keeping stuff forever (long read)

[pauleyman]

As I have gotten older I have come to appreciate quality in consumer goods.
I thought I was going to make this post about cars only but I've decided to expand that topic as I am guessing there are more people like me out there.
I think I now know why I used to see old men driving 20 and 30-year-old (or older) cars. It wasn't necessarily because they loved them as we do our DSMs but
possibly because they saw the value and they could maintain the car indefinitely. I am not that old man. We know we likely can't maintain a DSM forever, not really. There will come a time I think when we simply run out of parts although
from a simply doesn't run at all standpoint I think we're a long way off. That being said I think I want to keep my 99 4 runner and restore it somewhat. New motor and trans as needed and spend the money
on the interior etc. The car does everything I need it to do, I like it and I don't really need any extra frills. I may change my mind if I happen to win the lottery or get a much better job than I am expecting but for now,
my focus is on value and new cars just don't do it for me from a value perspective. Maybe....just maybe another 4 runner as they seem to do well.
Anyway if you've gotten this far in the post what cars are you guys familiar with outside of DSM? I had heard Toyota is supplying parts for older cars because the demand is there. Supra for example. I'm curious if that extends to other models.
If not what would you choose? The muscle car guys will always have it the best as you can buy everything and even build an entire car from new if you wanted.

Besides cars, I have also focused my basic consumer purchases on things I research and I think will last a long time or possibly the remainder of my lifetime. I am desperately trying to teach this to my children. It had occurred to me that besides my tools, I wasn't spending much time seeing if there are really good items out there even down to small 20$ purchases. Do enough of these small purchases and it adds up over a lifetime. I realized I spend who knows how much on cookware over 30 years enough so I could have bought some higher quality pieces a little at a time that would've lasted forever. I realize this isn't always practical at a younger age but for sure it is for smaller items. Case in point, does it bother anybody that can openers suck so much?
Well, they weren't that way at one time apparently. Grandma knew. I sought out a swing away brand unit and sadly they are china made now also BUT somebody else sought to do something about it and made the original design with USA made items. Decent unit.
Even better I looked for new old stock or used swing away openers and found some. Nothing special, they simply work and if grandma is any indication I will have this thing for 20 or 30 years before I need to worry about it.

Buy it for life? Anybody else?

 

[AWD-Tony]

I am with you! I try not to buy stuff from harbor freight unless the reviews are good or I plan to only use it a couple of times. Sure some of their products are good but there's a reason why they're cheaper than the competition. Cookware on the other hand is a whole different animal imo. There's a brand of frying pans at target that aren't that expensive $10-20 and we've had them for a while now, about 10 years. It had great reviews and as long as you clean it after each use, the nonstick lasts forever. But for a knife set, you have to spend the dough. Our neighbor doesn't cook so they don't have much tools in the kitchen. Had to cut a lime with their dull knife and it was like using a butter knife, I'm not even exaggerating. We bought them a knife set for Christmas .

I think you should restore the 4runner. People that haven't been around that model won't know how good they are. Rust is the only thing that kills them and they still holds up in value even today.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

Toyota and Honda, even Infiniti have some long life spans. I have or have had them so I can say that. Toyotas run for 2-300k. I have a 1989 Camry WAGON (right???) that has 236000, HAD a 1989 Honda Accord that was at 285000 when I sold it to a kid in town and it is STILL running around and I have a 1999 Infiniti I30 that has almost 400000 on it and runs like a top. Even my 2002 Saturn SC2 little aluminum and plastic car has over 300k on it (I posted a picture of it, its my DD).
Maintenance on all of them is what I think has helped their longevity for sure and the Saturn got a complete rebuild at 260500 because of a chipped valve. I just tore it down and put it back together and she is doing great and 38 mpg, 45000 miles later.

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[pauleyman]

Yeah I've got a totally rust free example. I've already rebuilt the suspension and steering. It drives well but it's got 306k on it. Drivetrain can't last that much longer. Motor definitely has some problems. Big enough if I go in there I need to just tear it down. Contemplating getting another motor to rebuild then swap. Awd in the dsm has been great but a 4wd 4runner.?? Nearly unstoppable unless I get dumb. I don't even worry about ANY inclement weather except ice.

Cookware I have purchased antique cast iron skillets and I've purchased some le crueset enameled cast iron. Also bought a weber grill about 8 years ago. Could've purchased 2 for what I spent over the years. Always thought they were "too expensive". Nope. Not long term.

 

[AWD-Tony]

I agree with Marty. Toyota's & Honda's are clear tie for #1 in reliability and longevity. And you can't go wrong with a Weber grill. Hell even their grill covers last longer . You can tell they're much better quality when assembling them.

 

[Mech Addict]

I grew up in a family that valued antiques. My wife did not. The first table we bought together when we moved in together was a nice little oak table from the 30's with two leaves. The legs had gotten a little shaky, so I had a welder friend build an x-brace that mounted underneath. It's probably one of the few items we've kept in use continuously since we bought it, and still get compliments from guests. We can dance on top of it.

When you talk about value in new cars, I think that in some ways they've regressed since about late 90's early 00's. The last good driver interface on the market was the Fiat Abarth. Even Miatas now are full of nav/touchscreen b.s. that I don't want, and definitely don't need (but would have to pay for with a new car). The screen in a Tesla makes me not care about anything else in the car. I use iphones and computers in my everyday life, and that's fine, but they have no place in cars (at least for the driver to pay attention to). What kind of experience do folks have with repairing these items in vehicles? Who is really demanding them? Seems like a market gone haywire.

So I think these two trends track together; goods get more complicated, and things that used to work well and be easy to maintain are getting more prone to failure with no way to fix them easily. Now I will say that cars have gotten a lot safer, more comfortable, better performing, and more efficient (both emissions and mileage). So sometime the compromises are worthwhile. I think there are a lot of people (many who maintain old cars) who feel like we're on the sidelines of this movement and have no voice.

 

[TCB91GSX]

My daily is a 96 Toyota T100. I definitely resonate with the fact that new car just doesn't do it for me. I would much rather drive a 90's Japanese for as long as its maintainable.

Hopefully that 4Runner has the 5VZFE, 3.4. Bullet proof motor, mine has 238K on it, hasn't missed a beat. They missed the boat on the 3.0L that was in earlier model 4Runners/T100, plagued with HG issues.

You surely aren't the only one in this mindset. There is a "Buy it for life" subreddit ..

 

[pauleyman]

My daily is a 96 Toyota T100. I definitely resonate with the fact that new car just doesn't do it for me. I would much rather drive a 90's Japanese for as long as its maintainable.

Hopefully that 4Runner has the 5VZFE, 3.4. Bullet proof motor, mine has 238K on it, hasn't missed a beat. They missed the boat on the 3.0L that was in earlier model 4Runners/T100, plagued with HG issues.

You surely aren't the only one in this mindset. There is a "Buy it for life" subreddit ..

Yes I have the 5vzfe. Bulletproof yes but still a machine. I believe I have headgasket or head issues on one side but jeez it has 306k on it. I'm choosing to ignore it til total failure as the only symptom is a little coolant loss and I get a little white smoke at cold startup. Once it's warm no issues. I know if I take it apart it will turn into " well while in in here"

I've trolled that subreddit a little bit.

I need to research more as some items I own I simply drank the kool-aid. Dyson and kitchen aid for example. Truly better?? I doubt it.
And some stuff adds quality but sometimes anesthetics and cost goes up a lot.
If I could buy a bare bones car that got serious quality control and a bulletproof drivetrain I would do so even if it costs the same as the loaded versions.

A friend of mine worked at a wiring harness manufacturer and she told me all the harnesses for every car maker client they had all received the same quality control procedures....except one. Toyota. They demanded more. Take that for what it's worth.

 

[Lucky13]

My 2002 Bugeye Subaru falls into the forever car category. I bought a 17 WRX and it felt numb, throttle by wire programming sucked....I kept thinking of what I should mod to make it " better " to me....but in the end sold it and took that car payment(s) and put it back into my 02. Earlier Subaru's are easy to work on, parts are still plentiful, and now it's getting rare to see bugeyes and catch a compliment now and then.

As for other " forever " stuff. I bought a hand made wallet... made of legit leather. Owned it like 3 or 4 years and it still looks brand new. I'm considering buying a set of nice boots..... the kind that don't die.... because that is worth it whatever the price.

 

[pauleyman]

Keep the stuff coming.
I've just recently jumped on the subaru train with a 2004 outback. So far easy to deal with. Looks like front o2 is dead. It's dumping fuel, misfiring and there is no output for o2. Flatline.

 

[NOSLO2PT0]

Last November my daily driver was totaled by a deer. I went looking for a replacement with the insurance money ($6700). I bought a 2000 Honda Accord, 5spd, 146k miles, for $1500 for a daily beater/parts getter/don’t give a shit what happens to it car. I knew parts are cheap and plentiful and they are really easy to fix.

I’ve been driving little hatchbacks for the past 10 yrs (last couple cars were cheap beaters with heaters, then I bought a new 2014 Hyundai Veloster Turbo). I’m older and wanted something bigger and quieter with more comfort. I ended up grabbing a 2020 Toyota Avalon. I’ve read nothing but good things about Toyota. Joined a couple Avalon groups and regularly saw these cars for sale with 300k+ miles on them. Can’t say that about any other car manufacturer out there. I figured this Avalon could possibly be the last car I ever buy

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

The biggest thing people need to learn to do is take care of stuff. You can make a cheap product last as long as other people can make an expensive product last if you treat it right.

In terms of cars, Subarus really can last a long time (but like I said, if treated right). I once saw a 97 impreza at the yard with 412k on the dash and the car wasn't wrecked. Likely just had a transmission issue (it was an auto).

And here's a good example of how not taking care of your stuff reduces the longevity. My brother blew the headgasket in his Civic with 78k on the dash (I've seen them still running with over 200k). He just liked to rev it to redline every single time he drove it.

 

[Red Rider]

On the subject of cars lasting a long time....

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Schneider turns 92 in December. Parts are still available, but some aren't. The frame, the engine block, the radiator shell, headlight buckets, wheels, and the bodies are no longer made. Lots of extra blocks around. You can get reproduction hoods and fenders, and just about every small part. On this car, I went with reproduction door handles, bumpers, and cowl lamps. The rest is original, with matching engine number to the frame. I'd bet there are more Model As on the road than Eclipses.

I love tools that last. A few were my Dad's. Still have my college set of Craftsman sockets. With many additions since then. Mom's waffle iron from their wedding presents still works better than the new ones. (Heavy stainless shell, well seasoned cast iron waffle halves) We cook on 50/50 my mom's copper Revereware and modern nonstick. I have 2 rolling Harbor Freight tool boxes, those are actually quite good. The oldest thing I have is an early 1800's grandfather clock made in New Hampshire, that has been in the family for more generations than I can count.

I hate toaster ovens that crap out in 3-4 years. I hate what passes for 5 gallon gas cans these days. Hate the way cars dissolve in 12-15 years if you drive them in severe winter weather salted roads like we do.

I like new shiny stuff. But I also like lasting things that my parents or grandparents used. It's what I have left of them that I can still hold in my hand, and that I remember from my childhood.

 

[pauleyman]

On the subject of cars lasting a long time....

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Schneider turns 92 in December. Parts are still available, but some aren't. The frame, the engine block, the radiator shell, headlight buckets, wheels, and the bodies are no longer made. Lots of extra blocks around. You can get reproduction hoods and fenders, and just about every small part. On this car, I went with reproduction door handles, bumpers, and cowl lamps. The rest is original, with matching engine number to the frame. I'd bet there are more Model As on the road than Eclipses.

I love tools that last. A few were my Dad's. Still have my college set of Craftsman sockets. With many additions since then. Mom's waffle iron from their wedding presents still works better than the new ones. (Heavy stainless shell, well seasoned cast iron waffle halves) We cook on 50/50 my mom's copper Revereware and modern nonstick. I have 2 rolling Harbor Freight tool boxes, those are actually quite good. The oldest thing I have is an early 1800's grandfather clock made in New Hampshire, that has been in the family for more generations than I can count.

I hate toaster ovens that crap out in 3-4 years. I hate what passes for 5 gallon gas cans these days. Hate the way cars dissolve in 12-15 years if you drive them in severe winter weather salted roads like we do.

I like new shiny stuff. But I also like lasting things that my parents or grandparents used. It's what I have left of them that I can still hold in my hand, and that I remember from my childhood.

I've got a gas can solution. Buy a metal jerrycan. I have one and it will likely be good forever.