[Closed] Anyone see something about a guy with a 1966 Volvo who's approching 3 MILLION miles!

Phil, I worked at a Pontiac dealership and around 1957 we began selling Volvos too.

I remember one Volvo that a guy drove from Mass. to upstate NY with no oil pressure.

They took the engine apart and the crank had no damage.

Pretty good steel. As I remember we had very few maintenance problems with the Volvos.

Here's the story. Not only is he driving the hell out of this car, that he bought new,

Volvo gave him a new car when he hit his first million miles and he put almost 500,000 miles on that one too.

http://autos.aol.com/article/three-million-mile-volvo-still-running-after-47-years/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl19%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D339383

I had a good friend who inherited a 400,000 miles Volvo from his dad.

In 4 years he drove it another 190,000 miles. He sold it with almost 600,000 miles on it and the car never had an engine rebuilt. Aside from regular tune ups and normal maintenance, the car never gave him or his dad any major problems.
These are great reliable cars. I dont like Volvos, but they really know how to build engines.

The older model Volvos were well-known for reliability, but my mechanic friends indicate that the more recent models fail to measure up to the brand's reputation from the past. One of my best friends owns his own automotive repair business, specializing in Volvos. He hates working on the later models, which he claims are troublesome and very costly to repair.

Phil, check the math. I'm coming up with 175 miles per day.

I could easily see that many miles.

Im not doubting a car COULD go this long, what I find almost impossible to believe is that this guy has accumulated an AVERAGE meaning EVERY SINGLE DAY for 47 years 175 per day! This averages out to not missing a day! Add to this the other 500000 miles he drove the other car and it factors in even more miles average per day! This is EVERY DAY for 47 years! I find this very very hard to believe, sorry! anything is possible, but I have been following this story and the responses are more with my thinking then people actually believing its true.

Heck my Lincoln now has a 1/4 mill on it original engine, tranny, ALL engine sensors, water pump, PS pump Radiator, rack N pinion, ONE alternator change and unfortunately that was changed do to me thinking it crapped out when in reality it was a corroded ground! 🙁 Prolly would have still been in there. ONE starter replacment around 180,000 and the 13 year mark, original heater core etc etc. Main things changed were normal wear, control arms (due to warn bushings, shocks, struts, tierods (done at 200.000 about and two outta 4 were still tight! ) Same MC and brake booster. i could go on and on. ANd this is an AMERICAN car. Cars said to fall apart and be no good! At this point I dont doubt I will get at least 300,000 out of it before the tranny needs a rebuild or even more miles! time will tell.

Great, Phil! I'm with you on the reliable American cars. Part of the perception problem is that people like to lump all American cars together. There were great American cars during the 1980's and 1990's -- and some not-so-great ones as well. On the basis of the less reliable models, many people like to say that all American cars are crap.

Funny, and yet the same people are perfectly happy to differentiate Toyotas and Hondas from the less stellar Mitsubishis or Suzukis.

My wife's 1989 LeSabre has also reached the quarter-million mile mark. I drove it just yesterday, and marveled at how quiet, comfortable, and reliable it is. This, like your Lincoln, still boasts the original, unrebuilt engine and transmission.

Just this afternoon, I have taken a pre-cautionary step, knowing that the old LeSabre may not run forever. Some of my third or fourth cousins are selling their late mother's last car, so I've just sealed the deal to acquire her 2005 LeSabre with a mere 28,000 miles. I expect this one will last me another 15 - 20 years!

You're right on the money. These incorrect perceptions still linger. However...

... the good news is that the American industry is definitely making inroads into dispelling those incorrect perception myths. The sales and profits figures for the American auto industry is testament to that.

However, Ford is still struggling with Lincoln. I'm sure Ford is working very hard trying to figure out a solution to pull Lincoln out of its moribund status. Cadillac is crushing Lincoln and has its American luxury car foot on Lincoln's throat. There's a distinct Cadillac tire treadmark on Lincoln's balance sheet and has left Lincoln behind in the sales dust!

Lincoln is no competion to Cadillac.

And Lincoln is doing little to stay afloat. Ford is only concentrating on Sales. They know the more expensive lincoln wont give them the money. Fiestas, Fusions, Mustangs, SUVs, and Pickup Trucks are the ones that bring the money to them. Their main competitor is not Cadillac, but Toyota. The american car industry is ambitious in higher production terms, not in quality. I own a Ford, but it will never compare to lets say a Bentley thats built with high quality material and assembled by hand! Will I be happy paying $300,000+ for a Bentley? No! And thats what Ford knows. IHMO, Lincoln will sooner or later disappear.

But why are you comparing a Ford or Lincoln to Bentley? lol

YES I agree Ford has some catching up to Cadillacs current offerings BUT Cadillac dosnt have anything all that striking to offer either. Their ATS??? BIG DEAL ! that looks like another bloated exercise in automotive design much like the Lincoln MKS so.... Wooopie it has a lot of gadgets and a touch screen. To me touch screens in cars are another destraction and to be honest I dont even know how the Federal Government is allowing them in cars! They are a big distraction, especially the type that you control everything through one interface. As for quality or reliability .... I will take a Lincoln over a Cadillac any day of the week. We've had both, I still have a Lincoln and a Lincoln will by far out run a Cadillac with out as much maintainance and the electronics will be less problematic with a Lincoln then a Cadillac. Just go into any Cadillac that is 5-10 years old, inspect all the interior parts for loosness, test what works and dosnt work and I will blind bet you that if you randomly test and inspect 500 cars Cadillacs and 500 Lincolns, more Cadillacs will have accessories that don't work, be it a lumbar support, A/C that dosnt work, a loose or broken trim piece etc.. then the Lincolns do. This was even more true in the 70-90s!

My Aunt has a 2001 Deville. It has about 75,000 miles on it and so far that I know of and she's very hush hush about repairs as it's an EGO trip, shes had a new Catalytic converters (mine STILL ALL ORIGINAL including the o2 sensors), 5 of the 8 ignition coils have been replaced (the first one of mine was replaced at over 120,000 and 9 years. and several others since but I have 3 xs the mileage now that she does!). Front struts at 50k (mine lasted 11 years and 140K), Her headgaskets were done TWICE already! Once under warranty the next time not! First due to oil leak, second due to anti-freeze seepage!. My head gaskets and engine ORIGINAL not touched aside from the valve cover gaskets @ 200,000 miles and 13 years old)! Im sure there's a lot more she DIDN'T tell me about, but uncle "leaked" this info to me. When I asked Auntie if shes ever had any problems with her car she always says "No nothing its great" LOLOLOL um ok

Buicks (LeSabres in particular) are one of the most seen American car here in NY on the road

Im talking for 10+ year group. Generally here when I see a car thats over 10-15 years old its either a Buick, Ford product or Toyota or Nissan (not Honda). I rarely see Mercedes or BMWs here that are older then 10 years. As for Lexus, the only old LExus I ever see are the original LS400s. while they look very dated now, but they seem to run forever and were very durable. People really loved them! Best of luck with your "new" Buick undoubtedly you will have it for MANY years!

I really hope that turns around Marlowe! I think what would have Kicked Caddys but would have been..

The original concept which the FoMoCo rep told me was just about finallized for production of what became the MKS. At the time they didn't have an official name for it, but the rep told me it would be produced more or less the way it looked. Well I'm sorry but WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO IT? The pre-production car was very sleek and futuristic. Everyone who saw it was in awe! I was waiting to see them on the road and never did. WHY? Because it became the MKS! I think it would have been a really successful car had they produced what I saw. It was more sleek and well proportioned. Time will tell, but I hope they DO come back. I really think dropping the Iconic Lincoln Town car was one of their most stupid moves. I cannot believe it didn't sell in large #s to Fleets???

John I don't have stats on that either but I agree 2000% !!!!!!

Today's luxury car buyers want a new model (XYZ call it what you will) every 2-3 years to be in with the ME TOO crowd! Whatever the "IN" car is they want and want to own till the next model and newest comes out. This is true with Mercedes too. There is a reason that a 3-4 year old mercedes loses 45-50%++ of its' value in such a short time. Its not because they arent great cars, they are, it's because Mr so and so bought it had it 2-4 years and wants to move on. Or the other type as you mentioned that leases their car. the 3 year lease is up and time to move onto the next newest, hottest model. THat leaves all these 2-4 year old luxury cars up for sale. Now WHO wants them? It's not the super rich as they already owned them and did you the favor of absorbing all the depreciation! That leaves people whom are looking for a later model used car and people whom like status cars but didnt have the $65G $100+ G to by the high end Benz when new. But wait ... some of these no longer have warrantys as the mileage or time is up! So does so and so want to spend $35-$50Gs on a 3-4 year old car with NO warranty? NOPE not really so again this further limits the demand for such luxury cars. People like me whom can fix cars might buy them as they know they dont have to shell out the high labor costs. Others might buy them and wing the maintance etc.. But that is my theory of why luxury cars on the second hand market dont hold their value! Your right the average consumer could care less if it goes 100K between tune ups as they know it will be turned in or traded in far before that! My late Dad bought his 1979 BB Mark V in 1986 when it was 7 years old he paid $4500 for it! That car new was sticker at $21,000!!! Ok so if you talked and negotiated you probably could have walked out paying $17,900-18,500 but still! Add tax to that and its still almost $20Gs My dad paid less then 25% of what it cost new by buying it when it was 7 years old. Thats a LOT of depreciation!!