Drive your car to death, save $31,000 By keeping your car for 200,000 miles or more, you can save the money of buying a new car. Plus: Cars that can outlast all the rest. http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/30/autos/cr_drive_200k/index.htm?section=money_mostpopular NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- By keeping your car for 15 years, or 225,000 miles of driving, you could save nearly $31,000, according to Consumer Reports magazine. That's compared to the cost of buying an identical model every five years, which is roughly the rate at which most car owners trade in their vehicles. In its annual national auto survey, the magazine found 6,769 readers who had logged more than 200,000 miles on their cars. Their cars included a 1990 Lexus LS400 with 332,000 miles and a 1994 Ford Ranger pick-up that had gone 488,000 miles. Calculating the costs involved in buying a new Honda Civic EX every five years for 15 years - including depreciation, taxes, fees and insurance - the magazine estimated it would cost $20,500 more than it would have cost to simply maintain one car for the same period. Added to that, the magazine factored in $10,300 in interest that could have been earned on that money, assuming a five percent interest rate and a three percent inflation rate, over that time. The magazine found similar savings with other models. To have much hope of making it to 200,000 miles, a car has to be well maintained, of course. The magazine recommends several steps to help your car see it through. * Follow the maintenance guide in your owner's manual and make needed repairs promptly. * Use only the recommended types of fluids, including oil and transmission fluids. * Check under the hood regularly. Listen for strange sounds, sniff for odd smells and look for fraying or bulges in pipes or belts. Also, get a vehicle service manual. They're available at most auto parts stores or your dealership. * Clean the car carefully inside and out. This not only helps the car's appearance but can prevent premature rust. Vacuuming the inside also prevents premature carpet wear from sand and grit. * Buy a safe, reliable car. Buying a car with the latest safety equipment makes it more likely you'll feel as safe in your aging car as a newer model. The magazine recommends several cars that have the best shot at reaching the 200,000 mile mark and a few that, according to its data, aren't likely to make it. All the cars in the magazine's "Good bets" list are manufactured by Honda (Charts) and Toyota (Charts). (One extreme example was not enough to get the Ford Ranger onto the list.) The "Bad bets" are a mixture of European models and two Nissans. Consumer Reports' "Good bets" for making 200,000 miles: Honda Civic, Honda CR-V, Honda Element, Lexus ES, Lexus LS, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Prius, Toyota RAV4 Consumer Reports' "Bad bets" for making 200,000 miles: BMW 7-series, Infiniti QX56, Jaguar X-type, V8-powered Mercedes-Benz M-class, Mercedes-Benz SL, Nissan Armada, Nissan Titan, Volkswagen Touareg, V6-powered Volvo XC90.
1997 Eddie Bauer V8 Ford Explorer - paid for and 120k miles and going strong. It is driving my wife crazy, she wants me to get a new car....but this one is PAID for..... DD
Right there with you, DD. I am styling in a '98 Corolla and plan to drive it 'til it drops. Only has 60k miles right now, as I don't drive that much. By the way, I love that the Armada is on the list of those "bad bets" to make 200k. No, really?
I bought my 2nd Mustang in '92 and drove it until 2006....well over 200,000 miles, but I also did a 351 swap...the 302 was just fine...I just needed more horsies... On a side I just dynoed my supercharged 06 yesterday...421 rwhp and 396 ft lb of tq. My 92 351 also produced 395 ft lb tq, but only about 350 hp...
ive had a civic for 7 years now coming up on 100,000 miles. No major repairs yet... iv'e had to do the occasional wheel alignment and brake pads...but everyone has to do that
Yeah, I buy my cars in cash up front (cheaper that way) and then run them into the ground. We just got rid of our '93 Civic but it is still being used by my brother-in-law. So now we have a '97 Infiniti with 120,000 miles and a '04 Highlander with 30k. Both will be driven to death.
i didnt expect nissan to be unreliable...Mercedes and BMW is expected.. My family currently has a 95 4runner at 120K and a 99 Lexus RX at 90K both with no problems whatsoever...toyota/lex FTW ..I currently drive an acura TL so hopefully it will last long enough for me to save up for a lexus
Every 5 years!! No wonder this whole country is in debt. I cannot fathom blowing money on a new car every 5 years. I just bought the wife a new car after her maxima hit 240k miles, and it still runs well enough to give it to my father-in-law as insurance on his maxima - which has over 450,000 miles!
My 04 Chevy Colorado has 85K miles. I'm going to drive it to death, but I going to guess that it doesn't make 15 years. (I've cut my driving in half this year, so the miles shouldn't accumulate quite as fast.)
2002 Dodge Dakota Quad, 4.7 V8, 120K miles. No real issues yet, and is PAID for. I always run a vehicle into the dirt. Being a mechanic is quite handy in this department. If taken care of, most vehicles will last a long time. You have to take into context the type of vehicle you're talking about too. A luxury BMW for instance, is bought by people with MONEY, who don't mind getting rid of it every few years. They are then bought by people with LESS money to keep them maintained, and maintenance on them is ridiculous $$$, so they get neglected.
My 2000 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner has about 85k miles on it and it's doing fine. Needs a tune up, but otherwise, all good. I've been thinking about buying a used mini-van just for hauling gear to shows and for road trips with the band, etc. But, I don't intend to get rid of the truck anytime soon. I don't put a ton of miles on it each year (I even rented a car for my road trip last summer to California), so I'm hoping it will hold out for me for another 4-5 years.
Nissan started becoming unreliable when they started their infatuation with re-inventing every model they had all at once. Mercedes' reliability is at the company's forefront right now - they know they've lost the old "built like a tank" image and are desperately trying to gain it back. BMW ... well... is still BMW from what I've heard. They need to hire a new designer. lol. Toyota has stayed reliable until recently. They're still a very reliable make, but I'm waiting to see what happens over the next 3-4 years with their reliability. I'm already hearing of issues with their reliability. The big problem with many of these makes is that one part or hell, even engine, is shared among several of their models, so if that part goes, so does the reliability of the entire line for the most part. FYI : I have a TL, too. I bought it at the end of 2003 and it's got about 83,000 miles. No problems other than 1 or 2 rattles that I've gotten used to.
Their reliability is still pretty darn good but I think it's "lessen" is because they have to crank out so many cars now. When you churn out so many cars at such a demanding pace, there will be more reliability issues. You're lucky then because those Acura transmissions are suspect. I've had some experience.
What are you trying to fix? If it's the transmission I highly suggest doing it through the dealer. It'll be a pull-your-pants-down-and-grab-your-ankles bill but it's just better to go with them.
