Anyone here put 200k+ trouble free miles on a car, light truck, or SUV? By “trouble free” I’m talking oil changes, tires, brakes, timing belt at recommended interval (on interference engines), and maybe a minor do-dad here or there that you broke. But, no money pit or slow bleed.
It’s nearing time for my son to get a car that will finish out HS and hopefully take him through college. Given his/our budget, it will likely be high mileage when he gets it, and I would like it to make it through 5-7 more years without him/us having to deal with a money pit.
I know this is a gun forum but I don’t want to join a car forum , and all my friends seem to trade up to often to truly judge extended long term reliability. My experience isn’t much help here, because with the exception of my current 4Runner, my cars have all been to high end, money pits, slow bleeds, or all af the above. :o
1994 Honda Accord 2 door, 225,000. Bought it when I was home on leave while in the military. Didn’t drive it much until I got out in 1996, been driving it ever since 30-36mpg. Still use it as my solo long road trip vehicle, otherwise it is the wife’s crv or my pilot.
636K miles in a '92 Chevy Astro van. Frame cracked at 500 in a place on the side, we welded it up and put her back on the road. 4.3L engine, never a problem. She was smoooootttttthhhhhhh till the end.
My father has 180K on his '99 Suburban last time I checked. Might be up to 190K or so.
I know that it will not fall in the “teen cool” category, but I put way over 360K on my '88 Volvo 240. Check out THIS link for some examples. Trick it out (or just get fix it parts) at ipd and you end up with a unique and bulletproof transporter. My friends made fun of it when I first got it, but tinted window, a trick stereo (at the time), some wheels and struts and it was quite the fun ride. And for what you can buy one for you can afford to put a few bucks into customizing it.
I put 198K on a four wheel drive 2.3L 5 speed 87 Ford Ranger. I bought it new in 87 and traded it away in 97. Two sets of brakes, 1 timing belt, 1 clutch, 5 sets of tires, two sets of plugs and wires and a drive shaft U joint covered under warranty at 20K. Other than that nothing more than regular fluid changes and tune ups.
My daughter and son-in-law have a Chevy minivan with 240K on it. They just had to replace a broken rocker arm.
I had a chunk of frame fall off my 1995 Nissan Pathfinder at 301,000 miles. I had plate welded on that fell off after 4,000 miles. The car ran like a top and the dealer i traded it to parted it out. My largest repair bill to that point was $748.00 for a new starter and alternator that crapped out simultaneously at 220,000. Other than that, it was sheer maintenance, (tires, brakes, exhaust, shocks, transmission flush-n-fill, etc).
I decided to buy a big pick-up truck as a replacement, but drove out with a 2003 Nissan Xterra - all manual, (everything including lock-outs). At 179,000 miles, my largest repair bill up until this year was $0.00 Lately however, the sensors are going awry and I just snapped my torsion bar, (I off-road some)…It has been just stellar, though a few acquaintances with similar Xterras with automatic transmissions and power everything have told me of issues with electronics and tranny. Mine has been rock solid and I’d buy another one, if I could find one with lock-out hubs…
I don’t think you’re going to find anything that, given time won’t wear out or fall apart…My '99 Honda CRV for example, has 188,000 on it, It had 23,000 when we bought it used, in 2000. I’ve replaced the usual brakes, rotors, timing belt, Last spring, front end was shot to the point it was dangerous to drive,(168,000) It was fixed, now, the exhaust system is literally falling off, (Hondas are known for this) It’s in such bad shape that the whole exhaust will need replaced, and if I continued to drive it, I’ll probably get pulled over for excessive noise. However, for the first 9 years I had zero problems.If I needed a car to depend on for the next 5-10 yrs, I would’nt hesitate to buy another Honda. As it is, I’ll drive my pickup ('09 Chevy Silverado) until I get the cash to fix the Honda,I’ll give Chevy credit…My truck has a stainless exhaust(including cat converter) all the way back to the muffler…For once sombody was thinking…
Not quite to 200000 yet but i got a 98 civic 4door 3 years ago. I bought it at 102000 @ 32mpg. Now it at 143000 and making 38mpg. I have clue why. I run injector cleaner thru every soo and use Mobil full synth 10 30.
Really, get a good priced toyota/honda ecobox. Would I like a fullsize truck or jeep or something? Yeah, but its not in my means and at 38 mpg, I can reach civilization on the weekend for cheaps.The back seat is barely big enuf to my my MTB in with the front wheel off.
My daily driver is a 1982 Toyota 4X4. I have looked at many, many Toyota pickups with 22R/RE engines with 200 - 350K that still run and drive like new trucks, and have never been rebuilt. I know the little Hondas have a good reputation but I don’t know anything about them. From every professional account that I have heard, a well maintained (and sometimes never maintained) 22R series 4-banger will give you at least 200k without any major work or catastrphic failures.
The little Toys are also great offroad, and may be something that your son would keep forever as a utility type vehicle, long after he can afford a nicer daily driver.
1986 Honda Accord 4-door went 225,000 miles in 17 years. When the air conditioner compressor finally went the guy said a replacement was more expensive than the car was worth.
Traded it in and I’m sure some kid has a car to get around town.
Well, I haven’t hit 200k yet, but I’ve had two 2000 Ford Tauruses and they’ve all been great cars and the average mile count is around 160,000 each. The first was was totalled just at 160,000 miles (idiot girl with her boyfriend ran through a stop sign and bent my chassis), and my current is just at 155k.
Aside from oil changes, tires, blinker bulbs, and preventative maintenance, the only things that went wrong between both cars was the following:
Ford Taurus #1:
PCV Valve went out 125,000 ($85 to fix)
Ford Taurus #2:
PCV Valve went out at 130,000 ($85 to fix)
Radiator coolant reservoir cracked and had to be replaced at 135,000 ($500)
EGR Valve needed to be replaced at 150,000 ($145)
They both get great gas mileage. I do use premium only after 125,000 as the carbon build-up in the cylinders (as with any high mileage car) reduces the compression ratio, but it’s not that big a deal. 27 Highway / 22 City / 25mpg overall. A tank of gas will last you about 400 miles, give or take.
And the nicest thing of all… they’re cheap. Many companies buy Ford Tauruses as fleet cars and drive them almost exclusively on the interstate, and then sell them at 75,000 - 100,000 miles. Since they’re all interstate miles, the transmission and engine aren’t stressed or worn nearly as much as an in-city driven car and you can expect another 100,000 out of it, easy. Average price is 3,000 - 6,000 depending on the year. You can get some low-mileage 2000 models for $2,000 and under.
i took my 98 corolla to 150,000 miles, no trouble. did front struts, and a few tires.
the kid i sold it to put a clutch in recently. still goin strong.
My 1993 Honda Accord was 17 years old and had 260,000 miles on it when I sold it. Nothing major went wrong but I did have all the scheduled maintenance performed by a Honda garage and had to replace the normal wear & tear items. I loved that car.
, and all my friends seem to trade up to often to truly judge extended long term reliability. My experience isn’t much help here, because with the exception of my current 4Runner, my cars have all been to high end, money pits, slow bleeds, or all af the above. :o
