Which vehicle has the longest expected life

[cardiac]

Maintain it properly without abusing it? Pretty much any car for sale today should go 200,000 miles easily. My parents have hit the 200,000+ mark with Fords, Nissans, Hondas, Volvos and Toyotas without needing terribly expensive repairs.

Of course, age is just as big a factor as mileage. My father's 2009 Honda Pilot has over 180,000 miles on it now and it's never needed anything beyond normal maintenance. But a good part of that reason is because even with the high mileage the vehicle is only just barely 4 years old. Before that he had an '04 Pilot that eclipsed 200,000 miles without issue (despite having the fragile transmission and being used to tow his boat), and before that a '98 Explorer that surpassed 200,000 miles without problems. Had a '91 Explorer that went beyond 200,000 miles without trouble as well.

Frankly, I'm pretty convinced that getting a car that has substantial issues before it's 10 years old is largely an issue of bad luck. Yes, there are some cars with known issues, but those tend to be rare in practice.

Once you get past about 10 years old though, age starts to become a factor regardless of mileage and it's irrational to expect that you'll never have to deviate from scheduled maintenance.

ZV

ZV, what does your dad do that he drives almost 50k miles every year? That's a lot of driving over the last 20 years...

 

[Jimzz]

I'd find a Consumer Reports auto issue, flip through the back, consider cars that are full of red dots, ignore cars full of black dots. Go from there. It's not an enthusiasts mag, obviously but if you want to know about reliability you'll do well. Info for consideration if nothing else.

CR is one of the worst things you can read for cars. They have been caught looking like idiots so many times its not funny. My fav is the corolla ranking better than the same year prizm. Or a car line with very little to no change going from unreliable to in the top 10 best car lines in 1 year.

http://blog.bluespringsfordparts.com/233/consumer-reports-rating-methodology-flawed/

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Chances of you driving whichever car for 200k is slim to none. You will get tired of driving the same vehicle or need something different (kids, towing) long before you ever get to 200k miles.

It takes a very determined individual to drive a car to 200k miles. Either they are super cheap or they get a kick out of seeing how long something will last before blowing up.

 

[pcgeek11]

everything
The last two cars I've bought had 200k miles on them when I bought them. One was a pontiac vibe with 195k miles on it that was beat to crap and still ran and drove perfect and my current 04 vw jetta TDI with 218k miles on it and also awesome.

Pontiac Vibe = Toyota Matrix = Toyota drive train.

I have bought Toyota for the last 38 years, all of them have been nearly perfect and all have gone over 200K.

 

[Murloc]

Chances of you driving whichever car for 200k is slim to none. You will get tired of driving the same vehicle or need something different (kids, towing) long before you ever get to 200k miles.

It takes a very determined individual to drive a car to 200k miles. Either they are super cheap or they get a kick out of seeing how long something will last before blowing up.

this, also at some point the new cars consume so less fuel that you're just going to change it anyway.

It's true that new european cars have a lots of electronics that can break, idk about american ones.

The only 20+ years old cars I see quite a lot are Volvo station wagons (the 240 I guess), the ones that look like hearses.

 

[Greenman]

Chances of you driving whichever car for 200k is slim to none. You will get tired of driving the same vehicle or need something different (kids, towing) long before you ever get to 200k miles.

It takes a very determined individual to drive a car to 200k miles. Either they are super cheap or they get a kick out of seeing how long something will last before blowing up.

Using something until the end of it's service life isn't being cheap. I buy my trucks brand new, drive them 25k a year, and dump them at around 250k. A quarter million miles is when I consider them unreliable, that's when rubber hoses start getting hard, and plastic parts start to get brittle, I can't afford a breakdown. These are work trucks, and they really work, often loaded to capacity, always carrying at least 500lbs of gear.

 

[PricklyPete]

Black sooty smoke isn't as bad for the environment as most people seem to think. Though I understand some people not liking the smell. IMO, if a diesel doesn't soot then it isn't a proper diesel.

I've had pretty good luck with my 2001 Buick Regal so far. Its up to 175k miles, though I've done some front end parts on it, but those are expected to wear out at around 100k I believe.

And there is also this:
http://content.usatoday.com/communi...-closing-in-on-3-million-miles/1#.UUEuXRybPW8

What?? That black soot is carcinogenic to my lungs and my loved one's lungs. I am all for not beating up on the environment, but I am even more concerned about our own health.

 

[Meghan54]

CR is one of the worst things you can read for cars. They have been caught looking like idiots so many times its not funny. My fav is the corolla ranking better than the same year prizm. Or a car line with very little to no change going from unreliable to in the top 10 best car lines in 1 year.

http://blog.bluespringsfordparts.com/233/consumer-reports-rating-methodology-flawed/

Yet, I've rarely seen JD Powers reliability data stray far from what CR presents, despite the diatribe of opinion presented by your link.

If anything, with the readers being better educated and wealthier, their cars should be treated better with better and more frequent service.

And while Audi among other brands scurry up and down the overall ratings board, ever consider why this may be? The author of that opinion piece didn't. Could it be that a particularly troublesome model or year is dropped off the end when the new year is added, thereby enhancing the reliability rating? Naaa....that certainly couldn't enter into that, could it?

(Hint: That's how car lines make gains in reliability....the less reliable ones become old enough to ignore while the newer ones are becoming more reliable, and the chart reflects it....and that other makers are having problems. Naaa.....that couldn't possibly be a factor.....that well researched article you linked doesn't mention that, so it couldn't be.)


And did you ever consider that the buyers of the Toyota version of the Prism may have been more attentive to maintenance than the Chevy buyers, which I fully expect to be a huge reason that the Toytoas were "more reliable" than the Chevy version.

 

[tracerbullet]

CR is one of the worst things you can read for cars. They have been caught looking like idiots so many times its not funny. My fav is the corolla ranking better than the same year prizm. Or a car line with very little to no change going from unreliable to in the top 10 best car lines in 1 year.

I agree and disagree. most of their info is feedback from subscribers, plus some research they do own their own. I won't defend them or say they are flawless, but as I already said it's a point of information. While there are issues, I wouldn't trash the entire data set.

I know that whenever I have flipped through them and looked at the cars I've owned, the problems (and areas with a lack of problems) have always been nailed perfectly.

Again - agree / disagree. I still think it's worth a look. A sea of red or black dots will tell you something and maybe expand a list to add some cars to look further into.

 

[Pardus]

Consumer Reports releases list of ‘disappointing dozen’ cars you shouldn’t be driving

posted 13/03/14 11:53 AM ET

The following vehicles are listed on Consumer Reports‘ Disappointing Dozen from worst to “less terrible” and how they came up short:

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara: Ride, handling, braking, wind noise, fit and finish, fuel economy, seat comfort, reliability, visibility, access
Smart ForTwo Passion: Transmission, need for premium fuel, seats only two, acceleration, agility, noise
Scion iQ: Ride, noise, acceleration, steering, driving position, fit and finish, radio controls, blind spots, tiny rear seat
Mitsubishi i SE: Short range, long charging time, weak cabin heat, Spartan accommodations, acceleration, ride, agility, seats only four, complicated radio, headlights
Chevrolet Spark 1LT: Acceleration, transmission, ride, noise, front-seat comfort, driving position, controls
Toyota FJ Cruiser: Visibility, ride, handling, noise, fuel economy, fit and finish, access
Toyota Yaris LE: Noise, ride, agility, driving position, front-seat comfort, fit and finish, radio controls, rear visibility
Dodge Avenger SXT (four-cylinder): Engine noise, acceleration, braking, handling, rear visibility, transmission, driving position, fuel economy
Jeep Compass Latitude: Engine noise, acceleration, driving position, front-seat comfort, rear visibility, cornering limits, braking, reliability
Dodge Ram 2500 Laramie (6.7L inline six-cylinder): Ride, noise, handling, transmission, high step-in, complicated optional radio, reliability
Toyota Tacoma (V6): Ride, handling, driving position, high step-in, low rear seat
Jeep Patriot Latitude: Engine noise, acceleration, driving position, front-seat comfort, complicated optional radio

 

[ThatsABigOne]

1998 Acura 3.5RL, as I have one with 200k miles on it. Just needed to get the radiator replaced.

 

[sontakke]

Three Toyotas and one Scion on the CR "avoid list"! How did that happen?

 

[herm0016]

wind noise and ride are a problem in a wrangler? lol.... seems that they did not know what they were buying.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Chances of you driving whichever car for 200k is slim to none. You will get tired of driving the same vehicle or need something different (kids, towing) long before you ever get to 200k miles.

It takes a very determined individual to drive a car to 200k miles. Either they are super cheap or they get a kick out of seeing how long something will last before blowing up.

That would be my wife's friend Christine. She has a 2002 Lexus ES with close to 350,000 miles on it. She spent $12k in repairs last year too. Freaking nuts.

 

[pauldun170]

Toyota Tacoma (V6): Ride, handling, driving position, high step-in, low rear seat

wow....

 

[PricklyPete]

wow....

I enjoyed my 2005 Tacoma and would buy another...but all those complaints are valid if your concept of a perfect car is a maytag on wheels...err I mean Camry. The readers of CR hopefully know that the editors base their criticisms on completely boring, suburban America needs...which is completely satisfied by a Camry or Honda CRV. They are not taking into account enthusiasts, vehicles meant for work, offroaders, etc.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

What's with all the Camry references lately? lol

 

[dbk]

Lexus LS400 <----

 

[pauldun170]

I enjoyed my 2005 Tacoma and would buy another...but all those complaints are valid if your concept of a perfect car is a maytag on wheels...err I mean Camry. The readers of CR hopefully know that the editors base their criticisms on completely boring, suburban America needs...which is completely satisfied by a Camry or Honda CRV. They are not taking into account enthusiasts, vehicles meant for work, offroaders, etc.

It's a Taco.
Its probably one of the best pickups on the market and they are complaining that it acts like a pickup.

I wonder what they recommend as an alternative.

 

[pauldun170]

I checked out the CR forums years ago.
When someone argued that a "nice radio" = "sporty and fun" I knew I was in some weird section of Oz. As I ran away, I could here the shouts of "Is it a safe car?!! Does it have many airbags??!! I need a safe sporty SUV that's safe stylish and fun and haz au-wheelz-drives!!!" from the random posters.

That experience still haunts me to this day.

 

[PricklyPete]

It's a Taco.
Its probably one of the best pickups on the market and they are complaining that it acts like a pickup.

I wonder what they recommend as an alternative.

They would say Honda Ridgeline...and that was my point. CR is trying to represent commuting suburban America with a nuclear family. They are not considering special interests in anyway.

You should not be listening to their advice if your needs do not line up with that demographic.

 

[AustinInDallas]

What's with all the Camry references lately? lol

Its hard to put into words, but I have always hated the camry. Its just...."safe". Not in like a five start safety rating kinda way(which it prolly is), but in a boring way. The only time i get excited about a camry is when I get one as a rental instead of the other pieces they usually have.

 

[ballmode]

trucks

 

[thedarkwolf]

Pontiac Vibe = Toyota Matrix = Toyota drive train.

I have bought Toyota for the last 38 years, all of them have been nearly perfect and all have gone over 200K.

I owned the car I know that.


My dad was one of those 50k miles a year guys. He was a traveling salesman and covered several states in the South East. He is currently partially retired and doesn't drive nearly as much and currently has a ford 500 and I don't know how many miles he has put on it. Before that was a

02 Mustang GT with 300k miles no major problems

97 thunder 4.6l 270k cracked a head on this one when he over heated it and kept driving it rather than pulling over when the intake manifold cracked.

93 taurus 220k trans started going at 180k miles and he limped it to 220k

Before that were several shit boxes that all went well over 200k miles.

82 mustang GT went through several rear main seals. Bought used

81 toyota celica rusted out. Bought used

82 dodge rampage, the little fwd truck car thing, bought this one new and drove it forever probably 300k miles on that one. I just remember the trans locking up on for some reason at some point.

Then we start getting to my early childhood and a mid 70s chevy montecarlo that I barely remember and a 66 mustang GT fastback 289 hi-po which I do remember pretty well . Damn I wish he had kept that one.

Anyway highway driving is pretty easy on cars.


Just to ad one more. My mom bought a 77 mercedes 280e sometime in the mid 80s with around 150k miles on it and kept it forever. Probably had 300k miles on that one when we gave it to my uncle after it rusted out in the late 90s. I learned to drive on this car. It was a tank. My uncle managed to kill it completely by wrecking it.

 

[Zenmervolt]

ZV, what does your dad do that he drives almost 50k miles every year? That's a lot of driving over the last 20 years...

Regional sales rep for an OTR trucking parts company. He's got a 3-state territory and spends 3-5 days a week on the road visiting accounts.

ZV