Faults:
Needed a valve job at about 130000 km.
Took a front U-joint at about 170000km.
It had a bad squeak from one of the front wheels for a long time, and was in the garage five times for that, and it eventually resolved itself.
Various parts were needed to repair the front end; can't remember exactly what.
The radiator needed replacing at about 195000K, and this proved to be the beginning of the slippery slope of a total of $2000 we spent on it during the last six months we had it, none of it on the engine. We decided to get rid of it after the summer, but at the beginning of the summer, the engine quit in the middle of town, and that was that.
Hard to get it into 4WD when we did get stuck in the mud.
Got rear-ended on the highway. After it was fixed, I wondered why we suddenly had much greater gas tank range. The crummy 45 litre tank was replaced with a 65 litre.
The gas mileage was much lower than on our subsequent higher, wider, and longer minivan. About 26 mpg.
Loud cranking to start.
22nd Aug 2016, 06:19
What do you mean by "change the oil?" People usually "change the oil" every 3000 miles anyway. Are you saying the tapping increases toward the end of each 3000 mile interval? Or are you saying switch to a more viscous oil, or flush and use more viscous and synthetic?