What does everyone think is high mileage these days?

[padgett]

I had three Vega GTs (one that had been totaled) and an Astre wagon. Since all had AC they had real radiators and as I always run engines cool they were never any trouble. Also had a 78 Sunbird with V8 and broke about everything possible. But then I raced it.

 

My 70 Judge requires very little maintenance.

[coachJC]

Currently in my driveway I have

1- 1994 F-150- 207 000 kms Purchased in 98 with 106 000km. (5.8l 351engine)

2-2004 Cavalier- 402 000kms Purchased in 2005 with 5000kms.  2.2L with a 5 speed tranny my wife drove it first, then I drove it, when my oldest son turned 16 he drove it, since he bought a new car 8 months ago I am back driving it again, It just keeps on going, this cars has been the lowest maintenance car I have ever owed.

3-2009 Ford Flex -347 000kms Purchased in 2012 with 67 000km. this is the highest maintenance car I have ever owed, but my wife loves this car and so comfy to drive and travel in.(3.5L engine)

4-2011 Ford Escape Purchased in 2017 with 117 000km and currently with 176 000kms. which my younger son now drives since he got his license 6 months ago, hence me moving back to the Cavalier.(3.0 L engine in Escape)

And to keep this old car related

5- 1920 Model t Ford built in 1992, motor rebuilt in 1996 has approx. 60 000 miles on it. Have had to take up shims twice for rods .005" and mains once .002".

 

We keep on thinking we need to look at purchasing something newer with less miles but I have not got to the point where the maintenance cost exceed my idea on when to fix or not to fix.. I think as others have said, knowing alot of the history on these cars and all the maintenance that has been done on them allows me some sort of trust and ability to keep on driving them, and as you can tell we do drive them alot. My best advise is don't forget to change your oil on a regular basis,( everyone has their own opinion on when that is). I also Oil spray which makes a huge difference in our Canadian climate with all the salt and sand that gets put on our roads in the winter.

 

Jeff

 

 

[Fleek]

I have a 03 Chevy Tahoe approaching 200,000 trouble free  miles. It seems good for another 200,000. As far as paint it still looks good and it has  been outside most of its life. The leather seats are good except some normal wear on the drivers side. I would trust it to go anywhere.

 

Grandson had a 2001 Chevy pickup he uses for hunting and with even the abuse it takes, it is over 300,000 miles and still on the original drivetrain.

 

So true they do not build them like they used to. (thank goodness)

 

[Pfeil]

10 hours ago, zepher said:

 

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.  😀

 

Apparently you didn't read my comments thoroughly so I will reiterate for you again. The paint in the years you described for your Nissan was terrible, and not just for Nissans and due mostly from government regulations. I have a 2001 Xterra of that era, however being in the auto industry and also knowing that paint from cars built in this country ( including Nissan ) going way back to the 70's you needed to take special precautions like covering your car when it's in the sun, and that's why the paint on my 2001 Xterra and my 76 Oldsmobile is in such good condition. Being a car guy doesn't mean you take excellent care of your antique vehicles, it also means you take care of all your vehicles. Parking away from the crowds, taking a end space, and covering your daily driven car is all a part of it. And later these are the cars that turn up later in your survivor class.     

[TexRiv_63]

I bought a loaded 1988 Buick Electra T-type new and it was one of the best cars I ever owned. It had the 3.8 V-6 and we kept it until the early 2000s, my older son took it to college and my younger son drove it to high school. We put 157,000 miles on it and it still ran and drove great but all of the electrical power equipment started to fail so we donated it. What brought it to mind was the paint comments above. It was a black car and when it was about 8 years old the paint on the upper surfaces started to drastically fade. Turned out that was one of the first years GM used water based paint and they had left out the UV protection. GM repainted my whole car for free and the repaint looked good until we got rid of the car.

[zepher]

2 hours ago, Pfeil said:

Apparently you didn't read my comments thoroughly so I will reiterate for you again. The paint in the years you described for your Nissan was terrible, and not just for Nissans and due mostly from government regulations. I have a 2001 Xterra of that era, however being in the auto industry and also knowing that paint from cars built in this country ( including Nissan ) going way back to the 70's you needed to take special precautions like covering your car when it's in the sun, and that's why the paint on my 2001 Xterra and my 76 Oldsmobile is in such good condition. Being a car guy doesn't mean you take excellent care of your antique vehicles, it also means you take care of all your vehicles. Parking away from the crowds, taking a end space, and covering your daily driven car is all a part of it. And later these are the cars that turn up later in your survivor class.     

 

I read it all.

That is why I mentioned the 2003 Camry that hd near perfect paint when it was sold a few years ago.

The Camry was very neglected and the paint still looked great.

About a year after I bought my 2002 Nissan (purchased new in late 2001) someone decided to back into the right, rear passenger door and just take off.

Found a replacement door so I wouldn't have lots of bondo on a new car and had the entire side repainted since it has a slight metallic so everything would match.

That side of the car still looks great where the other side is shot.

Nissan paint of that era sucks.

Was on a Nissan owner's board for years and everyone complained about the quality of the paint.

Funny thing is, Inifiti cars of the same era don't seem to have the same paint issues.

 

And my car looks almost new inside.

Very minor wear on the leather or anywhere else.

Looks new under the hood.

If I had the car repainted no one would believe the miles from the way it would look, run and drive.

The other half just shakes her head when I say I have to wash and wax our cars.

I know she thinks I do it too often.

But parking away from people in a parking lot doens't work most times in So Cal. Parking lots aren't big enough for that.

And put a cover on your car in a parking lot?  It will be stolen in most places even with a cable lock.

Some of us don't live in Mayberry.

[plymouthcranbrook]

6 hours ago, coachJC said:

Currently in my driveway I have

1- 1994 F-150- 207 000 kms Purchased in 98 with 106 000km. (5.8l 351engine)

2-2004 Cavalier- 402 000kms Purchased in 2005 with 5000kms.  2.2L with a 5 speed tranny my wife drove it first, then I drove it, when my oldest son turned 16 he drove it, since he bought a new car 8 months ago I am back driving it again, It just keeps on going, this cars has been the lowest maintenance car I have ever owed.

3-2009 Ford Flex -347 000kms Purchased in 2012 with 67 000km. this is the highest maintenance car I have ever owed, but my wife loves this car and so comfy to drive and travel in.(3.5L engine)

4-2011 Ford Escape Purchased in 2017 with 117 000km and currently with 176 000kms. which my younger son now drives since he got his license 6 months ago, hence me moving back to the Cavalier.(3.0 L engine in Escape)

And to keep this old car related

5- 1920 Model t Ford built in 1992, motor rebuilt in 1996 has approx. 60 000 miles on it. Have had to take up shims twice for rods .005" and mains once .002".

 

We keep on thinking we need to look at purchasing something newer with less miles but I have not got to the point where the maintenance cost exceed my idea on when to fix or not to fix.. I think as others have said, knowing alot of the history on these cars and all the maintenance that has been done on them allows me some sort of trust and ability to keep on driving them, and as you can tell we do drive them alot. My best advise is don't forget to change your oil on a regular basis,( everyone has their own opinion on when that is). I also Oil spray which makes a huge difference in our Canadian climate with all the salt and sand that gets put on our roads in the winter.

 

Jeff

 

 

We had three Cavaliers starting in 1983 and all of them were reliable, cheap to operate and easy to work on. Each lasted at least 150,000 miles and except for the last one, had to be gotten rid of due to rust issues. Cavaliers rusted from the inside out eventually causing the suspension to become dangerous. I would buy another in a minute if not like my Astro that the newest one is 14 years old.

[Pfeil]

2 hours ago, zepher said:

 

I read it all.

That is why I mentioned the 2003 Camry that hd near perfect paint when it was sold a few years ago.

The Camry was very neglected and the paint still looked great.

About a year after I bought my 2002 Nissan (purchased new in late 2001) someone decided to back into the right, rear passenger door and just take off.

Found a replacement door so I wouldn't have lots of bondo on a new car and had the entire side repainted since it has a slight metallic so everything would match.

That side of the car still looks great where the other side is shot.

Nissan paint of that era sucks.

Was on a Nissan owner's board for years and everyone complained about the quality of the paint.

Funny thing is, Inifiti cars of the same era don't seem to have the same paint issues.

 

And my car looks almost new inside.

Very minor wear on the leather or anywhere else.

Looks new under the hood.

If I had the car repainted no one would believe the miles from the way it would look, run and drive.

The other half just shakes her head when I say I have to wash and wax our cars.

I know she thinks I do it too often.

But parking away from people in a parking lot doens't work most times in So Cal. Parking lots aren't big enough for that.

And put a cover on your car in a parking lot?  It will be stolen in most places even with a cable lock.

Some of us don't live in Mayberry.

I lived for over 50 years in the So.Cal. beach communities which happen to be the most densely populated areas of the state. When I lived in Hermosa beach the population was 40,000+ people and that is a city of one square mile. I'm not saying you have to cover your car every time you go to the grocery store, but sitting in the sun for 8hrs while you are work is not unreasonable for a cover to go on.

 I see plenty of all makes even relatively new cars today ( less than five years ) that the clear coats are gone . A very good clear coat thinner and remover is your local car wash. Always wash by hand, always polish by hand. Wash and hand polish out of the sun. 

Edited July 25, 2019 by Pfeil (see edit history)

[zepher]

1 hour ago, Pfeil said:

I lived for over 50 years in the So.Cal. beach communities which happen to be the most densely populated areas of the state. When I lived in Hermosa beach the population was 40,000+ people and that is a city of one square mile. I'm not saying you have to cover your car every time you go to the grocery store, but sitting in the sun for 8hrs while you are work is not unreasonable for a cover to go on.

 I see plenty of all makes even relatively new cars today ( less than five years ) that the clear coats are gone . A very good clear coat thinner and remover is your local car wash. Always wash by hand, always polish by hand. Wash and hand polish out of the sun. 

 

Hermosa is a much nicer part of So Cal than the inland area when I live.

People tend to be more respectful in nicer communities.

 

I never, ever, use an automatic car wash.

I wash at home and use the 2 bucket method with grit guards in the buckets.

Outside gets a dose of spray finish/polish if I am not waxing it immediately after.

Most of my supplies come from a warehouse that sells to car detailers and car washes.

Cars get clay barred (I have both med and fine clay bars depending on what needs to come off the paint), polished, sealed and waxed regularly.

I don't do a paint correction as often as I should since I don't usually have time to tape off all the trim before I dig in.

Been thinking about buying a foam gun since the results I have seen are pretty impressive without much, if any at all, manual wiping of the paint during the washing phase.

 

[padgett]

GM had some real problems in the late '80s/early 90s with paint. Reattas got a water based paint that did not work very well and had a lot of peeling issues. Modern base coat/clear coat is very durable as long as too much polishing is avoided. Acid rain is another issue that is fortunately not in central Florida.

[Pfeil]

21 minutes ago, padgett said:

GM had some real problems in the late '80s/early 90s with paint. Reattas got a water based paint that did not work very well and had a lot of peeling issues. Modern base coat/clear coat is very durable as long as too much polishing is avoided. Acid rain is another issue that is fortunately not in central Florida.

GM also had paint issues in the mid 70's when they were phasing out lacquer paint. 

 Six years ago I moved to Prescott AZ. from Ca. Because we are at 5,000 feet the sun is really hard on base coat/clear coat new car finishes and we see lots of all different kinds of relatively new cars where the clear coat is peeling.  

[nick8086]

I looked at my kaiser tonight..

[padgett]

I agree the sun can be bad. Also something in Florida air attacks rubber (Some 8 tracks were particularly bad - the rollers melted and made a real mess). Why I keep all of my cars out of the sun.

[39BuickEight]

The phrase "high mileage" means a different thing to just about everybody.  Some areas "require" farther commutes, so those areas really pile on the miles compared to others.  I never see a car with "average" miles here in Kentucky.  They are always high.  It's very common for people here to commute well over 50 miles each way daily.  They wonder why their car is never worth what they thought it was.  Also, for those who get a new car every few years, 60,000 might be high.  For those who drive their cars until the wheels fall off, 250,000 might be high.  Electronic databases (Carfax/NADA/etc) use an average based on car sales and total losses.  Each individual transaction stands on its own though.  Many 200,000 mile cars are better than many 100,000 mile cars because of the owner(s).

 

 

[Pfeil]

Cars of the 30-70's were expected to do 100,000 miles. I remember a 1950 Pontiac add. "Dollar for Dollar you can't beat a Pontiac, built to last 100,000 miles". Honestly, the car makers wanted you in a new car almost every year. Every year the body styles changed and for the conservative motorist this seemed like a waste of money. I always sat on the fence on that issue, more so today than when it was happening. Ever since High School I have owned Pontiac's and VW's. Two of the cars in my collection are a Pontiac and a VW that I have owned while I was in H/S. My conservative side leans toward the VW. The Europeans, mainly the Germans looked down on this frivolous restyling of cars and I could see their point.  From a artistic point of view there are so many cars from the 30's to the 70's that are so good looking that I'm glad it turned out the way it did, and it did in a way that it was not just the expensive cars that became rolling works of art. It's up to us to preserve them and drive them, to love and enjoy them. Aren't we the lucky ones.

Edited July 26, 2019 by Pfeil (see edit history)

[TexRiv_63]

7 hours ago, padgett said:

I agree the sun can be bad. Also something in Florida air attacks rubber (Some 8 tracks were particularly bad - the rollers melted and made a real mess). Why I keep all of my cars out of the sun.

Ozone eats rubber and some plastics, any large populated area in a hot climate will have ozone issues.

[cheezestaak2000]

okay, here's a thought. maybe the older cars wern't all that bad at all.most us people might think they did. hell, they were all built like tanks anyway.the DMV's didn't track the milage much back then so it's possible that those cars went a lot farther than

[Big Beat]

A few years ago my daily driver was a '91 Corolla that had 285K on it when I sold it, still running great, no issues other than some minor cosmetics and my desire to upgrade. One potential buyer called to verify the mileage, she was hoping it was 85K and a mis-print. Another asked "What problems does the car have?" None, I replied. "What's the mileage?" 285K. "Well, maybe that's the problem", he said and hung up. The third caller showed up and bought it. I wouldn't be surprised if it's still running somewhere. So my guess is 285K is high mileage in a used car these days. 

 

Back in the 1980s, I would walk away from anything over 60K. My '79 Chevy reflects this - it STILL only has 35K on it. Now THAT I consider low mileage. 

 

 

[John_Mereness]

On the flip side of the coin, I have worked on a few 30's car with low mileage (40K to 50K) and surprised they are pretty worn as to suspension and ...  And, a few brass car that were just worn out from people near looking at them.

[TerryB]

I have a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan with 28k on it.  Most of those miles were from taking it to the dealer to get something fixed.  If it were not for the stupid expensive wheelchair conversion to it, it would be history.  

[Ed Luddy]

The old 5 digit odometers made many a liar out of otherwise honest folk. Sorry, but it's true!

[mister2tim]

Greetings from South Florida,

 

I'm a AACA Newbee to the Ft Lauderdale Region. I believe I represent the Next Generation of your AACA, however, I'm far from being a millennial, really far.

 

My 436,000 mile car has been my Daily Driver, until I retired. On the weekends it was our SCCA sprint car or the ride to be a race official at SCCA, IMSA, INDY CAR, CART and American Motorcycle Assn local races.

 

My gift to our Supercharged Model MR2 on it's 30th birthdate was a antique license.

 

I'm proud to be the only oriental car in our region. And apparently our Toyota Road Rocket is the only racecar to regularly exhibit at any local car cruise or show.