Sunday, July 15, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Final Post
Earlier this week we purchased a replacement for the Accord - a 2011 Toyota Prius. It's a fine car that gets great mileage, but it's a bit boring to drive. This morning I drove my wife's 2000 Civic to work and realized just how monotonous the Prius can be. But it checked most of the boxes we needed it to, and I'm sure we'll enjoy it. The plan is to drive the Prius for 10+ years and 150,000+ miles.
As for the Accord, her story is not yet complete. The guy we bought the Toyota from told us of a nearby family that was in a pinch an needed a car. Travis and his wife contacted me shortly thereafter, and after describing the current state of the car and trading pictures, they were interested. We gave them the car and a clean title a few days ago for free. They have a friend who is a mechanic and has agreed to help them repair the radiator for the cost of parts. I really wish them the best.
I'm slightly bummed to have to end the blog like this, but on the other hand i'm glad I found someone to carry the torch past 300K.
I promised myself I would take a final photograph, but I forgot. And I also forgot to log the final mileage on the ODO. And the worst part - I didn't even get to relish my last drive because I was thinking I might still have to drive it one more time, but the transaction with Travis happened much quicker than I anticipated.
God Speed 300K Accord.
As for the Accord, her story is not yet complete. The guy we bought the Toyota from told us of a nearby family that was in a pinch an needed a car. Travis and his wife contacted me shortly thereafter, and after describing the current state of the car and trading pictures, they were interested. We gave them the car and a clean title a few days ago for free. They have a friend who is a mechanic and has agreed to help them repair the radiator for the cost of parts. I really wish them the best.
I'm slightly bummed to have to end the blog like this, but on the other hand i'm glad I found someone to carry the torch past 300K.
I promised myself I would take a final photograph, but I forgot. And I also forgot to log the final mileage on the ODO. And the worst part - I didn't even get to relish my last drive because I was thinking I might still have to drive it one more time, but the transaction with Travis happened much quicker than I anticipated.
God Speed 300K Accord.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Replacement Car & Other Details
My wife and I made an offer on a used Prius on Friday and we pick it up later today. We're buying it from a private party who, after I told the 300,000 mile adventure story, said he had an extended family member who pretty solidly needed a car to get to work. It appears that the Accord will fall into new hands tomorrow, be restored to roadworthy condition, and continue in service for at least some period of time. This makes me incredibly happy. Also, I'm passing the car along free of charge. I hope to stay in touch with the new owner and possibly snag a photo of the odometer at 300K.
As for the Prius, we did a lot of research on vehicles before settling on this. We were shopping in the subcompact segment and were almost settled on a 2012 Honda Fit (base model) as it seemed like the best value in that segment and had great reviews, and it seemed like you could get a better deal on a new model than used.
Then about a week ago my wife suggested we consider the Prius. I wasn't convinced at first because they sell for more than what we wanted to spend, but while browsing Consumer Reports figured that the cost of ownership over 5 years was comparable to a new fit. On top of that, you get the added security against rising gas prices - as we intend to keep this vehicle for 10 years or 200,000 miles it's something we like.
Choosing the Prius is still somewhat of a gamble. At present it appears that battery replacement is certain within a 200,000 mile life (they are warrantied at 100,000mi and seem to be lasting around 150,000), but we're talking about a $3,000 fix in 2012. It should be cheaper in the future as battery technologies improve. Tires are another urban legend with many people suggesting that 30,000mi is the most you can squeeze out of a set of stock tires. Again, research suggests that there is a lot of value when purchasing a different model that doesn't compromise fuel economy too much but are warrantied for 80,000 miles.
We pick up the new car this evening, which leaves just one final detail to close out this blog - the future of the Accord.
As for the Prius, we did a lot of research on vehicles before settling on this. We were shopping in the subcompact segment and were almost settled on a 2012 Honda Fit (base model) as it seemed like the best value in that segment and had great reviews, and it seemed like you could get a better deal on a new model than used.
Then about a week ago my wife suggested we consider the Prius. I wasn't convinced at first because they sell for more than what we wanted to spend, but while browsing Consumer Reports figured that the cost of ownership over 5 years was comparable to a new fit. On top of that, you get the added security against rising gas prices - as we intend to keep this vehicle for 10 years or 200,000 miles it's something we like.
Choosing the Prius is still somewhat of a gamble. At present it appears that battery replacement is certain within a 200,000 mile life (they are warrantied at 100,000mi and seem to be lasting around 150,000), but we're talking about a $3,000 fix in 2012. It should be cheaper in the future as battery technologies improve. Tires are another urban legend with many people suggesting that 30,000mi is the most you can squeeze out of a set of stock tires. Again, research suggests that there is a lot of value when purchasing a different model that doesn't compromise fuel economy too much but are warrantied for 80,000 miles.
We pick up the new car this evening, which leaves just one final detail to close out this blog - the future of the Accord.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
300K Will Not Happen
The state of affairs is abysmal. The radiator leak has only grown, and I've resigned to adding about 12oz of coolant each time I drive. Long drives are out. Each drive could be the last.
On top of this, my wife's car has been glitching over the past week. First, an exhaust hanger broke causing her muffler to fall off. She drove my car for a few days (with extra coolant in hand) while I biked to work. Once that was mended her A/C gave out.
We started researching new cars a few weeks ago. Last night we test drove a 2011 Prius with 6,000 miles. Tomorrow we test a new Honda Fit. Maybe by the weekend we'll have new wheels and I can officially kick this bucket to the curb.
A short update, but an important one. It looks like the ticker won't push much past 295,000. I'm not sad.
On top of this, my wife's car has been glitching over the past week. First, an exhaust hanger broke causing her muffler to fall off. She drove my car for a few days (with extra coolant in hand) while I biked to work. Once that was mended her A/C gave out.
We started researching new cars a few weeks ago. Last night we test drove a 2011 Prius with 6,000 miles. Tomorrow we test a new Honda Fit. Maybe by the weekend we'll have new wheels and I can officially kick this bucket to the curb.
A short update, but an important one. It looks like the ticker won't push much past 295,000. I'm not sad.
Monday, June 18, 2012
The Roller Coaster Continues...
Put a decent amount of miles on the Honda this weekend. Drove 120 miles on Saturday and 300 miles on Sunday. I didn't see a lot of leaking from the radiator, and the resevoir was keeping level pretty well. But after arriving home late last night and pulling the radiator cap the coolant in the radiator was very low. I had to add 2 liters probably to top it off. So it's still leaking.
Right now my wife is driving it because her car needs to have the exhaust repaired, which should happen tonight. We're getting desperate about replacing my honda ASAP as the anxieties of keeping 2 POS cars running at a time when we both need cars is tough.
Right now my wife is driving it because her car needs to have the exhaust repaired, which should happen tonight. We're getting desperate about replacing my honda ASAP as the anxieties of keeping 2 POS cars running at a time when we both need cars is tough.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Failure is not an option - but it's the most likely outcome
About 2 weeks ago the radiator started leaking. Luckily I'm not losing a ton of coolant right now because the leak is very small and at the top of the radiator. I've been getting by topping off the coolant reservoir every day or 2 I drive (I check each time I drive, but sometimes don't need to top it off). I've also poured in various brands of stop leak but with no success.
So realistically, it doesn't appear the leak will stop any time soon. I can continue to add coolant when needed (I've successfully driven the car 3 or 4 times at highway speed for between 60 and 100 miles without trouble - also around town and to work and back). But all it takes is one time forgetting to top it off and the car is toast. Or even worse, the leak could grow - causing the car to toast.
I wish there was more to post right now, but there's not. There will however be an epic final journey post whenever that happens.
Under 6,000 miles to go.
So realistically, it doesn't appear the leak will stop any time soon. I can continue to add coolant when needed (I've successfully driven the car 3 or 4 times at highway speed for between 60 and 100 miles without trouble - also around town and to work and back). But all it takes is one time forgetting to top it off and the car is toast. Or even worse, the leak could grow - causing the car to toast.
I wish there was more to post right now, but there's not. There will however be an epic final journey post whenever that happens.
Under 6,000 miles to go.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Monday, June 4, 2012
Radiator Update
Friday evening I live-blogged a photo showing a radiator leak. At the time I was about 100 miles from home and worried first and foremost that I wasn't going to make it home to let our dog out. Luckily a trip to wal-mart for some coolant and that radiator seal junk allowed my wife and myself to limp home, apparently slowing but not stopping the leak. Over the weekend I put close to another 150 miles on the odo and it appears at the moment that the leak has stopped.
This is the kind of stuff that worries me. With around 6,000 miles left to 300K I'm not spending money on maintenance anymore. If the radiator leak was large enough (it appears to be pin-hole size) that would be a wrap on the car. but for the time being, i'll keep some extra coolant in the trunk and check the level daily to make sure nothing bad happens.
Hopefully this was just a bump in the road and not a sign of more serious problems.
This is the kind of stuff that worries me. With around 6,000 miles left to 300K I'm not spending money on maintenance anymore. If the radiator leak was large enough (it appears to be pin-hole size) that would be a wrap on the car. but for the time being, i'll keep some extra coolant in the trunk and check the level daily to make sure nothing bad happens.
Hopefully this was just a bump in the road and not a sign of more serious problems.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Predicting the Big Day
Predicting when the 300,000 mile roll-over will happen, and determining when to begin documenting the final miles has turned out to be somewhat challenging. Over on the right-hand side of the blog I've added a widget that shows real-time mileage and an estimated roll-over date that are calculated based on daily mileage updates I add manually to a Google Spreadsheet.
The roll-over date is based on a linear growth model that takes the average miles per day traveled and calculates out how many days remain until the car reaches 300k. Right now it's showing a targeted roll-over date of March 2013. On top of having a small sample size I've been bicycle commuting to work more frequently and my wife and I are driving her car more on the weekend because we want to delay the inevitable replacement of this vehicle as much as possible. So posting will be sparse until later this fall.
In the meantime, here's a picture of one of my 2 bicycles. It's a Surly CrossCheck purchased back in 2008. It has served me well in the past for commuting to work, lite single track duty, touring, and most recently cyclocross racing. I'm currently building it up as a city bike and backup / nice weather commuter with Schwalbe Fat Frank balloon tires and platform pedals. My primary bike, a Surly Long Haul Trucker, will probably be featured in another post in the future.
Bike commuting is great. It eliminates the greatest expense to driving a car - gasoline. Although when you take gasoline out of the equation, I've probably spent more money on bicycle tires alone in the past 5 years than I have on car maintenance.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Al Bundy's 1,000,000 Mile Dodge and other 'What-Ifs?'
Remember the episode of 'Married with Children' where Al's Dodge is about to roll over 1,000,000 miles and Dodge tells him that if they can film the monumental event they'll reward him with a brand new Dodge Viper? Al drives the car up and down the street until the odometer is 999,999.9 and backs it into his garage so that the next morning he can roll it out before the cameras, roll-over a million miles and collect his Viper. However in an effort to ensure the car isn't tampered with overnight he sleeps in the driver's seat and inadvertently shifts the car into neutral while sleeping and awakes to an odometer that reads 1,000,000. Typical Al Bundy luck.
I know that 300,000 miles isn't a huge big deal. I know about the guy with the 3 million mile Volvo (didn't Volvo give him a new Volvo when he hit 1,000,000 miles and he subsequently drove that car over 1,000,000 miles? Rumors.) But 300,000 is a big deal to me. Unlike the Volvo guy, or most of the people on the web who have crazy high-mileage stories, I'm not a salesman nor a courier and I don't drive to make a living. Does that make this Accord more pious? No, just different. And to be honest, I don't think I'll ever have the opportunity to do this again. Which is why I'm making a big deal out of it now.
Back to Al Bundy and his paranoia. Just like Al, I'm equally excited about hitting 300,000 miles and realize that despite having a clean driving record there are a few things that could happen over the coming months that would end this goal prematurely: The car could be in an accident or endure a level of damage or repair that would be unrealistic to overcome from a financial standpoint - these are what I'm worried about most. Because to be honest, if I weren't striving to hit the 300,000 mark this car would've been donated to Goodwill a long time ago.
The car makes noises and things are starting to fall apart. The front right brake rotor is warped and the caliper seized. The tires are at the end of their lifespan. There's a fuel injector problem where when I start the car and put it into drive it doesn't respond to the accelerator at all without pumping the pedal numerous times. Most of the cabin lights have burned out. Knobs have fallen off. I'm limping towards the finish line and the closer we get the more it's going to hurt if something fails. I'm willing to put a little bit of money into the car to get there, but not a significant amount.
I can relate to how Al felt in that episode. It's a paradox to own a car that you both wish would be stolen so you can move onto something better, but you'd be absolutely crushed if it actually happened.
On a side note, I'm posting current mileages on the right-hand side of this blog page direct from my twitter account. I'm also using a linear growth model to predict when I'll turn over 300,000 miles. Currently predicted to occur in December of this year.
Why I like High-Mileage Vehicles
In my very first post I told a story about how my dad got rid of a car that despite having close to 200,000 miles on the odometer drove better than our much newer Dodge. My mom was convinced that hitting that 200k figure meant automatic doom. I never believed it, and every car I've owned since has in one way or another striven to prove that arbitrary mileage figures mean less than good car maintenance.
Every car I've owned as an adult has had more than 180,000 miles on the odometer when I finally got rid of it. I even went so far as to buy a 1979 Cadillac Coupe deVille (pictured above) that had 190,000 miles on the clock. I also owned a Mazda Protege that had 180,000 on the clock when I got rid of it. None of these cars yet (including my current Accord) has stranded me.
I like to buy cars really cheap. High-mileage cars accomplish that fairly easily and if you can find one with a great service record there's a lot of value that can be had. But in a future post I'll discuss why I'm not attempting 400,000 miles in my Accord.
Every car I've owned as an adult has had more than 180,000 miles on the odometer when I finally got rid of it. I even went so far as to buy a 1979 Cadillac Coupe deVille (pictured above) that had 190,000 miles on the clock. I also owned a Mazda Protege that had 180,000 on the clock when I got rid of it. None of these cars yet (including my current Accord) has stranded me.
I like to buy cars really cheap. High-mileage cars accomplish that fairly easily and if you can find one with a great service record there's a lot of value that can be had. But in a future post I'll discuss why I'm not attempting 400,000 miles in my Accord.
Monday, May 21, 2012
A Typical Commute - Time Lapse
Below is a time-lapse capture of my typical 40 mile one-way commute that usually took 50 minutes to complete. For every 1 second of video you're seeing 1.6 minutes of my commute that day. The video was captured with an HTC Thunderbolt using LapseIt Pro. It's a great app for time-lapse and well worth the purchase price.
The Accord made this trip on average 3 times per week for the past 4 years until my wife and I moved back into the City and much closer to our jobs. Despite reducing the commute from 80 miles a day to 20 I'm still managing to pile the miles on during the weekend visiting family and friends throughout the state.
The Accord made this trip on average 3 times per week for the past 4 years until my wife and I moved back into the City and much closer to our jobs. Despite reducing the commute from 80 miles a day to 20 I'm still managing to pile the miles on during the weekend visiting family and friends throughout the state.
Final Oil Change
Honda's factory service manual for this car calls for oil changes every 7,500 miles and I've been following that as close as possible since I purchased the car in 2008 with 220,000 miles on the clock. Last week at 293,158 I took her in for her last oil change before rolling over 300k.
Self-maintenance of any car can be very rewarding and I've spent my fair share of time lying beneath cars changing oil over the years. In college it was necessary to save money, but more often than not it was an opportunity to hang out with friends and wrench. Over the years I've lost touch with friends and found better uses for my time and money than lying on the cold cement in February draining oil from a 14-year-old car. The margins are too low anymore.
The above photo is from the final oil change. The kind folks at my local QuikStop Oil Lube treated her well and out of respect for the milestone didn't bother up-selling me on wiper blades or nitrogen for the tires. They also went out of their way to print a "next service due on..." sticker that reads exactly 300,000 miles. Reason enough to start a scrap book.
Current Mileage - 293,238
About this blog...
The purpose of this blog is to document the countdown to rolling over 300,000 miles in my 1998 Honda Accord. In this, my first blog post, I feel it necessary to give some background to how this car came into my possession and why I'd even care enough to push a car this far. Here's a picture of her at approximately 293,000 (May 2012):
I learned to drive in a tan Honda Accord that my father purchased new in 1991. By the time I had my learner's permit it was 1997 and the car had 175,000 miles on it. It was a grey Saturday afternoon about 30 minutes after leaving the DMV. My dad didn't show any intent of letting me drive until he pulled over in a city park and said to me "Here, switch with me." It was the happiest I'd even been.
That car was such a great vehicle and even with close to 190,000 miles on the odometer it still drove like it was a brand new car. As far as I can remember the only thing that ever went wrong on it was the power antenna - because someone in my family left the radio on going through the automatic car wash. I dreamed about driving that car to high school then taking it to college. Then one day my dad told me he was selling it because my mom didn't think a car with 200,000 miles on the odo was reliable.
Stop for a moment to contemplate this. The greatest car I'd ever known - the car I learned to drive in, the car that drove better at 190,000 miles than our Dodge Caravan with 40,000 miles and a warranty replacement transmission - was out the door because my mom didn't trust it. This was a pivotal moment in my life and has set the stage for nearly every car purchase since.
In the spring of 1998, on the morning before Mother's Day, my dad took me to the nearest Honda dealership and traded in that '91 Accord for a new green 1998 Honda Accord EX 2.3L VTEC. Gone were the dreams of driving that tan sedan to High School (a privilege that soon went to the family's bright-red minivan) but most of all - gone was the dream of seeing that car hit 300,000 which I knew was entirely possible and safe.
14 years later I'm on the precipice of seeing that dream to fruition - seeing a car pass 300,000 miles safely and reliably. I now own that '98 Accord - having purchased it from my dad with 220,000 miles on the odo after he though the car was beyond it's useful life. Over the next few posts I'll talk more about this car's history and how losing that '91 Accord has impacted nearly every vehicle purchase I've made since. And I'll try to include life lessons when appropriate.
Current mileage - 293,238
I learned to drive in a tan Honda Accord that my father purchased new in 1991. By the time I had my learner's permit it was 1997 and the car had 175,000 miles on it. It was a grey Saturday afternoon about 30 minutes after leaving the DMV. My dad didn't show any intent of letting me drive until he pulled over in a city park and said to me "Here, switch with me." It was the happiest I'd even been.
That car was such a great vehicle and even with close to 190,000 miles on the odometer it still drove like it was a brand new car. As far as I can remember the only thing that ever went wrong on it was the power antenna - because someone in my family left the radio on going through the automatic car wash. I dreamed about driving that car to high school then taking it to college. Then one day my dad told me he was selling it because my mom didn't think a car with 200,000 miles on the odo was reliable.
Stop for a moment to contemplate this. The greatest car I'd ever known - the car I learned to drive in, the car that drove better at 190,000 miles than our Dodge Caravan with 40,000 miles and a warranty replacement transmission - was out the door because my mom didn't trust it. This was a pivotal moment in my life and has set the stage for nearly every car purchase since.
In the spring of 1998, on the morning before Mother's Day, my dad took me to the nearest Honda dealership and traded in that '91 Accord for a new green 1998 Honda Accord EX 2.3L VTEC. Gone were the dreams of driving that tan sedan to High School (a privilege that soon went to the family's bright-red minivan) but most of all - gone was the dream of seeing that car hit 300,000 which I knew was entirely possible and safe.
14 years later I'm on the precipice of seeing that dream to fruition - seeing a car pass 300,000 miles safely and reliably. I now own that '98 Accord - having purchased it from my dad with 220,000 miles on the odo after he though the car was beyond it's useful life. Over the next few posts I'll talk more about this car's history and how losing that '91 Accord has impacted nearly every vehicle purchase I've made since. And I'll try to include life lessons when appropriate.
Current mileage - 293,238
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)