We plan on shopping around at 200K miles for our 2005 Toyota Matrix. It is at or near 150K miles right now. It's gone through one battery, brake pads, tires I haven't counted, one clutch, shocks/struts, and two rear door handles. The shocks/struts and clutch were the more expensive repairs, clocking in at about $2,500 total. This was at the higher end, but within the range that I found was reasonable according to ye olde internet.
Our 2004 Dodge Dakota pick up has only 110K miles on and shows no signs of needing repairs. Well, the a/c and heat only work when the fan is on full blast, but other than that, everything seems to be in good shape.
We always used to talk about driving these things into the ground, but we recently had a scare (car accident in which we thought they'd total the truck) and the idea of having to select a replacement vehicle on such short notice made us uncomfortable. So we plan on making a change at 200K miles, and hopefully this leaves plenty of time for us to find a suitable replacement, and perhaps cash in on any residual value. And old running car is worth more than an old not-running car.
I wish we were handier, but beyond oil changes, air filter replacements, brake pads, and door handle replacements, we are both kinda useless as mechanics. So this is one where we have decided to concede and err on the side of caution and convenience.
