My current auto ('98 Honda Civic EX, lovingly modified) was purchased with 30,000 miles, and now has 63,000. I can’t wait to get my hands on a Subaru Impreza WRX (or a Honda S2000, I haven’t quite decided) and see how long it’ll last.
My first (and most driven) car, a 1987 Toyota pickup, arrived in my hands with 120,000 miles. When I crashed her she had about 250,000 and still purred like a kitten.
Gotta love those Japanmobiles.
95 Lexus ES 300, bought new by me, now with 178,000 on it, never a mechanical problem! I hope to take it over 300,000.
My car is currently at 117000, and its a 96 Terel. Because of my job, I will put 150km on it 5 days a week, all summer. I will also drive home to Quebec once or twice, something like 1500km round trip. Then, in September, I will tak on 90km 5 days a week for school, which I did all this past year too. I am MEAN to my car, but I take good care of it, and it hasn’t given me any problems. As long as it lasts me until Dec 2003 (when I graduate), and preferably longer, I’m fine.
I had a '79 Chevette that died at 157K - it might have lasted longer if I’d been a bit more diligent with regular maintenance.
My vehicle now is a '97 Aerostar that just turned over 107K. I will drive it till it dies or costs too much to resusitate. I’m hoping for at least 5 more years.
'87 Mazda 323, almost 204K miles. All original drivetrain except for stuff like timing belts. That includes original clutch.
Only significant component not working is AC, which went out because I didn’t use it enough and the seals dried out. So not a big loss.
Looks like crap so I feel that my nice CD and stereo system is safe.
My 1985 Chevy AstroVan is at about 396k miles. Unfourtunetly, I will not hit 400k as I have just gotten a bent rod.
Still, the engine in that thing is increadible, as I found that it got the bent rod only after I (unknowingly) drove it for about 600 miles without any, oil, transmision fluid, or coolent.
ftg, that is good news! I have a 1991 Mazda 323 with 170,000 miles and it just keeps going. I have replaced the front axels but other than that, just brakes and two exhaust pipes. The stereo system is super. By the way it’s a manual transmission, which I think lasts longer. The only drawback is that I am a little hesitant to take it on long trips.
130,000 on a Chevy Cavalier, sold it for $2,000. No major engine work, not even the timing belt.
170,000 on an Olds Firenza (also a J car). Junked it. Good car, but the cost of the valve job was a bit higher than the down payment on my current car. sigh I like my current car, but I miss Lil’ Miss Blue. (yes, I name my cars - wanna make something of it?)
Well my car is just a baby compared to some in this thread.
I’m still driving my 1988 Tbird Sport with 125,000 on the clock. Of course, the clock runs 12% slow, so it is actually around 140,000.
The radiator is starting to go. Everything but the plug wires, thermostat, and consumables are original.
–jack
1997 Mazda B2300 pickup - Obtained it new in August 1997, just rolled over 98,000 miles. Still going strong…
ftg and suziek– let’s hear it for those Mazda powertrains! Last Saturday my '95 Protege (successor to the 323) crossed the 200,000 mile mark on its original clutch. If the picture of the odometer at 200K weren’t still in my camera, I’d post a link! The only major problems have been a cap & rotor (replaced twice) and some front suspension problems (axles too). I crossed 50K in Springerville, Arizona; 100k here in Arlington, Virginia; 150K east of Kemmerer, Wyoming; and 200K in Piper, Pennsylvania. I’ve driven that car in over 1,300 counties and have been to all of the lower 48 states, 46 of them twice, about 40 three or more times. Last summer, when the car was at about 180K, I left Virginia and drove off to live in San Francisco for two or three months, and I was sure that all those hills in SF would eat up whatever remained of the clutch. But it survived SF and the 12,000 mile round trip (I wandered around a little bit on the way. Like to Saskatchewan. And Louisiana.)
Yesterday, to “celebrate” the 200,000 milestone, I spent two hours cleaning the inside of the car, and then went to drive it to a car wash and… click! nothing happened when I turned the key! :eek: This is only the second time the car has failed to start! Like last time, it was just a dead battery, and after a jump I was on my way. So now my car’s all ready for the next 200,000 miles and the remaining 1,800 counties left to visit.
I had a used '83 Mercury Capri GS - when I sold it it had a bout 20 more miles on the odometer than it did when I bought it - I put almost exactly 100,000 miles on it personally and flipped the odometer in the process, then passed the original reading. It had somewhere around 45,000 when I bought it.
When I finally sold it (in 1993), it had a quart-a-week oil leak, a faulty A/C condenser, and the transmission didn’t want to shift into reverse. But it would still do 100mph on the highway without breaking a sweat and handled like a dream. I got $1000 for it on a trade-in from a dealership, believe it or not.
My Father has from new an '85 Toyota Space Cruiser (MPV) don’t know what they are called outside the UK that has done 345K on original engine, transmission and only one new clutch. Still goes real sweet now, bodywork needs attention tho as I can poke my finger through some bits.
Merrin
Had a VW golf in which I was run off the road (by an SUV) at 233K. His insurance paid, but I was still sad – the car was running great (had the original clutch) and I figured on 300K, easy.
I bought my 2000 Cavalier in 3/01 with 24,000 miles on it (give or take a few).
It now has about 64,000 miles on it. I drive a lot…
I am happy to report that my 1980 Honda Prelude has 249K on it and is still going strong. It was a treat to run that odometer over the mean Earth-Moon distance, I can tell yah…
I bought a 1991 Toyota Tercel brand new (4 miles on the odometer) and drove it for 5 years until I moved overseas. It had 130,000 miles on it, and in all those 5 years I had exactly 1 problem: the interior light burnt out. I did change the ignition when I sold it though cuz it was acting weird.
I love Toyota’s!
-Tcat
The 1973 Cadillac Eldorado I owned a few years ago lasted 376,000 before finally blowing three of the eight cylinders. It still ran, though.
I’ve passed the century mark on several of my cars:
1990 Mercury Sable: Bought it in February of 1991 with 10K on the odometer. Sold it in May of '98 with 123K on the odometer because the transmission was going and I didn’t want to shell out to fix the front end damage from hitting a deer.
1980 Cadillac Sedan deVille: Purchased to replace the Sable. It had 147K when I bought it and it died at 173K in February of 1999 when the radiator and rear main seal went to component heaven about twelve hours apart. The mechanic’s advice was to take it out and shoot it, so I bought. . .
1997 Ford Taurus: Purchased February '99 with 17K miles, currently at 76K and counting.
1992 Olds Custom Cruiser: Purchased October 2000 with 84K miles, currently 103K and counting.
My dad is the family champ: he has a 1989 Ford Econoline 250 he uses for work which has 177K on the clock. He bought it new and has driven it every day for the last thirteen and a half years.
Another Tercel owner checking in…
I’ve got a 1996 Tercel with about 100,300 miles on it. It’s running like a champ, and (hope I don’t jinx myself) I’ve really only had to do preventive maintenance.
Unfortunately it’s got a dent in it from getting hit while parked in a lot. That’s causing a squirrely little itch in the back of my brain to get a new car…