cadillac_caddy_sts Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 I was wondering how long a northstar engine can last! With the proper maintanince and everything! As most of you know I was looking at a 99 STS with 160 000 miles and then I thought thats probly to many miles for a 99 and the engine or transmission have probly hade enough! Do you guys think this to? Thanks Defending Northstar perf a qtr mile at a time!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 Hundreds of thousands of miles. 160k miles is only middle age for a Northstar. If you know it has a good maintenance history, it should provide many more miles of good service. If there's no maintenance history on it, I wouldn't touch it. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadillac_caddy_sts Posted February 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 I will look into it to be sure but im pretty sure that theres reciepts of oil changes and coolent flush in the glove box! But will it matter that all those miles were put on in the span of 6 years? The car would have to have been going for like an average of 5 hours a day! Defending Northstar perf a qtr mile at a time!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maydog Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 It all depends, my 97 has 165K and is still going strong. I lot of little things (and larger things) have gone out on the way - none related to the powertrain. Obviously a car with 160K miles has a better chance of having some major mechanical problem than an equivalently maintained car with less. This is just the statistics of product reliability. That said 160K is far from a death senence. There are several examples on this site of cars with well over 200k. The transmissions are pretty reliable, other than input speed sensors on the early model, I have not heard of recurring problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 To have so many miles so quickly, it'd have to be highway miles. Your biggest problem with that is carbon. Do lots of WOTs on that baby! I bought a '95 Nissan truck with 171k miles. That's like over 2000 miles a month for NINE YEARS. I just sold it to my brother with 184k on it. I plan to buy it back when he's done with it with well over 200k. Highway miles are your friend. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadillac_caddy_sts Posted February 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 Oh don't worry there have been lots of WOTs done in that car in the last few weeks!! Defending Northstar perf a qtr mile at a time!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poobah Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 There's more to consider in high milage cars than potential mechanical problems. Cars that have done a lot of rattling around out there in the real world tend to show it. Their bodys accumulate dents, dings, scrapes and scratches and small trim pieces often go missing. Their interiors tend to look well used, particularly the steering wheel and the driver's seats, carpets, and door panels. The windshields are often badly pitted The shocks/struts and suspension bushings tend to be shot. Often all of this can be more difficult (and expensive) to deal with than mechanical problems. Do not underestimate the cost of rebuilding Cadillac suspensions! Much of this depends on how the car has been treated and maintained. I put a lot of store in the way a car looks and drives. If it is straight, clean, and original. If it drives and rides like it should. If it has premium tires with good tread. If the engine compartment is clean (preferably not steam cleaned) and in good order. If the trunk is all together and tidy. If there are no obvious signs of mechanical problems. Then I have the sense that the car has been respected, well treated, properly maintained and generally sound. A well cared for high milage used car can break down, even the day after you buy it. That's life. If it's a nice car, just get it fixed and go on. If the car has been mistreated, thrashed, and abused. If it has been "rode hard and put up wet". I wouldn't buy it. Even if it never gives you mechanical difficulty, it's still a wreck and you'll never get it right. Happiness is owning a Cadillac with no codes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cg25 Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 I put a lot of store in the way a car looks and drives. If it is straight, clean, and original. If it drives and rides like it should. If it has premium tires with good tread. If the engine compartment is clean (preferably not steam cleaned) and in good order. If the trunk is all together and tidy. If there are no obvious signs of mechanical problems. Then I have the sense that the car has been respected, well treated, properly maintained and generally sound. This is probrably a dumb question but why is "steam cleaned" a bad thing. I'm new here and new to actually taking care of a car. I guess I'm going up. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poobah Posted February 18, 2005 Report Share Posted February 18, 2005 Steam cleaning removes most all of the dirt, grime, oil, etc. that accumulates on an eggine and makes it look all shiny clean. I would rather see what the engine really looks like when in service. If there's an oil leak, for example, I'd like to be able to see the evidence of it rather than having it all cleaned up for show and not know about it. If an engine hasn't been steam cleaned and shows no sign of oil or coolant seepage, it's a good bet the engine is pretty tight. If it's all cleaned up, who knows? Happiness is owning a Cadillac with no codes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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