The Car's Story: A 14-Year-Old Suburban with Over 213,000 Miles on It

We took this car out for a spin and were impressed by its smooth running engine and transmission shifting. The car is a Suburban with 24.8 thousand miles on it, and it has been well-maintained over the years. The air fuel correction is set at 0%, which means it's running perfectly. We also noticed that the engine runs hotter than usual, but after checking, we found out it wasn't actually hot. This car was bought brand spanking new and still runs like a clock.

We took the car for a road test with Tinkerbell flying alongside us. The lack of a backup camera made us look behind us manually while driving. Despite its age, the car has been well-cared for. We noticed that it had some rattling noises coming from inside the engine compartment and an exhaust leak. However, these issues didn't seem to affect its performance. The car shifted smoothly, even in Japan where they don't make cars like they used to.

We also found out that this car was originally purchased by someone who has been driving it for 14 years now. It still runs perfectly, with the original engine and transmission intact. The all-wheel drive system works flawlessly, and the AC still blows cold air. We even gave it a little test drive on a nearby junkyard Tuesday and were surprised at how smoothly it ran.

A Word of Caution: If You're Considering Buying a Used Suburban

We would advise anyone considering buying one of these used Suburbans to be cautious about certain issues. The car has an inefficient catalytic converter, which is likely the cause of its poor fuel efficiency. This can lead to more expensive repairs down the road. Additionally, if you live in an emission state, it's worth noting that this particular model may not meet current emissions standards.

Buying a Used Car: Don't Waste Your Money

We believe that this car is a great example of how some used cars can still be reliable and cost-effective. The buyer paid $23,000 for this car 14 years ago, and it has been well-maintained since then. We would advise anyone considering buying a used car to do their research and look for similar models. They may not be perfect, but they can provide many years of service with minimal repairs.

A Word from the Expert: Using the Right Oil

We were asked by one of our viewers about the importance of using Toyota branded oil in a 2023 Corolla. The answer is that it's not necessary to use Toyota branded oil specifically. Mobile 10-06 is an excellent oil choice, and many other good companies make similar oils. What's most important is using high-quality oil filters, which can cost anywhere from $5 to $15. Cheap oil filters are only good for 3,000 miles, while premium ones last longer.

We would like to remind our viewers that the key to extending the life of their car is regular maintenance and proper care. Keep your car well-maintained, use high-quality parts, and consider investing in a synthetic oil filter for added protection.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: engraev up your engines okay today we got a Subaru Forester lady wants to know should you keep it should you get rid of it it has 213,000 mil on it but she's the original owner and as you can see she admits she has a small space to get it in so OCC she got a few scrapes you can see the mirror has been knocked off the paint's not all that bad no this vehicle was made in Japan they are better made in Japan all those years this is 2010 213,000 Mi original Engine original transmission for the first time sh had the AC worked on it just needed a hose one of the rubber hoses blew so maintenance wise got to say this thing has saved her a bunch of money now snows a lot where she lives so the all-wheel drive system has never let her down she said she can't even get out of her driveway she doesn't have all-wheel drive so now you notice she's got a trailer hitch she got a little trailer she only pulls like 400 lb of stuff that isn't going to really hurt the vehicle hey she's been doing it 213,000 Mi still has the original transmission on it hey but one thing you got to realize about these and that's under the hood and the hood props still work amazing it said as they age these engines will burn some oil this one now Burns about a quarter every 1200 mil or so now in this case it's no big deal for her because as you can see down here here she lives in Ohio so it doesn't get emission tested now 5 years ago she replaced the cataly converter now it's got the p420 inefficient cataly converter code but it runs perfectly fine now she's in Ohio so who cares she can drive it again it's worn out again after 5 years but it still runs fine got to realize this if you live in an emission state where they do emissions testing you don't want to buy one of these when they're old because they burn oil clogs up the candle converter you replace the inverter it will break again from burning oil and turn a check engine L on now in this case that was 5 years ago it still runs perfectly fine just as a check engine light on but you have to pass emissions and if you put a brand new cat on and don't rebuild the engine in a year or two or even less track engine it'll come on do the p420 and you're back at square one you spend a bunch of money out C then you have to buy another one la la la cuz the only way to fix that is by rebuilding the engine or replacing the engine now case of these engines what happens is the oil control Rings wear out it still gets good gas mileage it runs fine because the Piston compression rings are fine but the oil rings are worn so little bits of oil get inside the combustion chamber and then burn now if you look at the statistics more and more states are getting rid of these emissions testing because everybody knows it's a giant ripoff and people vote the politicians out that are putting it in and get people that say oh hey everybody's getting ripped off Florida did it decades ago they tried the inspections everybody got ripped off the old people voted against it and said well if you're going to do it the state has to do it the State of Florida did it for one year they lost so much money they said now we don't do any inspections for emissions and it's been that way for decades now being in 2010 this is a small SUV for most Americans they're a little bit bigger now they make everything bigger all the space she needs she can put all the junk that she wants in this thing basically look at all the space inside this thing she's got cooler she's got the seats down I know she has dogs cuz I can smell the dog hair so let's start delving a little further there we go all module scan and here we go Subaru 2010 Forester 2.5 liter yes and while it's doing its thing still in good shape no cracks she's got seed covers or dogs and stuff you're going to have problems with it it got big old sun roof on it let's check see if the AC still works it's getting hot here well the AC is still blowing nice and cold and as we can see it's only got one trouble code and that is the catalytic converter system has the efficiency below threshold it runs fine if you live in a non-emission testing State you can drive it all you want but if you live in emissions testing stad you're going to have to spend some serious money with another CAD in but since it burns oil you'd have to keep replacing them then you got to decide G am I going to get rid of this car keep spending money on it probably you'll get rid of the car but in a non-emission state I've had people drive cars like this another 5 10 years they're still going down the road push comes the Shelf if the cat eventually gets clogged up with all kinds of burnt carbon there's not enough pressure coming out of the exhaust your engine temperature will start to get hotter you'll only be able to go like 40 miles an hour and no faster then you got to replace the cat or get rid of it realize though if you get rid of it you're breaking federal law now unfortunately this doesn't have a temperature gauge on it but my machine works so we'll go to live data well see what the temperature is cooling temperature is 181.000 De F which is totally normal for this vehicle it's not overheating if it was overheating that mean the Catal converters clogged and won't run right so you don't have to worry about that now if it was overheating and there wasn't anything else wrong with a car like a head gasket or water pump or something that would mean that the Catal converter is so clogged the exhaust gas can't make it out the back it makes the engine run hotter but it doesn't do that so it's totally safe to drive now considering that this vehicle has 24,8 n Mi on it and that the air fuel correction is 0% meaning it's running perfectly you got to say this baby is running great let's take for a road test look we got Tinkerbell flying with us now there's no backup camera so we got to look behind us now all the mileage this thing has on it man alive does it idle smooth it's crazy that transmission shifting smooth as milk even in Japan they don't make them like they used to this baby was made in Japan do a little downshift gives it a lot more pickup these are not race cars by any stretch of the imagination but hey it gets you where you're going no I can't hear a little exhaust leak hear it no big deal that's probably one of the reasons it's inefficient catalytic converter you get an air leak they'll do stuff like that and she's got ice water that's rattling around that's not the car there's our little junkyard Tuesday so it's closed but this is a great car you can put all your garbage in the back te it where you're going we'll T it for a little spin out here still smooth running car smooth shifting car I'd advise you to keep driving it thing keep taking care of it but she has after all she bought this thing brand spanking new and it still runs like a clock and that AC still blowing nice and cold once you got a new hose put on it I don't hear any wheel bearing noise transmission whining noise thing still runs pretty much the same it did when it came off the showroom floor you got to give it to these Japanese so I got to say I'm impressed 213,000 Mi 14 years old she's the original owner get to put a hose on the AC recently that's pretty much it still original Engine original transmission the all-wheel drive system works perfectly fine it runs great sure's got a little bashes here and there but think about it you buy a new car you start getting bashes you get mad oh my new car is ruined not this it's already got the bashes in it right the one warning I'll give anybody if you're going to buy one of these used if it's got the inefficient cat code and you live in an emission State don't buy it because she replaced the cat years ago now it's gone bad again because it burns some oil you're in an ad Mission State you'll keep paying and buying and paying and buying and the only way to truly fix is to rebuild the engine which is way more than what the car is worth so pretty good car for the 23 Grand she paid for it all those years ago an excellent vehicle still going down the road probably got many years of service left in it don't waste your money buying something else if it's still running this good cuz I'll tell you the truth of the matter they don't make them like they used to I don't like the Subaru cvts that all the new ones have they just making them cheaper as time goes on but Back In This Day 2010 they were building them pretty good in Japan to last this long still be going down the road with very little things done other than oil changes and new tires as they wore out and here's some bonus questions and answers JG 1157 says how important is Toyota branded oil I got a 2023 Corolla is it important to use the Toyota branded motor oil I live an hour and a half from Toyota dealership so I've been using mobile is that okay of course it's okay understand one thing Toyota doesn't make motor oil oil they just buy it from a company that puts Toyota on it mobile 10 06 is an excellent oil there's plenty of excellent oils out there I like craw you can use Valvoline any of the good companies as long as it's 06 go ahead and use it you don't have to use their branded one just make sure you use a high quality oil filter the cheap ones are only good for 3,000 miles I advise changing the oil every five with synthetic or I is 10 on some of them I think that's stupid you don't want the cheap $299 oil filter good for 3,000 the premium oil filters they're good for 10,000 mil although I change them at five I don't care I'm going to ruin an engine over a few bucks and if you go to the allart stores and they want 15 18 bucks for the high expensive ones do like I go to Amazon buy them on Amazon they're the same filters and they half the price so if you never want to miss another one of my new car repair videos remember to ring that Bell aahah\n"