How Many Miles Are A Lot?

....on modern cars.

I realize that driving habits and how well you take care of the car is
the single biggest factor that affects how long it lasts. Sure, some
cars are real stinkers, but have any of those been made in a while?

Seems that when I was a little kid (think mid-late 70s, think streets
full of Detroit Iron with an *occasional* import) everyone talked about
"100,000 miles". One Hundred Thousand was the magic number where you
considered your car pretty much "all used up". That was the milestone
where you had to pump the **** out of it to get it started in the
mornings, and it'd finally balk to life with a huge cloud of gas and
oil smoke. You've got so much blow-by that it doesn't really matter if
you leave the choke out or not. This is when you avoid really long stop
lights, because the master cylinder has enough internal leakage to let
the brake pedal sink to the floorboard by time a normal light turns
green. This is when the clutch was toast, or when the automatic's
dipstick was all full of sludge and foam. At 100,000 miles there was
enough play in the front suspension (and maybe the rear too) that it
was downright *scary* to exceed 50mph. At 100,000 miles, you've
already torn down that hanging headliner and are now using it as a seat
cover or a floormat..... etc.... I've owned cars from the 60s and 70s,
and sure enough, when you got 60-80K on one of those cars you sure
could tell.

Nowadays, I routinely see cars for sale with 150K on them, and sell
they do. They're not completely worthless. My 99 Ranger has 125K on
it, original everything. Maybe it's false hope, but the way it starts,
runs and drives, it sure makes me confident that I can see 200K with
only some minor stuff. The steering is tight, the clutch is still
good, it shifts alright, the engine sounds great- only some minor
lifter tap type noises, but that's typical Ford and you *really* have
to listen to hear it (over the typical Ford power steering pump growl,
that is). It also has not a SINGLE oil leak. That is the most amazing
thing I've ever seen.

My girlfriend has a 1989 Honda Accord that's in the 300K neighbourhood.
Yeah it takes a little work to get it started every once in a while,
the sunroof leaks, a couple windows won't roll down, it leaks a quart
of oil every 1000 miles and it wanders all over the road. But at
300,000 miles i think it has *earned* the right to be a little bitchy
when it wants to be.

There's a topic in the ng right now (reliability of turbo cars) where a
poster talks about junking a small Chrysler just short of 500,000.
500K! That's insane!

So how many miles are a lot these days? What do you all feel are (with
proper care) the longer-lasting cars and trucks?

Let's order a few rounds of beer and discuss!

-phaeton

phaeton wrote:
> ...on modern cars.

> Let's order a few rounds of beer and discuss!

mmm, beer...
:~)>

i read somewhere that most recent engines were/are designed with a
175,000 mile duty cycle. i sure wish i could find that info - hate to
throw a number out there without being able to back it up, but this
topic has that feel to sorta feel to it...

what is the average mileage per year driven? 15,000 miles? so, if my
guess on the 175,000 is correct, that is a life of less than 12 years
for the vehicle. i think i am talking myself into this '175,000' mile
number.

better stop while i am ahead.

bob z.

phaeton wrote:
> ...on modern cars.
>
> I realize that driving habits and how well you take care of the car is
> the single biggest factor that affects how long it lasts. Sure, some
> cars are real stinkers, but have any of those been made in a while?
>
> Seems that when I was a little kid (think mid-late 70s, think streets
> full of Detroit Iron with an *occasional* import) everyone talked about
> "100,000 miles". One Hundred Thousand was the magic number where you
> considered your car pretty much "all used up". That was the milestone
> where you had to pump the **** out of it to get it started in the
> mornings, and it'd finally balk to life with a huge cloud of gas and
> oil smoke. You've got so much blow-by that it doesn't really matter if
> you leave the choke out or not. This is when you avoid really long stop
> lights, because the master cylinder has enough internal leakage to let
> the brake pedal sink to the floorboard by time a normal light turns
> green. This is when the clutch was toast, or when the automatic's
> dipstick was all full of sludge and foam. At 100,000 miles there was
> enough play in the front suspension (and maybe the rear too) that it
> was downright *scary* to exceed 50mph. At 100,000 miles, you've
> already torn down that hanging headliner and are now using it as a seat
> cover or a floormat..... etc.... I've owned cars from the 60s and 70s,
> and sure enough, when you got 60-80K on one of those cars you sure
> could tell.
>
> Nowadays, I routinely see cars for sale with 150K on them, and sell
> they do. They're not completely worthless. My 99 Ranger has 125K on
> it, original everything. Maybe it's false hope, but the way it starts,
> runs and drives, it sure makes me confident that I can see 200K with
> only some minor stuff. The steering is tight, the clutch is still
> good, it shifts alright, the engine sounds great- only some minor
> lifter tap type noises, but that's typical Ford and you *really* have
> to listen to hear it (over the typical Ford power steering pump growl,
> that is). It also has not a SINGLE oil leak. That is the most amazing
> thing I've ever seen.
>
> My girlfriend has a 1989 Honda Accord that's in the 300K neighbourhood.
> Yeah it takes a little work to get it started every once in a while,
> the sunroof leaks, a couple windows won't roll down, it leaks a quart
> of oil every 1000 miles and it wanders all over the road. But at
> 300,000 miles i think it has *earned* the right to be a little bitchy
> when it wants to be.
>
> There's a topic in the ng right now (reliability of turbo cars) where a
> poster talks about junking a small Chrysler just short of 500,000.
> 500K! That's insane!
>
> So how many miles are a lot these days? What do you all feel are (with
> proper care) the longer-lasting cars and trucks?
>
> Let's order a few rounds of beer and discuss!
>
> -phaeton

Well, I have a 1995 Toyota T100 pickup. It's the midsize PU built
between 1993 and 1998. It has the 3.4 liter V6 and auto trans. 2wd.
Last weekend, it just clicked over 330,000 miles.
It leaks/burns no oil, it starts, runs and drives smooth. It's not a
rustbucket. As a matter of fact, there's no rust on it at all. I would
not be afraid to drive it anywhere, anytime. It returns a consistent
22mpg.
My advice? Use synthetic oil. Change it and the filter at 7500 miles.
Flush the transmission fluid every two years. I do both of those
myself.
Other than basic maintenance items, I've rebuilt the PS pump, replaced
the alternator brushes, replaced the fuel pump, cleaned the throttle
body a time or two and that's it. The head gaskets were replaced four
years and 80K miles ago under a factory recall.
I know there are folks here that say that domestic stuff is just as
Toyota stuff, but in my experience at least, 330K talks pretty loud.
I've never had a domestic vehicle with mileage anywhere close to this.
This truck is now a project. I'm going to keep it to see where the
failure point really does occur. I'm confident I'll see 500,000 and
maybe a lot more.

Well I have had a few cars since I was sixteen and I think over all
they are all the same if taken care of.
My 1966 Olds Dynamic 88 came off the assembly line 2 days before I was
born
My grandfather picked it up the day i was born. He and my 2 uncles
drove it hard for 16 years and then I got it in high school. After 2
accidents and 76,000 miles it would still smoke the tires for a block
and ran great for years untill the Wisconsin winters killed the body.
It always had that floating feel to it. ( but it would bury a 150mph
speedo) very scary though

I had a put 100,000 miles on a 1979 porsche 924 with no problems then
sold it.
1984 chevy S10 4x4 extended cab for going back and forth to college. I
put 220,000 miles on that truck I replaced the transmission at 170,000
(5speed getrag) and sold it at 220,000 for 1000.00( it rusted to pieces
a year later)
My next S10 which I put on 50,000mi without issues then i sold it (no
issues).
I had a 1989 Chevy Z24 I put 150,000mi on that and it still looked and
ran new when I traded it in ( no issues).

I also have a 1996 Explorer XLT 4x4, it has 100,000 miles on it and has
only had one issue with a tensioner pully breaking off driving down the
highway. it also has noisy lifters, but runs well.
My wife had a 1980's Dodge 600es turbo convertible, nothing but issues
at 50,000 miles
one day it just stopped running.$ 3000.00 later I had it crushed for
the fun of it, no one could get it running (one day it would start the
next 3 months it wouldn't, then it would again) I think that was our
one demon car !

I still have a 1994 Chevy Cavalier that I am comming up on 200,000
miles and the body is very good. I did the struts and water pump and
radiator at 140,000 and the head because it cracked when it got
submerged in deep puddle in a rainstorm. I drive it 120 miles a day M-F
minimum

The 60;s and 70's cars could run forever but the bodies died.
If you think back to the 70's cars were always rusty and everyone had
fading paint.
The elements attacked all the years ... even imports back then
suffered the same.
Except my brothers 197(4) corolla, it is still running and looks great,
it has over 400,000 miles. The man that bought it from my brother
babies it.



Overall If you take care of you car and keep within normal road use, I
don't think there is a limit on miles for any of the years. I think the
newer years survive the elements better though therefor probably last
longer.


phaeton wrote:
> ...on modern cars.
>
> I realize that driving habits and how well you take care of the car is
> the single biggest factor that affects how long it lasts. Sure, some
> cars are real stinkers, but have any of those been made in a while?
>.........
> So how many miles are a lot these days? What do you all feel are (with
> proper care) the longer-lasting cars and trucks?
>
> Let's order a few rounds of beer and discuss!
>
> -phaeton

"phaeton" > wrote in news:1158866113.332321.63130
@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

> ...on modern cars.



http://www.racetoretirement.org/



>
> Let's order a few rounds of beer and discuss!
>


I'll drink to that. Anyone for Pilsner Urquell?


--
TeGGeR®

phaeton wrote:
> ...on modern cars.
>
> I realize that driving habits and how well you take care of the car is
> the single biggest factor that affects how long it lasts. Sure, some
> cars are real stinkers, but have any of those been made in a while?
>
> Seems that when I was a little kid (think mid-late 70s, think streets
> full of Detroit Iron with an *occasional* import) everyone talked about
> "100,000 miles". One Hundred Thousand was the magic number where you
> considered your car pretty much "all used up". That was the milestone
> where you had to pump the **** out of it to get it started in the
> mornings, and it'd finally balk to life with a huge cloud of gas and
> oil smoke. You've got so much blow-by that it doesn't really matter if
> you leave the choke out or not. This is when you avoid really long stop
> lights, because the master cylinder has enough internal leakage to let
> the brake pedal sink to the floorboard by time a normal light turns
> green. This is when the clutch was toast, or when the automatic's
> dipstick was all full of sludge and foam. At 100,000 miles there was
> enough play in the front suspension (and maybe the rear too) that it
> was downright *scary* to exceed 50mph. At 100,000 miles, you've
> already torn down that hanging headliner and are now using it as a seat
> cover or a floormat..... etc.... I've owned cars from the 60s and 70s,
> and sure enough, when you got 60-80K on one of those cars you sure
> could tell.
>
> Nowadays, I routinely see cars for sale with 150K on them, and sell
> they do. They're not completely worthless. My 99 Ranger has 125K on
> it, original everything. Maybe it's false hope, but the way it starts,
> runs and drives, it sure makes me confident that I can see 200K with
> only some minor stuff. The steering is tight, the clutch is still
> good, it shifts alright, the engine sounds great- only some minor
> lifter tap type noises, but that's typical Ford and you *really* have
> to listen to hear it (over the typical Ford power steering pump growl,
> that is). It also has not a SINGLE oil leak. That is the most amazing
> thing I've ever seen.
>
> My girlfriend has a 1989 Honda Accord that's in the 300K neighbourhood.
> Yeah it takes a little work to get it started every once in a while,
> the sunroof leaks, a couple windows won't roll down, it leaks a quart
> of oil every 1000 miles and it wanders all over the road. But at
> 300,000 miles i think it has *earned* the right to be a little bitchy
> when it wants to be.
>
> There's a topic in the ng right now (reliability of turbo cars) where a
> poster talks about junking a small Chrysler just short of 500,000.
> 500K! That's insane!
>
> So how many miles are a lot these days? What do you all feel are (with
> proper care) the longer-lasting cars and trucks?
>
> Let's order a few rounds of beer and discuss!
>
> -phaeton
>

It really depends on the car. a GM car may be clapped out at 200K but
for an older watercooled VW that number may be closer to 400-500K miles.

Of course, my dad's '67 Cutlass turned over 300K before the frame rusted
through... I think a lot of people give up on their cars before their
time. I also think that some of the old Olds and Caddys were better
than anything you can buy from an American mfgr. today in terms of
durability and serviceability...

nate

--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

I once had a 1977 Chevette that had 275K when It finally kicked the bucket.

In article . com>,
"phaeton" > wrote:

> ...on modern cars.
>
> I realize that driving habits and how well you take care of the car is
> the single biggest factor that affects how long it lasts. Sure, some
> cars are real stinkers, but have any of those been made in a while?
>
> Seems that when I was a little kid (think mid-late 70s, think streets
> full of Detroit Iron with an *occasional* import) everyone talked about
> "100,000 miles". One Hundred Thousand was the magic number where you
> considered your car pretty much "all used up". That was the milestone
> where you had to pump the **** out of it to get it started in the
> mornings, and it'd finally balk to life with a huge cloud of gas and
> oil smoke. You've got so much blow-by that it doesn't really matter if
> you leave the choke out or not. This is when you avoid really long stop
> lights, because the master cylinder has enough internal leakage to let
> the brake pedal sink to the floorboard by time a normal light turns
> green. This is when the clutch was toast, or when the automatic's
> dipstick was all full of sludge and foam. At 100,000 miles there was
> enough play in the front suspension (and maybe the rear too) that it
> was downright *scary* to exceed 50mph. At 100,000 miles, you've
> already torn down that hanging headliner and are now using it as a seat
> cover or a floormat..... etc.... I've owned cars from the 60s and 70s,
> and sure enough, when you got 60-80K on one of those cars you sure
> could tell.
>
> Nowadays, I routinely see cars for sale with 150K on them, and sell
> they do. They're not completely worthless. My 99 Ranger has 125K on
> it, original everything. Maybe it's false hope, but the way it starts,
> runs and drives, it sure makes me confident that I can see 200K with
> only some minor stuff. The steering is tight, the clutch is still
> good, it shifts alright, the engine sounds great- only some minor
> lifter tap type noises, but that's typical Ford and you *really* have
> to listen to hear it (over the typical Ford power steering pump growl,
> that is). It also has not a SINGLE oil leak. That is the most amazing
> thing I've ever seen.

Well, as mentioned in my "Need help god-awful fast" thread, my '82 Mazda
626 has 189501.something on the clock, and to my knowledge, the ony
major items to fail on it have been the rear countershaft bering in its
5 speed stick, and as of yesterday, the head gasket went to that big
junkyard in the sky. (And for anybody interested, I've now got the new
gasket in, head toarqued down, and an in the process of strapping the
ancillary stuff like exhaust and intake manifolds, water pump (changed
that out just to be "prudent" since I had to pull it anyway to get to
the timing chain tensioner and reset it after pulling the overhead cam)
and so on back onto it.)

Yeah, it has some rattles, and it was burning some oil (partly due to
the known-slightly-leaky #3 valve guide seal, likely some of it going
into the #1 or #2 cylinder by way of the failing head gasket) but aside
from that, it was going strong until yesterday, and I expect once I get
the head gasket R&R completed, it's going to fire right up and say
"Where you wanna go, boss?" as soon as I crank it.

How much further? Who knows... But for as long as I've had it, it just
keeps on takin' a lickin' and keeps tickin', so I'll be damned if I'm
gonna cry "foul" if it goes completely belly-up next week.

LIkely couldn't sell it for much over $500, but... <shrug> I don't
*WANT* to sell it - it's a tough little beater that took some lessons
from the Energizer bunny, and I'm happy with it, even if it does look
about as pretty as a bucket fulla assholes from the outside.

--
Don Bruder - - If your "From:" address isn't on my whitelist,
or the subject of the message doesn't contain the exact text "PopperAndShadow"
somewhere, any message sent to this address will go in the garbage without my
ever knowing it arrived. Sorry... <http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd> for more info

On Thu, 21 Sep 2006 18:33:30 -0700, Don Bruder >
wrote:

>In article . com>,
> "phaeton" > wrote:
>
>> ...on modern cars.
>>



My odometer stopped about 5 years ago around 223,000. I probably have
about 300k by now.

It's a 1989 Chevy C1500 Scottsdale Sportside with the TBI V6. I just
had the original clutch replaced last year and the rearend about 6
years ago. everything else is original.

She burns and leaks a little oil, no water consumption, and she needs
a paint job.

I stopped at the new Studebaker Museum in South Bend Indiana last Friday
and they had a few hig milers in there on display.

Here's what was noted on one of the plaqards by one car:

1919 Studebaker Big Six Open Touring car had 90,000 miles in two years
on unimproved roads. It had 390,000 miles by 1923. Under the hood is a
353 cubic inch Inline 6 cylinder, 60 HP. $200 when new. The car was run
from Los Angeles to the NY Auto Show.

Painted on the doors it says " Big Six still going strong at 475,000
miles.


A friend of mine delivering MoPARTS for Dodge had 620,000 miles on a 94
Dodge Ram Cargo Van.


Nothing surprises me anymore.

harryface
05 Park Avenue 49,899 miles
91 Bonneville 307,371 miles
78 Olds 88 196,000 miles.