[BigTex]

My target is 10 years. I like to finance it for 5 years and then drive it another 5 years. Life has intruded on this plan repeatedly and I've never actually done it, but I've come close.

Most cars, with care, can go 200,000 miles without a lot of problems.

One of the keys is to change the fluids we don't think about much like the power steering fluid, brake fluid, engine coolant, transmission fluid and differential fluid (if applicable). Regular A/C service also helps the A/C to last longer as well.

The best vehicle I have ever owned was a 1993 Nissan Quest I purchased from my parents when they were done with it. I sold it to my brother when I was done with it and he still drives it. Great vehicle there.

[vision-master]

My S-10 was purchased new in 1995 - sold her last fall with 190,000 miles. I bet she will go another 100,000 no problem. The brother picked up a 2001 Tarus with 240,000 miles for $1,500. A nice clean very high mileage car that still runs and dives like new.

The Monte I have (2000) has 28,000 miles on her. I plan to keep her 10 more years.

I loaned $5,000 on a line of credit and the current rate is 6.25%. I'll pay it down quick if I want, otherwise my payment is $60 Month. I owe under $4,000 now. Current used car rates for older cars are 9.9% at my CU.

[Pretorian]

I have a friend who has a 1938 BMW with more than 2 mln kilometers on it. Oh, those Nazi-made cars

[meekoil]

I drive a 93 Buick with 240k miles. It is mostly original outside of a stater, alternator and water pump. I plan to drive it a long time yet. At least until a real alternative like a plug-in hybrid or full electric is widely available. Or it might be my last car if easy motoring just falls apart.

Making modern cars last a long time isn't that hard. Easy driving and regular maintanence. Most people just get bored and want a new toy. Or there are some people who take such horrific care that after a few years the interior is just trashed. 10 years is easily doable.

[lawnchair]

It depends a *lot* on your driving style (and the driving style forced upon you).

My dad is even more of a relaxed driver than me (though his style influences me). He lives in a town 50 miles from the nearest freeway, so no rabbiting merges. Even in retirement, when the weather is nice, he rides a bike on short trips (and anything in a town of 8000 is a short trip). He got a Dodge Aries K-Car to 240,000 miles and 17 years. That stretches most people's credulity (cars have gotten substantially better since then). I think he got the factory brake pads to 150k! Basic philosophy is, "what's the hurry?", and "if someone wants to pass you, slow down and let em". He is not the compulsive fluid-checker (or DIYer) that I am, but he always takes his car to the very same shop, decade after decade, so they have a pretty good idea what oughta be done and when, and he doesn't mistrust them when they suggest a brake system flush or somesuch.

Besides fluid changes, the other thing I suggest is that heat kills. A truck with a "towing package" or a Crown Vic with the "police package" comes with a big automatic transmission fluid radiator, and often a power steering fluid radiator and a engine oil radiator. You can get extra cooling retrofitted in most automobiles that come with the bare minimum. This, I recommend highly, along with hosing the bugs and debris out of all your radiators regularly. Makes a big difference in lifespan.

[Ferretlover]

My 2000 Contour SE has just over 51,000 miles on it (several multi-state trips on it).
I paid it off a year and a half early.
I am 99% sure that it is the last car I will ever own.

[mos6507]

Does anyone really think they are going to keep filling a car bought today with gas in 10 years time? Why would you want to throw your money away given what gas is going to cost then? I would think twice about buying a new car these days. Maybe downsize to a slightly used Yaris if you want a modern vehicle.

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', 'D')oes anyone really think they are going to keep filling a car bought today with gas in 10 years time? Why would you want to throw your money away given what gas is going to cost then? I would think twice about buying a new car these days. Maybe downsize to a slightly used Yaris if you want a modern vehicle.

[Hoops_Mckann]

On a used car the previous owner(s) can make or break the longevity of the whole car. Of course some cars seem to have been designed to be "throw aways" as many basic components would break to the point of frustrating the owners to buy a new one. When poking around in the bone yards, I see MANY 80s Dodge minivans and cheaper GM and Ford sedans and coupes that appear to not have any noticable body damage to them. The import section is very small and whatever is left is picked clean.

[jdmartin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', 'D')oes anyone really think they are going to keep filling a car bought today with gas in 10 years time? Why would you want to throw your money away given what gas is going to cost then? I would think twice about buying a new car these days. Maybe downsize to a slightly used Yaris if you want a modern vehicle.

[qualia787]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', 'D')oes anyone really think they are going to keep filling a car bought today with gas in 10 years time? Why would you want to throw your money away given what gas is going to cost then? I would think twice about buying a new car these days. Maybe downsize to a slightly used Yaris if you want a modern vehicle.

[BigTex]

I got 28 mpg with a LOT of stop and go city driving on my last tank in my 2007 Camry stick shift.

That's DAMN good for a car that size.

I'm happy with that.

I've got a wife and three kids to move around, too, so this is about the smallest vehicle that will meet my needs.

Also, there's the ROI issue. The car I drive was a lot cheaper than a hybrid, for example.

[WisJim]

I usually buy a car that is 8 to 12 years old. Our newest car is a 2000 Metro that we bought from a friend for about $1200. It has about 90k miles now, and it gets 35 mpg in town in the winter when the weather is bad, and sometimes 55 on the hiway. The one I drive in winter is a 1989 Honda Civic, bought it through a Craig's list ad for $250, and it has only about 190k miles on it, and should last me quite a while yet. My son's car is a 1992 Civic VX, gets 40mpg city and 45 to 56 hiway mpg. It has over 280k miles on it. Our Citicar (all electric 2 passenger 1975 vintage) is in the garage in pieces, but hopefully will be on the road this summer for the driving we need to do in town. It will be charged from our wind and PV system.

To answer the question in the header of this thread, I think that a car should last 20+ years, 300k miles, barring accidents or rust outs.

[Pops]

I'm thinking any vehicle should last as long as the owner can make it run.

My old Ford pickup will run as long as I can keep 2 of 8 firing.

1 of 8 might be hard on the bearings...

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', '
')I was thinking of the Yaris too, but would you turn down a 2000 Monte Carlo SS with 22,000 miles for $5,000?

[pup55]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')t depends a *lot* on your driving style

[Opies]

I got a '91 Toyota Camry. Runs like a charm. 477,000 km on it.

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pup55', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')t depends a *lot* on your driving style

[The_Toecutter]

If you baby your car, getting 200k+ is not impossible. From what I've read, 150,000 miles is the typical lifespan of a newly purchased American-made car before it is either traded in or thrown to a scrapyard, but this was in the 1990s and new cars are going to last longer than this. There are many imports with 250k+ on the odometer, especially from the early 1990s onward.

How long SHOULD a car last?

If they were built without planned obsolescence in mind, we'd be driving electric cars with motors that lasted close to 1 million miles without ever needing any maintenance(one moving part), with rust-proof composite bodies and chassis that last 30+ years, but that's not conducive to redistributing the wealth from Joe Sixpack to the top 1%...

[midnight-gamer]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') was thinking of the Yaris too, but would you turn down a 2000 Monte Carlo SS with 22,000 miles for $5,000?