Why Are Domestic Cars Cheaper To Maintain

They may have dropped the base price versus the last Camry, but I'll tell you, if you're looking at the whole ownership picture, you have to look at a lot of things if you're going to keep the car for a long period of time. And scheduled maintenance is one key area where the domestics and a car like the Chevy Impala may have a significant advantage over cars like the Camry. And I'll tell you why.

One of the main reasons is the way the powertrain and specifically the engine bay is configured. The Impala, for example, has a push-rod V6 engine. A push-rod engine is inherently more compact in it's packaging, makes for a less-cluttered engine bay and more room around the engine to service things like the engine to service things like the spark plugs, water pump, belts, alternator and filters. There's a lot of room in this engine bay in terms of today's cars. Quite easy car to service.

And one other key area where a car like the Impala has an advantage is the configuration of the valve train on the engine. This engine, being a push-rod engine, has a chain-driven camshaft located in the block that's lubricated by the engine oil, doesn't require tensioning or replacement at any interval.

When you get to the cars like Camry and its competitor the Accord, they're typically overhead cam engines with belts driving the overhead cam. These belts need to be replaced at a scheduled interval. If you've talked to somebody who's got a front-wheel-drive car with an overhead cam engine and had to replace their timing belt, the timing belt is quite an expensive replacement item on many cars; in many cases they call for a replacement of the water pump and one or more tensioners as well.

By the time the smoke clears, you may have a bill for seven to eight hundred dollars on some of these modern vehicles simply to replace the timing belt - even though it never broke. A vehicle like this, there is no timing belt to break. There's no adjustments to be made. The lifters in this engine are hydraulic; there's no adjustment required there either.

You take this thing in for servicing; it's basically an oil change and check the filters. The coolant on this car, for example, doesn't need to be changed for five years or two hundred and forty-thousand kilometres. It's a very low maintenance vehicle. That's one area where it has an advantage.

I own some GM vehicles. I also own a Honda car. I like tinkering with my Honda car, adjusting the valves and changing the timing belt, etc. For me, it's a labour of love. But for you, it's something you'll have to pay somebody like me to do. It's something you want to think about if you're going to keep the car for a lot of years and/or put a lot of mileage on it, it's something you want to factor in: scheduled maintenance. Compare it. There's big differences to be had versus domestic and import cars.

'Til next week, I'm Bill Gardiner for Motoring 2002.

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