My two Cents worth
My two Cents worth
I have owned and do own a number of vehicles currently a 1987 AMG 6.0 Mercedes SEL, a 1967 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow, a 1962 T-Bird and a 1995 JAG 4.0 Celebration. All bought from previous owners after either an accident or some seriouis mechanical failure. I also own a few British bikes and BMW motorcycles. I have a 1998 Toyota Tacoma SR5 extra cab with the 2.4 Liter engine.
It is my third Toyota the two previous being a 1973 Celica GT twin cam rusted out with shock towers caved in for $50.00, With some welding finesse it was a daily driver in college for three years before the rear suspension joints separated from the chassis. It Never Broke Down winter or summer (Newfoundland Winters can be devastating with the addition of serious road salt). My next one was a 1977 Corolla Lift back wagon with a 1200 4 speed $100 from a family friend after it was in a winter accident that damaged the front. It cost about $250 to get it on the road in spring 1984. I did synthetic oil in the engine 4 spd and rear end. A mechanic friend told me the rear ends were a weak link if towing a trailer a long distance in hoy weather. I was towing a UHaul LV 4x6 enclosed trailer 3,500 miles in July. I rigged up a drip line from my large coleman cooler to drip melted ice water on the differential with some AC filter foam and it kept it cool from St. John’s Newfoundland to Butte Montana but the oil was dark when changed shortly after arriving. Car lasted me three years and 45,000 miles and I sold it for $400, again no breakdowns.
I bought the only new car I have ever owned a 1987 Honda Accord which I did not sell until 2004 with 385,000 miles. Good maintenance and synthetic oil. Three timing belts, two alternators and three brake jobs
My current 1998 Toyota Tacoma SR5 extra cab with the 2.4 Liter engine and Auto transmission was bought new in 1997 by my late father in law, WWII battle of the Bulge army veteran. I have had it since he stopped driving it after 12 years and 78,000 miles. It now has 254,xxx miles. When I became the owner, I flushed the cooling system and Transmission. Synthetic oils in the rear end and engine.
I installed a Frantz bypass filter and have been using MobilOne 0w-40 European spec synthetic oil for 11 years. I change the TP filter element every 90 days or 3000 miles and the main oil filter twice a year or 9000 miles and topping up the oil. I plan on keeping that up until the engine quits. Oil consumption has not changed from about 0.15 L per 3000 miles.
I just overhauled the brakes for the first time and installed a new master cylinder, ground the rotors/drums and put in new stainless brake lines and higher performance EBC pads on the front.
I serviced the injectors at 200,000 miles and put in a new fuel filter. The vehicle had the following replaced just once; alternator and AC compressor and rack and pinion (leaky seals). the only Engine related issue I had was the harmonic Balancer outer ring became loose from the inner at 199,000 miles. I checked the valve clearance and used a Borescope to look at the Cam Chain Followers at the time, they were all good. I know someone who has 430,000+ miles in his 1999 Tacoma 2.4 commuter truck. I would say that the 2.4 Tacoma is the gasoline equivalent of the Mercedes OM617 3.0 Liter diesel.