I turned 349,000 miles on my 86 El Camino today on the commute into work. I have had a few kids over the years ask to buy it and then proceed to tell me I need 21 inch wheels and to slam it down.
That will never happen while I own it.
With no doubt the best thing I ever did to it was convert to throttle body fuel injection. It starts and runs like a modern car when it is sub zero or 100+. It starts almost instantly. I did get rid of the tiny Metric 200 transmission and replace it with a built 2004R or is that 200R4? Whatever, it is a strong 4 speed with full lockup. I added a limited slip rear end as well. I still have the OEM radio on the shelf but I replaced it with a $90 stereo that has a 16 gig USB drive playing every song I own is random order. It also syncs to my phone and I can play Pandora and my wife can listen to Sirius satellite broadcasts through her iPhone.
The heater and AC works great, and I replaced the body mounts a couple of years ago since the old ones were shot. That made a big improvement in handling.
After 300,000 miles the original 305 engine was used up. I dropped in a brand new GM Goodwrench factory engine for $1,700 delivered to my door. That is not rebuilt or remanafactured, it is a new engine with a 24,000 mile warranty. That is cheaper than the machine work needed to rebuild the old 305.
We just placed an order for a 2017 Macan. After seeing the space age bells whistles and gizmos on the new vehicles it is astonishing how far cars have come in 31 years. I will keep driving my El Camino. It is going up in price, and it is rare that a week goes by without someone asking about it. There are not many on the road so it is not just yet another econo-box or SUV.