[lerman]

Remember that while a starter motor does see some very rough service, its usage is very intermitent.

The starter motor on my car is used about a minute per day. That's about 6 hours per year. You might find that you have to replace the brushes once a week.

I do recall seeing an article once that suggested using a car alternator as a motor. I believe the conclusion was that it didn't have much power, but I don't remember why.

Ken