Ed Luddy Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 Now in the era of 6 digit electronic odometers and CarFax reports what do most people consider high mileage? I never look at the odometers on any old car I buy as they are too easy to alter and most likely have been around the dial once or twice. Rarely I come across a car like my 1973 Imperial with one family ownership, lots of records and 71,000 miles on the clock that you just know by looking that it's never been over. But on late model cars I see plenty of them up here in Canada with over 300,000 kilometers. Still running good and interiors that aren't worn out. I just got a 2007 M-Benz E 350 with 234,000 kilometers on it and it looks deceivingly fresh! Slight wear on the driver seat bolster, but that's it. Even some base model domestic and off shore brands seem to hold up well with decent maintainence. What's the popular opinion here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 A lot of cars I see for sale are in the 150- 200k miles use range. Incredible! At one time I avoided cars with over 80k miles as daily drivers. Today they are just hitting their prime. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 1 minute ago, TerryB said: A lot of cars I see for sale are in the 150- 200k miles use range. Incredible! At one time I avoided cars with over 80k miles as daily drivers. Today they are just hitting their prime. 100% correct. Every small block Chevy I took apart at around 60-80K needed an overbore to +30. The lubricants are much better, and fuel injection seems to be dependable and now the cylinder walls are not getting washed with gasoline when the engine was choking 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Layden B Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 Once upon a time when I was young....when you went to the wrecking yard the place looked full of cars, hoods were up or off, trunk lids up but they appeared like you could almost drive them away. Engines, transmissions, front and rear ends were gone! Today the place is a sea of chassis that can actually be driven, all the sheet metal, trim, interiors and exteriors are gone. The chassis get scrapped after 60 days due to lack of demand. Just the opposite of what it was, now the chassis last longer than the average interval between accidents! Am expecting it to switch back when self-driving cars take over! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 just bought a 2013 ford 150 with 110k miles- looks like new. would have never considered that a few yrs back- but new trucks are house mortgages! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted July 23, 2019 Author Share Posted July 23, 2019 3 minutes ago, mercer09 said: just bought a 2013 ford 150 with 110k miles- looks like new. would have never considered that a few yrs back- but new trucks are house mortgages! Yes truck prices are more than my 1st 2 houses. I watched a video clip a few days ago of a Honda Civic turning over 700,000. The Lincoln Town Car up to 2011 is a favorite hi miler. I see them advertised with 1 million kilometers, still running. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 Do think that improved lubes and coolants plus better metallurgy is a big part. Have had several cars with 120-130k miles, project car has 120k & drivetrain is great. Have three with 60k miles that will probably outlast me. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted July 23, 2019 Author Share Posted July 23, 2019 Who here has a daily driver approaching the 300K mark? I have 2007 GMC Yukon with 315,000 klms. Still runs good, some rust though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plymouthcranbrook Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 i would be concerned about any car unless I knew it's history with over 250,000 miles on it. I have seen many with that mileage and more still running well and not looking too bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plymouthcranbrook Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 1 minute ago, Ed Luddy said: Who here has a daily driver approaching the 300K mark? I have 2007 GMC Yukon with 315,000 klms. Still runs good, some rust though. My 2001 Astro has 193,000 miles and runs fine, passes emissions and doesn't look too bad considering I really don't keep it like I used to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 46 minutes ago, Ed Luddy said: Who here has a daily driver approaching the 300K mark? I have 2007 GMC Yukon with 315,000 klms. Still runs good, some rust though. I have two Reattas that have that kind of mileage. One with 314,000 the other with 292,000. I drive one or the other every day. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 It would be interesting to see how an old flathead six from the forties or fifties would stand up if it were rebuilt with modern pistons, rings valves and bearings and fuel injection and run on synthetic oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted July 23, 2019 Author Share Posted July 23, 2019 Probably very well, as long as they are hooked up to an overdrive transmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted July 23, 2019 Author Share Posted July 23, 2019 8 hours ago, DAVES89 said: I have two Reattas that have that kind of mileage. One with 314,000 the other with 292,000. I drive one or the other every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hidden_hunter Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 I was in a cab the other day that had something like 600,000km on the clock, was definitely not exactly in the best shape... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 We have good long time friends that have an '04 Lexus sport ute (can't recall the model) that has 389,000 km's on it so far most of which they put on themselves. Other than the usual wear out parts like tires, exhaust pipe, brakes, general maintenance etc. it looks great outside and the interior is more than respectable with no wear marks, loose stitching or signs of fatigue. While I have been mostly a traditionalist "buy North American" kind of guy all my life, this vehicle exemplifies the quality of build and materials we can get today (even if it was built 15 years ago). I agree that a record of maintenance would be my first concern looking at a high mileage vehicle but listening to an engine and driving it (like any used car) and price would make me not hesitate on purchasing one depending what conditions I'd be putting it to use. Daily use back and forth to work in our small city would not scare me based on high mileage. Taking an extended trip on the other hand (I like to travel by car) I would have to get to know things are up to dependable standards first and that takes km's/miles to know that. Long winded here but guess I'm saying things seem to have changed enough for me to rethink I have to be scared of high mileage. Meantime, I keep my eyes open and when I see something that has low mileage on it like our '09 Van, I will pay a bit more than the average knowing it will serve us for as long as I can get the wife to wash it up and take it in for oil changes.🤣 We bought it three years ago with 48,000 km's and today it has only 66,000 on it. Time will tell being a domestic.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
58L-Y8 Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 The accepted replacement cycle for cars fifty years ago was 6-8 years, around 90K-100K miles. Manufacturers planned their production on sales for that rate. A whole set of changes have occurred since then to lengthen the replacement cycle. Electronic engine management and fuel injection, improved metallurgy and manufacturing techniques, better lubricants, overdrive automatic transmissions. For the bodies, more affective sealers and mastics, metal protection coatings and paints, reduced weld seams for rust to start, lighter weight materials. Vehicles run more in their optimum operating range, resist the negative affects of the environment better than ever. 200K-300K is now realistic, the average age of all vehicles on the road is twelve years. It wouldn't be if all these things hadn't occurred. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Man Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 I have a 2001 VW Golf, I got a new used one for a daily driver, and passed the old VW on to my daughter. 260K miles and she forgets to check the oil, original muffler, just a well (not great) maintained driver, the AC still works. In MN we are used to the salt eating them to rust. Yes the computers in the last few years are a huge change, they will shut the car down if there is a problem "limp mode" they will even correct the timing, fuel mixture and anything else they can do to get them to run better. I find good ones are awesome, but bad ones are horrible. I imagine soon bad wiring will scrap more cars than bad engines...they are all ready talking about components just talking to each other (no wiring)…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrbartlett Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 My 2007 Lexus LS 460 with 204,000 miles on it still looks near-new inside and outside. No rattles. Just recently started burning a quart of oil about every 2,000 miles. Very little trouble in 12 years of ownership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zimm63 Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 Had 317K on a 240 Volvo when it was totaled in a T Bone accident. Climbed out, cussed the kid that hit me, and drove it home when the cops were done their business. Went a little sideways. I thought about fixing it, but just couldn't justify trying. At the moment, my 93 F150 is approaching 200K and going strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 13 hours ago, Ed Luddy said: Who here has a daily driver approaching the 300K mark? I have 2007 GMC Yukon with 315,000 klms. Still runs good, some rust though. We have a 2004 Yukon SLT with 166,000 miles, always garage kept, still feels like a new car. We plan on driving it to 300,000 miles/ It tows a car trailer and has 6 leather bucket seats, best value vehicle I ever bought used. (10 years ago with 90K) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 12 hours ago, DAVES89 said: I have two Reattas that have that kind of mileage. One with 314,000 the other with 292,000. I drive one or the other every day. I should add the 314,000 mile Reatta is on the second engine 3rd tranny. The 292,000 Reatta [the Red] is on the second engine, 3rd tranny and oh yeah repaint, replaced dash, seats, carpet, headliner, steering wheel, wheels, interior door panels, floor mats, but ither then that mostly original... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 I ran my 6 cylinder 1979 F150 270000 miles. Then I bought a '99 Ram Diesel which I drove 290000 miles. I only parked it because I had knee replacement surgery and could no longer operate the clutch. I now drive a 2004 Ram Diesel. It's just broken in with 180000 miles. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 No doubt any newer vehicle can accumulate a lot more total miles due to engineering improvement but one of the most important factors is maintenance, especially on an older car. My 63 Starfire shows 88,000 miles but just about everything mechanical has required rebuild or replacement. My 66 Monaco has 123,000 but the drive train appears to be original and runs very well - more oil changes? Pure luck? Of course wear from hard use can always be a factor too. My Starfire has a 3.42 rear axle ratio and revs pretty high on the freeway while my Monaco has a 2.76 rear and loafs at 70..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 The three greatest inventions of the 20th century were overdrive, fuel injection without a mechanical choke, and single sheet printer paper. Two of those helped automotive longevity. Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 Bernie- I miss the mechanical choke I had on my 67 volvo. That car was splendid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 I wrote mechanical not manual. A lot of cylinders got washed clean of lubricant due to faulty "automatic" mechanical chokes. Digital stuff works much better, even the early 3 minute heated ones. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcvs Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 I bought a 1995 Ford Escort stick shift new and drove it over 221,000 miles. When I bought it I had no idea it would even come close to going that far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 We recently sold our 2006 Dodge Stratus with the dreaded 2.7 V6. It had 197,000 miles and was running strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobileparts Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 She's 55 , has 3 kids from 2 prior marriages, 2 ex-husbands, got enough wrinkles in her face that only makes you wonder if you should be bothered with her in the first place, and is not into old cars.... That's high mileage...... Oh, you meant cars ?!?!? 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zepher Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 (edited) On 7/22/2019 at 6:53 PM, Ed Luddy said: Who here has a daily driver approaching the 300K mark? I have 2007 GMC Yukon with 315,000 klms. Still runs good, some rust though. One of my dailies is a 2002 Nissan Altima SE with 220k miles on the clock. The car has been amazingly reliable. Replaced a fuel pressure regulator, one fuel injector, radiator and just regular maintenance stuff like plugs and axle boots. Still runs and drives great. Owned since new so it has always been well maintained. As is typical for Nissan, the paint is shot but the interior still looks great. Edited July 24, 2019 by zepher (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramair Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 I have a 2005 gnc Yukon that I bought in 2007 that had 19,000 miles on it, today it has 485,000 miles (not kilometers) I have not touched the rear axle it transmission, can’t say that about the engine except I can honestly say that other than oil changes and a waterpump j did not even change spark plugs till 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdarrunt Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 My daily driven 98 Ranger 4 cyl/5sp has 405k miles (650k kilometers). All drive train is original and I would start on any length trip with it tomorrow. The parts store in Princeton, Texas has a 98 Ranger delivery truck with 880k miles (1,400,000 kilometers) with original engine but a couple of transmissions and a number of clutches----kid drivers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 Lets talk about the used Chevy Vega with the aluminum engine i bought for my son. I don,t think it made it around the block before it looked like it was spraying for mosquitoes......bob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zimm63 Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 Vegas were terrible cars. They recast them as the Monza with the iron duke motor. My wife bought a 78 for her first car before we were married. What a POS that thing was. If it was claiming a hill with the AC on and three people in it, I could almost out run it on foot. We managed to get a litttle over 100K out of it, but it was a battle all the way. Front end was so flimsy that it just wouldn't stay in line so it ate tires. Broke a bunch of little stuff but the engine or trans never failed. It never ran well either. It was so hateful that other people would just run into it. I think it was hit three times. Happy day when that one was traded in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vila Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 (edited) Back in the 1960s I would have thought 60,000 was high mileage, today it is more like 200,000 when I may consider it high mileage, but then again maybe not. I bought a 1975 Saab new and drove it over 300,000 miles before giving it to my son to drive for a few more years. Never any major work except 1 clutch plate at around 250,000 miles. I had it in for an inspection in 1983 with 130,000 miles and a custom was in the garage looking at it while I was waiting and his first question to the mechanic was "what year is this". Then he looked at the odometer and said, "this Saab looks brand new, does it really have on 13,000 miles on it" and the mechanic said "you better look at the odometer again" and the next words out of his mouth were "HOLY $&%" My next car was a new 1986 Audi Coupe GT and I drove it for 350,000 miles when I gave it to my neighbor's son who drove it another 60,000 the last I had heard. It only ever needed oil changes, brake pad, rotors and drums. Never did any engine work and never replaced a clutch plate. At the same time as the Audi I had 1986 Saab Turbo that I bought used at 35,000 miles and drove to over 300,000 when I gave it to my daughter, who drove it for a few more years. Then I bought a 1992 Saab Turbo that when for over 300,000 miles with no issues. My current daily driver is a 2002 BMW Z3 with 190,000+ miles and never had an issue except for a Kenworth's front wheel that destroyed the left side on I-85 near Kannapolis, NC around 2008, when he could not see me and decided to change into my lane. $12,000 and 11 years later it is still on the road and still looks nearly new. I also have an all original 1984 BMW 633CSI with 130,000 miles on it that won an AACA Grand National award at Williamsport in 2016. Edited July 24, 2019 by Vila (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 On 7/23/2019 at 12:06 AM, Rusty_OToole said: It would be interesting to see how an old flathead six from the forties or fifties would stand up if it were rebuilt with modern pistons, rings valves and bearings and fuel injection and run on synthetic oil. Agree. But, it is not just the engines.. The interiors last way longer. "They don't make um like they usta!" comes to mind. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pfeil Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 (edited) 15 hours ago, zepher said: One of my dailies is a 2002 Nissan Altima SE with 220k miles on the clock. The car has been amazingly reliable. Replaced a fuel pressure regulator, one fuel injector, radiator and just regular maintenance stuff like plugs and axle boots. Still runs and drives great. Owned since new so it has always been well maintained. As is typical for Nissan, the paint is shot but the interior still looks great. The paint issue is not Nissan as it happens to all car of that era and even now. If you have had a chance to look at some of the Nissans in Mexico, Europe, Brazil etc. you would know that. The issue is constant government paint regulations that we have here that are continually being changed. Changed so fast that our paint suppliers/manufacturers have a hard time keeping up in the product development areas. My 2001 Xterra still has perfect paint, but the reason is it's always garaged and when it's not, like when I drove it to work I had a car cover on it. Same holds true for my 2012 and my 2019 Nissans. Before I retired you could always see the " Car Guys Cars" in the parking lot. They are easy to spot. Always as far as possible in parking lots, Always parking in a "End Space" and as far over as possible to avoid door dings in a parking lot, and most of us with car covers on. My 76 Oldsmobile I special ordered is also a case in point. It's still in it's original G.M. lacquer paint and was a daily driver for ten years. Today with still that original paint, interior, with a engine, trans and rear end, power steering pump, steering box, alternator..nothing that has never been apart, carburetor never been apart, original fuel pump, Air pump, original distributor module, spark plug wires, original brake front calipers, rear wheel cylinders, original rear brake shoes, complete original exhaust including catalytic converter. Even the engine paint is original all at nearly 115,000 miles and Forty Three years old. Car guys take care of cars. Edited July 24, 2019 by Pfeil (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 Before I bought my '65 T Bird project last year, I was interested in a late '60's Lincoln Continental mk 3. The guy selling it was younger, so he believed the 100,000+ miles on it were "low miles." I tried gently explaining to him that cars of that era had a different life span than modern cars, but he probably thought it was a bargaining tactic. It certainly wasn't. I only bought cheap used cars as a kid back in the mid '70's, but even then I rarely considered buying cars with more than 100 k on the odo. OTOH, I met a mechanic a dozen years ago who had an extremely clean and original '71 Monte Carlo that he claimed was his daily driver since he'd bought it near new back in '71. From what he said, I estimate that he'd put an average of 5 hours of maintenance a week in that car since he'd bought it. If you did stuff like that, you could make even those old cars last. He said it had like 350,000 miles on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zepher Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 (edited) 9 hours ago, Pfeil said: The paint issue is not Nissan as it happens to all car of that era and even now. If you have had a chance to look at some of the Nissans in Mexico, Europe, Brazil etc. you would know that. The issue is constant government paint regulations that we have here that are continually being changed. Changed so fast that our paint suppliers/manufacturers have a hard time keeping up in the product development areas. My 2001 Xterra still has perfect paint, but the reason is it's always garaged and when it's not, like when I drove it to work I had a car cover on it. Same holds true for my 2012 and my 2019 Nissans. Before I retired you could always see the " Car Guys Cars" in the parking lot. They are easy to spot. Always as far as possible in parking lots, Always parking in a "End Space" and as far over as possible to avoid door dings in a parking lot, and most of us with car covers on. My 76 Oldsmobile I special ordered is also a case in point. It's still in it's original G.M. lacquer paint and was a daily driver for ten years. Today with still that original paint, interior, with a engine, trans and rear end, power steering pump, steering box, alternator..nothing that has never been apart, carburetor never been apart, original fuel pump, Air pump, original distributor module, spark plug wires, original brake front calipers, rear wheel cylinders, original rear brake shoes, complete original exhaust including catalytic converter. Even the engine paint is original all at nearly 115,000 miles and Forty Three years old. Car guys take care of cars. I would argue that I am a 'car guy'. My '29 Pierce has original paint. Never been outside overnight except when attending multi-day tours. Always covered when in the garage. I regularly waxed and maintained the paint on the Nissan. Still went to crap because it stays outside while my 20's cars and my projects are in the garage. 99% of all the Nissans of that same vintage look the same way mine does. Around here it is well over 100* for days on end in the summer. That kind of sun is brutal on paint. Yet, my sister in law had a Toyota Camry around the same year that she rarely washed and never waxed, except for the few times I did it for her because I felt sorry for the car. Paint was perfect when she got rid of it a few years ago and silver is notorious for oxidizing and fading. And since we're showing off our cars, here's one of mine. 😀 Edited July 25, 2019 by zepher (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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