Highest Mileage

[ArmyofOne]

my 81 celica gt 438,000 miles all original, engine tranny and drivetrain,top that

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My '92 Toyota pickup can top that by a small margin and it still passes tough California smog with its factory original catalytic converter http://www.saber.net/~monarch/smog92.jpg

While a rare Ford / Chevy may go 375,000, it's on its last legs by then and has had alot of problems along the way whereas a 400,000 mile Toyota engine can still have like new compression and low emissions with alot of good running years left. Example: I'm going on a 350 mile trip tomorrow in my 453,000 Toyota and have no fears of it breaking down on me.

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MAYBE you didnt hear me, it wasnt on its last legs. it drove like brand new. and i never had a single major issue along the way.

bottom line is, if you maintain it, chevy, ford, lexus, dodge it doesnt matter, they will all last a long time.

i have seen jsut as many neglected toyotas asfords, and i have seen camrys die before fords simply because there owners think (liek you) that imports (toyotas in particular) are special, and do not ever break. this is not the case. my lexus is a fine exapmle...$4,000 in 2 months is not routine. i wish you would stop dogging american cars. there is nothing wrong with most of them. they serve the purpose they are intented to serve.

like it or not, a car is a machine, foreign or not, and EVERY machine needs routine maintenance, like it or not. Every part in an engine is a wear item. period. as such, replacement will eventually be nessecary. its how you take care of it that determines how ling it wil go before needing replacement.

with 270K i ran the quater milein 15.7 seconds. ON THE OEM CLUTCH.

so go ahead, dog it some more. if you want to be close-minded, thats your option. <_<

oh, and BTW, compression the day after the accident rear 174 on ALL FOUR Cylinders.

[VGR]

If American cars even approached the reliability and durability of Asian cars then few Americans would even consider buying Asian cars. Therefore ever since the early 1970's the Asians have had no choice but to build MUCH more reliable and durable cars in order to penetrate the North American and other world markets which were dominated for decades by GM and Ford.

The Annual Auto Issue of Consumer Reports is on the newstands right now and contains a list of about 175 reliable used cars for used car shoppers to consider buying. Of these 175 reliable used cars, 90% are Asian cars, the other 10% American and European. There is also a list of over 100 Used Cars to Avoid because of poor reliability. Guess what car is on that list? Yep, the Ford Contour.

[ArmyofOne]

If American cars even approached the reliability and durability of Asian cars then few Americans would even consider buying Asian cars.  Therefore ever since the early 1970's the Asians have had no choice but to build MUCH more reliable and durable cars in order to penetrate the North American and other world markets which were dominated for decades by GM and Ford. 

The Annual Auto Issue of Consumer Reports is on the newstands right now and contains a list of about 175 reliable used cars for used car shoppers to consider buying.  Of these 175 reliable used cars, 90% are Asian cars, the other 10% American and European.  There is also a list of over 100 Used Cars to Avoid because of poor reliability. Guess what car is on that list? Yep, the Ford Contour.

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im sure it is, many of them had problems, the point is that those problems couldhave been lessened and even eliminated with regular maintenance. the problem with those statistics is they are based off of whatthe avergae consumer writes or says about the car, and guess what else...the average consumer doesnt maintain there car anywhere near to what they should.

ever wonder why, after the warranty is upon a car, the problems begin to arise? MAINTENANCE ISNT BEING PERFORMED IN A TIMELY MANNER ANY LONGER. the notices stop coming in the mail from the dealer saying its time for the car to be brougth in for maintenance.

the 3 things the average customer worries about after the warranty period:

Are my brakes working?

Do i have Fuel?

and is my oil change current.

americans dont care what causes the problems, only that there is one.

and its people like you that hurt the sales of american cars. they arent all piles fo *BLEEP*. there are good ones out there.

i simply use my contour as an example because it didnt fit the norm. the only MAJOR problem on the contours i know of (and i know the chief engineer of the CDW-27 project personally) were the early and chronic automatic transaxle failures. while that is pretty major, it isnt ANYTHING a little routine maint. and prudence in driving manner couldnt eliminate completely. the reason mine didnt have the problem? it had the 5 spd that woudl hold 500 HP on stock parts. ford didnt design it to be a race car, when people hammer it like it is one, things will eventually break. that goes for toyota as well.

i know of 2 people who have over 500,000 miles on their automatic ford contours and mercury mystiques, and even a few cougar owners with over 250K. the cougar is after all, a 2 door contour. suspension, frame, engine transaxle they are all thesame. the only thing different is the body and interior.

and guess what else is on that list you menitoned?

the 1993 toyota celica, trannies and headgaskets were common. for no apparent reason.

you arent going to sell me on this american cars are pieces of *BLEEP* campaign, so dont even try.

not all japanese cars are good cars either.

whatever you say guys, i know enough to trust my own experience, your narrowmindedness wil only hurt you in the long run. there are many many great american cars out there, and you will never get to experience them the way i have and do... i feel sorry for you. ;)

oh,and what is it with you and consumer reports? they arent perfect. and they arent the bible when it comes to cars. i would get a wider variety of sources before attacking something like this. would this happen to be the same place that told you the camshaft seals and struts would last 360,000 miles?:whistles: if so, i would find yet another source.

oh, BTW, you know the Mazda6? yeah, the one with the incredible reliability record?

Guess what it has? the same exact compnents of the CDW-27, with a mazda body/interior and a few badges...the rest is the same as a contour SVT with the exception of the 3.0L V6, which is a taurus engine. the tranny and suspension come straight from the contor and i have seen this engine swapped into a contour on numerous occasions. i have even done 3 myself and had them from engine to engine (removal and renistallation) in less than 8 hours. figure that one out and then get back to me.

till then...peace out.

EDIT:

BOT, the LS4 i mentioned in this thread earlier? it turned over 400,000 miles yesterday as the owner pulled into the parking lot. nothing like seeing an odometer reading 400,000.

[VGR]

you arent going to sell me on this american cars are pieces of *BLEEP* campaign, so dont even try. 

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Agreed. You are a Midwesterner with a military background. :D

[ArmyofOne]

you arent going to sell me on this american cars are pieces of *BLEEP* campaign, so dont even try. 

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Agreed. You are a Midwesterner with a military background. :D

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actually, im not...my profile says texas...thats southerner.

but im originally from alaska, and thats pacific nortwesterner, but you get the idea.

:D

[bartkat]

Japanese cars made their first inroads into the US market because they were small, cheap and got good gas mileage. Some of those cars were genuine pieces of crap. Their quality moves came later on, in order to maintain the market.

[VGR]

Japanese cars made their first inroads into the US market because they were small, cheap  and got good gas mileage. Some of those cars were genuine pieces of crap.  Their quality moves came later on, in order to maintain the market.

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The Toyotas and Nissans were never crap from a reliability and durability standpoint. From '66-'74 nearly all were capable of about 300,000 miles of powertrain durability vs. only 50,000 miles for the Chevy Vega and 150,000 - 200,000 miles for the Ford Pinto. It's true, however the late 60's Toyotas were lousy in certain characteristics such as ride, handling and braking.

Then from 1975 onwards virtually all Toyotas were built to run 500,000 miles or more whereas Ameican car drivetrains were going downhill in durability. Some libraries carry old issues of Consumer Reports. In there you will see from 1975 onwards Toyota / Nissan / Honda had excellent ratings for reliability whereas nearly all American cars were either poor or just average.

[bartkat]

Japanese cars made their first inroads into the US market because they were small, cheap  and got good gas mileage. Some of those cars were genuine pieces of crap.  Their quality moves came later on, in order to maintain the market.

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The Toyotas and Nissans were never crap from a reliability and durability standpoint. From '66-'74 nearly all were capable of about 300,000 miles of powertrain durability vs. only 50,000 miles for the Chevy Vega and 150,000 - 200,000 miles for the Ford Pinto. It's true, however the late 60's Toyotas were lousy in certain characteristics such as ride, handling and braking.

Then from 1975 onwards virtually all Toyotas were built to run 500,000 miles or more whereas Ameican car drivetrains were going downhill in durability. Some libraries carry old issues of Consumer Reports. In there you will see from 1975 onwards Toyota / Nissan / Honda had excellent ratings for reliability whereas nearly all American cars were either poor or just average.

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That's not totally true., The Hondas, Datsuns (what you call Nissan), and some Toyota's that first came to the states were cheap crappy little cars. I don't need to read Consumer Reports. I was there.

PS: 1975 and on is not early seventies.

[maxed_out]

Just bumping. With over 700 active readers we have to do better than 30 replies. C'mon what do the rest of you got?

Just bought a 1995 SR5 with 105K and from all I read the 22re thats inside is good for 500k.

Maxed

[monarch]

Just bought a 1995 SR5 with 105K and from all I read the 22re thats inside is good for 500k.

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The 22re requires proper cooling system care, regular tune ups and an unabusive driving style to go 500K just like any other Toyota / Lexus engine. Alot are abused and neglected so end up in the junkyard at only 125-250K.

[bicol-ini]

well any engine for that matter as long as proper maintenance is perfromed well last just a long, but then again some are built better,

[mehullica]

If domestic cars are equal to Japanese cars, then why do the "BIG 3" pay out so much in warranty repairs? Ford pays out more in warranty repairs than Toyota & Honda combined. Yet Toyota and Honda sell more cars in the US combined than Ford. Domestic suck, always have and always will. :chairshot:

[SRK]

Probably one of the best books on the development of the US and Japanese postwar automotive industries is David Halberstam's "The Reckoning". It is worth reading, and is required reading for anyone who would like to think himself informed of that vast subject.

Certainly such knowledge would tend to reduce the rate of generalizations like "domestic cars suck" to a bare minimum.

[bartkat]

These days with all the mergers, partnerships, and joint ventures, you'd have take each car apart one piece at a time to even start to say what's domestic, what's imported, manufactured, assembled, designed, etc. It's been going in that direction a few parts at a time for over 25 years.

[baul79racer]

Hi "91 LS400 sweet & reliable 157,000 mi.

[monarch]

These days with all the mergers, partnerships, and joint ventures, you'd have take each car apart one piece at a time to even start to say what's domestic, what's imported, manufactured, assembled, designed, etc.  It's been going in that direction a few parts at a time for over 25 years.

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Toyota hasn't done hardly any merger / joint venture stuff, but the American car companies have. Like I'd be willing to bet the engine of ArmyofOne's 375,000 mile Ford Coutour is either Japanese (Ford owns 25% of Mazda) or European, not American which could explain why the engine held up well.

[bartkat]

These days with all the mergers, partnerships, and joint ventures, you'd have take each car apart one piece at a time to even start to say what's domestic, what's imported, manufactured, assembled, designed, etc.  It's been going in that direction a few parts at a time for over 25 years.

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Toyota hasn't done hardly any merger / joint venture stuff, but the American car companies have. Like I'd be willing to bet the engine of ArmyofOne's 375,000 mile Ford Coutour is either Japanese (Ford owns 25% of Mazda) or European, not American which could explain why the engine held up well.

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NUMMI

Headquarter location: Fremont, CA

Industry: Car and truck manufacturing

Sector: Transportation

Parent companies: Toyota Motor Company and General Motors Corporation

Number of employees: 4,700

New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI, pronounce new-me) is the pioneering joint venture between Toyota and General Motors. Established in 1984, NUMMI helped revolutionize the U.S. automobile industry by introducing the Toyota Production System and a teamwork-based working environment in the United States. Today, NUMMI has grown to become a 4,700 employee company which produces three award-winning vehicles - the Toyota Corolla, the Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, and the Chevrolet Prizm - at the brisk pace of 360,000 vehicles per year. Throughout its history, NUMMI has worked very hard to create a unique corporate culture borrowing from Toyota, General Motors, and the nearby Silicon Valley environment.

NUMMI�s unique partnership with the United Auto Workers (UAW), which represents its 3,800 hourly team members, has been the topic of numerous labor relations studies. The company�s core values are based on five cornerstones: teamwork, equity, involvement, mutual trust and respect, and safety. Always expanding and currently preparing for its next generation of vehicles, the company remains focused on its primary mission: Through teamwork, safely build the highest quality vehicles at the lowest possible cost to benefit its customers, team members, community, and shareholders. Headquartered and located in Fremont, California, NUMMI is the only car and truck manufacturing facility west of the Rocky Mountains. The company works closely with other North American Toyota affiliates and with a network of over 200 direct suppliers throughout America and in Japan.

http://company.monster.com/motor/

Toyota Hits Milestone: Production of 1 Million Vehicles in North America

Rounding out Toyota's North American production milestone were vehicles produced at New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI), a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors in Fremont, Calif. NUMMI, which employs 5,000 team members, produced

    * 317,172* Toyota vehicles, including

    * 160,785 Corollas and

    * 156,387 Tacoma trucks.

NUMMI also manufactures the Chevrolet Prizm (not counted in Toyota's production figures).

http://www.autointell-news.com/news-2000/J...ry-04-99-p9.htm

[monarch]

Toyotas built at NUMMI (Fremont, Calif.) are 100% Toyota (except for batteries and some alternators and radiators in some cases) The Chevy Nova / Geo Prism joint venture had 100% Toyota Corolla drivetrain, body and other mechanicals, except battery and radiator. Some minor interior stuff like seat fabric was GM.

I know all this because I put 234,000 miles on a '86 Chevy Nova built at NUMMI and I still own a 453,000 mile '92 Toyota pickup built at NUMMI The pickup was truly 100% Toyota including the battery, alternator and radiator.

The Ford / Mazda joint venture is an entirely different kind of matter involving junk Ford mechanical componets going into Mazda products like the Mazda pickup and causing poor reliability ratings for the Mazda pickups.

[bartkat]

Toyotas built at NUMMI (Fremont, Calif.) are 100% Toyota (except for batteries and some alternators and radiators in some cases) The Chevy Nova / Geo Prism joint venture had 100% Toyota Corolla drivetrain, body and other mechanicals, except battery and radiator.  Some minor interior stuff like seat fabric was GM.

I know all this because I put 234,000 miles on a '86 Chevy Nova built at NUMMI and I still own a 453,000 mile '92 Toyota pickup built at NUMMI  The pickup was truly 100% Toyota including the battery, alternator and radiator.

The Ford / Mazda joint venture is an entirely different kind of matter involving junk Ford mechanical componets going into Mazda products like the Mazda pickup and causing poor reliability ratings for the Mazda pickups.

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Toyota hasn't done hardly any merger / joint venture stuff, but the American car companies have. Like I'd be willing to bet the engine of ArmyofOne's 375,000 mile Ford Coutour is either Japanese (Ford owns 25% of Mazda) or European, not American which could explain why the engine held up well.

*

[ArmyofOne]

These days with all the mergers, partnerships, and joint ventures, you'd have take each car apart one piece at a time to even start to say what's domestic, what's imported, manufactured, assembled, designed, etc.  It's been going in that direction a few parts at a time for over 25 years.

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Toyota hasn't done hardly any merger / joint venture stuff, but the American car companies have. Like I'd be willing to bet the engine of ArmyofOne's 375,000 mile Ford Coutour is either Japanese (Ford owns 25% of Mazda) or European, not American which could explain why the engine held up well.

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Built right here at home in Kansas City...care to take another stab?:whistles:

and it was 385,000.

[monarch]

Built right here at home in Kansas City...care to take another stab?:whistles:

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Your 1995 Ford Contour's Z-Tec 4 cylinder engine was Designed by Ford of Europe, not by American Ford engineers http://www.worldhistory.com/wiki/F/Ford-Zetec-engine.htm The hydraulic valve lifters of your engine (prior to 1998) were a source of mechanical trouble.

[ArmyofOne]

Built right here at home in Kansas City...care to take another stab?:whistles:

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Your 1995 Ford Contour's Z-Tec 4 cylinder engine was Designed by Ford of Europe, not by American Ford engineers http://www.worldhistory.com/wiki/F/Ford-Zetec-engine.htm The hydraulic valve lifters of your engine (prior to 1998) were a source of mechanical trouble.

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first off, its Zetec, not Z-tec.

secondly, it was cheifly designed there, but all major components were built here and the car was COMPLETLY assembled here.

I have never heard of a hydraulic valve lifter going out on a pre 98 contour. EVER. i have been around and involved with them since the mondeo's debut. My family is friends with one of the chief designers of the CDW-27.

It is the amercian version of a car that was marketed around the world, and each country that had it had different design cues. the only known/admitted mechanical trouble from this car from 1995-1997 were the chronic Auto trans failures on V6 equipped vehicles. basically a differential problem to start with. became a tranny problem almost instantly.

never happened to me, i didnt have an auto trans.

DO NOT lecture me on this car, i know more about it than you care to realize.

oh, and the engines were assembled on site at KC.

BOT, i have noticed the LS's with higher miles, tend to be more than everywhere LOL. I have also noticed that the 95's tend to be the most drvein out fo all the gens. i saw a 95 today with over 280K on it.

the engines were assembled on site at KC.

[GILexus]

196,500 on my 91 LS 400

[Sonny Jim]

Bought a new (well, new to me) 1995 LS 400 with 90,223 miles on it, barely broken in.

[vevro]

I probably have the highest mileage for a 1999 LS400 with 120,400.