Custom of going on a road trip when one gets a new car..

[zzyzzx]

do people still do this? Just curious.

[gadgetguy]

I never heard of this custom.

[Abbadon]

It is not a custom, it is just a way of testing the car. I cannot buy a new car, so when I bought my first used car, I did a trip that lasted 6 hours to see my grandmother, it turned out that several parts had to be replaced due to malfunctions.

[Faustus]

I never heard of this custom.

Me either. Seems like a bad idea these days with the price of gas and all....

[SquirrelDip]

Although not as important now as it used to be - road trips aren't great with respect to breaking in a motor.

During break-in you want to run low(ish) rev's and the full range of those revs. Road trips tend to be sitting at a single speed for hours at a time.

[Xylob the Destroyer]

Not true. To "break an engine in", you should drive it exactly as you normally would.
"Babying" it for the first X number of miles means that you will only have to 'break it in' a second time.

[SquirrelDip]

Point was you shouldn't be red-lining the engine. You should be increasing the maximum rev gradually over the first 1000 miles or so. You should also run full spectrum of that range. I agree totally that you should not 'baby' it.

Point also was that road trips are usually running highway speed for longer periods of time - hence the engine is sitting at a single rev for extended periods.

[bendixG15]

When all else fails, read the manual ............

[Abbadon]

Although not as important now as it used to be - road trips aren't great with respect to breaking in a motor.

During break-in you want to run low(ish) rev's and the full range of those revs. Road trips tend to be sitting at a single speed for hours at a time.

I never intended to break the motor, that's the job of hammers and C4, I do however make sure that there is no oil spilling, strange noises coming from below the vehicle, etc.

[Faustus]

Point was you shouldn't be red-lining the engine.

Hey look man it just how I drive okay! :P

[Lucifers_Ghost]

Point was you shouldn't be red-lining the engine.

Hey look man it just how I drive okay! :P

Go hard or go home? :P

[SquirrelDip]

When I was a kid we had a neighbor who would warm up his car by what sounded like re-lining it for 5 minutes or so. Every morning - day after day...

He had a new car about every 6 months...

[Faustus]

When I was a kid we had a neighbor who would warm up his car by what sounded like re-lining it for 5 minutes or so. Every morning - day after day...

He had a new car about every 6 months...

Hey man it gets warm faster that way!

[zzyzzx]

Actually the car in question is a 1999 model that has less than 20,000 miles on it, so it's broken in. I'd have to fly 600 miles to pick it up, so I'll be driving that much just to get it home. I was thinking of getting it as an excuse to go to Delaware for a day after I get it registered in Maryland, etc.

[zzyzzx]

It's a car that's been sitting in a garage for almost 10 years and only used by a little old lady to go to Wal-Mart and church (seriously), so I think of it as new (since for all practical purposes it is).

[Faustus]

What kinda car is it?

[träskmannen]

If possible, change all fluids before you start the drive home. You never know what has happened to them if it has been standing still for 10 years.

[Xylob the Destroyer]

indeed!
Also very closely inspect all 'soft' parts under the hood -- belts and hoses will decay if the car just sits, as will the insulation on wiring.
tires too!

[zzyzzx]

indeed!
Also very closely inspect all 'soft' parts under the hood -- belts and hoses will decay if the car just sits, as will the insulation on wiring. tires too!

Actually, I have had on my last two engines hoses and belts that outlast the engine. I'm not worried about wiring insulation either, it's not a Chrysler.

I will change the oil and brake fluid before I use it much yes. I might change the serpentine belt and tires anyway yes, delending upon my inspection.

[zzyzzx]

What kinda car is it?

Looks exactly like this:




This is a pic I found on the internet, but it looks exactly the same (same make model, color, and # of doors). The real one looks newer since it's been garaged since it was new (1999).

[Faustus]

groovy.

Last night I got the pleasure of driving a Benz E320 for a couple of mins. for someone. I gotta say the interior is just plain ugly but MAN can that car go.

[thecoalman]

Actually, I have had on my last two engines hoses and belts that outlast the engine.

Belts and hoses tend to rot out when they sit, the belt espeically if its been sitting in the same position for ten years. It now has a memory. Go find a bike that's been sitting for ten years and check the tires on the part where it was sitting. :wink: Gaskets and other rubber components may leak as well, a lot of that stuff is meant to be lubricated and if they don't get it through normal running of the car they dry out and will leak.

Start it up and run it for while, check the belt and hoses for cracks.

[disturbed1]

Exactly as thecoalman stated. Dry rot is common in vehicles that sit for long periods of time. Oil pan, intake manifold, valve cover, even weather stripping tends to dry rot in 2-3 years. As long as the owner was able to start the vehicle about once a week, and maybe back down the driveway, most should be ok.

The Aleros tend to go for $3k-$7k depending on year and mileage. I've found a few with a quick auto trader search from 1999-2001 all under 50,000 miles between $5,500 and $7,000. Given you're buying a plane ticket and driving 600miles back, hopefully you'll be getting this for around $2k.

[zzyzzx]

Exactly as thecoalman stated. Dry rot is common in vehicles that sit for long periods of time. Oil pan, intake manifold, valve cover, even weather stripping tends to dry rot in 2-3 years. As long as the owner was able to start the vehicle about once a week, and maybe back down the driveway, most should be ok.

The Aleros tend to go for $3k-$7k depending on year and mileage. I've found a few with a quick auto trader search from 1999-2001 all under 50,000 miles between $5,500 and $7,000. Given you're buying a plane ticket and driving 600miles back, hopefully you'll be getting this for around $2k.

It's my mom's car, and it's sales price is zero. I do have to buy a plane ticket ($90) plus driving it back, plus inspection and registration fees. It doesn't sit for long periods of time, I bet it gets used 1-2x per week, but for short trips. Being that it has about 20,000 miles on it I bet I could get in the high range quoted if I were to sell it.

[zzyzzx]

The pin stripe on the car is white instead of yellow. I wonder if it can be safely removed?

[Faustus]

The pin stripe on the car is white instead of yellow. I wonder if it can be safely removed?

OH man how I wish I could just yank the pinstripe on my yaris off alltogether. I hate pinstripes.

[disturbed1]

It's my mom's car, and it's sales price is zero. I do have to buy a plane ticket ($90) plus driving it back, plus inspection and registration fees. It doesn't sit for long periods of time, I bet it gets used 1-2x per week, but for short trips. Being that it has about 20,000 miles on it I bet I could get in the high range quoted if I were to sell it.

That's an unbeatable deal

Since it does get driven now and then, there should be zero worries about dry rot. No prob. getting high blue book out of that car. But I wouldn't sell it. I'm jealous, never had such a deal as that come my way.

[zzyzzx]

I picked up the car last Friday. It had 19,400 miles on it. It even still smells new. Got my new Maryland plates on it today. When you include the plane ticket, gas to drive back from SC, state inspection fee, title & licensing fees, it comes out to about $500 I've spent for this new car. Still quite a deal. And I do really like the car a lot.

[zzyzzx]

[zzyzzx]