Make your car last 200,000 miles -CR

[John K]

Consumer Reports Oct issue has an article about driving cars longer....examples are a 94 Ranger w/488,000, 95 Civic w/227,000, 90 Lexus LS400 w/332,000 miles. Sidebar lists Good/Bad Bets that does not list any US cars. I prefer foreign cars myself, but I see them getting a lot of flack for not listing any US cars, esp. when one of their examples is a Ranger w/488,000 miles! I guess it is at least good that no US cars were listed under the bad bets.

Good bets were Honda Civic, CR-V, Element; Lexus ES & LS; Toyota 4Runner, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Prius, RAV4.

Bad bets were BMW 7-Series; Infiniti WX56; Jaguar S-Type & X-Type; Mercedes-Benz M-class V8 & SL; Nissan Armada & Titan; VW Toareg; Volvo XC90(6-cyl).

 

[kcryan]

Its the infiniti Qx56, unless they have a new model.

But I've never had a problem with their reviews, i dont think they're biased, i think they reccomend what there statistics say is a good trustworthy car.

I'm sure others will disagree though

 

[mrsilv04]

I would say a good bet is *any* domestic full size pickup truck with a V8 or a diesel. They hit 200,000 miles all the time without trying, and with minimal repairs to get there.

 

[Lonnie]

Make a car last 200,000 miles. That would be cutting its life short. Why would you want to do that? I'm at 389k with a Civic and still going strong. There are three important considerations to help a given car live a long life, weather, driving habits/conditions and maintenance, in that order. If you give me good weather and driving conditions I'll be able to make a car last 200,000 miles with 30W non synthetic oil with no problems. You have to give these first two requirements their due consideration. Good maintenance is just a part of the picture. This forum to my knowledge does not run threads that dialog about how say driving habits can affect the life of a vehicle with the kind of energy you see in a ‘which synthetic oil should I use’ thread.

 

[John K]

Typo - q & w are right next to each other....

 

[frank2009]

just a note to any anyone on the board that was planning on buying the issue just for this article; save yourself some money and don't bother. all they say is buy a good car and follow the severe service maintenance intervals.

 

[ekpolk]

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just a note to any anyone on the board that was planning on buying the issue just for this article; save yourself some money and don't bother. all they say is buy a good car and follow the severe service maintenance intervals.

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Oh tsk, tsk -- next you're going to tell us not to bother listening to NPR.

Sorry, couldn't resist...

 

[Aldaris]

The Lexus LS will easily make it to 200,000 miles even on VERY lax maintenance

 

[sierrascout]

Well My 1988 Mustang hit 204,000 before I sold it, my Chevy s-10 was climbing on 275,000, and my little Plymouth Horizon had well over 300,000 on it before I got rid of it. The only Toyota that I have had not to get over 200 is the one I currently have and another 47000 and it will be there. It is all about maintanance.

 

[mstrjon32]

My mom's Lumina made it to 216K miles with almost no preventative maintenance on her part, except for 5-6K mile conventional oil changes. In fairness, I think for the first 100K she was changing the oil every 3K.

I sold my old Monte Carlo with 195K miles and it with the exception of the rust, it was still going strong.

 

[bretfraz]

I think most any basic car or truck, driven wisely and maintained well can do 200K with few issues. The odds begin to work against you when you buy an overly complex car like a BMW 7 series. The Lexus LS is a rare exception, and even it needs specialized attention if you want to keep it tip-top.

Yeah, a simple car like a Honda Civic or Ford Ranger can hold up because there's little to go wrong. I'm sure the drivetrains in most cars and trucks can do 200K+ with only basic maintenance. What will kill those vehicles is all the little things that break and cost a ton of $$ to fix - the power seat won't recline, the window switches keep failing, the 8 speaker, 300watt stereo system with 8" subwoofer keeps eating CD's.... stuff like that is what will send them to the junkyard, even if the motor has plenty of life in it.

 

[mrsilv04]

Almost 2 years ago, I sold a 1987 Chevy Monte Carlo V8 with 252,000 miles on it. I saw it on the road just last week. It has been sold again at least once, the current driver is not the same person that I sold it to.

If I see the car again, I may try to find out how many miles it has on it now.

Oil diet while I owned it? Pennzoil 10w-30 dino.

 

[gedcruise]

I think you are on to something here.
Some BMWs have been electrical nightmares, like my old 733i. When the car reaches a certain stage, the then owner, who typically has zero mechanical skills, and is unwilling to learn, grows weary of paying to have it fixed, and it ends up in Billy Bob's crusher.
You are right on the money in observing that drivetrains are usually very robust, while an accumulation of small failures may ultimately consign an otherwise useable vehicle to the crusher.
All the more reason to fix the small problems as they occur, and to take the time to do the work yourself.

 

[HM12460]

200,000 is easy to obtain on most automotive platforms nowadays. it's the salt they put on the roads that kills a car/truck here in michigan winter weather.

 

[Mokanic]

Quote:

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Consumer Reports Oct issue has an article about driving cars longer....examples are a 94 Ranger w/488,000, 95 Civic w/227,000, 90 Lexus LS400 w/332,000 miles. Sidebar lists Good/Bad Bets that does not list any US cars. I prefer foreign cars myself, but I see them getting a lot of flack for not listing any US cars, esp. when one of their examples is a Ranger w/488,000 miles! I guess it is at least good that no US cars were listed under the bad bets.

Good bets were Honda Civic, CR-V, Element; Lexus ES & LS; Toyota 4Runner, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Prius, RAV4.

Bad bets were BMW 7-Series; Infiniti WX56; Jaguar S-Type & X-Type; Mercedes-Benz M-class V8 & SL; Nissan Armada & Titan; VW Toareg; Volvo XC90(6-cyl).

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Even some "domestics" will go 200K on basic maintenance. There are several models today that are still young at 200K. With the quality of lubricants avalible and the quality of some vehicles you really don't have bragging rights until you get past 300K miles today. I've seen some older red-blocks as well as 20-22r engines well past the 600K mark and still humming.
I don't think anyone has found the limits of how long the Lexus/Toyota v-8 engines will run with good maintenance. 400K on a LS-400 is as common as fleas on a dog. Volvo redblocks will make 500K with no problem(if you aren't in a hurry). Cummins diesels just keep on going. Taking good care of them is key.

 

[Russell]

my BMW should easily reach 200,000 miles. However to make it run well and act as close to new as possible, it will take a lot special care. For example, the front suspension and most of the rear suspension will need all bushings replaced. (Partially doen at this point). All small problems need to be taken care as soon as they happen. Even then, there are many small, but expensive, electrical problems will happen. This is why I do much of my own work.

 

[brianl703]

Many electrical problems are really bad connection problems. The actual chips and other components are usually very, very reliable--it's the connectors that tend to be the problem when the equipment gets old enough. I can't count the number of times I've fixed electronic equipment simply by unplugging and reconnecting all the boards. I've had especially good results using Caig Labs Deoxit D5 on electrical connectors in cars, telephones, computers, audio equipment, etc.

 

[Kestas]

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... while an accumulation of small failures may ultimately consign an otherwise useable vehicle to the crusher.
All the more reason to fix the small problems as they occur, and to take the time to do the work yourself.

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I own a similar car - a 95 MB E320 conv. This car has a history of electrical glitches and other problems that never occur on simpler cars. The amount of work necessary to diagnose and fix these problems rival an engine rebuild on some of the simpler cars!

I can honestly see why some cars with perfectly good drivetrains and bodies would be consigned to the scrap heap!!

 

[John K]

I think that was another thing mentioned by some of the people in the article that you need to fix things promptly. People keep saying the simple cars are the way to go for longevity, but I have never had problems with the extra gadgets causing any problems. 87 Taurus, pw & mirrors, power seats, manual tranny, 200,000 miles, 01 Honda Odyssey, pw & mirrors, power doors, auto a/c, nav system, currently over 100k. I load up my cars with whatever options I like and haven't had any problems. I understand the logic, but haven't had problems like others I've heard saying windows failing, or other electrical stuff.

 

[brianl703]

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I own a similar car - a 95 MB E320 conv. This car has a history of electrical glitches and other problems that never occur on simpler cars.

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It does not help that some of the E320s from that year have problems with the engine wiring harnesses. The wire insulation becomes brittle due to the heat and cracks, leaving exposed bare wire (short circuits, anyone? Corrosion, anyone?). This is a problem with the insulation, it was not designed for the heat of an engine compartment. This is apparently a common problem with European cars, Jaguars and Volvos have also been affected at one time or another, along with the Ford Contour/Mondeo. I wonder how many of the electrical problems widely attributed to European cars are because they used wire that is not suitable for the purpose.

This is a similar problem with Romex made before about 1983. Ever wonder why light fixtures you buy state to call an electrician before installing in a house built before 1983? It's because the Romex used in those houses was only specified for 60C temperatures and there are many instances where those wires feeding light fixtures developed brittle insulation (due to the heat) which cracks leaving bare, exposed wire. Newer Romex is specified for 90C temperatures, and does not have this problem.