More a maintenance issue than a strictly mileage or age issue. Some folks would consider a 2 year old car with 77k miles on it old, while I'd consider it just about finished breaking in. I also maintain our two pretty well, so they don't drive like other cars with similar mileage.
When is a car considered "old" or to have "high...
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All relative IMO, and often more a question of if an owner wants to deal with issues as they come up and issues like rust.
The Saturn will turn 200K shortly, I certainly want to keep it longer, still running well, but I'm sure it won't me maintenance free either.
The Saturn will turn 200K shortly, I certainly want to keep it longer, still running well, but I'm sure it won't me maintenance free either.
Originally Posted By: exranger06
Originally Posted By: dishdude
If there has been a significant change to the bodystyle, it's old.
So if you buy a brand new car, and the very next year a new body style comes out, your car is suddenly old?
Yep.
And I would say that 150k is usually the point at which you should begin shopping for a new car if you are not inclined to DIY. That is usually the pivotal point at which components being to fail.
Originally Posted By: dishdude
If there has been a significant change to the bodystyle, it's old.
So if you buy a brand new car, and the very next year a new body style comes out, your car is suddenly old?
Yep.
And I would say that 150k is usually the point at which you should begin shopping for a new car if you are not inclined to DIY. That is usually the pivotal point at which components being to fail.
To me old and high mileage is when it no longer pays to fix the vehicle. When my 93 Aerostar hit 212,000 miles and the oil pan was rotted through, the suspension and front end was shot, the windshield busted, it needed tires, and an exhaust system, I considered it old and no longer worth keeping. The engine and transmission were still good, everything else fell apart around it. $500 from the junkyard and they took it from the house was a good deal for me.
In the 1970's I thought cars with 100,000 miles were used up and running on borrowed time. With today's vehicles, I have noticed less oil stains in parking lots and generally higher quality built cars. I now changed my view and see cars at 100,000 miles as broken in, at 200,000 miles you got your money's worth, and at 300,000 miles you're running on borrowed time.
When I consider a car to be old:
-It's a Chrysler or VW and is out of warranty.
-It's a GM and the headliner has dropped.
-It's had a dent that cracked the paint for more than 2 weeks without being repaired.
-The instrument cluster doesn't work.
-It's a pickup truck or SUV and it's been used for plowing, even once.
-It has had some sort of frame or unibody damage.
-It's an asian brand car and it's gotten to the point where wrenches are mostly used only after the drill.
-The insulation on the wiring has become brittle.
My car isn't old because it came with a hole in the roof that keeps the headliner from dropping.
-It's a Chrysler or VW and is out of warranty.
-It's a GM and the headliner has dropped.
-It's had a dent that cracked the paint for more than 2 weeks without being repaired.
-The instrument cluster doesn't work.
-It's a pickup truck or SUV and it's been used for plowing, even once.
-It has had some sort of frame or unibody damage.
-It's an asian brand car and it's gotten to the point where wrenches are mostly used only after the drill.
-The insulation on the wiring has become brittle.
My car isn't old because it came with a hole in the roof that keeps the headliner from dropping.
Around 150k things start to fall apart.
My wife's 2005 Legacy GT wagon is a prime example. Before 145k nothing failed except throwout bearing in clutch. Between 145k-164k
wheel bearing
caliper
valve cover gasket
alternator
starter
fuel leak under manifold
spark plug coil
My loves it we drive on and expect another 5 years hopefully if the turbo does not fail.
My wife's 2005 Legacy GT wagon is a prime example. Before 145k nothing failed except throwout bearing in clutch. Between 145k-164k
wheel bearing
caliper
valve cover gasket
alternator
starter
fuel leak under manifold
spark plug coil
My loves it we drive on and expect another 5 years hopefully if the turbo does not fail.
Originally Posted By: yonyon
When I consider a car to be old:
-It's a Chrysler or VW and is out of warranty.
-It's a GM and the headliner has dropped.
-It's had a dent that cracked the paint for more than 2 weeks without being repaired.
-The instrument cluster doesn't work.
-It's a pickup truck or SUV and it's been used for plowing, even once.
-It has had some sort of frame or unibody damage.
-It's an asian brand car and it's gotten to the point where wrenches are mostly used only after the drill.
-The insulation on the wiring has become brittle.
My car isn't old because it came with a hole in the roof that keeps the headliner from dropping.
Originally Posted By: yonyon
When I consider a car to be old:
-It's a Chrysler or VW and is out of warranty.
-It's a GM and the headliner has dropped.
-It's had a dent that cracked the paint for more than 2 weeks without being repaired.
-The instrument cluster doesn't work.
-It's a pickup truck or SUV and it's been used for plowing, even once.
-It has had some sort of frame or unibody damage.
-It's an asian brand car and it's gotten to the point where wrenches are mostly used only after the drill.
-The insulation on the wiring has become brittle.
My car isn't old because it came with a hole in the roof that keeps the headliner from dropping.
I see this Chrysler hate all the time yet I've owned 3 dodge trucks. An 89 ram 150,a 96 ram 1500 and an 04 quad cab 4x4.
The first 2 I inherited with almost 300k on them already. Both had dropped a tranny already at somewhere around 250k which I found odd.
The first 2 were work trucks and abused accordingly. The 89 was retired because the entire front end required rebuilding which cost more than the truck was worth. It had over 450k on it and as far as maintenance it got a front end job at 200k and a tranny at 250k,and oil changes.
The 96 got t-boned and flew through an intersection. It had a tranny and front end job at roughly the same mileages as the 89.
The 04 I actually got last winter. It had 240k when I bought it. The truck came with all its service records. The owners manual was followed to the letter on that truck.
That's all that was ever done to the 04,just prescribed maintenance according to the owners manual.
That truck ran as good as my dads 2012 just without the gadgets. It consumed no oil between changes and lived off dealer bulk every 8000kms iirc
I was disappointed when I totalled it. The truck had much more life in it.
I've had a couple dodge caravans with a 3.0 in them. They had well over 400k when retired and the only issue I had with them was a gasket leak that drips on the starter and ends up frying them. I changed 5 starters between the 2 over 6 years of ownership.
I drove my moms sundance for a couple years before I bought my cutlass and my sister ended up inheriting it and it ran for over 300k with put any really huge bills.
In fact my chryslers were the most reliable of all my vehicles.
My cutlass ate its cam,I've had various problems with mustangs over the years but I'm not going to blame the manufacturer nor anyone actually but myself because all my problems were of my own doing at some point.
When I consider a car to be old:
-It's a Chrysler or VW and is out of warranty.
-It's a GM and the headliner has dropped.
-It's had a dent that cracked the paint for more than 2 weeks without being repaired.
-The instrument cluster doesn't work.
-It's a pickup truck or SUV and it's been used for plowing, even once.
-It has had some sort of frame or unibody damage.
-It's an asian brand car and it's gotten to the point where wrenches are mostly used only after the drill.
-The insulation on the wiring has become brittle.
My car isn't old because it came with a hole in the roof that keeps the headliner from dropping.
Originally Posted By: yonyon
When I consider a car to be old:
-It's a Chrysler or VW and is out of warranty.
-It's a GM and the headliner has dropped.
-It's had a dent that cracked the paint for more than 2 weeks without being repaired.
-The instrument cluster doesn't work.
-It's a pickup truck or SUV and it's been used for plowing, even once.
-It has had some sort of frame or unibody damage.
-It's an asian brand car and it's gotten to the point where wrenches are mostly used only after the drill.
-The insulation on the wiring has become brittle.
My car isn't old because it came with a hole in the roof that keeps the headliner from dropping.
I see this Chrysler hate all the time yet I've owned 3 dodge trucks. An 89 ram 150,a 96 ram 1500 and an 04 quad cab 4x4.
The first 2 I inherited with almost 300k on them already. Both had dropped a tranny already at somewhere around 250k which I found odd.
The first 2 were work trucks and abused accordingly. The 89 was retired because the entire front end required rebuilding which cost more than the truck was worth. It had over 450k on it and as far as maintenance it got a front end job at 200k and a tranny at 250k,and oil changes.
The 96 got t-boned and flew through an intersection. It had a tranny and front end job at roughly the same mileages as the 89.
The 04 I actually got last winter. It had 240k when I bought it. The truck came with all its service records. The owners manual was followed to the letter on that truck.
That's all that was ever done to the 04,just prescribed maintenance according to the owners manual.
That truck ran as good as my dads 2012 just without the gadgets. It consumed no oil between changes and lived off dealer bulk every 8000kms iirc
I was disappointed when I totalled it. The truck had much more life in it.
I've had a couple dodge caravans with a 3.0 in them. They had well over 400k when retired and the only issue I had with them was a gasket leak that drips on the starter and ends up frying them. I changed 5 starters between the 2 over 6 years of ownership.
I drove my moms sundance for a couple years before I bought my cutlass and my sister ended up inheriting it and it ran for over 300k with put any really huge bills.
In fact my chryslers were the most reliable of all my vehicles.
My cutlass ate its cam,I've had various problems with mustangs over the years but I'm not going to blame the manufacturer nor anyone actually but myself because all my problems were of my own doing at some point.
Aesthetically, anything is old or will become old when its style is clearly identified with a particular time period...
The term "timeless" (ageless?) refers to something that ages well because it doesn't scream out when it was made...it's the difference between "classic" and "old"...
Mechanically, a car is old when the "life-time" parts begin to fail regularly and need replacing...as said that is often at about 150k miles...the cost of replacing such parts often exceeds the monthly payments on a new or newer "trophy car"....it's when the term "high maintenance" comes to mind.
Financially, a car becomes old when it cost more to own than it's worth, though that is more a concern of bankers than car owners in love with their beater...
...finally, some will say a car is old when it loses that "new car smell"....that and when it begins to rattle in places you can't get to and find to fix...
The term "timeless" (ageless?) refers to something that ages well because it doesn't scream out when it was made...it's the difference between "classic" and "old"...
Mechanically, a car is old when the "life-time" parts begin to fail regularly and need replacing...as said that is often at about 150k miles...the cost of replacing such parts often exceeds the monthly payments on a new or newer "trophy car"....it's when the term "high maintenance" comes to mind.
Financially, a car becomes old when it cost more to own than it's worth, though that is more a concern of bankers than car owners in love with their beater...
...finally, some will say a car is old when it loses that "new car smell"....that and when it begins to rattle in places you can't get to and find to fix...
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As we've seen, high miles isn't the kiss of death--not that it was 20 years ago, not with decent maintance. Age though, at least in the rust belt. The more rust, the more I don't want it. Paint is nice, but since I spend my time inside the car I and we have lots of rock chips up here I tend to not care about exterior looks. Interior I care more about, but as long as most of the lights work, eh, point a to point b. Get rid of when I no longer trust the vehicle to spur of the moment cross-country trips, or feel like I can no longer hand off to friends and family if they need to borrow. [Well, the wife's car anyhow.]
For some reason I absolutely do not want to deal with brake lines. If I were vehicle shopping and saw rusty lines I'd keep walking. It probably was foolish to get rid of our Civic but I thought the rust under the hood was starting to pile up and was too lazy to crawl under to see what it looked like underneath (plus I wanted side airbags and ABS anyhow for the wife&kids).
For some reason I absolutely do not want to deal with brake lines. If I were vehicle shopping and saw rusty lines I'd keep walking. It probably was foolish to get rid of our Civic but I thought the rust under the hood was starting to pile up and was too lazy to crawl under to see what it looked like underneath (plus I wanted side airbags and ABS anyhow for the wife&kids).
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: exranger06
Originally Posted By: dishdude
If there has been a significant change to the bodystyle, it's old.
So if you buy a brand new car, and the very next year a new body style comes out, your car is suddenly old?
Yep.
Explain how a one year old car with say, 12k miles on it is old. I just don't get it.
Originally Posted By: exranger06
Originally Posted By: dishdude
If there has been a significant change to the bodystyle, it's old.
So if you buy a brand new car, and the very next year a new body style comes out, your car is suddenly old?
Yep.
Explain how a one year old car with say, 12k miles on it is old. I just don't get it.
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: exranger06
Explain how a one year old car with say, 12k miles on it is old. I just don't get it.
Well, it's not exactly new. Or, put another way: would you pay a new price for it, or something less?
The same way that a one year old cell phone is old and outdated because the new version just came out.
Originally Posted By: exranger06
Explain how a one year old car with say, 12k miles on it is old. I just don't get it.
Well, it's not exactly new. Or, put another way: would you pay a new price for it, or something less?
The same way that a one year old cell phone is old and outdated because the new version just came out.
I think anything from the late 80's early 90's and newer don't seem that old. Most of the cars have the rounded corners and shapes and not much chrome like a new car today.
Driving the 81 Omega in the early 2000's made that car seem old to everyone. Carb'd, boxy with sharp creases, chrome, white wall tires, bench seat... That seemed old.
The Tracker is starting to feel old, the seat foam is breaking down, and the body mounts have seemed to hardened up a bit making it a bit louder inside. But we are keeping it to the end now though, atleast until the house is paid off anyways.
Driving the 81 Omega in the early 2000's made that car seem old to everyone. Carb'd, boxy with sharp creases, chrome, white wall tires, bench seat... That seemed old.
The Tracker is starting to feel old, the seat foam is breaking down, and the body mounts have seemed to hardened up a bit making it a bit louder inside. But we are keeping it to the end now though, atleast until the house is paid off anyways.
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: exranger06
Explain how a one year old car with say, 12k miles on it is old. I just don't get it.
Well, it's not exactly new.
By the same token, the moment you drive the car off the dealer's lot, it's no longer new, I guess. But I'm not sure that's what the OP meant when starting this thread.
Originally Posted By: exranger06
Explain how a one year old car with say, 12k miles on it is old. I just don't get it.
Well, it's not exactly new.
By the same token, the moment you drive the car off the dealer's lot, it's no longer new, I guess. But I'm not sure that's what the OP meant when starting this thread.
My definition of a car being "old" or having "high miles" is when the car spends more time in the shop or broken down than it does on the road (reliability factor.) The car that I owned prior to the Accord in my signature was 12 years old with 275K on it when I sold it. It is still going @ 285K with its second owner.
These days for cars I think over 10 years old is "old"; 5 is middle aged. High miles is probably 150k and up. Mind you, value is prorated on those terms, and it's a bit nonlinear, as a one-month old car with 5k on it is worth less than 97% of the original price, while a vehicle that is 10 years old with 150k on the clock is not worth zero.
In terms of "needing to replace" a vehicle because it is old, or because of high miles... That is way more subjective.
In terms of "needing to replace" a vehicle because it is old, or because of high miles... That is way more subjective.
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: exranger06
Explain how a one year old car with say, 12k miles on it is old. I just don't get it.
Well, it's not exactly new. Or, put another way: would you pay a new price for it, or something less?
Well it'd be new to me cause I always buy at no newer than one year old and let the original purchaser take the loss on depreciation... Has worked for me for 47 years plus...
I used to drive them till the wheels were ready to fall off then junked it and sold parts... On several occasions I got most if not all the money I'd originally paid for it... These days that isn't nearly as enjoyable so I'll sell while it's still worth something...
Originally Posted By: exranger06
Explain how a one year old car with say, 12k miles on it is old. I just don't get it.
Well, it's not exactly new. Or, put another way: would you pay a new price for it, or something less?
Well it'd be new to me cause I always buy at no newer than one year old and let the original purchaser take the loss on depreciation... Has worked for me for 47 years plus...
I used to drive them till the wheels were ready to fall off then junked it and sold parts... On several occasions I got most if not all the money I'd originally paid for it... These days that isn't nearly as enjoyable so I'll sell while it's still worth something...
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Wondering what other's opinions were on when a car is considered "old", and when a car is considered to have "high mileage". I have a 2006 Accord that is in good shape, and I enjoy driving it. Im hoping it will remain in good shape as long as I have it. It has 118,100+ miles on it now, hoping it will last me 200,000+ miles if necessary.
With 118K already on the clock and at 8 years of age "to me" it is already old and long ready to be replaced. However, you certainly can feel differently. I don't know as I would "hope for" 200K more miles out of a vehicle with 118K already on it. Not unless I was prepared to do a lot of repairs.
Looks clean and assuming you are the original owner and took care of it you may make 300K. I wish you the best on your quest for 300K+. I couldn't stand having a car that long myself. I would go nuts. Longest I have kept a vehicle is 4 years and 52K.
Wondering what other's opinions were on when a car is considered "old", and when a car is considered to have "high mileage". I have a 2006 Accord that is in good shape, and I enjoy driving it. Im hoping it will remain in good shape as long as I have it. It has 118,100+ miles on it now, hoping it will last me 200,000+ miles if necessary.
With 118K already on the clock and at 8 years of age "to me" it is already old and long ready to be replaced. However, you certainly can feel differently. I don't know as I would "hope for" 200K more miles out of a vehicle with 118K already on it. Not unless I was prepared to do a lot of repairs.
Looks clean and assuming you are the original owner and took care of it you may make 300K. I wish you the best on your quest for 300K+. I couldn't stand having a car that long myself. I would go nuts. Longest I have kept a vehicle is 4 years and 52K.
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