Based on [Ling]'s cogent observation of the need for a service-free vehicle for his wife [link], I propose a vehicle that is designed for a finite service life with no scheduled maintenance throughout its useable lifetime (using today's technology it seems possible that this should be in excess of 100k miles.)

I had a colleague who ran company cars without service for about 50k miles, then turned them in before the engine seized. Should be possible to extend this by 2x, and plan for sustainable recovery of the carcass.
-- csea, Apr 13 2008

A Car For My Wife A_20car_20for_20my_20wife
Maintenance-limited vehicle [csea, Apr 13 2008]

This is pretty much what average drivers already do.
-- ye_river_xiv, Apr 13 2008


I'll give the same answer I did for the Y-Prize idea, a SS VW Bug. Though I guess I'd add a 10 gallon oil sump system and a 20 gallon windshield washer tank (or maybe one that recovered rain water).

Probably same mods on a Merc 180D, Checker cab or VW diesel would work also.

Tires would be a problem, not flats, just treads don't last that long.
-- MisterQED, Apr 13 2008


Most modern cars, Japanese cars at least, only require oil changes and tire inflation up to about 80K miles, so what's the real issue here? If you can afford a new car every few years, you should be set, otherwise, sort out who does the maintenance in the family unit. Personally, my Honda is 17 years old. I just changed the front rotors, calipers, disk pads and drive axle bearings for about $300 USD and a good hard day of labor. I expect this car to run for another 10 years and get 30+ MPG, as it currently does. Waste not, want not.
-- kinemech, Apr 14 2008


Remember, "reduce, re-use, recycle"? Too often today recyclability is intended to happen instead of use/production reduction and re-use. Sometimes it is even a cynical attempt to render them impractical.

The true ideal of "reduce, re-use, recycle" is rather that one ought hardly ever to have to recycle. It is the last resort.
-- Ned_Ludd, Apr 14 2008


That's right. Coles supermarkets once had posters up saying "_return_, reuse, recycle"; ie, keep destroying the planet by consuming its resources, because Coles profits from that. But make a token effort, so you can do so without guilt.
-- spidermother, Feb 12 2011


Why not make cars with extremely easily interchangeable parts. If you break something, you take in your broken car for a perfect replica. At this place, they are continuously shuffling parts to make like-new replicas. You never have a unique car, but you'll get over it.
-- daseva, Feb 12 2011



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