Brag on your MMM high-mileage or old car

[daverobev]

I have a 1992 Honda Civic Si 1.6L that has a bit over 155k miles. Not that much mileage, but the body is clean for a Quebec car (harsh winters with salty roads).

I plan on keeping the car for another 5 years (total of seven years) for an average of 700$/year including buy price,yearly maintenance and repairs and a 0$ re-sale value (should still have a little value then). I do the vast majority of the maintenance and repairs myself.

Good job - Quebec (and Ontario... the bit near QC) kills cars pretty quickly.

[sequoia]

For anyone who live in area with salt in the winter, look up Fluid Film. I take a few min in the fall and spray liberally under our Land Cruiser. imo it works very well for the price ~10/spray can. There are other means to prevent rusts, including hiring professional to spray under the car, but so far I find this is the best bang for the buck for me.

[max9505672]

I have a 1992 Honda Civic Si 1.6L that has a bit over 155k miles. Not that much mileage, but the body is clean for a Quebec car (harsh winters with salty roads).

I plan on keeping the car for another 5 years (total of seven years) for an average of 700$/year including buy price,yearly maintenance and repairs and a 0$ re-sale value (should still have a little value then). I do the vast majority of the maintenance and repairs myself.

Good job - Quebec (and Ontario... the bit near QC) kills cars pretty quickly.

Yes, it's crazy. Lots of less than 10 y.o. cars all rusted here.

This one I brought back from B.C. though a couple years ago though. Still, it's in very good shape for a 25 y.o. car. Hopefully it'll last another 5 years with only regular maintenance and anti rust treatments!

[scrunchythief]

2003 Civic with 170k miles

Just got 65 MPG on part of a trip through NJ!  I got gas at the beginning and right before leaving Jersey since it's so much cheaper than PA.  I was flabbergasted when it was less than a gallon.

For those who don't know the area, it was an extremely flat area and I went around 50 MPH for half and 65 MPH for the other, since the cops are super strict if you're from out of state.  To compare, I only got 45 MPG in PA, while going up the mountains going closer to 70-75MPH . 

But still!! I love my car:)

[JLee]

My MR2 is finally running again - grabbed a photo the other day.  Over 450k miles between the two of these guys. :)

[Guide2003]

1999 toyota tacoma 2wd based model

bought it 3yrs ago with 33,000 mi

cost $4,000 and helping a friend move

Depending on the state you live in your truck qualifies for the undercoating/frame replacement due to the rust issues they've had. They replaced mine ($11,200 bill) when I was already past 200k miles on it hahaha.

[bigalsmith101]

My dad gifted me a 1986 F250 a couple months ago. It's a diesel with a 6.9liter V8, no turbo. A massive motor, but still gets 18-20mpg. It's paid for itself a few times over already simply by allowing me the ability to get free stuff on Craigslist, (including $700 worth of free paving stones that weighed over 1000lbs!) It has 264,000 miles. It's easily worth the $20/mo it costs to add to my insurance.

I recently, 2 months ago, bought a 1997 Honda Civic 2 door coupe with 290k miles on it, from the original owner. I drove it home to Seattle from DC after a friends wedding. It now has 294,200 miles. A few times a month, I have to drive 230miles round trip up to my home office for sales meetings and client meetings. This car gets 37-44mpg, or roughly 1.8* better fuel economy than my Ford Taurus that I drive my clients around in. If I drive separately, I take the Civic. Last week I drove it 580 miles in two days. It saved me $25 in fuel, wear and tear on my nicer car, and easily paid me back the $22/mo I pay to add it to my insurance.

[Sister C]

It's the end of an era- I'm selling my 1991 Toyota Camry that I've had for 12 years.  Almost 300,000 miles on him!  He's been a great car but we only need one car- we've had to remind ourselves to drive him once a month or so.  We're keeping our "new" car, the 2004 Prius.  Thinking we can get $800, and the satisfaction of knowing we no longer have a car we don't need sitting in our driveway!

[Closer2theSKY]

I drive a 2001 Toyota Tacoma with just over 200,000 miles. Every year I drive it, at least once, from NC to CO, pulling a small travel trailer (13' Scamp) and it still runs fabulously. Of course, a newer vehicle would be lovely, but not worth it. I take pride in my high mileage vehicle as I see my coworkers always buying the latest and greatest, knowing they are on the treadmill of constant car payments with no end in sight.

[JDS]

First post here. I have a 2006 Tacoma that I bought in 2006 and put over 200k miles on it. The frame rusted and it wouldn't pass inspection. There was a class action lawsuit and I'm getting the frame replaced for free. It is a 12-15k job more than the truck is worth. It should be good to go to 300k now. I picked up my free loaner  truck at the dealer yesterday and it has 12 miles on it. It is nice but not 36k nice!

[sw1tch]

My MR2 is finally running again - grabbed a photo the other day.  Over 450k miles between the two of these guys. :)

Whoa, 2 facepunch worthy anti-mustachian vehicles!  Shame on you! :)

(I'm kidding if you couldn't tell - MR2's are very cool)

[JLee]

My MR2 is finally running again - grabbed a photo the other day.  Over 450k miles between the two of these guys. :)

Whoa, 2 facepunch worthy anti-mustachian vehicles!  Shame on you! :)

(I'm kidding if you couldn't tell - MR2's are very cool)

Yup, and I love them both.  They're cheaper than kids though :D

[MyronGaines]

First post here. I have a 2006 Tacoma that I bought in 2006 and put over 200k miles on it. The frame rusted and it wouldn't pass inspection. There was a class action lawsuit and I'm getting the frame replaced for free. It is a 12-15k job more than the truck is worth. It should be good to go to 300k now. I picked up my free loaner  truck at the dealer yesterday and it has 12 miles on it. It is nice but not 36k nice!

That's friggin sweet about the frame replacement.  I travel for work sometimes and I always enjoy the new car feeling, but like you I resist.  My car isn't even that old (2011 Jeep Compass) but it has 130K miles on it. 

[craiglepaige]

2004 Saturn Vue V6. Currently at 149,569 miles.
Have had it since 72k miles. Great suv.

[ketchup]

2004 Saturn Vue V6. Currently at 149,569 miles.
Have had it since 72k miles. Great suv.

Very nice!  You dodged a bullet with that one.  You probably already know, but the four-cylinder (CVT) version of that car had all kinds of problems.  My parents bought one new (2003) and its transmission started acting up at 50k and was nearly dead by 100k.

[liveitupoutdoors]

My daily driver and live-in vehicle for cross-country climbing/biking trips is my 1996 Toyota T-100 pickup truck with 355,000 miles, and it still runs like a top!

[FI-REality]

2000 Honda Civic CX Hatchback
Bought it back in 2003 off of a lease for $9,000 with under 30,000 kms on it.
Just about to turn over 290,000 kms (180,000 miles).
No A/C, no power steering, 5 speed; very little can go wrong with it.
Both rear wheel wells are pretty rusty (Ontario loves using salt in the winter), but the rest of the car is still solid and it still runs like new, so not thinking of getting rid of it any time soon.  Just gotta figure out how to fit the 2nd child car seat in the back and still have enough leg room to shift...

[RethinkTheRatRace]

1997 Toyota Camry 289k miles - No mechanical issues at all. Not exactly easy on the eyes. But it's a great car. My wife bought it back in 2007 when she turned 16 and it had ~120k miles on it. She still drives it, but we try to bike as much as we can. We call it the "Money Making Machine"

2007 Nissan Versa Hatchback 157k miles - 6 Speed. Bought it earlier this year for $2k. Potentially even uglier than the Camry (Car is black, has a red hatch, missing a hubcap or two, and has countless little scratches and dings) But it's mechanically perfect, and I don't worry about scratching it when I throw my bikes on the rear rack. And, best of all, I got 42.5 MPG on my last tank. We call this one the "Cash Cow"

[venturafan]

1995 Ford Ranger.  Bought new for $12K.  Still gets me to work and back.   Odo broke about 12 years ago so no clue on mileage.

[LessIsLess]

How much does it cost to have a sedan painted?  My old car's paint has been peeling off.  People are scared when I park next to them, which is a benefit at times.  But if my car is going to last another 10 years (it's 15 years old at the moment) then I might as well get it repainted.

[marielle]

How much does it cost to have a sedan painted?  My old car's paint has been peeling off.  People are scared when I park next to them, which is a benefit at times.  But if my car is going to last another 10 years (it's 15 years old at the moment) then I might as well get it repainted.

At least $1000 easily. $2000+ if you want a decent paint job. I probably wouldn't bother unless you have concerns of rust. The thing I hate about having a car repainted is suddenly having to worry about every little nick and scratch. I wish I drove a car that looked like crap so I wouldn't be so conscious of where I park and get upset every time I notice a new ding. It's slowly getting there though!

[Slow&Steady]

My 2007 Prius has 266,000 miles on it. I bought it new. I change my own oil, oil filter, and put high pressure in the tires to boost fuel efficiency.

I'm starting my slide into retirement, so I will be putting less miles on my car now. I just quit a job where I used to deliver newspapers each Wednesday in not such great neighborhoods in Detroit and Ypsilanti. That job just ended, so that will decrease mileage on my car now.

I already commented but my 06 Prius (that I bought new) has just over of 290K on it.  She is sitting right now because I caved to temptation on buying an electric car.  We will be keeping her around for ranges that exceed the Leaf's capabilities.  We do plan to do some work to her but mostly just items that are listed in Toyota's 150k mile maintenance recommendations. My goal has always been to see the 300k mark but it seems it will take a little longer before we get to that point.

My baby hit 300k last week!!!! I was telling a few people at work how excited I was about it and everyone kept asking how many more miles am I hoping to get out of her.  As many as she will give me!

[slackmax]

Wow, you guys are impressive. And it's good to know 4 cylinder cars can last a long time.  I now have a 2009 Nissan Versa with only 90,000 miles on her. But I owned a Chevy Caprice that had 420,000 miles on the clock when I traded her in. Original engine, never rebuilt.

[DavidAnnArbor]

My current Toyota Prius, 2007, has 275,000 miles on it.
The high mileage has freaked out my parents, who are planning to give me quite a bit of money to buy a new car.
However, I think I could keep going with this one.
Nonetheless, as I'm heading toward working less over the next 6 months, I realize I will be driving a lot less. So I'm thinking of buying not a new car, but maybe a used car.
How do you shop for a used car?  How do you know someone hasn't tampered with the odometer on a car to make it seem like it has less miles on it ?

[ketchup]

How do you shop for a used car?  How do you know someone hasn't tampered with the odometer on a car to make it seem like it has less miles on it ?

If they have maintenance records, they could help make the case for the odometer being accurate.  CarFax can give you a vehicle history report (I think it's $39) if you have the VIN, and that usually includes enough mileage stamps to paint a picture.  Also, I think odometer fuckery is much less common these days with modern vehicles (there's a lot more to it than there once was).  And of course if the seller seems sketchy, run.  If it looks too good to be true (I often see stupid stuff listed like "2o1o Camry 70k $2000!"), then it probably is.

I don't see a reason to dump the Prius though, honestly.

[Paul der Krake]

Tampering with the odometer is a felony. I can't imagine that many people would take the risk.

[DavidAnnArbor]

I guess the reason I asked is because I was looking on Craigslist for used cars, and this one guy called me back about a used car he has for sale, and as it turns out he deals in used cars.  That made me a little concerned, since he won't really have any repair records.
Moreover, he's selling a 2016 Nissan Sentra SV with only 6,000 miles for only $13,500. That just seems suspiciously low.

[marielle]

I guess the reason I asked is because I was looking on Craigslist for used cars, and this one guy called me back about a used car he has for sale, and as it turns out he deals in used cars.  That made me a little concerned, since he won't really have any repair records.
Moreover, he's selling a 2016 Nissan Sentra SV with only 6,000 miles for only $13,500. That just seems suspiciously low.

They're only $18,500 brand new so that doesn't seem TOO insane. But it's possible it has a salvage title or something.

[DavidAnnArbor]

What's a salvage title ?

[marielle]

What's a salvage title ?

This explains it well:
http://www.dmv.org/buy-sell/used-cars/buying-a-car-with-a-salvage-title.php

Generally you want to avoid salvage titles because you don't know what happened to the car. Plus, it hurts your resale value and you never know if you're going to have to sell it.

Though to be fair, it's possible that a car got into an accident and was just not reported to insurance. So be careful either way.

Ask for the VIN, you can do a free check online and see if it's been in an accident.

[ketchup]

What's a salvage title ?

This explains it well:
http://www.dmv.org/buy-sell/used-cars/buying-a-car-with-a-salvage-title.php

Generally you want to avoid salvage titles because you don't know what happened to the car. Plus, it hurts your resale value and you never know if you're going to have to sell it.

Though to be fair, it's possible that a car got into an accident and was just not reported to insurance. So be careful either way.

Ask for the VIN, you can do a free check online and see if it's been in an accident.

Also, if you're buying a car in the next ~6 months, run away if the VIN check says it was registered near Houston.

[DavidAnnArbor]

Thanks

[Mac_MacGyver]

My 15 year old car passed its state safety inspection today!! It's always a pleasant surprise when it does. 211,000 miles on the car.

[paddedhat]

What's a salvage title ?

This explains it well:
http://www.dmv.org/buy-sell/used-cars/buying-a-car-with-a-salvage-title.php

Generally you want to avoid salvage titles because you don't know what happened to the car. Plus, it hurts your resale value and you never know if you're going to have to sell it.

Though to be fair, it's possible that a car got into an accident and was just not reported to insurance. So be careful either way.

Ask for the VIN, you can do a free check online and see if it's been in an accident.

Also, if you're buying a car in the next ~6 months, run away if the VIN check says it was registered near Houston.

Being "near" Houston isn't a reliable indicator as to were massive numbers of flood damaged vehicles will end up. Wholesale buyers will happily move cars hundred, even thousands of miles, if there is a profit in the deal. I occasionally deal with a big chain of used car stores in the northeast. They will buy at auctions anywhere east of the Mississippi, and then fill up a car carrier tractor trailer with half a dozen at a time. A few years back, I bought a vehicle that was off a three year lease in Missouri, sold at a wholesale auction there, then transported to a NY dealer,  I titled it in PA. This is far from unusual. Once you throw a million water damaged cars into the mix, somebody is going to get hurt.

[Raskolnikov]

Cars have always been my weakness, and I've made some dumb financial decisions as a result. Fortunately, I gave up the stupidity of financing automobiles several years ago.

It's not very minimalist, but I own four cars currently, all purchased used and paid for with cash. Two are "collectible" and are at least maintaining value if not appreciating, and the other two are daily/weekly drivers.

1966 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe: 84,000 miles
1998 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible: 33,000 miles
2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Sedan: 76,000 miles
2012 BMW X5: 103,000 miles (for the wife)

(Yes, I'm Chevy guy).

While I truly love driving now after moving away from the city and its health-destroying traffic, I'm enjoying spending most of my transportation time on my old Specialized Rock-hopper bike. I'm not sure if I'm hardcore enough to use during this coming winter, though.

[DavidAnnArbor]

I'm thinking of buying the Chevrolet Cruze as my next car. It got good rating in Consumer's Report and has good fuel economy

[paddedhat]

I'm thinking of buying the Chevrolet Cruze as my next car. It got good rating in Consumer's Report and has good fuel economy

A couple of years back I was in the market for a small, lightly used sedan. I drove just about everything available, and within reason, as is,no Fiats, Minis, or junk built by FCA.  Having done so, I came away with the impression that the Cruze was, without question, the biggest piece of crap in the bunch. You may have a very different opinion. I bought a Scion, and it's about as bulletproof, trouble free,  and low cost to operate as it gets.  I'm not dissing domestic products. I have a Chevy truck, and have owned GM trucks and vans for decades, but the Cruze really drives and feels like a poorly built shitbox to me.

[kelvin]

As of yesterday, I am now the proud owner of a 2010 Ford Ranger!

It's a manual transmission, 225000km, and no rust problems. (I'm in Ottawa, vehicle's from Windsor.) Family sold it to me for half the market value. As I don't drive much during biking season, I anticipate it lasting me many years. The V6 gets pretty terrible mileage, but we can't have everything. This is good enough.

Anyone have any great links on car camping? I'm going on my first trip next week.

[zolotiyeruki]

A Ranger with a V6?  That thing probably has some decent acceleration! :)

[paddedhat]

Rangers are a bit weird when it comes to fuel economy. I had a early 2000s, extended cab, 2WD with the 3.0 V6 and 5sp. manual, I regularly got 27 MPG. Then I put a ladder rack and aggressive tires on, and never saw over 20 MPG again. OTOH, I talked to many owners of the same truck, with 4WD, the bigger V6 and automatic, that told me that they were getting 14-15 MPG. I have also driven the totally stripped version with the 4 cyl and automatic, that struggled to get 20 on the highway.

[Dr.Jeckyl]

Rangers are a bit weird when it comes to fuel economy. I had a early 2000s, extended cab, 2WD with the 3.0 V6 and 5sp. manual, I regularly got 27 MPG. Then I put a ladder rack and aggressive tires on, and never saw over 20 MPG again. OTOH, I talked to many owners of the same truck, with 4WD, the bigger V6 and automatic, that told me that they were getting 14-15 MPG. I have also driven the totally stripped version with the 4 cyl and automatic, that struggled to get 20 on the highway.

I had a similar experience. I had had a '89 with the 2.3L, 5 speed manual and I consistently got 27 MPG. It didn't matter city or highway. If I could get that kind of mileage again out of a truck I might consider buying one. Then again that truck had manual steering because power steering was an option!!

[SoundFuture]

2011 Ford Fiesta, 150k miles, five speed.  ~40mpg overall average, owned since new (pre-mustache days). I'll drive it until it falls apart or explodes.

[DavidAnnArbor]

This person wants to sell her 2009 Honda Civic EX sedan for only $7200. It has only 55,000 miles on it. Her price is about $900 below the Kelley blue book price. I agreed to look at it this afternoon. I'm in the market for a car because my current Toyota prius has 275,000 miles on it, and this high mileage has my parents concerned so they gave me some money to buy a car.
I'm wondering if I go visit this used car if anyone has any suggestions on what to look for. The owner says she is the sole owner. I assume I should look at Carfax report.

[ketchup]

This person wants to sell her 2009 Honda Civic EX sedan for only $7200. It has only 55,000 miles on it. Her price is about $900 below the Kelley blue book price. I agreed to look at it this afternoon. I'm in the market for a car because my current Toyota prius has 275,000 miles on it, and this high mileage has my parents concerned so they gave me some money to buy a car.
I'm wondering if I go visit this used car if anyone has any suggestions on what to look for. The owner says she is the sole owner. I assume I should look at Carfax report.

I'd look at the Carfax report ahead of time (if they'll give you the VIN) to make sure nothing looks fishy, and then ask for maintenance records which should go all the way back if it's the original owner.  A few months ago, I bought a 2001 car from the original owner and they had everything back to the original window sticker.

[DavidAnnArbor]

thanks

[BiochemicalDJ]

So, back into the fray-

I just became the proud owner of a (new to me) 2007 Hyundai Sonata with 250,000 Kms on it- around 153K miles. I got it for $1250 CAD, roughly half estimated wholesale value for the car. The previous owner was a car hypochondriac and went to the dealership for everything, but they still missed a spot or two. Looks like the spark plugs have never been changed (or at least, it did when I was changing them last night :p)

Thing drives like a limo when compared to my previous ride (1999 Chevy Metro, still alive and going strong, just didn't want to drive it through the winter and make its rust problems worse...)

Here's to preventative maintenance and following the schedule!

[ketchup]

So, back into the fray-

I just became the proud owner of a (new to me) 2007 Hyundai Sonata with 250,000 Kms on it- around 153K miles. I got it for $1250 CAD, roughly half estimated wholesale value for the car. The previous owner was a car hypochondriac and went to the dealership for everything, but they still missed a spot or two. Looks like the spark plugs have never been changed (or at least, it did when I was changing them last night :p)

Thing drives like a limo when compared to my previous ride (1999 Chevy Metro, still alive and going strong, just didn't want to drive it through the winter and make its rust problems worse...)

Here's to preventative maintenance and following the schedule!

Very nice!  That's remarkably similar to the path I took.  After my 1999 Metro died, I replaced it with an '09 Hyundai Accent that then proceeded to die at 261,xxx miles.  Hyundai makes good cars, but they depreciate like rocks (good for buying 5-10 years old).

[BiochemicalDJ]

So far I'm loving the Sonata. Except for when I installed my own Bluetooth stereo for the first time and accidentally shorted the 'Illumination' wire from the car harness. Blew my RH Tail light fuse- which is also the Instrument panel cluster fuse (?). Anyway, had a spare in the box AND a clever little removal tool (Thanks, Hyundai!). Up and running after fixing the short. Not the Sonata's problem, just an idiot problem xD

First oil change and time under the car was last night. Oil looked like hell, which is surprising because this was a change based entirely by date rather than miles, but whatever. Spark plugs changed, were rusted in the holes pretty well and worn to crap, and the giant 'idiot shield' placed on the bottom of the car took a bit to pull off to get access to the filter.

And the serpentine belt looks scary as hell. The metro it went Crank -> Water -> Alternator.

This one is... considerably more serpentine.

On the plus side, the factory service manual is a *dream*. Even to the point of listing all the bolt sizes used in the car, and their relevant general torque values, if not covered anywhere else. And they took over 100 pictures to show you where stuff is. *swoon*

[ketchup]

So far I'm loving the Sonata. Except for when I installed my own Bluetooth stereo for the first time and accidentally shorted the 'Illumination' wire from the car harness. Blew my RH Tail light fuse- which is also the Instrument panel cluster fuse (?). Anyway, had a spare in the box AND a clever little removal tool (Thanks, Hyundai!). Up and running after fixing the short. Not the Sonata's problem, just an idiot problem xD

First oil change and time under the car was last night. Oil looked like hell, which is surprising because this was a change based entirely by date rather than miles, but whatever. Spark plugs changed, were rusted in the holes pretty well and worn to crap, and the giant 'idiot shield' placed on the bottom of the car took a bit to pull off to get access to the filter.

And the serpentine belt looks scary as hell. The metro it went Crank -> Water -> Alternator.

This one is... considerably more serpentine.

On the plus side, the factory service manual is a *dream*. Even to the point of listing all the bolt sizes used in the car, and their relevant general torque values, if not covered anywhere else. And they took over 100 pictures to show you where stuff is. *swoon*

Very nice.

Yeah, nothing will be quite as simple as the Metro.  Once you throw luxuries like air conditioning and power steering, belts get more complicated.  Oddly, once you figure out the path, I've found the long belts easier to replace since there's usually just a simple tensioner holding it and you don't need to remove any pulleys.

[BiochemicalDJ]

That may indeed be the case regarding ease of belt replacement, but right now (just looking without trying it) it looks knuckle-skinningly tight up against that wall. Probably would feel different if I actually had to *do* something with it, but right now it was replaced ~20,000 kms ago.

That's the other thing. This dealership was replacing every one of her bushings when she had a squeak in the suspension, replaced her serpentine belt twice in 40,000 kms (what the hell?) and charged her $1500 to replace the timing cover gasket due to a leak, and the rocker cover and oil pan gaskets... just for giggles?

Reading those service orders/tech responses was a bit of a head scratcher. Props out to the dealership for giving me such a detailed history, though. And by e-mail, no less.