and refill. (I know, lifetime coolant... but phooey on that. How do you think I got 170K+ miles out of the original water pump? And nearly 100K miles (and counting) out of its replacement?)

Keep the car clean.

Take care of little things. Often an older car develops minor problems. The owner doesn't want to spend the money to fix them. They accumulate. Then something major goes wrong and the owner decides the car is not worth the cost of fixing.

An otherwise perfectly good car gets run down and turns into a beater and is lost because of ignoring the little things.

Also, price a new car once in a while. This will make keeping the old one on the road seem cheap by comparison.

Avoid accidents.

Continue to enjoy the car.

My '02 Boxster has over 270K miles and is still a fine car. Runs just fine.

My '03 Turbo has over 111K miles and is still a fine car. Runs just fine.

Perk10

^^ well, that about sums it up now doesn't it