@Docnick
I don’t believe a diesel mechanic is going to replace or fix a modern transmission any more then you or I. He will take it to a transmission specialist or have it changed out as a unit. If anything, over time, the much simpler CVT may just prove to be less of a mechanics nightmare then the modern 6 plus speed auto forund in today’s cars.
So, I don’t feel there is any advantage in repair of a modern multispeed auto transmission over a CVT.
I don’t believe the auto mechanics I know are any more or less capable…and they wouldn’t attempt to fix or even replace a modern transmission on their own. Toyota is the last to change…when they offer CVTs in the Camry, and I think it’s near, most will amend their current opinion of being afraid of their reliability.
@jtsanders. Yes, GM is doing some interesting things with the EV Spark and offering a compact diesel. But, the American buyer is fickled and a Cruze diesel for the same price as a Camry or Accord without a huge differnce in mileage and a premium in many areas for diesel, makes it still a tough sell except for diesel diehards. I hope it’s not the going to,bring back the failed attempt years ago too.
You need to pay off what you have, and start making a monthly car payment to yourself. Then when this car is 10-15 years old you can pay cash.
I had an AMC gremlin that I could have kept going forever, but by now I would have had enough and ended up driving it into to a bridge embankment on purpose just to end it.
I don’t think my wife would appreciate driving the 59 Pontiac. I dunno. Things get obsolete, if not worn out. That’s why there is a life cycle to everything. Useful life cycles for cars is a little longer than for computers but still after 10-15 years it will most likely be obsolete. I wish I still had my Morris Minor, 59 Pontiac, 61 Merc, 57 Ford and so on but storage and upkeep costs for 50 years would be quite expensive and those cars lost their useful utility 40 years ago.
I guess what I’m saying is maybe re-evaluate the goals. Being debt free is fine, but for what purpose except to allow a better freer standard of living? Far better to establish a good investment program in a variety of assets including property. Sometimes you do that with other peoples money, called debt. A good house in a good area will still over the long haul appreciate 5% a year, and with a 2 or 3% loan, can be a good investment. Just sayn’.
@dagosa No one, not even Nissan or others that use this transmission can repair it. They just exchange it with a new unit when it fails. Under warranty that’s OK, but out of warranty it costs a bundle. Until there is an aftermarket rebuilder of these CVT’s, I would be hesitant to recommend any car with it if the owner wants to “drive it forever”.
I bought a new Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon with the 4-4-2 package in 1978. I kept the car 33 years. It ran when I sold it, although the rust was beginning to take it over. It quit being a road car in 1992 when I used it around town. I’m 71 years old and I have no intention of driving my present vehicle, a 2011 Toyota Sienna with 45,000 miles on the odometer, the rest of my driving days. When I can no longer play my horn and am not transporting musicians and their instruments, the Sienna will be traded for something else.
Cars improved greatly from 1978 to the present and I am sure there will be more improvements in safety and economy in cars. I have the onset of the disease “Geezeritis”. One of the ways to keep Geezeritis from getting worse is to keep up with modern technology.
A PT Cruiser might be a good choice for a car of unique interest in 25 or 30 years. There are plenty of them around now and prices are reasonable. You need to keep it as a less frequently driven hobby car, not a daily driver in order to help to preserve it.
GM has been selling the Cruze in other markets with a similar 2L diesel since 2008. I doubt it bears much resemblance to any of the 30 year old diesels you allude to. The diesel is the top of the line version. A smart choice since there is a premium for the engine. And even at $28,000 for a well optioned version, it is still a lot less than a similar Accord EX-L with Nav ($32,500) or Camry XLE hybrid at $32,300.
And it’s kind of you to upgrade the Cruze by comparing it to the Accord and Camry. It is really in the same size class as the Civic hybrid with Nav at a comparable price.
@docnick
I can’t speak for your area, but of you drove into a dealership in this area with a problem with your automatic that could be fixed within the fame work of common maintenance, many would be inclined to offer you a factory rebuilt or new installed if it were under warranty, and not much different if it wasn’t, cvt or not.
@Db4690
The Duramax has been excellent. If the gazintas work for them, the same outfits could easily provide one. Let’s put it this way, if Isuzu appears stamped somewhere on the motor, I might feel a little better…like the Honda v6 they put into a Saturn…or joint ventures with Toyota.
This one is made in Germany. Can you trust German made diesels ? I would have more of a concern with, who could work on them and can GM stay afloat long enough to get my money’s worth out of it ? Funny, we are primarily discussing these new products from GM because the Obama bailed them out.
@jtsanders
I intended, to compare them with the LX model of the Accord and LE of the Camry…not the other high end motels. A Cruze I believe is a compact, not a full size car. Now, I was just comparing it to similar priced cars that get near the same mileage and offer much more in size and comfort and, would then be competition. Now, if you want to compare it to a much less expensive, 40 mpg Civic, the same size, the Civic wins on all accounts and in cost per mile, over all, could be better.
So diesel fuel cost much more around here and you can buy an Accord for the same price with mileage close enough so our cost per mile is the same…plus, it’s easier to find gas pumps then diesel pumps, plus, it’s colder here, , plus…it has un proven reliability plus…
Many GM truck owners with duramax engines wouldn’t agree with your statement
I don’t have a duramax vehicle, but I do have access to an official GM training website, and I can say that every generation of that duramax V8 has had its issues. I’m not sure if that makes them dogs, but it does mean they’re not quite bulletproof
@db4690
Oh, I understand and agree with your general skepticism. But, the Isuzu designed diesels have been reliable enough to at least not kill the sales of GM trucks with them and are excellent overall performers. I have three neighbors with them for use as plow trucks. Do they keep them or twenty years ? No, but the issues they have have never been wih the motors. Personally, the Dodge Cummins diesel may be the ultimate in reliability, but is no where near as drivable for every day use and for years, until recently, it hasn’t been packaged in as good an overall truck.
I think the biggest problem with keeping a car going forever is going to be the lack of proprietary parts; especially electrical.
With the mountain of electronics on modern cars, and most being obsolete within a few years or made of Unobtainium, one would have to stock up on modules, various switches and controls, and so on.
There’s also the trend of not keeping a car around the salvage yard for any length of time with many of those near impossible to get parts being crushed along with what’s left of the body.
Fifty years ago, I think the car to purchase with plans on running it forever would have been a Checker Marathon. The bodies were built for rough service, the design didn’t change, and parts were available from the factory for the cab fleets that used the Checker. In 1965, Checker switched to Chevrolet engines for which parts were always available. In today’s climate, ok4450 makes a good point about the lack of proprietary parts. With the computer controls, engine swaps between different years aren’t easy. I think that the best advice for the OP is to keep driving the Pontiac Torrent until it is no longer reliable or serviceable and then replace it with something new.
@Triedaq In 1972 a colleague of mine in Ohio was tired of rust and bought a Checker Marathon, which, I believe had switched to the GM powertrain. He had a growing family and wanted a roomy car that would last. I think he got nearly 30 years out of it.
As taxis they routinely got 1 million miles out of them.
This is off-topic and not helpful at all, but I have no useful information for the original poster. I’m 44 years old and I can think of one car I’ve ever had (excluding wife’s cars) that I put over 50,000 miles on. I’ve probably had 30 cars though.
Well, I might have one or two useful ideas. Be sure it’s something that will be comfortable to drive and get in an out of as you age, which probably means a little taller of a car with big doors. A Subaru comes to mind.
Also, you’re a diesel mechanic, are you interested in a diesel passenger car? I don’t know much about what’s out there, but in my opinion diesels are becoming easier to maintain these days now that everything is electronic. I remember once trying to time a Chevy injector pump and cursing that there wasn’t a scan-tool operation to do this.