I take my CX-5 on 4-10 hour round trip road trips every other weekend with 144K. I’d trust it to take me anywhere. I do hear a clunk in the front passenger side though, so perhaps it’s time for some new control arms and ball joints. It does 10K OCIs without complaint. Fresh shoes and brakes this fall / winter. My next car will likely be a Mazda, but that won’t be for another 156K miles ideally.
When does a car “age out” for long distance road trips?
- Thread starter Elkins45
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Don't answer the question until you have been 100plus miles in the middle of nowhere, not passing another car, with no cell phone signal- West of the Mississippi.
It is so much easier to nurse a beater along East of the Mississippi. There is no "middle of no where".
It is so much easier to nurse a beater along East of the Mississippi. There is no "middle of no where".
I've taken my 195,000 mile Mitsubishi on some exploring trips down to remote lakes and rivers (this was back in spring when they had some water)
50 miles of farm fields and then 50 miles of empty highway. No cell service, one dollar general, a few dozen farmhouses. It would kinda suck to break down out there when it's 120F
50 miles of farm fields and then 50 miles of empty highway. No cell service, one dollar general, a few dozen farmhouses. It would kinda suck to break down out there when it's 120F
This is a few key words here. Should something happen-you could get help. You don't have that luxury in many parts of "The West". There is nothing...I mean nothing...NADA.....
I know it's hard for some to comprehend that kind of isolation on here.
Between Death Valley and Las Vegas....vast nothing....
In November I drove my, new-to-me, 2005 Jaguar Vanden Plas, 4000km, from Toronto to Edmonton. It was a wonderful, relaxing journey. I hope for many more wonderful trips with this car.
I'm in the "age and mileage don't matter" camp. Mechanical condition should be the only real consideration.
I'm in the "age and mileage don't matter" camp. Mechanical condition should be the only real consideration.
Well said...
You missed the 50 miles of empty highway part. I drove for 30 minutes and didn't see another car or house. One would probably have gone past within a day though.
I drove through death valley once, there was a few other travelers out there. One of them might have helped me.
the most important thing about driving in remote Arizona is to have like 2 gallons of water per person. You'll only last a day without water.
JHZR2
Staff member
The last two years I’ve taken two 1991 MB diesels to the HPL event in IL. Both cars are over 200k. Not a big deal. But then again, I keep after them, and generally know what my risks are. Last Feb I drove a new to me 1984 190D from Redding, CA to Dallas, TX. It only has 160k…
JHZR2
Staff member
The point about driving 600mi per week versus 600 miles away on a trip is valid. One could be a lot more inconvenient than the other.
Thing is, the things like rusted subframes and failures associated are just as likely to happen near home as away. And the results just as bad.
The things that may pop up are failures that arise due to time at temperature, extended high RPM, or just plain being on and running for long periods. Those things don’t emerge in shorter trips.
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True, a broken shackle at a spring is just as bad as any other time (and dangerous). Same with a rotted subframe that supports a control arm up front, just as dangerous. But to have your entire family in the car 300 plus miles from home when it happens, seems a little worse to me. But perhaps I’m wrong because to have a failure like that at anytime could mean another family traveling next to you could be in danger too.
Your last paragraph makes sense to me as well, the high rpm long trip could cause something to go wrong perhaps more than a short tripped, lower rpm event. When you’re pushing that 75 mph highway trip for 6-7 hours on end, yeah something could let go.
I do love high mileage vehicle though, and I’m always a fan of those cars/people that take those vehicles the distance, but I’d be selective on how/when I’d make those long trips in them. Just my opinion.
Realistically, I think it tends to be the cooling items that fail at highway speed, such as the water pump, radiator and hoses, although modern hoses seem to last a long time. Check your water pump and rad for any type of leakage a week prior to leaving. Keep your cell phone charged and perhaps have a AAA or equivalent membership. For many of our Bitog brothers, a gun might be appropriate.
Keep in mind a used car is a used car. You get what you get. One may never be reliable-period. People here are talking about the cars that they KNOW you won't "know" this used car.
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This x 100
The two vehicles in question are her 2015 Corolla with something like 170k and my 2009 Scion with 120k. I just bought the Scion and although it has a good Carfax service history I haven’t owned it long enough to form an opinion about trustworthiness. I know it’s much more comfortable than her Corolla, but I also know the Corolla has a flawless history of reliability.
I have a couple of months to get acquainted with the Scion before we have to decide. The good news is that there really aren’t huge consequences if the trip is interrupted.
I have a couple of months to get acquainted with the Scion before we have to decide. The good news is that there really aren’t huge consequences if the trip is interrupted.
Things like fuel pumps. My Cutlass has an easily accessible electric fuel pump mounted just outside the tank, with a relay in the trunk. And the original style mechanical pump is still mounted and can be hooked back up in the event of electric pump failure. I did that because the air conditioning compressor is right in the way of the original pump making it hard to replace on the side of the road.
The truck the easiest way to replace it is remove the box. I recently bought a pressure gauge to test and it was right inside factory spec. I also can watch fuel trims and fuel flow with torque pro, among other things I wanted to keep an eye on to hopefully know in advance of trouble. I'm the most pessimistic person ever, yet I still trust these vehicles as much as any newer one.
I would trust either but probably the one with the known history more so.
My MIL has a philosophy that a new car is "perfect" and will be "loyal." Possibly, if it's something they've been making the same way with the same powertrain for 20 years like a Crown Vic.
I like getting in on the tail end of a 4-5 year model run, so they can work the kinks out. It's a bonus if that model gets used for fleet or courier service so they can rack up the miles quickly and let the rest of us buyers know what to watch for.
To that end, I have no problems buying used on a proven model, since I can compare multiple "contenders" to see how they're doing against the expected failure points and buy the best value for my dollar.
Took my 1991 Toyota Previa from Sacramento to Detroit back in 2015 (2700 miles). It had 190k miles. It had no trouble at all. I don’t see long road trips as anymore taxing than short trips. Steady state highway speeds are the easiest running duty for a drivetrain.
I’d rather buy a 200k highway miles car than a 200k city miles car, given identical maintenance.
I’d rather buy a 200k highway miles car than a 200k city miles car, given identical maintenance.
I personally don't have an age or mileage limit. As other said, it depends on its condition, how well it was maintained, how well it's reliability (or lack thereof) has been proven both to both the owner and generally for that particular model, etc.
Another important factor that I haven't seen mentioned yet is how easily fixable any problems may be. If something simple and easy to fix with good parts availability such as, for example, a 90's Honda breaks down, you have a VERY good chance of being able to diagnose the problem, easily find the parts you need (if any), and fix it with the basic tools and supplies you should have with you on road trips anyways.
If something fails on a complicated vehicle that's difficult to work on and has a lot of non readily available parts, you'll likely be in much bigger trouble.
Another important factor that I haven't seen mentioned yet is how easily fixable any problems may be. If something simple and easy to fix with good parts availability such as, for example, a 90's Honda breaks down, you have a VERY good chance of being able to diagnose the problem, easily find the parts you need (if any), and fix it with the basic tools and supplies you should have with you on road trips anyways.
If something fails on a complicated vehicle that's difficult to work on and has a lot of non readily available parts, you'll likely be in much bigger trouble.
Post pandemic that's about every late model vehicle. Parts shortages are STILL widespread. BTW-something failing on a new car causing a true breakdown is slim to none in the first 100,000 miles. Sure-it happens just not often.
