Topic: How long is your car going to last?

[aquadorhj]

inspired by Julies recent Miata purchase, i went online car shopping for a Miata..   what a fickle fancy i have.. 

I've noted that a lot of cars are out of Quebec/Ont region with super high km/s  some in the range of upper 200k km.  (still asking 3~4k for them.)

I know that miata's 1.8L 4 pot is quite un-stressed (unlike my 3.2 six pot) and that it will easily last 200k, but i'm not sure i would be comfortable with 300k km on them.

that got me thinking, how long/how many KM do you suppose your car would last, given regular basic maintenance?

when I say "basic maintenance" i mean, waterpumps/timing belts, some minor suspension work every 8~15 years, regular oil changes/brake inspections etc.  nothing that would require either the transmission or engine to be opened up.   (manual cars may need clutches on occasion, and i'll allow that as regular maintenance.)


I, for one, am not confident that my engine would last 300k...  it very well might, but i would be remiss to say it wouldn't require a lot of work.

How about you?   do you think your car would go 300k km or more, easy?

[Fobroader]

Im pretty sure my truck will do 400K km at least......the other vehicles in the fleet....uhhhh....maybe 300k km.

[dkaz]

I regret getting rid of my old 91 Corolla. It had approximately 365,000 km when I got rid of it. The speedometer and odometer stopped working about a year prior lol. Other than timing belt, water pump, clutch, alternator, shocks, brakes, it didn't require anything else. I confidently drove it to Edmonton and back no problems. I've driven Civics in rougher mechanical shape long distance no problems.

With that said, with family I might be a bit more hesitant. At least back in the days I'd have no problem abandoning the car and hitchhiking to the nearest city with a bus stop. But it has never happened.

[dr_spock]

At the rate I'm driving, it'll be another 15 years before I hit 500,000km.   By then it'll be 30 years-old.   It might be a bucket of iron oxide by then or I'll be Arthur Denting it. 

[PJungnitsch]

My truck hit 430,000 before I gave up on it, but I probably should have rid of it at 400,000. Clutch, carb, a bunch of stuff had to be done then. Before that it was basically consumables, brakes, shocks, exhaust, timing belt, plugs, etc, not too bad at all.

But age is something to consider too, more than mileage in some cases. Everything rubber ages, including rad hoses, brake/fuel/vacuum lines, brake cylinders and calipers. Plus metal things corrode like rads and heater cores, and anything salt can get at.

[aquadorhj]

My truck hit 430,000 before I gave up on it, but I probably should have rid of it at 400,000. Clutch, carb, a bunch of stuff had to be done then. Before that it was basically consumables, brakes, shocks, exhaust, timing belt, plugs, etc, not too bad at all.

But age is something to consider too, more than mileage in some cases. Everything rubber ages, including rad hoses, brake/fuel/vacuum lines, brake cylinders and calipers. Plus metal things corrode like rads and heater cores, and anything salt can get at.

Oh yeah, certainly.  those have to be considered.  mainly though, i'm thinking between the car age 0(new) to 20 and how many kilometers one  might reasonably expect out of the engine/trans in that period.

[Ex-airbalancer]

It really is not mileage, it when I get bored of it and want not need something new
But this should be my last truck

[Ex-airbalancer]

It really is not mileage, it when I get bored of it and want not need something new
But this should be my last truck

Not to be used in describing your (pl) significant other.  Oh...hahaha..."truck"...my eyes saw that wrong for a second.  Phew! 

After 34 years trading  her, in I would be left nothing 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Back on the coast it was body rot and not usually the mechanicals that determined a car's longevity. Not so much here.

I don't know. If we keep Moby Grape for the long haul, we should see 300k without too much effort, well depending on the CVT.

[Fobroader]

My truck hit 430,000 before I gave up on it, but I probably should have rid of it at 400,000. Clutch, carb, a bunch of stuff had to be done then. Before that it was basically consumables, brakes, shocks, exhaust, timing belt, plugs, etc, not too bad at all.

But age is something to consider too, more than mileage in some cases. Everything rubber ages, including rad hoses, brake/fuel/vacuum lines, brake cylinders and calipers. Plus metal things corrode like rads and heater cores, and anything salt can get at.

Oh yeah, certainly.  those have to be considered.  mainly though, i'm thinking between the car age 0(new) to 20 and how many kilometers one  might reasonably expect out of the engine/trans in that period.

I think a lot of people do not understand that rubber has a finite life span so they get really disgruntled when they have to repair brake lines, rad hoses and serpentine belts. The engine and tranny should be easy to get to 300K km with diligent maintenance.

[Snowman]

Never owned a vehicle that I put more than 130 k on. 

[Northernridge]

Same. I won't have my vehicles that long. Reigning champion was my Dodge p/u...sold it 104km.

[dkaz]

As a SkyActiv guinea pig, I have no idea how long my car will last. Lol. I'm hoping 300,000km, assuming I keep my car that long (10 years)

[mmret]

In my hands, hoping for 150k out of the TL.

In theory, I could probably keep it going to 250+ without much trouble, though even with Krown and diligent washing () it might be a bit rusty by then.

[RunsinLight]

By the time I get to 150k my car will be 12 years old. By then I'd probably get a new one just for the sake of so much will have changed with the interior of cars.

[EV Dan]

When my Grandam was scrapped, it was nearing 300,000. The engine did not smoke or leak and it passed emissions on its own. What let it down was cooling issues caused likely by what GM uses for coolant. It leaked out dry, on two separate occasions. At some point it became more expensive to fix than the car was worth. I heard many times from mechanics that imports have higher quality rubber for seals, hoses and other things and that make them better used buys.

[blur911]

I don't think I've retired an Audi with less than 300k on it.  My F150 is poking at 320k, my previous F250 had over 400k.

Why do you think your M3 engine won't last?  A friend has the same car as you, tracks it every weekend for the last 2 years and has had no real drivetrain problems except for changing  a clutch.

Our Outback reached 270k when it needed a head gasket, we changed the engine but it could have been repaired.

[wing]

I don't drive enough so vehicle will rust out or be traded before it is done mechanically.  LX should last a long time, still drives like new at 100k so 200-300 easy.

[random006]

I don't drive enough so vehicle will rust out or be traded before it is done mechanically.  LX should last a long time, still drives like new at 100k so 200-300 easy.

Ditto.  We need a few more options on the poll.

[Firm]

I tend to be pretty good a stretching the life out of my cars. I find keeping the bodies in great shape is more difficult than the mechanical aspects. Mechanically, just replace what breaks or wears out, pretty simple really. The body is the tricky part. Keeping them oil sprayed (Krown) and regular washing in the winter helps a lot but there's still going to be issues eventually.

My Camaro is at around 330,000kms...Mechanically hardly anything has been replaced, just the wear items. It really has been a very reliable car. If I was to continue driving it daily I would be confident that I'd get half a million or more out of it without any major rebuild work.