Older car daily drivers

[GMFan]

I use my 11 Mazda 6 with 192k on it as a daily driver. I transverse VA, NC, SC, GA and TN for work. Last week I drove 1,015 miles. This week I expect to drive just over 1,300 miles. This is not the norm - some weeks are 0 miles and some weeks are “extreme” like this. Some trips are 75mph for hours on interstates up to 6 hours. Some weeks I can feel like a truck driver

We have some guys at work who drive 50k miles/year. Highest mileage I know of in the company is a guy who had a Toyota Tundra with over 400k miles which he got rid of and bought a Silverado. We get IRS mileage for every mile traveled. Most seem to drive trucks and trade in every 200k miles for a new truck. Dodge Rams seem to be the most popular choice lately for my coworkers. I hear they have the best price on them.

I’m a cheapskate and use my car like a pickup. If I have to use a trailer to haul stuff I steal the company truck which is a previous generation Tacoma with 115k miles that drives and looks like it has 300k on it and smells like a gym sock inside. Driving a loaded trailer in the mountains with the 6 cylinder engine is a treat. Power of a 4 cylinder with the appetite of an 8 cylinder. I think onetime I got something like 11 mpg with it lol.

 

[Astro14]

My wife, daughter, and son are all driving “older” cars. Daily drivers. See the Volvo fleet in my Sig. My daughter, a doctor, keeps some long/odd hours. She drives that 2002 V70 T5 to the hospital every day, and to the ski areas or camping on her days off. It’s her only car. The 2001 T5 is my son’s only car. Daily driver 100%.

Maintaining them hasn’t been too hard, and they sure beat having payments on all three.

My wife, for example, has 259,000 on her XC. It looks good inside and out, and is perfect, mechanically. Everything works. Nice ride, tight steering, cold AC, everything.

Update - all three remain daily drivers.

The XC is approaching 300,000. The other two have added about 20,000 each.

 

[thastinger]

Power of a 4 cylinder with the appetite of an 8 cylinder.

 

[doublebase]

I use my 11 Mazda 6 with 192k on it as a daily driver. I transverse VA, NC, SC, GA and TN for work. Last week I drove 1,015 miles. This week I expect to drive just over 1,300 miles. This is not the norm - some weeks are 0 miles and some weeks are “extreme” like this. Some trips are 75mph for hours on interstates up to 6 hours. Some weeks I can feel like a truck driver

We have some guys at work who drive 50k miles/year. Highest mileage I know of in the company is a guy who had a Toyota Tundra with over 400k miles which he got rid of and bought a Silverado. We get IRS mileage for every mile traveled. Most seem to drive trucks and trade in every 200k miles for a new truck. Dodge Rams seem to be the most popular choice lately for my coworkers. I hear they have the best price on them.

I’m a cheapskate and use my car like a pickup. If I have to use a trailer to haul stuff I steal the company truck which is a previous generation Tacoma with 115k miles that drives and looks like it has 300k on it and smells like a gym sock inside. Driving a loaded trailer in the mountains with the 6 cylinder engine is a treat. Power of a 4 cylinder with the appetite of an 8 cylinder. I think onetime I got something like 11 mpg with it lol.

I’ve done a few of those 6 hour drives with the cruise control set at 75...things can be pretty relaxing before quickly turning boring. Lol

I did 610 miles last week in my 2016 Avalon - which is a little high for me - 300 miles of which is my weekly commute, the other 310 is the usual stuff...errands, mountain biking, a few trips here and there.

Pulled the dipstick (in at 6,000 miles on my interval) still right there on the full spot. I’ll need tires before the winter, getting some squealing out of my brake pads (think it’s a clip or something rubbing against the rotors). Other than that, just a lot of typical paint chips on the front bumper.

 

[vwmaniaman]

My 1990 Ford Ranger is my daily vehicle. It is about to turn its first 100K miles. My Dad bought it new and kept up with it till he passed and my sister had it and now it is mine. It has the XLT version of extra cab and the 2.9 v6. Just had its 3rd major repair as the ignition module died and took the computer with it. It uses no oil between changes at 5K and isn't rusty either as it spent most of its life in a garage. Dad kept a book showing every gas fill and repair but sister didn't. I started it back up with the record keeping.

 

[CBR.worm]

I'm still driving my G35. I bought it new in '05 and I'm about to pass 220K. My daily route is about 50 miles with 2 drop offs, 2 pick ups and my office. I did a 3K mile trip last summer and a 5K mile trip this summer. I worry more about the tires wearing out than the car. I do a fair amount of PM, but it's always PM. Nothing ever breaks aside from a couple of oil leaks. knock on wood.

 

[Creekside]

I did a daily 80 mile commute in a 94 Toyota Tercel with 250k miles. Super reliable car and got great mileage. My mom still does a roughly 90 mile commute with an 04 Taurus with 350k miles. It’s always been serviced every 3k with GTX 5w20 and the oil samples are still great. The transmission is starting to get weak now and she’s looking into a rebuild. Said she’d rather repair the car as start making car payments again just a few years before retirement.

Just to update everyone, the Taurus is still alive with 405,000 miles now and still doing the same commute. Regular transmission services using Schaeffer 204 has kept it going. I can't explain it but it's working.

The Tercel is also still ticking along as my daily driver.

 

[Bill7]

Just wondering, anyone out there have a big commute they do in an older vehicle? I’m talking 10 plus years old, doing whatever is necessary to keep that daily commuter going.

I did it once with a 1999 Honda Accord - thing had over 250,000 miles on it before I thought...well, I’d hate to break down on the side of the freeway with this thing on the way to work (and freeze half to death).

But I always found the long distance journey vehicle people inspirational. Love high mileage stories.

My latest car (2016 Avalon) I’m considering “going the distance” with this thing...250,000 plus, daily until I retire and just keeping the thing going. I’m only at 52,000 miles now, but I’ve been putting a good 500 a week on the thing as of late.

3 out of 4 of my 2006-2007 Honda Odyssey EX-L's with VCM enabled are being driven 20k+ miles a year.
I commute to work 72 miles each way (144 miles a day) as a hybrid worker.
2 of my kids are using the other vans for long commutes to school / work.

I do 4k/6 month OCI, and am doing an engine flush with each oil change until my stach of 20 bottles of engine flush runs out (Liqui Moly engine flush, STP super concentrated engine flush, and BG EPR 109 engine flush). Also, 1 quart HPL EC30 + 3.5 quarts SuperTech High Mileage Full Synthetic 5W-30 is the oil used (until my 12 quarts of HPL EC 30 runs out). I'm also doing ATF-DW1 drain and fills every 20k miles, and PCV valve / tube changes at 30k mile intervals.

These 3rd gen Odysseys have nimble handling. I test drove a 2022 Odyssey at the dealer, and it had very uninspiring clumsy handling.
Sometimes old is gold.

I had driven a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica as a rental car. It was nice. I really liked it. But I just never saw the need to spend 40k to 60k on a new van. I prefer to let the 1st owner take the huge depreciation hit, and buy vans used after they've stopped depreciating.

 

[Bill7]

My 1990 Ford Ranger is my daily vehicle. It is about to turn its first 100K miles. My Dad bought it new and kept up with it till he passed and my sister had it and now it is mine. It has the XLT version of extra cab and the 2.9 v6. Just had its 3rd major repair as the ignition module died and took the computer with it. It uses no oil between changes at 5K and isn't rusty either as it spent most of its life in a garage. Dad kept a book showing every gas fill and repair but sister didn't. I started it back up with the record keeping.

Really nice post. I had a 1994 Ford E150 Luxury conversion van which I regret selling.

 

[MrGraybeard]

I began driving a 1995 BMW 540i on a 90-mile weekday commute in late 2005. About a year later I inherited my dad's '95 Taurus, which I put on Hakka Qs and used on snow days. Rust ate up the Taurus about 2010, so I put snows on the bimmer in the winter and took it year-round till I retired in late 2013. That also started getting pretty rusty, and since my daily no longer had to contend with a grueling commute I ordered a new Ford Ranger in early 2021. I donated the 540i with 296k on the odometer.

Prior to the 540i, I had a series of German beaters -- a couple W123 MB turbodiesels, a 325i and an Audi 4000cs quattro. All took turns getting me downtown at some point.

 

[Sedin26]

Just to update everyone, the Taurus is still alive with 405,000 miles now and still doing the same commute. Regular transmission services using Schaeffer 204 has kept it going. I can't explain it but it's working.

The Tercel is also still ticking along as my daily driver.

Glad to hear the Tercel is still going! I let the insurance on my ‘93 lapse a couple of months ago. It’s at about 368,000km and I’ll keep it around for a possible resurrection in the spring.
I’d drive it but want my daughter in something safer.

 

[medunko]

Probably the human life is connected with the new cars and safety gadget….
My Toyota Corolla 2004 was totalled when My father bought it ( front crashed) 8 ago. It was too late to reverse things and the big reading just began. The 1 zzz fe was the old one with the famous stick rings. So, I changed some straits, geometry of the cars was ok and still using Corolla like commuter + main car to go to holiday long trips, everything is working , no oil consumption, steady speed 150 km per hour for a full day via mountains etc.
In few words if the car is well maintained there no risks for ppl. On the road just God is helping us.

 

[Creekside]

Just to update everyone, the Taurus is still alive with 405,000 miles now and still doing the same commute. Regular transmission services using Schaeffer 204 has kept it going. I can't explain it but it's working.

The Tercel is also still ticking along as my daily driver.

Further update, the Taurus saw my mom through retirement. Somewhere around 420k miles now. She’s been doing the same commute for 42 years and this car since 2004-05.

She was working from home Thursday with Covid and was called and told her services were no longer needed after 42 years. Gave her a hefty severance package that will continue pay past her planned retirement date along with continued benefits.

 

[benjy]

until gas got NUTS $$$ i drove older classic cars + enjoyed it, BUT in 2001 i broke down + bought a new 2001 wolfsburg jetta + parked my beloved 72 cutlass hardtop, as the gas savings was half a car payment!! driving 150 to 200 miles DAILY is $$$$

 

[doublebase]

Forgot this thread existed…an update…still driving the 2016 Avalon daily, usually 500 miles a week. At 139,000 miles now, not one single issue. Nothing. Just fluid changes, brake and tires. Unreal.

I undercoat it myself once or twice a year (Fluid Film or NH Oil Undercoating). I try to keep it clean, wash it once in a while/wax every 3-4 months. Still averaging 28 mpg, even though I have pushed my cruise control speed up to 75 mpg (I was running it previously at 65-70 mph). I’m also pushing my oil change intervals out to 10,000 using either Mobil1 or Amsoil. No real oil consumption, misfires, or anything. Not one single check engine light in nearly 140,000 miles. I don’t think I’ve ever owned a car that hasn’t had one single out of pocket repair at 140,000 miles, knock on wood it’ll stay that way. Hope everyone is still daily driving theirs!

 

[Sam_Julier]

Forgot this thread existed…an update…still driving the 2016 Avalon daily, usually 500 miles a week. At 139,000 miles now, not one single issue. Nothing. Just fluid changes, brake and tires. Unreal.

I undercoat it myself once or twice a year (Fluid Film or NH Oil Undercoating). I try to keep it clean, wash it once in a while/wax every 3-4 months. Still averaging 28 mpg, even though I have pushed my cruise control speed up to 75 mpg (I was running it previously at 65-70 mph). I’m also pushing my oil change intervals out to 10,000 using either Mobil1 or Amsoil. No real oil consumption, misfires, or anything. Not one single check engine light in nearly 140,000 miles. I don’t think I’ve ever owned a car that hasn’t had one single out of pocket repair at 140,000 miles, knock on wood it’ll stay that way. Hope everyone is still daily driving theirs!

Our 2013 Avalon Hybrid was the most inexpensive car to maintain that we have ever owned. One reason we gave it to our son and daughter in law.

 

[super20dan]

all 3 of my vehicles are over 20 years old and daily drivers. i dont like the poor desighns of most new cars these days and will stick with what i have. the sorento has 165k but the toyota and silverado are both under 100k. i am good for a long time

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

If the car is properly maintained, it shouldn't be an issue. Only time it would be an issue for me, if it was a beater and I did very little maintenance besides brakes, oil changes etc.

I had a 94 Honda accord and would drive between Connecticut and Ontario weekly. Never worried about that car breaking down on the side of the road. I made sure I maintained it.

You will be fine with that Avalon.

We did similar with a 2002 Accord we had bought brand new. Garage kept it and I maintained and did routine predictive/preventive maintenance (brakes/fluid changes, transaxle flushes, replaced belts and hoses, CV joints and shafts as well as struts etc... even swapped out radiator with a new one. Tuned it up twice and had over 180,000 on it when it reached 18 years old. Inside and out looked like it was not long off the show room floor. This is car , a 2002 Honda Accord Exl in March of 2020 after trade in).

 

[andrew_j]

Forgot this thread existed…an update…still driving the 2016 Avalon daily, usually 500 miles a week. At 139,000 miles now, not one single issue. Nothing. Just fluid changes, brake and tires. Unreal.

I undercoat it myself once or twice a year (Fluid Film or NH Oil Undercoating). I try to keep it clean, wash it once in a while/wax every 3-4 months. Still averaging 28 mpg, even though I have pushed my cruise control speed up to 75 mpg (I was running it previously at 65-70 mph). I’m also pushing my oil change intervals out to 10,000 using either Mobil1 or Amsoil. No real oil consumption, misfires, or anything. Not one single check engine light in nearly 140,000 miles. I don’t think I’ve ever owned a car that hasn’t had one single out of pocket repair at 140,000 miles, knock on wood it’ll stay that way. Hope everyone is still daily driving theirs!

That’s great!!! My wife’s 2018 Tiguan(156k) did similar with its first repair at 148k (ignition wiring harness-VW extended warranty to 125k on known issue but paid out of pocket )We also average 500+/week and get 30MPG average.

10k intervals with VW 508 oil.

 

[willbur]

Forgot this thread existed…an update…still driving the 2016 Avalon daily, usually 500 miles a week. At 139,000 miles now, not one single issue. Nothing. Just fluid changes, brake and tires. Unreal.

I undercoat it myself once or twice a year (Fluid Film or NH Oil Undercoating). I try to keep it clean, wash it once in a while/wax every 3-4 months. Still averaging 28 mpg, even though I have pushed my cruise control speed up to 75 mpg (I was running it previously at 65-70 mph). I’m also pushing my oil change intervals out to 10,000 using either Mobil1 or Amsoil. No real oil consumption, misfires, or anything. Not one single check engine light in nearly 140,000 miles. I don’t think I’ve ever owned a car that hasn’t had one single out of pocket repair at 140,000 miles, knock on wood it’ll stay that way. Hope everyone is still daily driving theirs!

Good to hear. I got a V6 Honda at 130k with VCM II enabled. Not a single repair except for normal service items, like you