My 2012 Fiat 500 with 200,000 miles….

[DweezilAZ]

What work has been done to it? Some people say their car hasn’t needed anything but maintenance. But then fail to mention they personally consider control arms, alternators, etc. as maintenance

At 200,000 miles that would be normal repair and maintenance.

 

[Nick1994]

At 200,000 miles that would be normal repair and maintenance.

Repairs =/= maintenance

 

[M1Accord]

I can't get past how they look. I realize that is a subjective preference and has no bearing on reliability, but I am shallow in that regard.

I can’t get past its look either. I would love to own a Mini or Bimmer but I can’t get past their lower reliability and higher maintenance cost and not DIY friendly. So my next car will be most likely a Honda as I can maintain them.

 

[M1Accord]

Repairs =/= maintenance

Some repairs such as fuel pump or battery can be considered preventative maintenance. Fluids are definitely maintenance. Tires and brakes are gray areas as they aren’t based on miles or time so they are more of preventative maintenance but calling their repair or replacement isn’t wrong either.

 

[M1Accord]

Doug Demuro commented that these things are wildly fun to drive. I believe it. Small, lightweight and a buzzer motor. Sounds about right.

I would not take Doug’s comedic scripts as fact.

 

[M1Accord]

I know some who consider water pumps, timing chains, and turbochargers every 50k-60k a maintenance item. And stuff like failed seals/gaskets just gets brushed under a rug. While for example Honda J-series gets a stinky eye for needed a timing belt and valve adjustment once in 100k miles...

Timing belt is maintenance item while timing chain is repair item. Timing belt is the reason Honda V6 is not a popular choice as it is a big cost every 6-10 years or 60k-100k miles. At second chsnge, the cost could exceed the value of the vehicle. It certainly keeps me from buying a Pilot, Passport, and Ridgeline.

 

[Graham Piccinini]

Timing belt is maintenance item while timing chain is repair item. Timing belt is the reason Honda V6 is not a popular choice as it is a big cost every 6-10 years or 60k-100k miles. At second chsnge, the cost could exceed the value of the vehicle. It certainly keeps me from buying a Pilot, Passport, and Ridgeline.

I'm on my 26th(?) car in 13 years of driving, if my math is correct. Plus over these years I constantly maintained another 100+ cars for family. (Did stop maintaining for friends, no time.)
During this time I dealt with a lot of cars obviously, and here is what I learned:
- I'd rather have a Honda with a single large predictable repair. I can save for that repair in advance. Just did it in 2009 Pilot with over 200k miles. $2000 got me a new VTEC solenoid, alternator, water pump, timing belt, rear hydraulic engine mount, camshaft/crankshaft seals, and an intake hose (old one was ripped). That's a small price to pay for peace of mind over the next 100k miles.
- I also had vehicles with timing chains, but not all timing chains are created equal. Some are still working in vehicles with 300k miles, while others failed extremely early. And compared to Honda - these repairs did not give me time to financially prepare. Just one of those vehicles ended up costing $7000+ in surprise repairs in a single year of ownership. Getting rid of that car was a very happy day.

 

[Pew]

I know some who consider water pumps, timing chains, and turbochargers every 50k-60k a maintenance item. And stuff like failed seals/gaskets just gets brushed under a rug. While for example Honda J-series gets a stinky eye for needed a timing belt and valve adjustment once in 100k miles...

However, it could be a good excuse for a bigger turbo .

"This bw EFR8376 is a maintenance item babe."