Can your car last 1,000,000 miles..

[PandaBear]

A car that reaches 1M miles with 100k a year is very different than a car that reaches 1M miles in 80 years. Also a special purpose vehicle that cost a lot to replace/design/build is definitely worth saving rather than replaced. Miles is not the only thing to look at. I'm already at 220k but I think the amount of HWY miles I put on in the last several years justify keeping this car for 300k. Now my in law's 93 Escort is beaten to death and has only 80k, but I don't think I want to keep it for even 150k.

 

[hpichris]

One of my cars is a rotary engine. I doubt it. It barely gets 5k miles a year anyways. It'll be long time before I'm even close to 100k.

 

[defektes]

Im keeping my 4.3l till it totally dies. 125K and counting!

 

[outrun]

To answer your question yes in simplest* terms. Nothing can not be repaired sans catastrophic destruction of the vehicle frame. Look at the life spans of US Weapon systems ... Carriers, B52s etc. In reality maintenance to that level would approach if not exceed new car value for me. I am a perfectionist when it comes to automotive care. The key is though how much money you want to sink (due to depreciation realities) or invest (if you are that optimistic) into your equipment. Weapon systems costly as they are go through service life extension programs (SLEP) and are gradually updated over time. Yes parts will inevitable fail over time. The question is will you keep up with repairing and replacing them. I am confident my engine (3800 Series II) may make it too 250-300,000miles. However, I am not confident my 4L60E Hydramatic transmission will make it to 250,000 ... and if it does consider me a lucky man statistically! Already my 10-bolt differential is making whining. There is also the exhaust system which is showing some corrosion, much of the front end is original. However, inevitably ball joints and weathered rubber bushings will need replacement also. Now let me do the Department of Defense and FAA way of getting my car to a million miles. I am at nearly 200,000 miles right now. A basic life extension would be to reman the transmission, and differential (4000$+). I could throw in a repaint as well (4000$) and repair interior broken trim pieces (400$). The engine I could leave alone until 250,000 - 300,000miles. However by then I would likely need frame off work and sandblasting to repair and seal corrosion issues. Even if it did all these things my drive train would be bought time until 500,000 miles when possible additional "engineering level" maintenance is needed. So yes I could do it on my car .... but it would break the bank and doing so would be madness. Also as mentioned earlier I am not in a taxi or fleet situation. My annual mileage is 12,000-18,000 miles per year. I calculate it would take me 46 years of daily driving at present rates to achieve the 1-million mark. A lot can happen in 50 years My car would be a museum piece and lightly driven if my intention was 5-decades of ownership.

 

[sangyup81]

I'm at 225k on my '02 Lancer. I'm definitely making it to 300k and will see if I want to try for more once I hit that point!

 

[chastn]

There is an older retired school teacher here in town that still has the very first car she bought after she started teaching. It is a 1940 Cheverolet. It looks amazingly good. The bumpers have a little surface rust and there is a slight dent in one of the fenders. Evidently after a while, she bought a new 'Sunday go to meeting car', it is a late 1950's Plymouth. It is the one with the giant tail fins. She rarely drives it though. I would be willing to bet that the Cheverolet is getting close to one million miles.

 

[bigmike]

Originally Posted By: Paul56

What kind of mileage does the average motorist put on in a year? 20 to 25 thousand miles? At that rate the car will be 40 years old before it has a million miles. As a trucker I used to put on ~100,000 in a year, so reaching a million miles was doable in 10 years.

My thoughts exactly. On our Honda, I only put 12k miles per year. It'll be 83 years old by the time it reaches 1 million. I don't think the average person really cares if their engine lasts to 1 million miles.

 

[demarpaint]

I'd say the odds are heavily stacked against hitting the million mile mark for 95%-99% of all car owners. There are just too many things that can happen. To name a few, accidents, thieft, and the car just flat out failing, making repair either impossible or just to costly. Can it hit a million miles? Yes, Will it? I'd bet against it.

 

[tig1]

Any car can go 1,000,000 miles if enough money is put into it. Just keep fixing it. That's why aircraft keep flying for so long. Pretty simple, hay.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: tig1

Any car can go 1,000,000 miles if enough money is put into it. Just keep fixing it. That's why aircraft keep flying for so long. Pretty simple, hay.

LOL Good point, money can solve a lot of problems!

 

[hpichris]

Very true statement indeed.

 

[Vaca]

[/quote] I don't think the average person really cares if their engine lasts to 1 million miles. [/quote] the understatement of the year perhaps....:-)

 

[stenerson]

Does anyone know what kind of oil the guy used. The guy with the million mile Chevy pu. Original engine, 300 oil changes from what I heard. About every 3300 miles I guess. Must of been dino?

 

[StevieC]

Plan on making your car last for 1M miles and bank the difference for as long as you can get!

 

[stenerson]

Originally Posted By: StevieC

Plan on making your car last for 1M miles and bank the difference for as long as you can get!

Yep. I'm not looking at total miles but more like the length of time I can keep it without purchasing a new one.

 

[speedyswede]

I did the math...driving @ my current average of 19625mi/year, it would take me 34.9yrs to reach one million miles.

 

[hpichris]

I just go through cars to often to ever come close to that number.

 

[Trvlr500]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI

Originally Posted By: opposite_locker

As long as someone else pays my gas bill, I'm willing to give 1 million miles a try on my '08 Dodge...already has 50.5k miles in 12.5 months. I figured out the other day that in 1 year, over $10k worth of gas has gone through this pig...

Yup, Dodge Rams, regardless of the engine( gas ), never met a gas station they didn't like. I have had them with every gas engine offered since the early 90's( 5.2L, 5.9L, 4.7L, 5.7L )short of the V6 and they ALL were gas pigs. It is the one real drawback to them. Otherwise great trucks. What stinks for you is the 5.7L gets at least as good as, and for me better than, MPG than the 4.7L. More power AND better MPG.

Well, if we just could get access to our own unlimited supply of oil and other energy sources we could get back to doing what Americans did for decades. Driving for fun. Then many of us could test the 1,000,000 mile limit.

 

[Eric Smith]

Back in high school one of my friends neighbors I bet had close to that on a 80's Dakota. He drove from Nevada to KC and every 200-300k he have a total rebuild. Engine, transmission, interior.. everthing. He'd already did that twice and was getting ready for a third in 97-98. My current ones will never see it. When the wife gets tired of the Escape I figure in 2014-2015 it'll be my daily till it dies. Probably over 200k when I get it. The truck will be put in the backyard and shouldn't have over 150k then. Might be given to the boy if he demostrates better driving capability than I did when I was 16, mostly likely not. But I'd like to keep it in the family for 30-40 years at least. I can tell you one thing absolutely no more car payments regardless what we do!

 

[Andyge]

some guy on one of the Ford Ranger forum has ranger with 500,000 and uses amsoil XL 5w30 from when he got the truck new from the dealer. Andy