I bought an '03 Olds Alero with less than 12k miles on the odometer. Consumer Reports had listed the Olds Alero as a Not Recommended used car. But I bought it anyway because the price was fair and my wife liked it. It was an Avis car, so no loving care before I bought it.
I drove it to 229,000 miles before I tired of it, and got the itch for a new car. It still ran great. Not a spot of rust on the body. The only thing wrong with the interior was the padded vinyl covering had peeled off of the passenger airbag door. So I painted the door to match the dash. Engine and tranny were still running strong when I sold to to a 16 year old neighbor gal. She still drives it.
It took some work to keep it on the road. I replaced wheel bearings, an a/c compressor, had the head gaskets replaced, put in a new O2 sensor, replaced a fuel pump, replaced a fuel rail pressure regulator. And I'm sure there are a few other items that I can't recall. My point is that no one I have ever known gets a car to 200k + miles without doing more than changing fluids and putting on new tires and brakes. I've read a lot of articles on people that have put a million plus miles on cars. They all have put parts into them.
One of the most well known is a man who drove an Accord for his work car to visit clients. Since his business was helping others set up preventative maintenance for their plants, he decided to put into practice what he taught. The Camry made it a million miles, but not without replacing things. I can't remember it all, but I do remember that he replaced the driver's seat 2 or 3 times. Things wear out.