Volvo Will Reach Three Million Miles in 2013

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Volvo Will Reach Three Million Miles in 2013

Post by ClutchDisc »

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Re: Volvo Will Reach Three Million Miles in 2013

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Yeah, that guy has been on the local news here a few times, I guess because he's a local resident. I knew he was close to hitting the 3 million mile mark, but I didn't realize he's that close. I guess it will be another news story when he hits the mark.

BTW, this is a great illustration of just how far modern cars have come. Imagine if a new car had a 1,500-mile scheduled service? :lol:

"I bought my Volvo P1800 on a Friday, and immediately fell in love," Gordon recalled. "I couldn't stop driving the car. It was a long holiday weekend, and I brought the car back to the dealership the following Monday for its 1,500-mile service."
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Re: Volvo Will Reach Three Million Miles in 2013

Post by ClutchDisc »

Shadow wrote:BTW, this is a great illustration of just how far modern cars have come. Imagine if a new car had a 1,500-mile scheduled service? :lol:

"I bought my Volvo P1800 on a Friday, and immediately fell in love," Gordon recalled. "I couldn't stop driving the car. It was a long holiday weekend, and I brought the car back to the dealership the following Monday for its 1,500-mile service."
Yes, but imagine a modern car going three million miles! Most newer cars would never last that long.
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Re: Volvo Will Reach Three Million Miles in 2013

Post by Shadow »

ClutchDisc wrote:
Shadow wrote:BTW, this is a great illustration of just how far modern cars have come. Imagine if a new car had a 1,500-mile scheduled service? :lol:

"I bought my Volvo P1800 on a Friday, and immediately fell in love," Gordon recalled. "I couldn't stop driving the car. It was a long holiday weekend, and I brought the car back to the dealership the following Monday for its 1,500-mile service."
Yes, but imagine a modern car going three million miles! Most newer cars would never last that long.

I have no reason to doubt that a modern car could do the same thing. And it would probably do it with far less maintenance. Hell, a lot of new cars require no maintenance (other than basic oil changes) for the first 100,000 miles. His car required a 1,500-mile service. Think about that.

Anyway, I don't understand why anyone would think that a modern car couldn't achieve 3 million miles or more. Why not? Anyone with the money and determination could keep a car on the road forever. Unless the car is totaled in a wreck, anything that fails can be replaced. I can assure you that the Volvo in the article had its fair share of parts replaced. No doubt about it.

BTW, also keep in mind that his car is nearly 50 years old. Even someone who drives a lot will still need a lot of time to reach the 3 million mile mark. In 2060, I'll bet there will be someone with a 2010 model with 3 million miles on his car.
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Re: Volvo Will Reach Three Million Miles in 2013

Post by 4onthefloor »

I saw this car in person a few weeks ago.


I wonder how much money he's put into maintaining it and whether it's been worth it to keep it that long.
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Re: Volvo Will Reach Three Million Miles in 2013

Post by AHTOXA »

The whole notion some have that older cars were somehow better than new in terms of build quality, durability, reliability or safety is simply absurd.
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Re: Volvo Will Reach Three Million Miles in 2013

Post by ClutchDisc »

Shadow wrote:I have no reason to doubt that a modern car could do the same thing. And it would probably do it with far less maintenance. Hell, a lot of new cars require no maintenance (other than basic oil changes) for the first 100,000 miles. His car required a 1,500-mile service. Think about that.

Anyway, I don't understand why anyone would think that a modern car couldn't achieve 3 million miles or more. Why not? Anyone with the money and determination could keep a car on the road forever. Unless the car is totaled in a wreck, anything that fails can be replaced. I can assure you that the Volvo in the article had its fair share of parts replaced. No doubt about it.

BTW, also keep in mind that his car is nearly 50 years old. Even someone who drives a lot will still need a lot of time to reach the 3 million mile mark. In 2060, I'll bet there will be someone with a 2010 model with 3 million miles on his car.
I'm thinking more about the engines that are built to last 150,000 and the interference engines. Not at all talking about the build quality or things like that. I'm sure there are plenty of modern cars that can last a long time.
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Re: Volvo Will Reach Three Million Miles in 2013

Post by Bill B »

The old VW Beetles were supposed to have the valves adjusted every 3000 miles per VW. That would be like every 3 months for me today. My 07 Element with 69,000 miles still has the original battery, brakes and have never had to do much other than change the oil. Did get the manual transmission fluid changed once.

Shadow wrote:Yeah, that guy has been on the local news here a few times, I guess because he's a local resident. I knew he was close to hitting the 3 million mile mark, but I didn't realize he's that close. I guess it will be another news story when he hits the mark.

BTW, this is a great illustration of just how far modern cars have come. Imagine if a new car had a 1,500-mile scheduled service? :lol:

"I bought my Volvo P1800 on a Friday, and immediately fell in love," Gordon recalled. "I couldn't stop driving the car. It was a long holiday weekend, and I brought the car back to the dealership the following Monday for its 1,500-mile service."
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Re: Volvo Will Reach Three Million Miles in 2013

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AHTOXA wrote:The whole notion some have that older cars were somehow better than new in terms of build quality, durability, reliability or safety is simply absurd.
I think so too. Modern cars really are superior to the older cars. For whatever reason, some people take offense when they hear that....but it's not a knock on the older cars, it's just praise for how far cars have come.

My take is that newer cars are better not just in the stuff you listed (quality, durability, reliability, safety), but they also do all that with better performance while using less fuel and emitting far less pollution.
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Re: Volvo Will Reach Three Million Miles in 2013

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ClutchDisc wrote: I'm thinking more about the engines that are built to last 150,000 and the interference engines. Not at all talking about the build quality or things like that. I'm sure there are plenty of modern cars that can last a long time.
Not sure that I'm following you. Are you suggesting that modern cars are built to last 150,000 miles? Or are you saying that about older cars? The reason I ask is because 100,000 miles was often considered A LOT of miles on an older car. On a modern car, 100,000 miles is really nothing at all. Hell, back when I worked as a Toyota tech, we'd see several older Toyotas with 300,000 or even 400,000 miles on them. It wasn't unusual at all.

BTW, I should also mention that interference engines have been around a long time. I'm not sure if you realize that not all of today's cars use interference engines. Even so, it's not a big deal. If a car has a timing belt and an interference engine, it's probably a good idea to stick to the timing belt replacement intervals. In a worse-case scenario, if someone experiences a timing belt failure on an interference engine, usually the result is bent valves in the head. Not an inexpensive fix for sure, but not the end of the world either. Pop off the head(s), replace the bent valves, and slap everything back together. I guess it would only be fair to mention that piston damage can also occur, but that's rare and even if it does happen, the piston can be replaced. I guess what I'm trying to say is that interference engines aren't going to completely blow up when a timing belt breaks. Most of the time, it's just a matter of repairing it.
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Re: Volvo Will Reach Three Million Miles in 2013

Post by tankinbeans »

It's probably cost him a pretty penny to keep his Vulva on the road, but he's found something he enjoys and isn't afraid of the costs. Although, being a rocket scientist - if I'm reading the article correctly - money probably isn't an issue. If more people would follow their maintenance schedule I'm sure more cars could last that long.

I will say that reading about this guy doesn't irk me like reading about Wayne Gerdes. That guy can be arguably considered dangerous.
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Re: Volvo Will Reach Three Million Miles in 2013

Post by tankinbeans »

shadow wrote: words words interference engines words words
When those things do occur it often comes down to whether the car is worth repairing. When my brother's Cavalier grenaded after the chain snapped there was no way I was fittin' to fix the engine. I was the only one he could ask for help, since I was still stupid enough to offer it. We ended up trashing it because it already had 280k on it and he'd paid $500 for it. Long story short, that's why he had mom's Sunfire and she's driving a Malibu that I bought.
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Re: Volvo Will Reach Three Million Miles in 2013

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tankinbeans wrote:
shadow wrote: words words interference engines words words
When those things do occur it often comes down to whether the car is worth repairing. When my brother's Cavalier grenaded after the chain snapped there was no way I was fittin' to fix the engine. I was the only one he could ask for help, since I was still stupid enough to offer it. We ended up trashing it because it already had 280k on it and he'd paid $500 for it. Long story short, that's why he had mom's Sunfire and she's driving a Malibu that I bought.

Yeah, that's a valid point. I'm sure lots of people decide to scrap the car instead of repairing a damaged engine. I guess it all depends on the condition of the rest of the car and the extent of the damage. Personally, I'd be more likely to repair the damage myself if it ever happened to me....but I'm pretty diligent when it comes to the maintenance of my vehicles, so odds are in my favor of never experiencing that type of failure in the first place. The fact that my Audi and my 4Runner both use timing chains instead of belts is a plus too. 8)
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Re: Volvo Will Reach Three Million Miles in 2013

Post by bk7794 »

This guys and 'millionmilejoe' are very interesting stories. Both show dedication.
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Re: Volvo Will Reach Three Million Miles in 2013

Post by ClutchDisc »

Shadow wrote:
ClutchDisc wrote: I'm thinking more about the engines that are built to last 150,000 and the interference engines. Not at all talking about the build quality or things like that. I'm sure there are plenty of modern cars that can last a long time.
Not sure that I'm following you. Are you suggesting that modern cars are built to last 150,000 miles? Or are you saying that about older cars? The reason I ask is because 100,000 miles was often considered A LOT of miles on an older car. On a modern car, 100,000 miles is really nothing at all. Hell, back when I worked as a Toyota tech, we'd see several older Toyotas with 300,000 or even 400,000 miles on them. It wasn't unusual at all.
It really comes down to maintenance, and how well someone maintains the car regardless of the car being an older car or a modern car.

I think the thing is, is that when someone has something major (engine, tranny, etc) break on a modern car, they're more likely to just get rid of it, where on a older car they're more likely to fix it if the car is in good shape because that car is harder to find in good shape than a newer car. That's why I have the mindset that older cars last longer. Obviously any car with the right amount of maintenance will last a long time.
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