My 2007 is just recovered from getting new batteries... (Brand new 12V and reman'd traction from Greentech)I've got 174000 miles on it, and now that it is back running well, I've got a few mods and upgrades planned. In no particular order: I've got good snow tires on it , with only one season on them. I'm planning on a good set of LRR summer tires & a second set of rims for spring. (The car was parked for the entire warm season . the snow tires did not get a lot of wear on them over the summer) I'm going to have my son put in a set of stiffer sway bars, and the chassis stiffener plate, plus some new shocks & struts. I'm 6'3" and a set of driver's seat relocation brackets is on the short to do list. I have a short commute, but will be making regular 1000 mile trips, so at least a Bluetooth audio dongle, if not an aftermarket double DIN head unit is in the cards. On the maintenance front I suppose a full fluids change is in order. I've put 65,000 miles on since I picked the car up & have only done regular LOFs so it will go on the 'soon' list. Other items: I'm going to to be doing the cold weather grille mod, as well as a block heater. I've thought about remote start, but I'm still on the fence about it. My goal is to run this until I hit at least 250,000 miles, which at my current rate would mean another two and a half years. Gas has dropped to $2 a gallon locally, but it won't stay there. And even at relatively high mileage I can't see any other car I'd rather commute in. At that point it will be eleven years old, but I expect it will still be going strong! Thanks to all who've shared their experiences and expertise! Thanks as well for 'listening' to my rambling .
I went with the solution which I could afford, and which fit my level of comfort for repairs... Is it ideal? Perhaps not in your opinion, I'm pleased with how it is working, that's enough for now.
Yes I understand it's working good and enough for now. But you mentioned in your post you are planning to put some money in the car and hope to get to 250k, in about 2.5 years. I think that's very optimistic based on a remanufactured battery. Just don't want you throwing all this money at your car and then realize that repair is not as reliable as you may have hoped.
It's a goal, I bought the car for a work vehicle, made money with it for awhile. It broke down after I took an office job. I may not make the mileage goal, so be it. It did its job well when I needed it to run hard, At this point I'm planning on at most $1000 in mods, the rest is maintenance & wear items. I used to put 300 to 450 miles a day on it, now I'm doing a little more than that per week. It's a calculated risk on the reman, but I have their warranty for now & I can always try other methods if need be. In the meantime I'm commuting on under $20 per week & having fun doing it. Will I 'win' ? At worst I am faced with another bill. At best I enjoy the car for a couple more years.
All the best to you, I'm sure I'll be in your shoes soon, can't afford anything else. The only thing that's hurting me right now is how rapidly this car has depreciated. I hope in the near future they have perfected the remanufactured HIB battery better, less pricey and with longer warranties!
Thanks fore! I never worry about depreciation, I run vehicles too hard for that. Part of the reason I want to hit 250,000 is that if I can do that, I'll be able to pick up a project vehicle for fun and road trips.
We're having such a mild late fall, now I'm Debating on picking up three season LRR tires in a couple of weeks vs spring so I don't wear out my snow tires.