One of my greatest dreams is to keep my LeSabre (and my truck too, but for different reasons) until the day I cease to function myself.

My question is, as long as I keep replacing parts and doing regular maintenance in myself and my LeSabre, are we likely to expire around the same time? I'm sure I'll have to do transmission rebuilds, probably an engine rebuild or two...

As of now the car is in a semi-retired state. I rarely drive it anywhere except for weekends. Car has 141,000 on it now, and running stronger than ever.

I'll do my best to keep it going regardless, but I wonder if it is possible for a 1997 LeSabre to see a 70 year life span.
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Well if you keep fixing everything that goes wrong, barring any emissions regulations, or something like that, theres no reason it shouldnt. Rust will probably be an issue at some point as will having to replace almost everything at least once... but if you just keep fixing it in theory it should last forever

Good to know. Rust actually isn't much of a problem here in central Alabama...the car has been here it'* entire life. The undercarriage has zero rust on it. Some dirt...but no rust.
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i plan to keep my truck for as long as i can as well. i plan to keep replacing things until something takes it out of my hands like a car accident

Chevy trucks are near indestructible! I'm hoping to keep the *-10 as a stablemate to the LeSabre. It was my grandfather'*, he left it to me when he died...many fond childhood memories involve that truck.

It'* got a small amount of frame rust due to it originating from the Louisiana coast. Hopefully the move here will curb the rust.
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I'm seeing that more and more people want to keep their cars forever. Welcome to the club!

Yeah the ONLY thing i can think of that would stop your car other than an accident (god forbid) would be some emissions standard in 25 years that makes all gas powered cars obsolete

Its a nice dream, I have the same for my Aurora, but the reality is: car parts do not have the same lifetime we do. Replacement parts themselves will be increasingly difficult to find, and in the next two decades the current technology will be obsolete.

I have a brother in law that has a dream to rebuild a late 60'* Duster (he has two wrecks in his garage/driveway), and simple things like grilles go for several hundreds and OE versions are hard to find.

I'm trying it with the 97, we'll see what happens

310,000 miles is impressive, puts many of the supposedly more reliable (cough) cars to shame.

That'* true. I suppose as long as I baby the thing I should never have to replace any kind of trim, interior or exterior...barring as others have said, an accident. I condition and protect the leather and all other interior plastics/vinyls weekly. Currently it stays covered most of the time, if it'* not it'* sitting in a fairly shaded area. Within the next decade I hope to live in a house with a closed in garage that I can store it and hopefully the truck in too.

Then of course, as these cars become classics...there will always be other ways of keeping it running. I'm sure a customized engine swap could be fabricated if necessary. Though obviously, it would not be the same as a 3800...

I'm sure eventually things like my led/plasma/whatever it is passenger climate control temperature indicator will go out, as well as the environmental controls themselves...but once the car passes beyond a certain age point stuff like that just doesn't matter anymore.
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