Hi GenVibe,
I'll be joining the 200k mile club on my '07 Vibe base 5 speed by the end of the month, have a few road trips coming up.
It's running great, needs about half a quart of oil every 3k, other than that no issues to speak of. It has the timing chain tensioner leak but it's not bad so I haven't bothered fixing it yet.
I'm the second owner, bought it at 64k.
All I've done to it is spark plugs, tires, front brake pads, coolant drain/fill, manual trans drain and fill, two serpentine belts, and two batteries (first one was soon after I got it).
The biggest two maintenance things to come up were a new clutch last year and the belt tensioner this year (was still on the original!).
The car still looks really good and drives great. Mpg is still 33mpg +/- with 80% freeway driving, more like 29-30mpg if I'm mostly in town, which is what I've always gotten.
Other than the chain tensioner, I'm starting to think about the brakes and suspension. No brake symptoms but wondering if I should get the rear drums addressed because as far as I know they still have the original shoes. My main concern is SAFETY - otherwise I love driving an old car cause it's CHEAP and this car is perfect for my needs. Likewise, the suspension seems to be fine; the car brakes fine, drives straight, tires are wearing normally and the ride doesn't seem any different than it's been. But after 200k, even if it's mostly freeway, surely I should be thinking about new struts?
Other than timing chain tensioner, I'm thinking of doing a preemptive change on the hoses, swapping the thermostat while I'm in there, and since I'm draining the coolant anyway and taking off the alternator to get to the t-stat, also changing the water pump with an oem Aisin cause it's very inexpensive ($30 part on rock auto). However, nothing wrong with any of these systems yet - just want the car to stay as reliable as possible and avoid a mid-trip breakdown.
No other leaks or symptoms. Any thoughts, high mileage Vibers? Things to look out for? Stuff to take care of preemptively? Again my main concerns are safety and reliability! Thanks!