Has 200,000 Miles Become The New 100,000 Miles?

i think the 200k is the new 100k now. So many cars can make it that much. but the real problem is not the car, it is the person. Not a lot of people like to keep a car for so long. it take about 13 years to get to 200k if you drive on average 15k a year. The lifespan of cars in US is about 9 years. it think it is because people want newer cars not because the one they are driving has totally gone bad.

I am sitting on 206,000 right now on the daily beater with minimal issues along the way.

I agree though the driver can make all of the difference. I am still on the original clutch and replaced brakes at 150K.

I would totally love to put 200K miles in an iconic classic like one of the new diesel MB E-wagons or Porsche 911. Some cars were made to be driven for a very very long time and look good doing it. Every time I see a 1970's/80's era MB SL, they look so good and despite being old, they are still so compelling. The same can't be said of a 1985 Civic or Celica. Those car may still work, but look like a "beater"

I put 200k on my first truck, 350k on my second truck and my third has 220k. My wifes van had 110k until it was stollen and here current car has 150k with general maint required.. But I would say that in the past 100k was a lot. Now 200k is average.

Its very easy to get a car to 200k if its owner is willing and able to take care and keep the car that long. I got my 2001 Grand Cherokee over 200k before selling it last year, still ran pretty good too.

My dad put 250,000 miles on his 1972 Ford pickup. He put 200k+ on his 1981 Datsun B-210. He put 200k on his late 1980's Dodge Dakota. The fact that cars are getting more expensive, people are spending a greater percentage of their disposable income on them, and loan terms are getting longer, is incentive for people to take care of their car and make it last.

I put 92,000 miles on my 1980 Mustang 4 cyliner I bought as a college freshman. And it was spent, so to speak. I now have a 2005 Acura RL with 70,000 miles, and it feels like it's just getting broken in. I'm not sure the leather in the seats is up to the quality of the rest of the car, but mechanically, this one might see 250,000 trouble free miles easily.

My first car was a 1987 Honda Accord, got it with 190k on it. It could barely drive once I hit 202k, mainly because I had no money to fix it (muffler feel off so I put it in the trunk, fuel injectors barely worked, suspension and brakes needed long over due work, the clutch would stick to floor and I would have to kick it to get it to release!)

It still drove though. I was 16, that's all I needed.

We bought a 2004 Toyota Sienna for our newborn 6 years ago and it now has 160,000 miles on it. The most "major" repair was done recently, replacing a few engine items, transmission thingy, fan mechanism, a belt and other stuff - the total cost to make the car run "like new" again? $2900. Totally worth it. Car runs awesome, carries my 2 kids like a charm, and they can spill all the milk, juice they want and we could care less. It's the family beater that takes a licking and keeps on ticking. The bumper has been hit from all sides in low impact collisions and parking benders, but paint still looks good. Easily the most reliable trouble free car I have ever owned. Until my youngest turns 10, there's no way I can have them inside a "nice" car.

I use synthetic oil on all my cars and change the oil at 5000 mile intervals. The invention of synthetic oil is partly responsible for some of these engines lasting as long as they do.

Other than an occassional comment about an old Merc SL notice how NO ONE has mentioned having a modern (1999 on up) German car out there with over say 150k on it and still going strong. I know we got em' but the price of maintenance is so high after the warranty is gone that it's a turnoff....

Very true. After the warranty is up on a BMW/MB (assuming 100K extended warranty) can you imagine how much a major 105K mile service would cost? Let's say $5,000. A daily driver BMW 5 series racks up 20K per year, so that gives you 5 years of service. Bought the car for $60K new, 5 years later and 100K miles later, it's worth approximately $17,000 (Kelly Blue Book). So for another $5,000, you got yourself a car that will run at least another 20K miles without a major expense. Over the next 100K miles, you may be spending $10K in repairs before discarding the car. I guess you could spend $10K for a civic and have it last at least 150K miles, but is that extra 50K miles really worth it to be in an accord and if you had the $60K to buy the BMW to begin with, the $10K in repairs is acceptable.

More importantly, the NUMBER ONE REASON people don't drive BMW/MB with over 150K on it is because:
1. If you can buy a new MB/BMW now, you are likely to afford to buy new every 5 years, so why would you have anything in the garage with more than 50K miles on it? You've already traded it in.
2. If you are buying used, you are looking to save money and extend the value of your dollar - so why the heck would you buy a 50K mile German car? Maybe if it is a CPO with an extended warranty, but there's no such program for a 100K mile plus German car.

However, Japanese beaters are made to be driven cheap for over 100K miles and can be had cash for under $9,000. Darwinism at work here - 100K German cars have no audience other than wacko collectors and fanatics.

my brother still has his first Porsche. bought it in the mid 90's. it's up close to 200k. he's an amateur mechanic so tinkers a lot. but it's never had a spot of trouble.

2005 330 Ci w/ Performance Pkg...75,000 miles...I drive it like I stole it and it still drives and feels showroom new! I haven't had any major repairs and the cost to maintain is way less than most cars I could have owned. 200,000 miles is gonna be a walk in the park! No rattles...No squeaks..No leaks...original clutch/transmission/battery...as far as service or repairs are concerned...this car is boring.

Driving a 2006 BMW 330i w/65,000 miles and hope to easily make it into the mid 100's if not more. So far I'm still on the original brakes and the only major repair but still only a few hundred was a transmission seal at about 58,000 miles. Buying a new car - lets say another 3 or A4 would cost easily $6,000 - $7,500 a year in payments in addition to the $4,000 the first year for sale tax - assuming my maintenance stays under $2,000 - $3,000 a year it makes more sense to keep driving this ultimate driving maching (so far maintenance is averaging well under $1,000 a year using a good independent mechanic)

My 2004 Audi S4 has 136,700 miles. I got it when it had 90 miles on it.

I put 225,000 on my 1991 Nissan Pathfinder then I gave it to my nephew in 2004. He says it has 310,000 now and still running fine.

My X5 just went past 100,000 last month and I am definitey planning on seeing 200,000.

my 2005 Nissan Armada has 156K miles in it. One majour problem, engine intake manifold leaking, it cost me about $1900.00 that is all. it is just fine. I have a 1995 Nissan maxima, with 287K, it runs, but i just don't drive it anymore. I have the 2009 GL450 with 23K miles, its a leased car, two weeks ago I drove to Chicago about 900+miles from my house. it was great for long distance rides. German cars good for lease and show off...

I put 175k miles on an Accord (hated every minute of it though!).

Would be much happier putting 200k on my 335i.

180,000 on a 996 Porsche 2000 no major problems :)

170,000 on my 2000 ML320, just hit 100,000 on my 2002 Land rover Discovery. 195,000 on my 95 525i. So far no troubles, except on the Land Rover the right door lock doesn't always work, but I am hard on the land rover. I take it offroad like it was intended to be. surprisingly the ML is still like new. no squeaks and rattles, everything works. the 525i is as smooth as any new car and handles way better. the engine is smooth as silk. I think the engine on the ML320 could be smoother, but then I am used to the silky smooth inline 6 of the 525i.

Oh yeah I also have an 86 BMW 325e that I absolutely beat the dog snot out of and it won't die. I have almost 400,000 miles on it. I let my brother drive that.