Wow, wphamilton. I give you respect for rolling 16,000 miles on ANY bike. I also give you respect for rising above the pain and general terror that comes with putting so many miles on such a terrible bike.
However, (and I mean NO disrespect when I say this) I have to assume you're a masochist. I can't help but think that if you spent the cost of a few tanks of gas extra, your 16,000 miles would be so much more enjoyable. Do yourself a favor and put that bike to rest. As a seasoned cyclist, you owe it to yourself to ride a better bike. I'm no gear head, and I absolutely agree it's more about the ride than what you ride, but I also know how terrible it is to put 5 miles on a bike like that, let alone 16,000, when a bike that costs 1.5 cents more per mile would make those many miles so much better.
So let this be a lesson to the OP (and all new riders). Don't cheap out. Or at least not entirely. You don't need a $10,000 bike. You don't need a $1,000 bike. But do yourself a favor and spend more than a few hundred bucks. You might find yourself really enjoying it and putting in 16,000 plus miles. Many people get on bad bikes and think biking is not enjoyable. It's totally enjoyable if you have halfway decent equipment.
...Although I guess for some people, it's even enjoyable on bad equipement.
