How many miles does a typical car last w/o major problems?

[HeXen]

what year is this? I haven't seen cars depreciate that fast in a while

my 05 still looks new with under 40k miles and i can't find any dealer to trade in for more than 10k. i guess it depends though, but seems mine depreciated alot or dealers just try to rip me off...either way

 

[RU482]

yeah, but he is stating an 09 model depreciating from 30k to 15k. just ain't true in my shopping adventures.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

My wife had a '94 Olds Achieva which we kept from 0 to about 155,000 miles. The engine and tranny were fine but everything else around it just started to fall apart. The final straw was when it needed a new fuel pump and filter which would have required removing the fuel tank at a cost of about $600. (Why, why would you put the fuel pump and filter in the gas tank?)

 

[T2urtle]

stating needing a engine isn't going much help.

is a head gasket considered needing a engine? Broken timing belts can go at anytime. you can have a failure in the thermostat that a driver never knew and then overheated the motor, now it will need a engine but if a thermostat was replaced it wouldn't need one. A head gasket replacement might be like $600 when you can get a used motor for the same cost in SOME cases.

Me personally any car in the past 10 years should make it to 100k for the most part problem free. I've seen 3 100+k cars in my family go up and never needed a serious repair. I think there was a good chance they can make it to least 175k.

 

[exar333]

Question does not have an answer.

What year? Many cars made in the 70's/80's are shit and they fell apart long before 100 thousand.
What brand/model? For a long time European cars have been much better than American. And Japanese cars are usually in between. But some specific brands are much different from their national norm. And some models within particular brands were much better or worse than their brothers.

As for me: 2003 Chevy S-10. Piece of shit. Needed all kinds of work around the 30 thousand mark. I dont doubt the engine will go to half a million miles, but the body will probably be falling apart by 100K. Every time I turn around it needs more work. As of this past year I have spent as much on a mechanic as half the purchase price of the vehicle (16 grand). And the super duper gold plus service plan never covered anything in 4 years.
Just noticed a problem this past week on the ice that I never noticed. In fact I may need to make a thread on it cuz no one else ever talks about the issue.

Never buying another GM product. If the engine lasts forever and the body dies quickly I did not get my money worth.

My dads 91 Toyota pickup has 300,000 on it, according to my cousin Alisha. She got it when he died. And unlike most females she takes good care of it.

Maybe this has something to do with it?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2137613

 

[ichy]

I just 138k miles on my 2000 Ford Focus. It has given me a fair share of minor hassles (broken radiator hoses, engine mounts gone bad, brake issues) but no major engine or tranny problems. Not bad for car that I bought with 55k miles on it for $4,000.

 

[hanoverphist]

my 01 dodge ram just flipped over to 198K on the original 318cu motor. love that truck. only huge repair ive done is the steering system, and that was my fault for not taking care of a leaky PS hose and then the pump leaking (due to not taking care of the hose). while i do regular maintenance on the truck, i do drive it hard, and abuse it now and again. its a work truck first, but i use it for everything. i put about 500-800 miles a week on that thing.

 

[jjmIII]

I think a little after 100k too many small things go. Sure you don't need an engine or trans, but other items on a modern vehicle add up quick.

Go get a new set of spark plugs in a V8 F150. I pd $300 (parts & labor) and that was a great deal. If the coils go, and you need wires along with the plugs it's closer to $1200. Then on a brake job you end up needing calipers...it goes on, and on.

I have 85k on my 2005 F150, and hope to get a newer one in the next year, year and a half.

After 120k, I think it's best to make the car/truck someone elses vehicle.

http://www.f150online.com/forums/garage/2005-Ford-F150-1072-jjmIII.html

 

[Tristicus]

Maybe this has something to do with it?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2137613

Lulz.

 

[avonman]

I got a 96 Saturn SW1 with 196,000 and so far no major repairs. There is a plastic piece that connects the stick shift to cables that broke, part alone was $250(part is attached to cable)! Friend who is a mechanic found a part in his shop to fix it for $50.

 

[zsdersw]

No problems on my '05 Acura TL.. now at 117k miles. To be safe, though, I did have the timing/accessory belts and water pump changed at around 100k miles.. as recommended. Transmission fluid changed every 30k miles. Full synthetic oil change roughly every 5k miles.

And I'm very much lead-footed.

 

[Bignate603]

Maybe this has something to do with it?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2137613

:biggrin:

The fact that the truck is still running after that is a testament to how well it's built.

 

[simonizor]

Yup. I plan to have a car payment until the day I die. There are several reasons I get a new car every two and half to three years: mechanical reliability, rust, new safety features.

We do have just a single car between us though. And when we move closer to work, I will switch from buying to leasing. That should cut my payment by a third.

Your financial plan makes no sense. If you took that money that you were putting into your car payment and put it into a "car repair fund," you would have enough money in there to go on vacation and still repair your car. If you wash your car frequently, it's probably not going to rust before you get to 100k. New safety features? Such as? There hasn't really been a whole lot going on in that department for a while now other than back up cameras, sensors, etc.

 

[Meghan54]

(Why, why would you put the fuel pump and filter in the gas tank?)

First, guess you've not bought many cars built in the last 35 years with fuel injection. If you had, you'd have realized almost without exception all cars have their fuel pumps in the gas tank.

Second, the fuel filter is NOT in the tank. True, the fuel pump has a strainer or two attached to it, but they're not the filter by any stretch of the imagination. The strainer(s), or socks as some call them, are just a "coarse" type strainer used to prevent large chunks of crap from entering the pump. The true fuel filter is mounted somewhere along the body rail, in line in the gas line.

 

[CraigRT]

problem is every car within each model can vary along with driving habits. i've seen catalyc converters go bad within 3 miles of taking it off the lot brand new! it was a dodge though...thats why

Yeah, clearly Chrysler manufacturers the catalytic converter
Even if they did... Shit happens.

 

[shortylickens]

Maybe this has something to do with it?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2137613

I dont deal in maybe's.

The car was falling apart long before I ever used 4 low.
Nice try though, keep at it!

 

[Bignate603]

I dont deal in maybe's.

The car was falling apart long before I ever used 4 low.
Nice try though, keep at it!

The 4-lo thing may not be what caused the other stuff but it does speak to how you treat your car.

 

[ShawnD1]

The 4-lo thing may not be what caused the other stuff but it does speak to how you treat your car.

Unfortunately that's how many people treat their car. Used vehicles with full time AWD (Subarus) often work fine, but cars with the more complicated 4WD systems are almost always fucked beyond belief. People don't seem to understand that there is a reason the company included a switch to turn the system on and off. They really need to put a warning right on the dash saying not to leave it in 4WD.

This is also part of the reason Jeep vehicles have such a bad reputation. Lots of Jeeps come with the real deal 4WD with partial locking or clutch type differentials. You're not supposed to leave them on. Jeeps are widely regarded as chick vehicles, so you can guess how often the 4WD system is left on even when it's dry pavement in the peak of summer.

 

[Tristicus]

Unfortunately that's how many people treat their car. Used vehicles with full time AWD (Subarus) often work fine, but cars with the more complicated 4WD systems are almost always fucked beyond belief. People don't seem to understand that there is a reason the company included a switch to turn the system on and off. They really need to put a warning right on the dash saying not to leave it in 4WD.

This is also part of the reason Jeep vehicles have such a bad reputation. Lots of Jeeps come with the real deal 4WD with partial locking or clutch type differentials. You're not supposed to leave them on. Jeeps are widely regarded as chick vehicles, so you can guess how often the 4WD system is left on even when it's dry pavement in the peak of summer.

Do you ever stop spewing shit?

 

[ShawnD1]

Do you ever stop spewing shit?

I can't hear what you're saying. I left the 4WD on and it's making this weird grinding noise when I take corners.

 

[PricklyPete]

If you do all the maintenance I'd consider any major repair (ie engine or transmission need a full rebuild) before 200,000 miles to be bad.

Agreed.

 

[biggie2200]

It has 769xxx miles and still has the stock 2.5 ironduke 4cyl and stock 5speed. The body is still solid. The only major problems I've had with it is radiator, window motors and brake lines. I've had it since it was brand new and i have a very heavy foot

 

[hans007]

My 2010 Audi a4 had a fuel injector fail after 9000 miles. Its cat failed. It probably needs a new engine or at least all the piston rings or block replaced now at 45k

My 2005 tsx had its starter fail after 35k. But nothing else until 65k when I sold it.

Both maintained as the manual said. I guess I'd expect more from newer cars but I could just be unlucky

 

[jagec]

I just 138k miles on my 2000 Ford Focus.

You just what?

 

[MagickMan]

I put 260k miles on a V6 Accord, back in the day, with only regular maintenance. However, when it finally did start falling apart it pretty much disintegrated.