For a Chrysler product, I'd say if you can make it home from the dealer without a check engine light you're off to a great start!
How many miles to get your money’s worth?
- Thread starter Elkins45
- Start date
I’ve never had that issue…. In fact, GM products have left me sitting, not Chrysler.
That being said, Dodge products rust to quickly for me, but the van I have was affordable when I needed one.
The Focus and Escape I'd like to see 20 years and 200k. The Focus is 20 but not quite 200k, I'm going to drag to 200k whether it likes it or not! Cursed vehicle. The RV no idea to calculate worth out of it. It'll probably get traded when we go full time in 8-9 years, it might have close to 200k by then. The Dakota and Festiva are long timers value is mute point. I'd say 20yr/200k for me.
A lot of this "getting your money's worth" is greatly dependent on where you live. Especially if you're a person who doesn't put a lot of yearly miles on a vehicle, and are forced to live in the Midwest, or anywhere else in the Rust Belt. Weather is going to destroy your car long before you can get the entire good out of one.
Salt is one of the most corrosive elements there is. The military uses it to corrosion test equipment and weaponry for a good reason. There isn't much out there in the world that will corrode metal faster.
Keeping a car nice in the Midwest is a constant, mostly losing battle. Regardless of how well you take care of everything under the hood. Things like Fluid Film, Ziebart, and all of these other rust proofing treatments can help, but not much. Road salt gets everywhere. Inside and out.
The newer cars make more use of Stainless Steel, plastic and composite body components, which help fight off the corrosive effects of salt. But it's still the biggest issue that cuts the life of a vehicle short in the U.S.
And the well below freezing weather that accompanies the use of road salt 5 months out of the year, helps to give your car the coup de gras. Constant starting of a frozen engine, then having it operate at the boiling point 10 minutes later does wonders for generating leaks over time.
Every leak in every car I've ever owned, happened in the Winter in the Midwest. The ever constant freezing to hot thermal expansion and contraction over time is an all but guaranteed leak creator. Not to mention rock hard frozen seals and gaskets. Radiators, heater cores, thermostat housings, valve covers, name it and they'll leak. Just give it enough time.
I learned the most valuable lesson of all when it comes to keeping a vehicle in tip top condition, and getting your money's worth out of it........ Move to the Desert Southwest. Your car will out live you... Provided of course it doesn't get stolen or wrecked.
Salt is one of the most corrosive elements there is. The military uses it to corrosion test equipment and weaponry for a good reason. There isn't much out there in the world that will corrode metal faster.
Keeping a car nice in the Midwest is a constant, mostly losing battle. Regardless of how well you take care of everything under the hood. Things like Fluid Film, Ziebart, and all of these other rust proofing treatments can help, but not much. Road salt gets everywhere. Inside and out.
The newer cars make more use of Stainless Steel, plastic and composite body components, which help fight off the corrosive effects of salt. But it's still the biggest issue that cuts the life of a vehicle short in the U.S.
And the well below freezing weather that accompanies the use of road salt 5 months out of the year, helps to give your car the coup de gras. Constant starting of a frozen engine, then having it operate at the boiling point 10 minutes later does wonders for generating leaks over time.
Every leak in every car I've ever owned, happened in the Winter in the Midwest. The ever constant freezing to hot thermal expansion and contraction over time is an all but guaranteed leak creator. Not to mention rock hard frozen seals and gaskets. Radiators, heater cores, thermostat housings, valve covers, name it and they'll leak. Just give it enough time.
I learned the most valuable lesson of all when it comes to keeping a vehicle in tip top condition, and getting your money's worth out of it........ Move to the Desert Southwest. Your car will out live you... Provided of course it doesn't get stolen or wrecked.
I have a similar scenario playing out.
Truck 17.5mpg car 41. One needs to take into consideration other things if you use the car for driving errands truck tires probably would be $900 plus car tires sub $400.
Car oil change 4 qts truck 8qts.
Plus if you drove one vehicle you might have needed a newer vehicle after 6 or 8 years. You have possibly saved the msrp that your car cost with the increase of what a new truck would have cost you.
CleanSump
Site Donor 2022
I've driven my last three vehicles to over 300k miles before I got tired of them. Soooo, over 300k to get one's money's worth.
Not sure that makes sense?
I got rid of one car just after 100k as I was ired of it.
I got rid of its replacement after 300k as I thought it was time—not because I was tired of it. (tired of the repairs perhaps, but not because I had something better in mind.)
In the rust belt, I kind of figure $1k per year in depreciation and/or repairs for my simple commuter 2wd mtx beater. For our family awd truckster, $2k/year is more realistic. We seem to get near 300k km or up to 15 years before we scrap/sell our cars.
Who knew? Those Fiat 500s seem to be quite reliable cars.
They got bad reviews but mine has been outstanding. Cheap basic transportation.
CleanSump
Site Donor 2022
Too literal.
when i bought my 03 tundra new -i was shooting for 20 years. well in a few months it will be 20 yrs and now i am hopping its last truck i buy at age 66. only 73k lawn service only miles on it
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
$1 in 1970 = $7.53 today so what does that do to the Ten Cent Rule?
