Can a modern 4×4 last a million kays?
We had a look at what you can do to make your 4x4 last forever and work out once and for all if they still make ‘em like they used to.
Published on: 19 April 2023
Whether you crave the latest and greatest, or long for a simpler time, we’ve all got those romantic ideals of a 4×4 that’s part of the family. Something you put your blood sweat and tears into. Fond memories of taking it all across the country with friends, and later with family. Maybe you’ll drive it every day, or maybe it’ll get handed down to your kids. But in the current age, is that even reasonable? Can you still get big kays out of a modern 4×4, or are they all up for replacement 10minutes after the warranty runs out? Today we’re having a look at what you can do to make your 4×4 last forever, and work out once and for all if they still make ‘em like they used to.
Do they all need to be Camry’s?
Ask for advice on any semi-car-enthusiast forum about what reliable car you should buy and the answer is almost always a 1990’s Camry or Corolla, the beige jumper of the car world. It’s not hard to see why, just over the pond Graeme Hebley rose to internet stardom for his 2,000,000km ’93 Corolla. A local newspaper delivery man, Hebley does a casual 5000km a week on his route between Wellington and New Plymouth. People often claim those 90’s ‘yotas are almost magical in their ability to pound out kays reliably, but it just doesn’t seem to hold up water over any other brands. Sure, it’s right up there, but the list of most kays ever on a vehicle also includes a stunning 1960s Porsche, an ‘80s Saab, even a complicated 70s diesel Merc ex-taxi with 4,586,000km on the clock. Not a single brand that’s ever been accused of reliability, yet their owners are still racking up kays. So what’s the secret?
Buy bigger than you need
This should come as no surprise, but the more you ring somethings neck, the shorter lifespan it’ll have. If you’re limiter bashing your 4×4 to get it up hill climbs or along the beach it’s never going to see big numbers on the odometer. It’s this reason we’re such a big fan of the new Ranger, it’s bigger 3.0 V6 engine and large wheelbase lend themselves perfectly to reliability. It’s also why the big yank-tanks always pop up on lists of big kays too. Sure, they’re more complicated than they used to be, but we’ll touch on that later. Recently, a handful of modern F350s have been tipping over the million-mile mark despite being less than 10 years old. Check out this walk around of a 2.1 million kay F350 over on the PowerStroke channel below.
Did they used to build them better?
Let’s get this out of the way real quick. Absolutely not, and it’s a bloody good thing. Old cars and 4x4s COULD last long, but there’s nothing about them that means they WILL last long. The junkyards are full of old rigs with low kays. Rusted out. Major mechanical failures. Mothballed because you just couldn’t get parts for them anymore. The added complexity of modern 4x4s does make them seem scary, but it’s far outweighed by just how much better engineered they are than ever before. Even the EGR and DPF systems, something most people claim make 4x4s unreliable have proven they can go the distance. Over on the PowerStroke channel there’s another recent vide of a 2011 F350 dually getting a new DPF fitted, the original one having lasted a casual 1,600,000km of hard hauling.
Old vehicles were simple so you could fix them yourself. Modern vehicles may require an expert to work on them, but they simply last longer.
So what’s the secret?
The late Irv Gordon laid claim to possibly the most amount of kays ever, on unarguably one of the most beautiful vehicles ever made. A 1966 Volvo P1800. Bought brand new in ’66, Irv put an astonishing 3 million miles on the old Volvo, that’s nearly 5 million kilometres from an obscure sportscar. The car was shipped all around the world (even Sydney) and had many mechanics run their eyes over the sleek coupe. But what made it last so long? The answer is simple. Servicing. From the big kay F-trucks working hard, to the concourse clean exotics the only constant is regular servicing and maintenance.
Emissions gear, touch screens, multi-geared automatic transmissions, and high output common-rail diesels have all proven they can punch out big kays as well as an old carburetted vehicle if they’re looked after. Know what your vehicles weak points are, address them, follow the manufacturers guidelines, and build a lifetime of memories with your 4×4.
