Any and everyone with 200,000 miles on a vehicle.

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My question, anybody that has sustained this mileage in any vehicle make or model. With normal maintanance with plugs, wires, oil change, filters of all types, power steering & coolant flushes along with brakes, tires and exhaust. How well and reliable do the milestone cars run? Would you take them on a 5000 mile road trip with no worries? Would you consistently stay in the passing lane of a posted 80mph speed limit? Does the car have the same or near same feal as it did new with performance & handling? I would luv to set my sights high on my Acura in signature & also push my Explorer till its wheels are ready to fall off. What are some of the pros and cons of running, operating and maintaining a 200 thousand mile plus vehicle in general?
 
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I've got 175k on mine, and I wouldn't risk taking it on a 5,000 mile road trip right now. I did a 5k mile road trip 2 years ago but now that I've seen the camshaft, I don't think I wanna be in the middle of nowhere if it goes. It handles fantastically but I think the rack and pinion has a little play in it, but not enough to compromise handling. I think 200k on a Japanese car is easier to do, definately cheaper.
 
I'm a huge advocate of changing fluids on a regular basis. Just think how many piece of garbage cars are out there with clueless owners who do nothing but change the oil maybe once or twice a year using some cheap quick-lube bulk fill. Cars are pretty tough machines and a lot of people don't maintain them very well and they still last to 100-150k easily. Honestly a well maintained car at 200k is probably better than a oil change/only fixed and maintained when broken vehicle with 100k.
 
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Just short of 231,000 on my '95 Saturn SC1. Love the 36 mpg and would definitely trust it mechanically on a long road trip. It's just that use of the A/c saps power and Mpg that would be a downside.
 
I am speak for the acura.
go for it, 5k miles, why not 10k
as with any vehicle, even brand new, inspect key items and not be penny wise when it comes to maint.


I drove a 200k v6 Honda and it will still being driven (sold to a friend)
 
I wouldn't want to take any car with 200,000 miles on it through the desert of Arizona,Nevada, and California when I travel from Salt Lake to Corona, CA to visit my son.

I'm not that brave. I went through Las Vegas a month ago and it was like 110 degrees.....and that was the average temperature for like 4 hours.
 
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I have 177,000 miles on my 03 CRV which I'll be driving from the San Francisco Bay Area to Las Vegas in two weeks. I just changed out the hoses, water pump, thermostat, and radiator last month in anticipation of this trip in extremely hot weather. I'll be with my wife and kids travelling through Death Valley where it gets to 110 degrees and no shade. The vehicle has been in our family since new and has been well maintained. The Las Vegas trip will be a great torcher test for the mechanical parts of the vehicle.
 
I drove my old '96 Camry 5SFE from Detroit to central Florida and back with 274k before I left without a problem. Just had to keep adding oil since it leaked like bit. I've had high mileage vehicles that ran great, and I had total confidence in, and I've also had some that were the opposite. You can usually get a feel for how trust worthy a car is after owning it for some time.
 
181,xxx miles on my 04 Chevy Silverado v8. Drove it on a 700 mile trip (total) to norcal and back w zero problems. I would drive it cross country without a worry. I would just pack an extra serpentine belt with me just in case.
 
I drove my 200+k miles 1994 LS400 to Vegas many times in many summers some years ago without problem, it has 370k miles on odometer now. Lately we used 2000 E430 with 170k miles for Vegas trips.
 
205k on Yukon. have run several 500+ mile trips last 2 months. wouldn't hestitate to go 5000 miles. she runs like a top and has been maintained since new. I don't tow, but have towing package. very aggressive on maintenance. usually cut oem recommendations in 1/2.
 
I've recently rolled over 250K miles on one of my '96 Cherokees. Original engine, clutch has been replaced. I'll be doing a completely front end rebuild this weekend including all tie rods, ball joints and assorted bushings just because...the front end is tired.
I've had an '88 Cougar that I purchased new that never had a valve cover or oil pan taken off that I retired at over 300K miles.
I've had four Aerostars that each have made it to over 250K miles on the original engines.
I'm not the fan of super-extended oil changes that seem to be the big rave of a few members here, but I will run sub-$2/quart TropArtic and I recently have purchased Super S oil.
 
My '96 M3 had 209,000 miles on it when I got rid of it. Or, more accurately, when it got rid of me. It was a salvage title car that had been reported stolen twice (likely actually stolen at least once) and had a pretty hard life otherwise -- lots of 130 MPH driving and northeastern US winters.

I took it on several road trips. Only once did it give me cause for worry, when some bearing(s) in the steering column started failing. This was likely related to the theft(s). And in all honesty, I had seen the symptoms before the road trip and should have fixed the problem before I set off. Other than that, it always got me there and back without a hiccup.

I tried not sit in the passing lane at any speed... because I exercised proper lane discipline (i.e. stay out of the left lane except while actually passing an actual car that is actually to your right). But I did pass people. A lot. And took off briskly from red lights, and redlined at least once a day (usually several times), and... became acquainted with power oversteer.

The car definitely did not feel like-new. There was always a little bit of looseness or vibration here and there that I never got rid of. It did feel really good overall, though. It takes a lot to make an M3 feel any way but good, if we're honest....

Head gasket failure finally did the car in. Again, the car had had a pretty hard life by that point. Make of that what you will.


As for pros and cons:


Pros:
- Less depreciation per mile
- Less worry about dings, dents, and minor problems

Cons:
- More worry about catastrophic mechanical failure (though that usually comes with a lot of warning if you're paying attention)
- At some point, it might cost less per-month to pay for a car with an active warranty than it does to keep your current car in operating condition (though it usually takes a LOT longer to get to this point than people think)
 
My old '89 Town Car is my buddy's DD and he drove it from Ontario to New Brunswick without issue. Car has around 250,000 miles on it now.

The car had "upgrades" in the last few years before I gave it to him, MAF-conversion, FMS camshaft, E7 heads (milled), 1.7 roller rockers, Explorer intake, 65mmTB, lightning EGR spacer...etc. Stock bottom-end on it. Unfortunately the increase in power taxed the old AOD and the tranny started to act up after he'd been out east for a while (I'm sure him doing burnouts with it didn't help...) so he had it rebuilt.

He loves the car and would drive it anywhere.


Our Expedition has 180,000 miles on it and I'd drive it to Texas tomorrow. It has been absolutely bulletproof.
 
I've got a little over 198,000 on my Jeep and I don't think twice about driving to So Cal or Vegas. And with the summer temps being over 100 were I live the heat for be is no worry just because it's normal here.
 
Pros- COST!
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Would I drive my truck across country and back? Yes, no worries. To be fair though, I know just about every part on it, many things have been modified/ replaced. Easy to work on. Engine internals original though.

You really just need to be familiar with your vehicle and know it's weaknesses and what has been replaced/ may give you trouble.
 
Had a '92 Buick Regal that had 214,000 miles, lucky it lasted that long... The last 30K this happened:

Hit three deer in separate incidences, severely overheated after catastrophic radiator failure(caused by the deer wreck), two tires beyond tread wear limits, failed fuel pump, power steering rack seals blown, failed crankshaft sensor, engine fuel lines cracked pinhole leak, passengers power window would work intermittently, steering like a manual, transmission fluid burned when I got stuck in a snow drift.

I would not take no further than 50 miles. All this happened at the last 30k, and I was at the point of diminishing returns!
 
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1995 Lexus SC300 with 205K on it here. I'd take it anywhere (and do!). Still runs fine. I would not be afraid to take it through the desert. Cooling system looks completely spotless as of 10K miles ago. Engine has never had a problem, but it does burn about 2 quarts of oil between 7.5K oil changes. Still my daily driver. Only downsides are features of the car I guess. I would like to have bluetooth integration, radio AUX in, HD radio, the keyless entry is lacking in features, better safety features and better gas mileage. However, I still love my SC and look forward to keeping it for many more miles! 300K here I come!
 
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