At what mileage does the crap typically hit the fan?

[Kroze]

I had an 88 accord with way over 200k (odometer) stop working, I gave it away to charity. I miss that car, I'd say that all late 80 and early 90 Honda are rock solid.

 

[AMCRambler]

I would say it depends on the car. In general I think the Japanese cars are more bullet proof and will reach a higher mileage before big things start breaking. With my Ford Contour the magic number seemed to be 100,000 although it's had stuff go wrong on it throughout the time I've had it. Things that should have lasted a lot longer like the fuel pump, alternator, gas tank straps, lower control arms, etc.

 

[aphex]

Well were up to almost 115k miles now, a few months later. The car is still running great, knock on wood.

 

[nerp]

Hey, what's that whirring, grinding noise?

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: sisq0kidd
Damn, you drive a lot!

I wanna know this too as I have yet to do any real tuneups for my car.

My 07 has 78,000 on it. :laugh:

As for the original question it is relatively random, though somewhat dependant on make and model. I'd just keep up on recommended maintenance and cross your fingers.

Or if you can afford it when you buy a car get the longest (100-120k miles) extended warranty you can, and trade the car right when it is up.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

American cars will die after 20k miles.

Japanese cars will go infinitely while only burning ultra-clean hopes and dreams.

 

[Gillbot]

Originally posted by: marvdmartian
OP, I think the time when the crap hits the fan would depend on how crappy the vehicle was to start with!! 😉

Like what BouZouki said, keep up on the maintenance, and hope you don't get hit with a big whammy (transmission, a/c, etc). Of course, the little nickel & dime stuff can be as big a pain too.... :roll:

This.

It really depends on the car and how well it's been maintained. I've had card that seem to start to fall apart at 25-50k, others have exceeded 100k without batting an eye.

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
American cars will die after 20k miles.

Japanese cars will go infinitely while only burning ultra-clean hopes and dreams.

Louissss, is that you?

Honestly, the best way to get a good deal of mileage out of a car is to do all the normal maintanence, be aware of any noises or changes and have them checked out, and put the mileage on fast. People that take care of their cars and put a huge amount of mileage on them each year will tend to get more mileage out of their cars before they die. A 2005 car with 100k on it probably has more life left in it than a 2001 with 100k on it. Cars fail from usage but also from age.

To the OP, your car should easily last another 100k. It will start to need small things like CV boots, radiator, starter, alternator, etc... but even 1 or 2 of those a year are much cheaper than a car payment. There's always a chance that your engine or transmission will need work, but there is no way of predicting that unless your car came with a design flaw/defect from the factory.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Originally posted by: Bignate603

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
American cars will die after 20k miles.

Japanese cars will go infinitely while only burning ultra-clean hopes and dreams.

Louissss, is that you?

Honestly, the best way to get a good deal of mileage out of a car is to do all the normal maintanence, be aware of any noises or changes and have them checked out, and put the mileage on fast. People that take care of their cars and put a huge amount of mileage on them each year will tend to get more mileage out of their cars before they die. A 2005 car with 100k on it probably has more life left in it than a 2001 with 100k on it. Cars fail from usage but also from age.

To the OP, your car should easily last another 100k. It will start to need small things like CV boots, radiator, starter, alternator, etc... but even 1 or 2 of those a year are much cheaper than a car payment. There's always a chance that your engine or transmission will need work, but there is no way of predicting that unless your car came with a design flaw/defect from the factory.

It was sarcasm.. I've driven but never owned any non-domestic vehicle as of yet.

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune

It was sarcasm.. I've driven but never owned any non-domestic vehicle as of yet.

Did you feel dirty?

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
It was sarcasm.. I've driven but never owned any non-domestic vehicle as of yet.

I know, I was just poking fun at the whole fanboyism that's been plaguing the garage.

 

[Kroze]

Do routine and recommended maintenance and the car should last a very long time. No magical mileage point.

Transmission fluid
Coolant
Brake fluid
Power steering fluid

Every year

Oil and filters.

 

[Possessed Freak]

For me, regular maintenance until about 200k (Dodge Ram, Ford Aerostar, Saturn S-series). Then things got weird.

 

[Mide]

For a 94 Civic, it took 10 years and 74k miles until things started breaking down.

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: Mide
For a 94 Civic, it took 10 years and 74k miles until things started breaking down.

My bet is things started to fail because of age, not mileage. Some things will run into issues as stuff ages. Rubber parts, things susceptible to corrosion, seals, and gaskets all can fail due to age.

 

[Koing]

I feel in my rather limited experience that as a car gets towards 100k miles bits start to wear down and I'll want to avoid it. The engine just feels abused by then.

Koing

 

[SickBeast]

This really varies by the car. I'd say the 250K estimate was decent. Honda gets 500K typically. I tend to say Mazda is the 4th best Japanese car maker (Honda/Toyota/Nissan/Mazda).

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune

It was sarcasm.. I've driven but never owned any non-domestic vehicle as of yet.

Did you feel dirty?

I actually loved test driving a maxima. Felt terrific. I have nothing against non-domestic vehicles. It's just thus far I've only needed work vehicles, and the foreign market doesn't really offer anything competitive there at a competitive cost.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

drove a 2007 Jeep liberty and there were problems with the suspension + bearings + power windows at 25k...

 

[SearchMaster]

Originally posted by: SickBeast
This really varies by the car. I'd say the 250K estimate was decent. Honda gets 500K typically. I tend to say Mazda is the 4th best Japanese car maker (Honda/Toyota/Nissan/Mazda).

Heh - typically 500K? You're probably more likely to get 500K from an early 90's Honda than just about anything else but I'm sure the percentage of Hondas that hit that mileage is very low (probably because Americans typically don't drive their cars into the ground).

My '00 Maxima just hit 200K the other day, and it still hasn't 'hit the fan'. It's had a few repairs over the years (O2 sensor, replaced rotors early in its life (not typical wear), radiator fan, and another sensor) but all in all it's been a very reliable car. Oh yeah, the radio display's been off for a couple of years but it still works so I've gotten used to that issue. I'm terrible about routine maintenance too.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: marvdmartian
Like what BouZouki said, keep up on the maintenance, and hope you don't get hit with a big whammy (transmission, a/c, etc). Of course, the little nickel & dime stuff can be as big a pain too.... :roll:

I got hit up at 110k with the transmission going... and now quite a few little stuff (wheel bearings - expected, cracked CV boot, power steering leak & pump)... my mechanic says there's a lot of rust underneath too (Buffalo winters + 14 years in service) so it's only a matter of time. If I drove it everyday, who knows... maybe these small issues would've only crept up at 200k miles instead. So mileage isn't necessarily the deciding factor. Hell, I only put 5k mi. on my new car per year.. doesn't mean it'll last 20 years.

 

[Kntx]

My 98' ford with 100k has begun to have problems. Seems every second oil change the johnson rod or some other thing is wearing out. Engine and transmission are still good but the couple hundred dollar repairs are starting to get a bit annoying.

 

[PricklyPete]

In my past experience, it depends on many factors:

1) How quickly you rack up the miles
2) How reliable a car you own/how complicated an engine it contains (supercharger/turbo/etc)
3) How good you were at doing basic maintenance and regularly filling/flushing fluids
4) How hard you drive your car

In the case of my wife's Civic...it is 96K in and it is just being broken in...I'd really be surprised for anything to go wrong prior to 150K which we likely won't even make it that far before selling.