Years/miles for the car you've owned longest?

[Midpack]

We buy new (yes we know used is cheaper) and usually keep cars for 8-10 years. Highest mileage car we've owned was 164K - a 1982 Honda Prelude.

We've never had a car until it became unreliable, though I suspect all of the cars we sold/traded went on to run for many years. From what I read most well maintained modern cars are relatively trouble free for at least 15 years/200K miles. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2...iles/index.htm

I don't want to hold on until a car is unreliable or financially unjustified, but I think we need to push the years/miles envelope a little more...

[easysurfer]

The longest car I've kept is about 18 years/165K miles. (Didn't drive that much as used public transportation to w*rk).

Not sure I'd keep the current car that long though. Kinda sobering to think the current car might outlast me. Plus, maybe good to have a more modern car. For example, my previous car had 28 mpg vs about 40 mpg now.

[Mr._Graybeard]

We bought a 10-year-old BMW 540i with 82,000 miles on it in late 2005. It just turned 261,000 on the odo and it's running great -- have no plans to replace it.

I drove it on a 90-mile round-trip commute for many years. Now that I'm retired it's getting fewer miles, but I wouldn't hesitate to take it on a long trip. Great car.

[scrabbler1]

The Geo Prism I owned from 1992-2007 had about 60k miles on it when I got rid of it for the 2007 Corolla I bought. The Prism was a used 1991 (former rental) car which had 10k miles when I bought it, so I put 50k miles on it in those 15 years.

[Gumby]

The longest I ever owned a single car was 14.5 years (a 1993 Honda Accord). The most miles I ever put on a car was 206k in 8.5 years (a 1991 Honda Civic), but my current daily driver is likely to exceed that very soon (a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid with 202k miles and counting). All were purchased new.

[pacergal]

current car (2000 toyota sienna van bought new in August 1999) has over 205,000 miles. 16 years and still runs like a dream. Plan to keep it until it drops or too expensive to fix.

[Nunthewiser]

I bought my VW Rabbit Diesel Pickup in 1994 when it had 168K miles on it and I started an insane 3 hour daily commute. It got to about 394k miles before I replaced it (in 2010) as my daily driver with a newer 91 Jetta diesel that had 145k miles on it . The Jetta (and I) retired last year with 220k. Now I'm looking for a toy to drive after all those years of self flagellation. (old style BMW 535i stick or something similar)

[pb4uski]

We used to regularly buy used cars (~2 years old, ~30k miles or less) with a year or so left on the bumper-to-bumper warranty and drive until they were in the 80k range (4-5 years) and then trade or sell/buy. However, now it seems that a new car is only slightly more than a gently used so one car was new.

Current fleet is a 2005 Chevy Colorado Crew Cab that we bought as a CPO a year old with 30k miles and now has 118k and a 2008 Subaru Legacy GT that we bought in 2011 with about 30k miles and now has 80k.

Plan to trade both within the next year as DW doesn't like the Legacy and wants an SUV (probably an Outback) and the truck is showing its age (but then again... it's just a truck).

[DFA]

1998 Toyota Tacoma pickup, still runs great at 17 years, 235k miles.

[stepford]

I bought my '86 4Runner in '89 with 30K miles and used it as my primary vehicle until '97 by which time it had about 270K miles on it (lots of road trips). It then became our spare vehicle and so the rate of increase slowed, but when it finally went to the great Toyota test track in the sky at the end of 2013 it had almost 400K on the clock. After 2 years truckless I'm looking for another.

[rodi]

My dad advised me to sell a car before it hit 100k. I have not done that as a rule... driving it well past the 100k mark.

My first 4 wheeled vehicle was a toyota pickup I bought from my sister. I sold that at 115k miles - it still had the factory manual transmission/clutch and the factory battery. I probably could have driven it for many more years but wanted a more comfortable car for my 80 mile r/t commute.

I bought a honda civic hatchback... I sold that with 140k miles. Only reason I sold it was that it had no air conditioning and I'd moved from moderate temp climates (so cal, and puget sound areas) to the Philly metro area. I survived the first summer, barely and sold it the next summer.

Our current "fleet" is my husbands 95 dodge ram pickup. It has about 150k miles (too lazy to go check). He bought it new. We don't drive it much since it only fits 3 people (bench seat) and we're a family of 4... also the gas mileage isn't the best. But it's super reliable, low cost of ownership, and functions as a 2nd vehicle for our household. My car is a 10 years old - a highland hybrid. It functions well for our family. It has 90k miles and we expect to keep it at least another 5 years. (Might have to replace the battery pack in that time.)

Everything I've read 200k miles is the new 100k miles of old.

[RunningBum]

138K on an Acura Integra, 120K on a Honda Pilot, both were totaled in wrecks or I'd have driven them longer. About 9-10 years on each. I have 18 years on my Miata but well under 100K. I drive it in fair weather only but don't hesitate to go 2 hours or more, though between having a cell phone and being in endurance running shape, I'm not too worried if I did break down in the middle of nowhere.

[ronin]

My '93 Landcruiser w/200k surfmobile is reliable workhorse. Not the most fuel efficient but it never breaks down.

[Fishingmn]

Current vehicle is a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid with 133,000 miles on it (drive a lot as Realtor). Likely to buy a new crossover within next month - looking at Mazda CX-5. Want a bit more space inside and ability to pull a small trailer.

[ejman]

240,000 miles on a 1990 Chevy Astro van that I traded in 2009 for my current car a Dodge Caliber under the cash for clunkers program. the brand new Caliber was $9,302 out the door between the cash for clunkers trade in and a huge rebate that Chrysler was offering since at that time it looked like they were about to fold (as was the auto industry in general).

[ProspectiveBum]

2000 Nissan Xterra, with 135K miles. My commute is less than 2 miles one-way, so it might be a stretch to get to 150K before it hits 20 years old.

[bjorn2bwild]

The longest owned and still counting, a 1988 F-150 w/4.9L, purchased used in 1990 with ~35k miles on the odometer, still running strong @ ~ 140miles. It has only been towed once due to a double flat.
Most miles goes to the 2003 Honda CRV LX purchased in 2013 with ~171,000 miles on the odometer, about 176,000 today. The trick with older vehicles - fastidious maintenance. I do most of the work myself, and often do extensive preemptive repairs to improve reliability. I think the newer computers on wheels will eventually put an end to this strategy.

[Keim]

My current fleet:
1976 Chev. Monte Carlo. Purchased in 1984 with about 40k. Now has about 145k. Was stored for a few years. Now a seasonal driver.
1993 Ford F150. Purchased in 2010 with about 135k. Now has about 150k. My daily beater.
2004 Honda CRv. Purchased in 2004 with about 30k. Now has about 120k. Spouses car.

[Ronstar]

I had an 86 Toyota truck for 9 years and 160k miles
A 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee for 13 years and 150k miles
Still have a 2001 Acura with 143k miles
My 2001 corvette is a a baby at 82k miles



Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

[Sarah in SC]

My highest mileage daily driver was my 1988 GMC Jimmy. Bought new, put 385,000 miles on it. Was running fine when I sold it.

Mostly we buy cars with around 100k on the odo, and run them til they quit. Our two Saturns were at 290k and 310k when they were driven to the junkyard.

I have no problem driving cars with over 200k on them. Has saved us thousands of dollars over the years.

I'd love to know how many miles are on our 1990 Thomas school bus. The school records showed 260k when they guy we bought it from got it, and he easily pushed it over 300k. We've driven it around the world since then, but some of those were ocean miles.