200K Miles too many buying a used Honda?

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Originally Posted by zzyzzx
Originally Posted by madRiver
Originally Posted by zzyzzx
200K Miles too many buying a used Honda?


Only if the car is cheap enough. This one isn't. Not even close.

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Curious what a good price is to you for a taken care of 200k SUV.


A good price would be $1000. Don't go higher than $1500.


That is laughable in my locale. A vehicle in decent/great condition, working AC, SUV and AWD is a $3k - $4k ish around here. $1000 buys you a junk box with all sorts of uglyness.
 
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Originally Posted by The Critic
The 3.7's tend to have oil consumption issues. 200K is a ton of miles for any car.



Not true of the 2007-2009 MDX 3.7 around 2010/2011 something changed up and consumption is an issue.

200k is a lot of miles concur I have one. The upside is I have given up worrying much about it just changing the oil. If this went for $4k not much money IMHO for a running vehicle in decent condition.
 
Some of the comments here are truly funny. Like $4-5k is not all that much. I hardly doubt people looking at $5k vehicles do it because that $5k is burning a hole in their pocket. Chances are it's all they can afford, heck some may even finance this amount. Then you have to take into account possible repairs on such high mileage vehicle and the total price may quickly increase by $1-2k. So now we can have a $7k vehicle with the possibility of more expensive repairs coming.

$5k is not much if you're looking for a winter beater to save your nice car, but for someone that wants a primary vehicle that they have to rely on getting to work, running errands etc. it is a lot of money.
 
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If $5k is a lot of money then the OP should not even be considering a 200k vehicle/SUV or minivan. Likely should be looking for a 4dr car with similar price in the 100k-150k mileage range.

Anybody taking on a maintenance of it at purchase and putting $75- $100/month into fund related to that. Otherwise they cannot afford the car.
 
Just to throw my two cents here.

It might be worth that much to someone, but it would have to be in reasonably good condition and most importantly it would have to meet the needs of the person who is going to be using it. An example might be that buyer with sufficient disposable income just wants a nice mid sized SUV for a year or two just to see if he or she really wants to eventually buy a new one and figures let's take one for a one-year "test drive." It might be worth a couple grand to somebody to figure that out. An example where it might not be worth it would be someone with limited means needs a car to get to and from work as they would probably be better off with a Civic or a Fit (in keeping within the car family).

As far as the condition of the car itself - while the rubber parts and maybe suspension may be starting to go in some areas, maybe they're not, in fact, going bad soon. You'd have to take a close look at it to determine how much life is left in the car and whether or not it would meet your needs.
 
200,000 miles is easily 3/4 of the life of that motor. Yea-there are exceptions. However, you will be replacing CV joints, struts, etc.


Do you feel lucky......
 
Originally Posted by CKN



Do you feel lucky......




I go by the mantra I feel lucky with my 2007 MDX with 200k. I expect at least 2 years from it however if not oh well.
 
I've certainly seen hondas do more. We have a civic of the same era that did a lot of highway time. It's currently around 350k. It gave almost no trouble at all to 200k. Starting at 200k, I swapped amsoil into the transmission and it's still going strong. The alternator had to be replaced around 260. The head gasket started gurgling around 325 and was replaced at 329. The main thing I noticed is that at 200k, minor leaks started popping up. Rear main, valve cover, both started to weep. VC was addressed with the HG, rear main continues to weep. somewhere in there, a wiring harness chafed and the reverse lights went out. Dealer found and repaired that.

Therefore, I'd surmise that if the car is honest, it easily has $5k worth of life in it, but you're on the back side where it will start needing attention and you'll need to be watchful.
 
Originally Posted by meep


Therefore, I'd surmise that if the car is honest, it easily has $5k worth of life in it, but you're on the back side where it will start needing attention and you'll need to be watchful.


X2. I don't think anyone here is saying 200K is low miles, but $5K only goes so far and a well sorted 11 year old MDX with 200K for that price doesn't sound that crazy to me. Around here, $1500 won't even buy the well worn 26 year old 2wd Explorer Sport 2 door manual in the Pull-A-Part run & drive bargain lot.
 
There's nothing wrong with HM cars, but don't plan on it being cheap transportation. It's very easy to pay more for repairs than what the actual vehicle cost. It helps to do the work yourself as well as having an extra vehicle.
 
Originally Posted by dlundblad
There's nothing wrong with HM cars, but don't plan on it being cheap transportation. It's very easy to pay more for repairs than what the actual vehicle cost. It helps to do the work yourself as well as having an extra vehicle.


That's why I said this vehicle isn't worth $5K....it could easily and quickly require that much or more in repairs...
 
Originally Posted by grampi
Originally Posted by dlundblad
There's nothing wrong with HM cars, but don't plan on it being cheap transportation. It's very easy to pay more for repairs than what the actual vehicle cost. It helps to do the work yourself as well as having an extra vehicle.


That's why I said this vehicle isn't worth $5K....it could easily and quickly require that much or more in repairs...


If OP has $6-7.5k cash it is potentially worth a shot. If not spend less and leave that $1-2k in hand to not worry or keep driving what they got till money saved.
 
Originally Posted by grampi
Originally Posted by dlundblad
There's nothing wrong with HM cars, but don't plan on it being cheap transportation. It's very easy to pay more for repairs than what the actual vehicle cost. It helps to do the work yourself as well as having an extra vehicle.


That's why I said this vehicle isn't worth $5K....it could easily and quickly require that much or more in repairs...


Exactly. There is always a risk, and the older the vehicle and the higher the mileage, the greater the risk.
A logically thinking person will factor that into the price of a used vehicle. Not just hope based on feelings of brand repotation.

This kind if thinking is great for the seller though.
 
Compression and leakdown test it. Remove the oil cap and take peak at the valvetrain. Crank it up and listen around it with a stethoscope. If all checks out, I wouldn't be worried about the miles.

With anything, it has to have a good maintenance history regardless of the mileage. An engine can have 30,000 miles on it and be on the verge of death because the previous owner ran it wide open throttle all the time and never changed the oil.
 
Originally Posted by The Critic


Originally Posted by Railrust
Originally Posted by Pew
I wouldn't. There's going to be more issues with rotten seals, bushings, and other suspension parts with age.


I tend to agree, you just can't keep up with the rubber replacement on vehicles as they age, because there's too many pieces, and it's too expensive. People don't realize that once your vehicle reaches a certain age, or a certain mileage, all of those rubber bushings, hoses and gaskets are shot. That front end is in need of serious repair...a control arm here, a set of sway bar bushings, sway bar links, steering rack bushings, the ball joints and tie rods are worn out. Then when you replace all of that? You blow a transmission cooler line, the bottom radiator hose blows, the power steering line let's go, the valve cover gaskets are leaking all over the engine, the oil pan is dripping onto the driveway, the rear main seal is weeping, the oil pressure switch is leaking like a sieve, the thermostat housing gasket is leaking, the rubber grommets for the PCV valve system aren't sealing anymore...or the hose for the PCV valve has collapsed on itself (because it's so weak) and oil is pouring out from every gasket in the entire engine (that happened to me once and that was quite a surprise). And trying getting some of this stuff, you'll go aftermarket because it's cheaper and easier to get...then it won't fit quite right...but you'll make it fit...then six months later you'll be replacing the aftermarket part with something else, probably another aftermarket part because someone will tell you on the Internet that "this one is just like OE", and then you'll spend almost as much as OE, and then it'll fail in six months.

I have taken three vehicles over the 200,000 mile milestone, for the people saying it's a piece of cake...they are forgetting a lot of things. And I can work on this stuff (I'm an ASE master tech). But working on stuff with over 200,000 miles is like putting your finger in the dam while waiting for the other leak to spring.

This is the truth.

I find that interesting--if not scary! as I have two vehicles around this mileage.
eek.gif
The third already shows signs of aging out instead of wearing out. I did get my VW to go over 300k but I owned it from new and was something I really liked. It also got over 30k/year during my ownership, so maybe that helped.

$5k does seem like a lot though, and yet still not enough for an SUV. Only if it was rust free and something I loved, and had another $5k lying around "just in case".
 
Originally Posted by supton
Originally Posted by The Critic


Originally Posted by Railrust
Originally Posted by Pew
I wouldn't. There's going to be more issues with rotten seals, bushings, and other suspension parts with age.


I tend to agree, you just can't keep up with the rubber replacement on vehicles as they age, because there's too many pieces, and it's too expensive. People don't realize that once your vehicle reaches a certain age, or a certain mileage, all of those rubber bushings, hoses and gaskets are shot. That front end is in need of serious repair...a control arm here, a set of sway bar bushings, sway bar links, steering rack bushings, the ball joints and tie rods are worn out. Then when you replace all of that? You blow a transmission cooler line, the bottom radiator hose blows, the power steering line let's go, the valve cover gaskets are leaking all over the engine, the oil pan is dripping onto the driveway, the rear main seal is weeping, the oil pressure switch is leaking like a sieve, the thermostat housing gasket is leaking, the rubber grommets for the PCV valve system aren't sealing anymore...or the hose for the PCV valve has collapsed on itself (because it's so weak) and oil is pouring out from every gasket in the entire engine (that happened to me once and that was quite a surprise). And trying getting some of this stuff, you'll go aftermarket because it's cheaper and easier to get...then it won't fit quite right...but you'll make it fit...then six months later you'll be replacing the aftermarket part with something else, probably another aftermarket part because someone will tell you on the Internet that "this one is just like OE", and then you'll spend almost as much as OE, and then it'll fail in six months.

I have taken three vehicles over the 200,000 mile milestone, for the people saying it's a piece of cake...they are forgetting a lot of things. And I can work on this stuff (I'm an ASE master tech). But working on stuff with over 200,000 miles is like putting your finger in the dam while waiting for the other leak to spring.

This is the truth.

I find that interesting--if not scary! as I have two vehicles around this mileage.
eek.gif
The third already shows signs of aging out instead of wearing out. I did get my VW to go over 300k but I owned it from new and was something I really liked. It also got over 30k/year during my ownership, so maybe that helped.

$5k does seem like a lot though, and yet still not enough for an SUV. Only if it was rust free and something I loved, and had another $5k lying around "just in case".


Well it looks like you have experience taking a car the distance (the VW), and you probably remember that it takes some work. It all depends on what you can live with when trying to do it...can you live with a steering wheel that maybe will never return to center and track down the road straight again? Or a shimmy that just won't go away, no matter what you do? Can you keep up with a fluid or two that needs to be topped up every 2-3 weeks? Those types of things, while fighting the occasional things you HAVE to fix (and just can't live with). I've done it, others certainly have...you have too...but it is work. It does take some effort and uncertainty - I think that's what finally caused me to eventually trade in a high mileage vehicle - the uncertainty, that lack of trust in the vehicle on the longer commutes...the worrying, will this thing leave me stranded 100 miles from home? I've had that happen and it really gets old quick.

But I do love high mileage stories/people that aren't afraid to take a vehicle 300k plus miles and more.
 
Well, when I first got the VW I was driving down past Boston to get good service, then a "local" shop opened up, only 40 minutes down the road. When he closed up I had to really ask myself, is this worth it? I could live with occasional failures but I was starting to worry about breaking down and getting any sort of service on a diesel, so it was time.

Doesn't bother me to check the oil once a week. Not sure I'd want to add a quart every week, but that's cheaper than a car payment. Same on tire pressure. Lights on the dash, after ignoring a VW I can ignore most any warning light. Shakes, shimmies, odd feelings... had hoopties as a kid, have one now, doesn't bother me. New car is nice but has its own issues. Problem is, as we all know, buying a used car is a science in itself, almost more luck than skill.

Anyhow, other than my Tundra I suspect my two Toyota's can get parts anywhere in the US, and reasonably priced, and reasonably fixed, if I couldn't do it myself. That does extend my confidence in driving them to high miles.
 
Originally Posted by supton
Well, when I first got the VW I was driving down past Boston to get good service, then a "local" shop opened up, only 40 minutes down the road. When he closed up I had to really ask myself, is this worth it? I could live with occasional failures but I was starting to worry about breaking down and getting any sort of service on a diesel, so it was time.

Doesn't bother me to check the oil once a week. Not sure I'd want to add a quart every week, but that's cheaper than a car payment. Same on tire pressure. Lights on the dash, after ignoring a VW I can ignore most any warning light. Shakes, shimmies, odd feelings... had hoopties as a kid, have one now, doesn't bother me. New car is nice but has its own issues. Problem is, as we all know, buying a used car is a science in itself, almost more luck than skill.

Anyhow, other than my Tundra I suspect my two Toyota's can get parts anywhere in the US, and reasonably priced, and reasonably fixed, if I couldn't do it myself. That does extend my confidence in driving them to high miles.


Well I think you're doing a great job, and you're saving yourself a ton of money.

I traded in my Lexus LS460 a little over a year ago because it had 180,000 miles and it needed a good $4,000 in manintenance/repiars. I figured...hey this is a good time to jump ship. So I traded it in for a new 2018 Silverado - and I've got to say sometimes a I really regret it - especially when that truck payment comes in every month, or when I receive my registration fee ($600), and that's my second registration fee since I've owned it now, so I'm $1,200 into this thing for just fees.

Between car payments, fees, higher insurance, down payment...I have far exceeded the $4,000 in repairs my Lexus needed. I'm going to try to remember that when my Silverado needs $4,000 in repairs five or six years from now. I really am.
 
My VW, I estimated around $4k in repairs at the end, and it didn't seem wise to drop into something worth a grand (maybe two for the right buyer). Now it was a car I liked, so if my needs hadn't changed I might have dropped the money. Wound up finding my Camry for $1,500 and put $1,500 in over the first year to make it all up to date. Not too shabby since I made it over 2 years before it decided it needed something like $400 in repairs. We'll see how much longer it keeps trooping on. Rust still seems pretty low but it has to be starting to creep up.

The siren call of new is there, but it's getting tempered by the hemming and hawing on the news about a possible recession coming up. I also did regret buying my truck back when I did, but right now dropping $10k to buy "quality" seems like such a crapshoot since it could need just as much work as $1k beater does (transmission or electrical).
 
Originally Posted by supton
My VW, I estimated around $4k in repairs at the end, and it didn't seem wise to drop into something worth a grand (maybe two for the right buyer). Now it was a car I liked, so if my needs hadn't changed I might have dropped the money. Wound up finding my Camry for $1,500 and put $1,500 in over the first year to make it all up to date. Not too shabby since I made it over 2 years before it decided it needed something like $400 in repairs. We'll see how much longer it keeps trooping on. Rust still seems pretty low but it has to be starting to creep up.

The siren call of new is there, but it's getting tempered by the hemming and hawing on the news about a possible recession coming up. I also did regret buying my truck back when I did, but right now dropping $10k to buy "quality" seems like such a crapshoot since it could need just as much work as $1k beater does (transmission or electrical).


Yeah you bring up some good points, sometimes car just gets to the point where it's not financially worth the repair. It's an interesting dynamic. And then sometimes if you wait too long, and hold onto that car, it'll reach a point in depreciation where you could have done much better by unloading it sooner.

I think my long term plan with my truck, is I'm going to keep as long as humanly possible (300,000 plus) and then maybe buy something else and still hold onto it. We'll see...seems like I say that with every vehicle, then they get like your VW and it just makes more sense to sell it and get it out of the driveway.

Rust is the big consideration where I live, they brime rt. 93 and 495 before every snow storm and that stuff just coats the undercarriage and gets into everything.
 
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