What Would Be Your Top Choice Be For A Vehicle To Drive Over 250,000 Miles And Why?

If you havent set foot in a new-car dealers showroom in over a decade you’re not alone. The average age of all light-duty cars and trucks on the road now stands at a record 11.5 years, according to the market research firm IHS Automotive in Southfield, Mich.

“As long as we have tracked average age, it has gradually risen over time due to the increasing quality of automobiles,” says Mark Seng, global aftermarket practice leader at IHS Automotive.

To be sure a quick scan of online used-car listings in the greater Chicagoland area show a bevy of models with more than 250,000 miles registered on their odometers that are in sufficiently good enough shape to be seeking new owners. Among those being offered, we found a 2006 Honda Accord sedan with 280,000 miles, a 2000 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV with nearly 275,000 miles and a 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 pickup truck that’s logged over a half-million miles – 556,000 to be exact – and is still going.

TheSteve - 8/19/2015 12:57:38 PM

+1 Boost

I used to have opinions about "good" and "bad" cars, some based on how long a car can last.

My sister spends a lot of time on the road on business. She put over 250,000 miles on her car over 10 years. It ran perfectly. No rust. It was just an ordinary GM car. Her secret: Regular oil changes and doing all the scheduled maintenance on time.

So when an "ordinary" car can easily break 250K, isn't it a moot point debating which car is the "top" car at doing that?

monster - 8/19/2015 4:11:15 PM

+4 Boost

I agree with you Steve. Most car with regular/proper maintenance and make 250k. If it has a V6 engine then it should easily do 250k.

MDarringer - 8/19/2015 9:14:35 PM

+2 Boost

@TheSteve Correct!

cidflekken - 8/20/2015 3:37:58 AM

+1 Boost

The question was "top choice". So, you have the choice of choosing which car you'd like to drive to 250k. It wasn't a question of which car is "most capable" of getting to 250k. For example, do you want to drive 250k in a Chevy Cruze or an Audi A8, assuming both will reach 250k. At least that's my interpretation based on the wording of the question.

Anyway, if I had to spend 250k of my driving life in one car, it'd either be a S550 coupe or an S7.

Agent001 - 8/19/2015 1:26:45 PM

-7 Boost

2015 Ford F-150. Practical, easy/cheap to service, impossible to break, good looking, great resale. Won't ever go out of style. 18 city/mid 20's highway with eco-boost. Tough not to love.

001

NSXR - 8/19/2015 3:52:33 PM

+4 Boost

NSX

My 91 NSX has over 260k miles now and is my daily driver...I'll keep her! [img]https://goo.gl/photos/J9zzRkk5fy3PqVG17[/img]

TomM - 8/19/2015 5:30:15 PM

+2 Boost

I just retired my last Panther - a Crown Victoria - with just under 300,000 miles. It always got Synthetic oil - and I never missed any maintenance - and it is gone because the Fenders were rusting out - and was not worth repairing them. The car was large - comfortable - easy to fix - parts readily available - and LOTS of them are available. I traded it for a new Mini-van for the grandchildren. But With a front bench seat - we often had 6 people buckled up with no complaints. This - and the Grand Marquis - are what I would recommend as a car to put high mileage on. Shocks instead of struts. Disc brakes all around. If you can get one with little or no rust - nothing beats it.

MDarringer - 8/19/2015 9:15:21 PM

-1 Boost

I'd go with a Jeep Wrangler unlimited

balldoc54 - 8/19/2015 11:16:27 PM

+5 Boost

This article makes me sad :O(. I JUST sold my 2002 530i 5spd with M package with 230k. I was only 20k away and I got rid of her. Kind of regret it.

MDarringer - 8/20/2015 8:50:48 AM

-1 Boost

My mother bought a used, but well maintained OLD Chevy Kingswood Estate from an elderly couple when I was 5. The car had about 110K gently driven miles. By the time she died 20 years later it had well over 300K miles on it. It was the original engine and transmission. I learned at an early age to service it and to keep it running because the one time it wouldn't start, she flew into a rage that ended with the sheriff being called. After she died, I sent it to the crusher.

carsnyc - 8/20/2015 4:35:05 PM

+2 Boost

Sorry Darringer but I had to google Chevy Kingswood Estate, which I guess gives my age away. In any case, 300K is a milestone that I would have only credited to an old Benz.