High Mileage accomplishment cheat?

[M1Accord]

For those no longer required to drive a lot for work and not enough opportunities to drive for leisure, is there a faster way to achieve high mileage trophy?

I want to have a vehicle with 300k+ and I have two vehicle that can get there but not anytime soon. My 2002 Accord V6 is at 220k and is due to timing belt and water pump soon. It is a true beater but the engine is in great shape. My Fit is perfect at 175k miles and won’t need any costly repair and maintenance and major rerouting maintenance such as spark plugs, brakes, serpentine belt, ATF oil and filter were done within 5k miles. And it is the vehicle ohh used daily but only racking up 15 miles daily and about 150 weekend during May/June to December and only 30 miles durijg January to May as it is used for work durijg weekend instead of leisure.

And now I am due for another new car as I tend to buy an extra vehicle every 10 years and I am on year 12th without a new car. Part of me want a new car bad and that itch has been building up for 6 years and discipline prevails. But part of me wants to take the Fit to 300k miles.

We have 2 adult drivers and a student driver and total family annual mile is between 10k-15k miles split 60/40 with the Fit driven more due to much better fuel economy and the great utility of the hatchback.

So do I dare getting a 300k used vehicle and deal with potential headaches? I don’t think I know cars enough to detect hidden problems from test drive and transmission health is much harder to detect especially since most people don’t change ATF.

Unfortunately, I am not a confident stick driver to buy one to minimize transmission concern. And I am most likely will do the timing belt and water pump for the Accord one more and that is it. The poor fuel economy, being 2-door, and major dints and bumper and hood damage just don’t make it ideal for keeping part 300k miles. I escaped the auto transmission concern with short 30k OCI but I should have gotten a I4 instead of V6 to avoid the costly timing belt and water pump maintenance items.

 

[Furious]

If you want to buy a used vehicle with 300k then you may want to look into Toyota's, 300k+ is pretty common on them without any major issues. Obviously it all still comes down to maintenance, don't follow extended oil change intervals, service the transmission, etc.

 

[StarCaller]

I want to have a vehicle with 300k+ and I have two vehicle that can get there but not anytime soon.

seriously??

 

[f355spider]

I think buying a used high mileage car is very risky. The average owner doesn't even follow manufacturers recommendations.
I would only consider it, if buying from a friend or family member you know, and can see the service history. Or through a mutual friend.

You are hearing this advice from a guy with my 2001 BMW E39 540 M-Sport a day or two from turning over 360,000 miles and a 2007 Tundra with over 335,000 miles. But I have service records over a foot thick on each vehicle.

If you don't know much about cars, then you should absolutely invest in a pre-purchase inspection from a vetted, trusted service technician familar with the specific car you are considering. Best money you can spend. I've done this on Ferraris and BMWs I have purchased used.

 

[M1Accord]

If only ATF is maintenance item like oil then buying used cars would be much simpler. Outside of bob’s community, I honestly don’t know anyone who change their ATF beside me. And if only Honda V6 uses timing chain and Toyota and Honda never took away the ATF dipstick. These facts make me like Fit more and more.

 

[M1Accord]

Nice Bimmer. What’s it like? Any nightmares? Maintenance regimen? I do my own maintenance outside of brakes and a few major items requiring special tools and more than 1 person so there is no records. Any work I don’t do, I either have it done by a home mechanic who generally does better work than shops and at much reasonable price. And I also luck out by owning Honda.

I am seriously contemplating getting a nice sport car such as Challenger SXT or Honda Civic SI or something fancy and daily it since gas isn’t that high and most modern cars are good on gas. I am not concern about Civic reliability but it costs more than SXT, which the local Dodge is running a sale since they can’t get rid off stuffs they inflated price on last year, and that doesn’t seem right. If I get the Challenger, I’ll accept the fact that this is a toy and there should be a $300 set aside monthly to deal with potential repairs and upkeep as big tires cost a lot and it is not bulletproof like my Honda’s 1.5 liter naturally aspirated engine.

 

[f355spider]

If only ATF is maintenance item like oil then buying used cars would be much simpler. Outside of bob’s community, I honestly don’t know anyone who change their ATF beside me. And if only Honda V6 uses timing chain and Toyota and Honda never took away the ATF dipstick. These facts make me like Fit more and more.

All my vehicles get all fluids changed regularly. Not just oil and ATF....coolant, brake fluid, power steering, differential and in the case of Ferraris, they get the transaxle and F1 fluid changed. Engines, and transmissions are original and never been rebuilt on the BMW and Tundra

 

[f355spider]

Nice Bimmer. What’s it like? Any nightmares? Maintenance regimen? I do my own maintenance outside of brakes and a few major items requiring special tools and more than 1 person so there is no records. Any work I don’t do, I either have it done by a home mechanic who generally does better work than shops and at much reasonable price. And I also luck out by owning Honda.

I am seriously contemplating getting a nice sport car such as Challenger SXT or Honda Civic SI or something fancy and daily it since gas isn’t that high and most modern cars are good on gas. I am not concern about Civic reliability but it costs more than SXT, which the local Dodge is running a sale since they can’t get rid off stuffs they inflated price on last year, and that doesn’t seem right. If I get the Challenger, I’ll accept the fact that this is a toy and there should be a $300 set aside monthly to deal with potential repairs and upkeep as big tires cost a lot and it is not bulletproof like my Honda’s 1.5 liter naturally aspirated engine.

BMWs are a nightmare and expensive to maintain. I would not recommend one unless you are really good DIYer or have deep pockets. That is why so many BMWs are dumped around 5 or 6 years out, as the maintenance costs get spendy...or the owner just lives with all the busted stuff on it. I'm OCD so pay up to keep the car running well and fix the cosmetic stuff as needed.

 

[M1Accord]

seriously??

Yes, seriously. I am a few oddballs who view good running high mileage vehicle more important than a shiny new cars that I have to worry about scratches, dings, and vandalism from cruel jealousy. I personally witnessed my college roommate’s friend scratched the heck out of a brand new BMW 7 Series possibly belong to some parents visiting their kid in the late 90’s. I called the cop and they said there is nothing they can do unless I have it on camera or the vehicle owner caught the act criminal stays at the scene.

 

[M1Accord]

BMWs are a nightmare and expensive to maintain. I would not recommend one unless you are really good DIYer or have deep pockets. That is why so many BMWs are dumped around 5 or 6 years out, as the maintenance costs get spendy...or the owner just lives with all the busted stuff on it. I'm OCD so pay up to keep the car running well and fix the cosmetic stuff as needed.

There is a European indu shop about 8 miles away and they have a lot of Bimmers on the lot. That place has to have been there 20+ years and possibly longer. It likely has a lot more work than it can handle but I assume the vehicle owners have other vehicles to use while their Bimmers and European cars stay in the shop for a few days.

Part of me love Honda for use of maintenance. And American muscle/sport cars aren’t that bad to upkeep and isn’t as boring as most Japanese cars.

If Dodge didn’t have the Hemi ticks and oil starvation at idle, I would get a Challenger Scat Pack in a heart beat.

 

[fantastic]

IMO 300k auto=headache & you are better off running what you have up to 300k. Unless you find a newer all highway car w/records for decent money.

 

[M1Accord]

IMO 300k auto=headache & You are better off running what you have up to 300k. Unless you find a newer all highway car w/records for decent money.

I hear you loud and clear.

At this rate, it would take the Fit at least 15 years to reach 300k miles. It has 175k now but was being used for 120-mile commute for 3 years and then 80-mile commute for another 5 years. Since 2020, it is driven about 5k annually and that is mainly from weekend leisure jaunts on each Saturday for about 150-200 miles. And only recently it is being used again as commute commute but for only 15 miles combined, enough to burn off the fuel and oil contamination only.

It would have been nice to have this vehicle back from 2006 to 2012 when I drove 200 miles daily and got paid for some of the miles.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Drop one off at my house. Come back in a couple years.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy something newer - say 10 years old - with 300K if the price was right and it was one owner or maybe two and has never seen salt. I have found that people that use there cars that much tend to take care of them. You of course never know.

There are a lot more cars out there that could make 300K than I think a lot of people think. Most people don't drive enough miles, and when it gets to 200K its 15 years old and something breaks, the dealer or whomever convinces them to scrap it. They don't want to "spend more than the vehicle is worth", which is consumerist garbage. The vehicle is worth its utility value from A to B.

 

[Graham Piccinini]

How about taking more leisurely drives? I really like a website "OnlyInYourState". It lets me discover a lot of beautiful places that I would otherwise never know about. Some are heavy tourist places, others are almost unknown and beautiful spots. Currently on my visit list is a loop of most of the fire lookout towers, followed by a list of waterfalls, followed by a list of the clearest high mountain lakes, etc...
And there is always something new to discover! Jump on that website, look up your state, and start picking destinations that you haven't seen before, whether it's in your or neighboring states.
Enjoy the drive, both the Fit and Accord are fun in twisties, if suspension isn't heavily worn out. You will discover ZEN, and cars will gain that desired High Mileage status quick. This beats a weekend in front of a TV, in my humble opinion.

P.S. I had a 1999 Lexus GS300 and sold it with 365k miles, after someone killed its transmission. Really hoping to take my current 2003 Lexus GS300 to same mileage or higher. It is now at 171k.

 

[cb_13]

Sit the front on jack stands. Leave it running and in gear over the weekend. Will probably run like 45(ish) at idle with no load. Should rack up the miles real fast. Gas mileage will be phenomenal as well!

 

[M1Accord]

I definitely have been driving my Fit more sportily of late as the small engine needs some encouragement to get merge at interstate speed. I still take it very easy off the line and use the brake very sparingly and anticipate traffic flow and lights as my front pads normally see 80k or more miles per set and the current rotors have 100k and are still fine. But I enjoy hearing this Fit winds up trying to haul 3 people and gears on weekends. This is simply a great car. Well done Honda.

 

[Pew]

You're crazy for wanting a 300k car. Just drive what you have now; and if anything find reasons to go out for weekend trips. At least you know the maintenance history with your current ones.

 

[ecotourist]

Nice Bimmer. What’s it like? Any nightmares? Maintenance regimen? I do my own maintenance outside of brakes and a few major items requiring special tools and more than 1 person so there is no records. Any work I don’t do, I either have it done by a home mechanic who generally does better work than shops and at much reasonable price. And I also luck out by owning Honda.

I had a 2000 E39 528i M sport 5 speed manual. Looked a lot like the 540i in the photo except it was charcoal in colour. It was actually pretty reliable. I bought it 3 years old and drove it to 21 years old and 160,000 km/100,000 miles.

Supposedly a 528i/530i is less troublesome than a 540i, though of course it won't have the same acceleration. With the M-sport package you get very good handling, sport seats, blacked out trim, 3 spoke steering wheel, 17" BBS wheels, aero trim, etc. Mine also had the interior appearance package. It was a beautiful car but it got old.

A 530i gets a little better fuel economy and has a little better acceleration than a 528i. The fuel economy was pretty good though not quite as good as my 2007 Honda Accord V6 6MT. And it uses premium fuel.

I did my own oil changes and took it to a BMW specialty shop. The foreman at the BMW specialty shop said the E39 528I was one of the more reliable recent BMWs and he had bought one for his wife.

A really good one would likely set you back something in the range of $8,000.

 

[Graham Piccinini]

If you do want to get a fun car - there is an inexpensive, and reliable option. Sounds amazing too.
2000 Volvo C70 HT, click here to see it for sale. This one has 128k miles, the best sounding 5 cylinder engine, and a $4750 price tag. It is manual, so that price is higher than most. You can find automatics for much cheaper. This drivetrain is more than capable of the 300k milestone with basic maintenance. But then again - so is your current Accord, with its nice J35 VTEC sounds. Anyways, just random thoughts. Volvo does have the most comfy seats in the industry. And C70 is also available as a convertible. But it also has the timing belt every 90-100k miles. Turbos are very reliable though, compared to everyone else. I have seen many Volvo wagons with 150-200-250K miles and still on original turbos.

 

[M1Accord]

Crazy how I almost got a Volvo 5 cylinder about 10 years ago. I test drove and really got it but got convinced that European car maintenance is not something I was ready for. I recall it was a staton wagon too so kinda like a stretched hatchback.

I definitely need to read up. Volvo used to do high mileage badges and I see a lot of the wagon and older 240 around here with those badges in the grill. Honda needs to do that.