530,000 in my Buick Riviera and still going strong if someone could have figured out the stalling problem. Now I won’t drive anything without a warrenty.
My 1984 Camry had 366K when I drove it to the shredder today. Did maintenance by the book. Original engine, but automatic transmission rebuilt twice (once because of a bad bushing tearing things up, and once because of a major leak out through the differential). It was done in by a leak around the kick down cable to the transmission. The $50 part wasn’t available, putting sealant on it didn’t stop it, and I got tired of adding a quart of Dexron every time I wanted to go for a drive. It was a plain vanilla car, but I’m going to miss it.
I can’t yet legally drive, but I do know somebody who owns a 2000 Mazda MPV with 245K and only one major unscheduled (Did I spell that right?) repair–a new radiator. It runs great.
My dad made HIS into junk (no AC, leaky radiator, THEN a cracked head).
ShiftKicker
I’m driving a 2000 Taursus SES with 163K. Folks tell me the tranny should’ve given up long ago…
I used to have a '68 Buick Sportwagon that had 790k miles. Click & Clack once mentioned it on the show (after I wrote in about it), but they also correctly surmised that I was on my 3rd engine.
But for the record, I could pull out my engine and have it rebuilt for about the same price as just a replacement computer for on a new car…
I put 264,000 miles on a 91 Volvo wagon. Only the body rot kept it from continued service. When the vehicle had 100,000 miles on it some a-hole mechanic told me, “You need a new clutch NOW”. Well, I drove 164,000 miles on that clutch. I think this proves that that mechanic was a slime-bucket and a scam artist!!! This type of thing seems to happen more often than not with mechanics. Well except for you and your brother, who do not behave in such a duplicitous manner because you could not do so without becoming encumbered with the thought process.
Ernie at UMASS, Amherst
We have a '96 Toyota Celica and '99 Subaru Forester, both in their mid-190’s. Which one should I expect to get the most miles out of?
03 Vibe GT: 195K and counting - Clutch every 75K, one wheel hub, otherwise just emission control doohickeys. Still 26-34 mpg, remains powerful and solid, burns NO oil.
96 Chevy Lumina(sedan): 295K - I’d probably still be driving it except the intake gasket failed at 275K and my wife drove it back and forth to work all week before telling me, on Friday, that it seemed to be running a little warm. Changed the gasket, ran a couple changes of oil through it and drove it till a main bearing seized 20K later.
91 Saturn SL: 231K - I kept a case of cheap 30w oil in the trunk, by then, and threw in a quart with every other fill-up.
83 Diesel Suburban: 195K - Three transmissions and a cracked head.
68 Fiat 128: 137K - More than a few things broke but they were so cheap and easy to fix I just kept it going until the floor pan rusted through.
I had a 1981 Dodge Pick-up, I was told they rolled the odometer over, and was on the third motor, with a 6 digit odometer. That means it topped the Million miles marker all the way until 1,183,692 before she gave up the ghost.
had a 1972 VW Westphalia…bought it w/91K on it. I put over 270K on it myself and then gave it to a friend who put over 150K on it before he gave it to someone else…that’s almost 1/2 million miles - yup, 500,000miles and for all I know it’s still out there going strong!
I’ve had a couple of Ford Econolines and E-series vans with my business. Compared to the Chevies, there’s no comparison. I still have a 1994 Ford Econoline 150 cargo van with a 300 inline 6, with the only amenities being ABS, an aftermarket stereo I installed, and air conditioning with just over 241,000 miles on her. The E4OD transmissions may not last long, but the rest of the van sure does. It’s managed to hit 2 or 3 deer as well.
I think I have the only Jeep in this list so far…I gotta '94 Cherokee. 4cyl, 5sp, 4wd. going soon because of NY body rot. original motor/trany: 210,000. Only expensive thing to be replaced was the pto for the front wheels, otherwise just water pumps(2), alt …starter. But I did get a case of the dreaded Death Wobble. new tires and a few suspension parts and motor mounts got rid of that. Easiest car to work on ever. 25 plus on the hwy(still). If I can find it’s unrusted twin, I’ll buy it.
I can think of a couple vehicles I did not own, but worked on a few years ago. One was a RHD Jeep Cherokee that had over 700k miles on it. Owners said they had no major repairs to anything in that time. Even the valve cover had never been off! The other one that comes to mind is a '01 Chevy Suburban with 481k miles on it. The owner said they only did scheduled fluid changes and replaced wearable parts in a timely manner. That truck still looked and drove like new when I worked on it. Both vehicles were in the shop for simple brake work.
ah, another jeep…mines only had the pto for the front wheels rebuilt. No major moter work. Do you remember if that jeep was a 4 cyl or a 6? I’m betting on a 4 cyl…
I own a 98 Jimmy with 178K and a 03 Vibe with 228K (The latter used when my roundtrip commute was 110 miles daily and both were bought new)and the both have rebuilt trannys so hopefully I’ll get at least another 100k out of each of them. I figure I look for a replacement car when one of them dies. The Vibe still gets over 30 MPG so I can’t complain about that
Bought my '97 Saturn SL1 new in August of '96.
Relatively trouble free, other than the expected. New exhaust at 200K (I’m in Pennsylvania–things rust up here…), 3 alternators (it’s a GM–every GM I’ve ever owned needs a new alternator every 80K), only had to add a quart of oil every 1000 miles or so.
Put 266K miles on it before the clutch finally decided to go. That and other repairs (busted tie rod end from potholes, EGR valve, brakes & rotors, motor mount) needed to pass inspection told me it was time to let go.
Sold it to my mechanic, who’s going to have his kid fix it up with his help.
I have a 1988 Chevy Silverado with 387,604 miles on it. Did a frame off three years ago and went through the engine. I don’t run it in the winter anymore. I bought it new.
I’ve got a 2001 honda civic that’s got about 190k on it. Literally the only thing I’ve had to replace on this car is the regular maintenance things… timing belt, battery, spark plugs, tires, etc.
I have a 97 Toyota 4-runner with 285K miles and it’s still humming along. I have replaced belts, hoses, alternators,shocks, all the things that tend to fail over time. I have also used Mobil 1 synthetic oil since I bought it new in 97. My local mechanic here in CO tells me it still has a lot of life left. How long do you think it can last?