Largely accepted is that things get old and break. Automobiles are certainly no exception Many people get hundreds of thousands of useful miles. Others have to replace much sooner and have far more problems along the way. There are reasons and knowing them can save a person thousands of dollars.
In many respects a vehicle is not unlike a human body.
Both require fuel, maintenance and sometimes repair. Another similarity is, the better care each receives early on, the better the results are, in later years. This is even more important on the vehicle, as it lacks the ability to heal itself.
Another serious problem is the tendency of trying to scrimp on older vehicles.
For instance, we often hear, "It’s an old car, so I just want a cheap tire/battery/etc. This is very poor economy. A cheap-out-of-round tire now vibrates. This may quickly destroy suspension parts, such as a rack and pinion, ball joints, wheel bearings and so on.
Saving $200 on a set of tires results in a rack and pinion failure that cost $1000. Worse, using a discount repair service, this may not be recognised as the cause and continue to cause damage. Instead old age is blamed, for something that might have been prevented. Eventually the car must be replaced, at considerable expense. The owner may even feel happy they didn’t invest in a good set of tires for an old that was "fixing to break down," ironic.
As cars age they need even better care.
An older car does not have to fail, but it does require extra care. Just as a person must take better care of themselves as they age.
Our experience shows up to 70% of problems on older vehicles might have been prevented. Substandard batteries ruin alternators and leak acid which does great damage. Neglected oil changes cause oil leaks and oil consumption from stuck piston rings. Plugged fuel filters and cheap fuel cause expensive fuel pumps to fail and clog injectors.
Most modern vehicles are capable of giving 250,000 miles of service with minimum investment.
Two vehicle types are far more prone to problems than others. On one end of the spectrum is the very inexpensive vehicle. Cars with very low entry prices normally get there by compromising on engineering. Ironically the other is the top end vehicles, those with loads of gadgets. Gadgets break and the more there are the more there are to break. The best long-term service is normally from mid-range vehicles.
Buy the right vehicle, take care of it and it will cost you less. We advise a yearly general inspection. This way we can spot potential problems and keep you advised on maintenance. Preventing problems, that’s the AGCO way.
