200,000 miles is in fact rare, only 1% of vehicles reach it

[Andrew1972]

They probably shouldn't be buying new cars or anything close to new. I bet most of these are 55+ drivers. I understand the indoctrination that has gone on for 40-50 years that you need a new car for it to be dependable, but that's simply not true. It's a shame people didn't learn/teach themselves differently through those years.

It’s not true but can be challenge to keep older going without access to reasonable repair. I drive old but have very reasonable repair$70/hr just takes weeks to get appointment and your car may sit there for 2 days while worked and more parts acquired.

It is also personal finance. Most people don’t have will to buy what they can afford cash so they finance. It’s harder and expensive to finance repairs so they trade off neglected and in need of repair rides. They know it costs X per month not a pop $2000 repair. They don’t realize or will if they just saved couple hundred per month $2000 is a non event. Again personal finance. My wife and find after 7 years of $200/month you repair vehicle no surprises and nearly acquire a newer vehicle.

 

[Escape08]

If your vehicle has Turbo or Supercharger or both most likely you'll get 70K to 120K miles depending on the way how you drive it. Majority of the car makers today are centered on reducing carbon emissions rather than the dependability of the engine. We are living in a world today, if it breaks, trash it then buy a new one

 

[Jetronic]

If your vehicle has Turbo or Supercharger or both most likely you'll get 70K to 120K miles depending on the way how you drive it. Majority of the car makers today are centered on reducing carbon emissions rather than the dependability of the engine. We are living a world, if it breaks then trashed it, buy a new one

Don't tell my car that, it's on 120k right now with the drivetrain untouched. Only mechanical failure so far was a rear wheel bearing. No signs of doom yet....

 

[Escape08]

Don't tell my car that, it's on 120k right now with the drivetrain untouched. Only mechanical failure so far was a rear wheel bearing. No signs of doom yet....

That's good mate I am glad to hear that. You must be taking good care of your vehicle.

 

[Jetronic]

That's good mate I am glad to hear that. You must be taking good care of your vehicle.

I trash it up and down mountains every chance I get.

 

[WeyounDS9]

I drove a 2006 Sentra to 206K miles and the engine and tranny were still strong,but other repairs totaled $2K to fix so I sent it to the junkyard.

Sentras have (at least in those years) an incredibly strong powertrain.
a Buddy of mine used to flog his into the triple digits every day and nothing really ever broke.

PS: My 2008 V8 Pathfinder just crossed 181,000 miles.
Powertrain original. despite LOTS of HEAVY towing in its past.
Needed rear wheel bearings, rear shocks twice, new rear Springs though, front struts once.

 

[measureman]

Sentras have (at least in those years) an incredibly strong powertrain.
a Buddy of mine used to flog his into the triple digits every day and nothing really ever broke.

PS: My 2008 V8 Pathfinder just crossed 181,000 miles.
Powertrain original. despite LOTS of HEAVY towing in its past.
Needed rear wheel bearings, rear shocks twice, new rear Springs though, front struts once.

Yeah it was still strong but needed too many repairs
Front brakes and rotors
struts all around
driver door stuck closed.
I dont work on cars anymore and to have a shop fix all of the above on a 206K mile car was not going to happen.

 

[Astro14]

If your vehicle has Turbo or Supercharger or both most likely you'll get 70K to 120K miles depending on the way how you drive it. Majority of the car makers today are centered on reducing carbon emissions rather than the dependability of the engine. We are living in a world today, if it breaks, trash it then buy a new one

Based on what?

I’ve got two turbo cars with over 200,000 miles on them. Original turbos. One is nearing 300,000.

I’ve got three other turbo cars with over 100,000 on them. Original turbos.

Just because it’s a turbo doesn’t mean the turbo, engine or transmission will fail at a young age.

 

[Dave9]

^ I wouldn't put such precise numbers on it, but yeah, you try to wring more power out of an engine and it takes its toll, more often today when they are using undersized engines to reach higher fuel economy opposed to trying to make a high performance vehicle where most of the time on public roads, the engine was loafing along.

Generally speaking a turbo is bad if not on a vehicle where the owner was already not caring about safety or pollution. So really they have no place at all, except to try to meet government mandates at the expense of everyone else.

Someone will say it gives me a tiny bit more fuel economy. Maybe this is your window for opportunity then, because once history shows the pattern, your resale value and/or repair costs will equal if not exceed that.

It's not about "turbo bad". It's about turbo bad compared to enough displacement design for longest term use. It's funny how the regulations are designed and don't want to consider consumer cost and waste from failure. Simple monkeys can't fixate on more than shiny objects and one number at a time.

 

[CleanSump]

Can I wear a 1% patch?
I've gone over 200k miles with 3 vehicles. Two Mercedes, one to 348k with the original turbo. The only major work being motor mounts and a new timing chain on the one that did 348k. A replacement muffler doesn't really count as major work does it?
Had a '97 Chevy Blazer that went over 200k, but it had a new trans and new exhaust at 126k or there about. Not uncommon on those. Otherwise, it just needed the the fuel tank vent valve replaced once. $35 for a GM part as I recall.
Current MB and BMW are going to go over 200k easily without major stuff.

 

[Jarpin]

That list is correct!! Two 1999 Avalon XLS. First and second generation Avalons are the most underrated, durable, utilitarian Japanese non premium sedans you can buy for dirt cheap. Toyota 3.0 liter V6 is a non-interference engine so a timing belt failure is not a destroyed engine. Just stay on top of the oil changes. You gotta love older tech sometimes. I've owned two consecutive 1999 Toyota Avalons since 2004. The only reason I sold my first one in 2018 was someone was selling another in Dallas with a sunroof. Pure coincidence: The sold one and the one I bought both were at 236xxx miles. If you can tolerate boring 1990's looks but absolutely need reliable....

 

[billt460]

You have A LOT of people who live their entire lives with never ending car payments. Many no longer own, but rather lease. None of these people are high mileage drivers. You'll get clobbered on a lease if you go over the allotted mileage.

Not to mention most pay an "Acquisition Fee" up front. (Basically a cash payment they'll never see again). Then make lease payments. Then be assessed for every little scratch, stain, dent, or ding. And / or get clobbered with a mileage overage. Then the whole process starts over again, or else they take the bus home.

Many who do buy, trade in before they pay off their loan. They simply pile the remainder on to the next loan, on the next car. Because of this many cars today are treated like they're disposable.

That doesn't mean the vehicles they drive are not capable of reaching the 200,000 mile mark, and well beyond. Most all are with a little reasonable care and maintenance. Most of the guys here give their vehicles that care and added attention.

But overall most don't. They wait until the dashboard looks like the Las Vegas strip before they do anything. The way cars are sold and rented, (leased), today takes all of the added TLC many people used to have for their vehicles, out of the equation.

To most a car today is nothing more than a necessary evil. And it gets just enough attention so it won't quit running.

 

[Exhaustgases]

Over 200K. And not in order
93 Subaru Legacy
67 VW Beetle
74 VW Beetle
1 Secret car, I don't want everyone trying to buy them.
90 LS400

 

[swampdodo]

OK-so here is the key question-Of the work performed how much did you do your self?

Everything except replacing the rear axle and the first front wheel bearing (even the shop had trouble removing the CV axle from the hub...had to use fire...they ended up destroying the CV axle to remove it)...and the alignment after the tie rods were replaced. Not sure what Kia had in mind, but looks like they were trying to copy a Toyota when they design the first gen Sorento...wish they copied it more completely. The axle stub and hub is completely exposed to the elements...no seals or covers. And of course, tire replacement...don't have a tire machine...would like to have one, but...

 

[Escape08]

The majority of cars I see at junk yards have under 200,000.

I agree on this post^^^^.
In today's world, I will not buy a used vehicle with more than 60K miles on it. Even though if it's the most durable vehicle on the planet. That's just me. Buying a used vehicle back in the old days you just rely on newspaper's classified ads, car dealers nearest you or even your neighbor's/co-workers/relative's car. LOL. With online purchase, it opened a whole new world for me and every one else. I can buy used in pristine condition (like new) with car warranty still intact. Buying used with 120K or more miles on the clock is just like playing Russian roulette. Cool if it's a BITOG member (we love our vehicles aren't we?) selling his/her car, I can soften my stance and maybe we can work out a deal. But then again, it just me.

 

[TiGeo]

I'm 49 and have had 9 cars in my life - only one of those hit the 200K mark ('00 VW Jetta bought new wtih several years of 30K/year commuting). At some point the cars just fall apart even if they run well is my experience. The folks (to me) that run cars north of 200K are typically high-annual mileage drivers that have vehicles that aren't "old" but have high miles (30K+ miles a year). Age seems to hurt more than miles - that Jetta I had/sold at 220K/14 years old was completely falling apart inside but ran great - at some point I can afford not to drive a piece of crap and not suffer. I have had a number of vehicles in the 100-150K range. 10 years is a long time to own/drive the same car.

 

[Vil_Riker]

Of all the cars I have had, only my Audi A6 has gone over the 200k mark (has 250k miles currently). All my past cars were Japanese makes and were sold well before reaching this mileage.

The main reason is that a "luxury" car is much easier to keep for a long time. After a few years in a Toyota tin can gets on your nerves and you are ready to upgrade. But when you start with a properly built and comfortable vehicle, you can keep it for a very long time.

 

[ripcord]

It's pretty easy to tell which members live in the rust belt in this thread.

 

[CKN]

Everything except replacing the rear axle and the first front wheel bearing (even the shop had trouble removing the CV axle from the hub...had to use fire...they ended up destroying the CV axle to remove it)...and the alignment after the tie rods were replaced. Not sure what Kia had in mind, but looks like they were trying to copy a Toyota when they design the first gen Sorento...wish they copied it more completely. The axle stub and hub is completely exposed to the elements...no seals or covers. And of course, tire replacement...don't have a tire machine...would like to have one, but...

Thank you. The point being most people wouldn't want to do all that-or couldn't perform those repairs. Good for you that you could and save some dollars.

 

[Jarpin]

That list is correct!! Two 1999 Avalon XLS. First and second generation Avalons are the most underrated, durable, utilitarian Japanese non premium sedans you can buy for dirt cheap. Toyota 3.0 liter V6 is a non-interference engine so a timing belt failure is not a destroyed engine. Just stay on top of the oil changes. You gotta love older tech sometimes. I've owned two consecutive 1999 Toyota Avalons since 2004. The only reason I sold my first one in 2018 was someone was selling another in Dallas with a sunroof. Pure coincidence: The sold one and the one I bought both were at 236xxx miles. If you can tolerate boring 1990's looks but absolutely need reliable....

BTW...

Here's a rare occurence of a millennial singing the praises of a car that's probably as old as he is.

Bottom line: Many cars from over two decades ago that were properly maintained are still prone to inherent total failures due to poor manufacturer engineering and low quality OEM parts suppliers.. 1st and 2nd Generation Toyota Avalons are not in this category.