IMO and my experience, making a vehicle last for 200K+ miles or decades takes
either a very large bank account or an outstanding shade tree mechanic skill set.
After a certain mileage, parts just wear out regardless of the make.Chevy, BMW, Toyota. Beyond typical tune up stuff like plugs & wires,you got to know how install exhaust parts like mufflers and drum brakes and flush the transmission - not just drain it like oil, but flush the fluid out. Automatic trannies can be troublesome (across all makes lately) and fluid should be replaced frequently,IMO the official flush interval is sorely insufficient.
Then there are inevitable electrical problems. At the very least go to be proficient with the multimeter and electrical/vacuum manuals. Also power window motors inevitably fail.
Then there are dents, like parking lot fender benders or deer accidents. So you should know body work and painting. I am not even getting into rust.
Water pump, fan belts, radiator, radiator hoses, timing belts.Good luck with the latter if you have a FWD V6, one of these side -mounted motors, especially foreign. I did timing belts once on a FWD V6 Mazda, took me 6 hours. The car had extremely poor engine bay design, very low serviceability factor IMO.
I had to take apart the throttle body to access the starter!! Once I put everything back together, it didn't run right!! Took me 3 weeks to realize I should have used a gasket instead of blue sealant stuff with the throttle body, because an air leak was created which confused the IAC sensor and
the car was stalling, and getting about 12mpg instead of usual 25. The fuel filter on it was another extremely difficult to reach part, buried in the engine bay. What a nightmare car it was.
Granted, all this was a learning experience but still not a DIY job for those not familiar with it. Domestics can be a pain also, like compact Ford cars. Very little room to wrench under there.
AC work? Conversion from R12 to the new system? Or compressor/clutch work. Big bucks, or DIY and you need expensive equipment for that, not to mention the paperwork.
Past say 180K you may need valve adjustment. So you have to tear into the motor. Timing belts need replacement every 80K miles according to manuals, but even timing chains may need replacement at high mileage. Another nightmare job.
Fuel pump go bad. It's a big job to drop the tank, and how do you do it if it's full and heavy? Injectors go bad, coil packs. Will have to replace the entire starting systems more than likely if the vehicle is 15+ years, depending on the climate - corrosion is a problem. Battery, starter and starter relay, alternator, cables.
The brake systems go bad. May have to replace the entire brake system from the master cylinder to brake lines to calipers. I once had a total failure of the brake system,let me tell you, it was scary. Turns out air got into the
master cylinder somehow, which damaged the brake fluid. A by product of air in the system is water. Water corroded the calipers and other parts, which were then sticking, overheating and failing. I ended up replacing *all* the parts
involved.
The vehicle was 17 years old at the time, 90K miles, and age is what did it to it. OK, I could have replaced the brake fluid more often, but with old cars, you never know what will fail next - and some of it is just dangerous. So if you become an expert with Ford EFI and reading trouble codes, you
may still need to become an expert in other areas, too.
There is a good chance the auto tranny may need replacement after 180K miles, can you do that? At least the very least you should frequently (like once per year) flush the tranny oil and install a auxillary tranny cooler because heat
is a major contributor to tranny failure. I think it goes like this: Heat destroyes the fluid, which no longer does its job and the tranny failes. You can also detect failure by smelling it, a toast tranny will have its fluid smell burned.
I think certain vehicles are more conducive to DIY work, like a compact pickup with a 5 speed? The engine bay is fairly open, but it's not going to get very good MPG.
I think the article above presumed that the mechanical work wouldn't get done DIY route... most people's aren't interested in changing time belts, you know.
The worst aspect of it, mechanic prices are expensive these days and absolutely exorbitant in large metro areas. I have been quoted - to overhaul the entire braking system $1,000. Timing belt, $800. Tune up, $500. This adds
up very quickly. If you are not a DIY type, budget at least $1,000 annually for repairs, maybe much more. Repairs can be expensive even via the DIY route,
as parts are expensive, e.q. catalytic converters, AC compressors on newer cars.
the next day. I will get rid of my WRX at 150k miles too. 
