How many miles on your car?

[Liberal_in_LA]

Poll question: How many miles on your car?

Is 200,000 Miles The New 100,000?
Some Owners Push The Limits Of Their Odometers

from this AuthorThe dream of putting 200,000 miles on your vehicle – once restricted to an assortment of auto buffs and non-conformists willing to spend a small fortune on repairs -- is fast becoming a real possibility for millions of drivers..

Not so long ago, people counted themselves lucky if their car made it 100,000 miles before it gave out. As late as the 1980s and 1990s, many odometers didn’t even carry enough digits to handle 100k.

But to echo the hopeful baby boomer assertion that 60 is the new 40, one could say that 200,000 miles is the new 100,000 – thanks primarily to improvements in quality.

http://autos.aol.com/article/high-mileage-driving/

[blondeatlast]

1. Just passed 100k last week. nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. Nice. Prior cars barely made it to 100K. Current car chugging past 135K

[auntAgonist]

2. '99 Pontiac Grand Am: 264,000. miles on original motor.

I love my car.

aA

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. wow

[HuckleB]

5. We have 80,000 on our '02 Saturn. And 180,000 on our 1986 Toyota pick up.

Neither of them get much mileage anymore, however.

[PSzymeczek]

23. Just over 62K on my '03 Saturn Ion2.

I don't drive much.

[lumberjack_jeff]

6. 94 chevy 4x4. Just turned over 250k miles. n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

8. Didn't odometers use to start again 100K?

[rurallib]

38. yep - not many rolled over in the old days either.

[rurallib]

41. 155,000 on a 2002 Hyundai

I have kept making payments so I have some saved for the next car. I am hoping my next one is an all electric with a 300 mile range and quick charging battery.

[lumberjack_jeff]

43. Used to. Most cars built since 1990 have 6 digit odometers. n/t

[REP]

7. 9,437 on a 2008

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. I'm jealous lol

[REP]

31. Well, I've had it since November 2007, when it had 7 miles

[HughMoran]

10. 180,000 miles on my daily driver

[Dappleganger]

11. Three with well over 100,000.

The 2001 Chrysler T&C minivan which the oldest ds and I share has 128,000 on it (we bought it used with close to 80,000 on it in 2004).
The 2001 Honda CRV our daughter drives has 148,000 on it.
The 1999 Ford F150 XT which dh drives has close to 240,000 on it.

We plan on driving them for quite awhile, but then again we haven't bought a brand new car since 1996 (a Honda Civic we sold last year w/260,000 on it).

[JVS]

12. I think this is more a sad tribute to the fact that people spend way too much time in the car...

than a demonstration of how great newer cars are. My last car was 20 years old when it conked out at about 120k

My new car is about a year old and broke 6000 today. At this rate I should hit 200,000 in another 32 years if the car lasts that long.

[Liberal_in_LA]

13. Living in Los Angeles, myself and many co-workers and friends drive 35 to 100 miles per day

[JVS]

30. I understand that, but it does create a paradoxical situation.

You live in the city of 12,000,000 to be near everything, yet it leads to the destination regularly being dozens of miles away.

I live in a city of 120,000 and for me everything is less than 5 miles away at most. Once in a very long while I might head to a big city 100 miles away, usually if I want to fly somewhere.

I think there is a point where the efficiency of the city as a central location hits a point of diminishing returns.

[stopbush]

57. Some of us are in professions where the jobs with high salaries are in the large

metro areas. But that doesn't mean we can afford to live near our jobs. That's how it is in CA. Work in the city, live 50 miles away where it's affordable. The $ spent getting to and from work is a pittance compared to what you'd have to pay to live closer to the job.

[JVS]

59. Yeah, I know. It's a pain in the ass and in a saner world there would be a better planning.

It struck me as particularly ironic that in the 1990s when the dotcom boom was going on and the miracles of the internet and teleconferencing/networking were first being extolled all the companies moved to manhattan. For example, there is no reason that theonion.com needed to be in NYC instead of manhattan. The whole industry was preaching "work from anywhere" while moving into an extremely expensive real-estate market. But hey, the company's prestige is more important than the employees not spending 3 hours a day in a car and paying through the nose for a roof to put over their heads.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

69. pretensions kill

The firm I work for specializes in finding the crappiest office space anywhere and are often mocked for it. Meanwhile our competitors are struggling to get out from under leases they signed when they were doing 100,000 billable hours a year.

I have realtors coming to me weekly trying to pitch the best office money can buy, paying $50,000 a month in rent for a single floor in an office building with no parking what-so-ever seems like insanity to me.

[Liberal_in_LA]

99. yep. My job is in an area where homes sell for 4 million and up. can't even afford to rent there

[TBF]

119. It's the same here in Houston -

I just drive the kids around in the suburbs (and go into town occasionally for doctor's appts). I put about 12K miles/yr on the car. My husband commutes with his Subaru, however, and puts on more.

We keep up with maintenance (except I ignore body work on my old car) - we try to keep his running tip top - breaking down on the multi-lane highways here is no fun.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

68. That is simplistic,

It isn't as though there is only one supermarket in all of Southern California.

I am from Costa Mesa, draw a five mile radius around my house and I will go weeks without going much further.

[JVS]

71. Ok, that makes sense. But Costa Mesa is really a city of 120,000 not far from the bigger cities.

We're both living in small cities. Yours just happens to be surrounded by other large cities, while mine is surrounded by corn.
I would guess though that some of your neighbors are not living in Costa Mesa as much as they're living in the greater Los Angeles (or even SoCal) area, with the difference being defined by where they need to get to regularly.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

73. the only way to tell you are in another city is the style of the street signs

The internal boundaries are pretty much meaningless. I drive through four different cities in the ten minutes it takes me to get to the airport.

[madmom]

91. Or that people can't afford new cars. I'm driving a 1991 jeep with 152,000 miles on it, my

previous vehicle was a chevy s10 blazer forget which year but it had over 200,000 miles. Previously sold my second jeep to my son, it is a 97 jeep with 175,000 miles in it.

BTW took the 98 jeep into have new tires and had the mechanic ( hubby's friend) drive it, he was amazed at how "sound" it was.

[oneshooter]

14. 04 Ranger, 6l engine, 223,000+ n\t

[Recovered Repug]

39. Had a '95 Ranger that took me over 200k.

Got rid of it a couple of years ago and still miss it.

[NightWatcher]

87. I put 204 K on a 2000 Ranger in five years, now I'm driving a 2000 F150 with 130K

that I bought from my old job because they didnt want to invest 1000$ in a perfectly good work truck

[vademocrat]

15. 65K on a 2002 subaru -

I'm lucky that I don't have to drive very much...no kids and a short commute...

[exboyfil]

25. Got you beat

61K on my 2002 Cavalier (purchased new). I am praying that this car gives me another 10 years of trouble free driving (out past the college graduation of the youngest).

[vademocrat]

40. Someone drives less than I do - good for you!

My friends and co-workers can't believe how little I drive.

I hear you about 10 more years of trouble free driving - car payment is a wonderful thing!

[Binka]

46. 78000 on my 1998 VW Beetle

I bought it in 2000 and it had 35000 then. I ride my bike to work and walk my daughter to school.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

16. Three real important things to do.

1. buy a low repair model (example 98 Toyota 4runner). 2. change the oil every 3,000 miles. 3. keep it tuned and repaired.

[Kaleva]

27. There is much debate about changing the oil every 3000 miles

It's best to follow the manufacturer's recommendation in the owner's manual.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

32. Its all about keeping the oil clean, clean oil never hurt an engine,

its also one of the cheapest things you can do, less then a full tank of gas in most cases.

[Kaleva]

49. But there is no economic benefit to replacing clean oil with clean oil.

My owner's manual recommends changing the oil every 6000 miles (based on normal highway driving which is what I usually do). The body is rusting out now but the engine has been purring along for 181,000 miles now with no trouble other then routine maintenance.

[Wickerman]

17. 242k on a Chevy Blazer

has a rebuilt transmission, but it's hanging in there.

[RiverStone]

18. 240K on the original Prius --- 1991 Honda CRX HF

53 MPG Highway!

[tammywammy]

19. Hit 20k today n/t

[Kaleva]

20. 181k on a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan

[TheCowsCameHome]

21. 273,000 Buick LeSabre, original everything

Exc. brakes, radiator, water pump, master cyl.

[ManiacJoe]

22. 165,000 on previous car

1997 Pontiac Grand Am.
New car has 4500.

If you do all the oil changes and other maintenance when you should, today's cars will last a long time.

[PJPhreak]

24. 191,000,

On a 86 Toyota Corolla...78,000 on a 01 Neon.

[mokawanis]

26. 106,000 on a 2005 Caravan

Starting to burn a little oil but never breaks down.

[virginia mountainman]

28. I have three cars.. All with over 150,000, one with 400,000 !!

My wifes Pontiac Grand Prix GTP, with 180,000...She LOVES it, wants to keep it.. She bought it when it was a year old.

My daily driver, a 1997 Eddie Bauer Explorer with 190,000. The "family truckster"

And our beloved Back up, and bad weather car..a 1991 Ford Explorer, with over 400,000.

It has been paid for for a decade and a half, and has not had "heavy repairs" in about that long. and still she gets about 24 mpg on the interstate!!!!!

For the past 8 years, all I have had to do to it is replace the fuel pump...(not counting normal stuff, like oil changes, keeping engine humming with regular tunes, and brake jobs)

I view every MONTH, that we drive a "paid for car" as money in the bank. And rather environmentally freindly..We are NOT causing new resources to be used just to provide us with a new car every few years.

People are aghast that we drive older cars, but when I start adding up their, and their spouses car payments...They tend to turn pale... When I explain that I spend way way less on car repairs, than they do on car PAYMENTS during the year...Actully, I spend less in a year on all three of mine, than they spend in a MONTH on their car payments....

Who's LOLing now!!

[Juche]

89. Impressive

My only concern with driving older cars is the safety features aren't always as good as the newer models. But aside from that, making all those cars last that long is pretty impressive.

[Liberal_in_LA]

96. 400k. wow.

[fishwax]

29. I can't think of a car my family has owned that didn't reach 100k

Including the cars I've owned as well as my parents, grandparents, and siblings--the only exceptions being a couple of cars that are currently under 100k and still being used.

200k certainly can't be taken for granted, though ...

[Rochester]

33. 220,000

and still going strong.

[leveymg]

34. 286,000 - '92 Volvo 740 Wagon. One of the all time great, durable cars.

It still runs and looks great. Looking forward to 300,000. Good thing, because we CAN NOT afford to buy a new car, now.

[madokie]

35. Two '98 fords

Explorer 148,000 and f150 132,000. Neither of them have any issues either, in fact they are both pretty much just like they were when they rolled off the assembly lines sans the paint on the f150. it could use a clear coat but the explorer just could use a wax job. Both run and drive like new and both interiors look new too. I'm sure both could use a good vacuuming and a wipe down though. If you haven't driven a Ford lately you haven't driven a good vehicle lately.

[jdadd]

36. Current driver 91 accord,

193,000 miles. I've had many cars go well over 100,000 miles 62 ford fairlane went 164,000 before engine ate itself. record holder for me was a 93 Taurus 3.0 had 266,000 when I said goodbye to it, it was still running.

[MrMickeysMom]

37. My Jeep has 184,000 and change on it...

... and it's still going strong. Of course, I've dumped over $,1,800 dollars into it this year.

If we're lucky, my car will go another 2 years, then the home will be paid off (and our mortgage wasn't a big one because we've downsized).

Same goes with our health and the fact that neither one of us is going to be able to retire like those in my family with a pension. It's the price you pay for doing something with your life that isn't a slave to the corporation. Fuck it. We're happy.

Strangely, we're a hell of a lot happier than these fucking Republicans seem to be, I'd say..

[IDemo]

42. 53k on the '93

Right around three thousand miles per year.

[HughBeaumont]

44. 1997 Cavalier - 257,000 miles. Same Engine. Same Clutch. Same Transmission. Same Alternator.

The Car That Will Not Die (Knock on a thousand tons of wood . . . it has to go another 2 years until I get a Cruze ECO to replace it) . . .

[Monique1]

45. 2000 Sunfire convertible with 83,000 miles.

[Lucian]

47. 200,358 miles.

I hope to gods it can last at least another 25,000 miles. I won't be able to afford a car for a few years. :(

[stevedeshazer]

48. '99 Civic, 204K

[SheilaT]

50. a 2004 Civic here

with about 60k on it. I don't drive all that much in my current life.

As I see the postings of high mileage cars, I'm more struck than ever that they don't make them like they used to. Thank god. Cars today, whatever the maker, truly are intended to last a good long time, lots of miles.

I also wonder if in general, people take better care of their cars, do the routine maintenance as they should, and maybe they didn't used to decades ago. :shrug:

[proud2BlibKansan]

51. 462

I've only had it for 10 days. :)

[YvonneCa]

53. Congrats...

...:)

[Liberal_in_LA]

97. still got the new car smell, huh? I vaguely remember what that was like

[Broken_Hero]

52. About 64k on a 2006

Malibu Maxx. We got it April of 09 when it was around 23k. I hope to god/satan(insert deity of choice) that it makes it to 200k. My wife puts a ton of miles on her vehicles aka she is a mighty slayer of cars. Our last two were Dodge Intrepids, both died around 130k, I hope this Maxx makes it to 200k.

[flvegan]

54. 2007 Mazdaspeed 3 with 27.5k miles.

[midnight armadillo]

55. 104k

engine/transmission is fine, a few annoying rattles here and there.

[stopbush]

56. 158,000 on the Park Avenue and 108,000 on the Bug.

Maybe I spend a thousand or so bucks a year on each car in repairs. It's still less than monthly car payments.

[unkachuck]

58. over 500,000 miles and counting....

....but my car is 41 years old....

....completely repairable, completely rebuildable, completely maintainable, by -->"ME"<--

....todays' vehicles are 'technotraps'; yesterdays vehicles are user-friendly....try one, you might like it....

[Roon]

60. I once leased a cab that had more than 300,000 miles

A lot of cabs are retired police cars.

[LooseWilly]

64. I leased a taxi with over 500K miles for months...

Less than 150K usually meant the odometer was broken.

Then again, for a while I was leasing a cab whose gas gauge ran in reverse... and when the needle started fondling Full I had to find a gas station... so an odometer that ran backwards wouldn't've shocked me either.

[Roon]

104. From what I gather from talking to my mechanic friends

They say that cars that are running all of the time tend to last a lot longer. Something to do with how starting and stopping a cold engine is really rough on it.

[Liberal_in_LA]

105. interesting n/t

[tXr]

106. lol, did it repair itself?

[spin]

61. 18K on a 2005 Nissan Frontier pick up truck ...

I'm retired and do very little driving.

[fizzgig]

62. my dad's got 450k on his 88 volvo

and it runs like a dream. my sister has 300k or so on her 89 and i've got about 209k on my 91. the 82 we just retired probably had 300k on it or so (i really don't know, the odometer's been broken for probably six years).

gotta love volvos

[Kat45]

63. I've got around 50,000-60,000 on my 1994 car.

(Not long ago it turned either 50,000 or 60,000, I forget which.) It's a Toyota Tercel.

[trackfan]

65. About 75,000 on each car. One is a 2000 the other a 1994. n/t

[donheld]

66. 85500 Doge Neon 2000

[justgamma]

67. 185,000 on my Ford Escort

The only repair I've had to do was to put in a new alternator. Love my car. Runs like a dream.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

70. 13,000 on my 2009 Accord, 4,400 on my 2009 Accent

I made it to 103,000 on my old Toyota, but then it was taken out by a runaway dumpster.

[Liberal_in_LA]

100. Two newer cars. nice.

[Art_from_Ark]

72. 31000 miles on a 1999 Suzuki 3-banger

Car, not motorcycle, but it's like the car has a motorcycle engine.

[old mark]

74. Last September, we bought a '99 Hyundai Santa Fe -one of the best cars I ever drove.

It had 70,000 on it, and we out a little more than 6,600 on it this last year.

It has a new timimg belt and associated pullys, etc, some new suspension parts and the standard oil change and lube stuff and a complete trans fluid replacement and maintenance.

I expect at least 250,000 out of it, and I hope to still be alive when that happens.

I have had several cars go well over 200,000, including an old Ford Fairlane and an Olds Touring Sedan, and I want to do it with this Santa Fe - they really are great cars.

Keep the oil and filter clean, change the trans fluid every 50,000 and
have it all checked out every year or so.

mark

[melm00se]

75. traded in my

1997 ford ranger with 286,000 miles for a VW rabbit with 17k

[AwakeAtLast]

76. In May of this year I found the most awesome car

I found a loaded 2000 Toyota Avalon for less than $10,000. That sounds a little high, until I tell you it only had 59,000 miles on it!

It has a moon roof, perfect leather interior and drives like a Lexus! The exterior isn't perfect, but it's good enough. I will easily drive this car for at least 7 or 8 years - or longer! My aim is to see at least 200K on it.

[tXr]

107. Wow, you got a great deal!

It should easily pass 200k.

[AwakeAtLast]

110. AALette will be {cough cough, gag} driving in eight years

Hoping to pass it on.... :D

[Inuca]

77. You guys cheered me up

I have a VW Gold with 170,000 that is having some problems now, nothing major I think (unless you call a completely shattered windshield major, please don't ask :-)) but I was afraid I will have to give it up soon and 1. I cannot afford another car right now; and 2. I REALLY love this car. Now I see there is hope for quite a few happy returns for my little red friend :-).

[Liberal_in_LA]

98. I know how you feel. When my car passed 100k, I began to dread the inevitable big breakdown but

more knowledgeable people told me cars last much longer these days. They were right.

[aikoaiko]

78. 54000 at 9000/yr for the last 6 years

At this rate, I'd have to have my car 17 more years before I hit 200K.


I joke half seriously, but I'm planning that my car shall be my 5 year old son's first car when he turns 16.

[Bluerthanblue]

79. 317,000 miles on my 21yr old volvo 240

which I've just had to retire because of rust-. The engine and transmission still run fine, but the body has fallen victim to salt poisoning.

You can't beat 240 Volvo's - this is the second one I've gotten over 300,000 miles on.

[KillCapitalism]

80. 330,000 on a 2006 Toyota Corolla

I know, that's insane, but I have a 180 mile round trip commute. Pretty much all the car has needed has been fluid changes, new brake pads, new air filters, tires, etc. No major mechanical issues at all. It still pulls 35mpg on the highway.

[Codeine]

83. JEEBUS!!

When are you ever NOT driving?!

[KillCapitalism]

88. Almost never

I pretty much live in my Corolla, it's cramped but I need good MPG. In my trunk/backseat I have food, some outfits, toiletries, and my netbook stays in the passenger seat. I'm actually out on the road taking a break posting here on DU on Wifi from a truckstop near Columbia, MO.

[Liberal_in_LA]

101. wow! For comparison, I have 135K on a 2000 toyota corolla!

[etherealtruth]

81. 30,000 miles on a 14 month old Ford Fusion

[Codeine]

82. UAW-made Toyota Corolla with 250,000+ on the odometer.

Original engine, rebuilt transmission.

[Juche]

84. Mine just died at 149k miles

The transmission has serious problems and 2 mechanics said I need a full rebuild (about 2k). I don't want to do that. Buying and installing a used transmission from another car will cost about 1k.

I am going to try friktiontek additive to see if it makes a difference with the transmission. But the car may be shot.

[Liberal_in_LA]

102. awwww. sorry. Maybe time to boost the economy with a car purchase

[Juche]

113. I'm looking into it

But it'd be a used car since I can't afford a new one. A 2003-2006 Mistubishi is what I'm looking at.

[pipi_k]

85. About 25,000 on a 2005 Ford Escape

bought brand new in 2005.

We live in the sticks, but really don't go anywhere much.

[liberalpress]

86. 130k

but kind of an unfair comparison since I got a rebuilt engine installed at 115k

[Maine-ah]

90. about 105k on a 2001 Nissan Xterra

[Ikonoklast]

92. 221,000+ on a '96 Suburban.

Will drive it 'til it dies.

[obxhead]

93. 121K. I expect to get well over 300K

04 Honda Element.

The last 2 Hondas I had delivered well over the 300K mark, one of which still runs well to this day.

[KathieG]

94. 1995 Honda Accord 162,000 miles

[LWolf]

95. Which one?

My '94 'yota PU has 225K. My '04 has 60K.

The '79 that came before those two lasted about 390K.

[tXr]

103. ~133,000 on a '93 Toyota.

I got it almost 7 years ago with ~127,000 miles.

I don't drive much.

[CatholicEdHead]

108. 120K some on a 01 Honda CRV

runs well and 24MPG overall except from Dec-Feb. Mileage drops by 30% or so after you get near zero, even worse at -20F.

[carlyhippy]

109. 14,000 miles, had the vehicle for 2.5 years

90% of it is highway miles. I just dont drive that much unless it is out of town trips. I need the 4wd for the snow/ice/winter.

[jannyk]

111. Hubby 190k ('93 Montero)/ Me almost 30k ('01 Suzuki) nt

[Zephie]

112. Our car was already 5 years used when it was bought....

Then driven from Georgia to Idaho, then Idaho to Florida... It's got some crazy high millage racked up.

[mopinko]

114. chevy suburban- 296k

hoping to see 300. only the last third of those miles is mine, it had 200k when i bought it.
those little things that you don't bother to fix on a beater are starting to add up, tho.

[SteveG]

115. 3 4Runners over the last 32 years

On my first one an '87 I put 416,000 on, my second one, a used '92 had 130,000 on it when I bought it and had 275,000 on it when I sold it. My current one, a 2002 that had 75,000 and currently has 142,000 on it. I drive a lot in my job.

[tulsakatz]

116. mine has 117,000 miles on it.....

I saw an article at yahoo the other day which listed 10 models that last the longest. Nissan Altima was the tenth, which is the car I own. I was glad to see that because I plan on driving it until it just won't run anymore.....

[oxymoron]

117. 2007 with 9300 miles

I live very close to work.

[TBF]

118. 2001 Subaru, 105K miles, it's a great car.

On maintenance/repair I've spent less than $10K total over the years. I did have a couple of big maintenance bills the past couple years, but virtually nothing until 90K (besides tires/brakes). No car payment also rocks!