Posted on 10/03/2014 7:27:35 AM PDT by blam
Alex Davies
October 3, 2014
If you're going to buy a new or used car, it's good to know that it's not going to break down after a few thousand miles. Even better is knowing that it'll have a good shot at crossing the 200,000 mile mark.
To find the vehicles mostly likely to reach that milestone, iSeeCars, which helps shoppers find good deals on used cars, analyzed listings for 30 million used vehicles from the past year.
Turns out that if you want to go the distance, your best choice is the Ford F-250, followed by the Chevy Silverado 2500HD. If you want an SUV that will hit 200,000 miles, take the Chevy Suburban. For a regular car, take the Honda Accord.
The trucks on the list are pretty big. So it's worth noting that there's a trend in the auto industry toward crafting pickups that are lighter in weight. Does that mean these trucks won't last as long, as aluminum replaces steel in their construction? That remains to be seen. But the bottom line right now is that when it comes to vehicles, a big old heavy truck is where you should go.
Obviously, there are some practicality issues to deal with. Not everybody needs a Ford F-250, a truck designed to absorb some punishment and do things like haul around large boats.
The iSeeCars data shows what percentage of each kind of car has 200,000 miles or more on the odometer, by model. So the chart below shows that 4.2% of Ford F-250 Super Duty trucks listed for sale have already driven more than 200,000 miles.
Here are the top 20 longest-lasting vehicles:
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
200,000 miles bookmark
Think radiator.
When the head gaskets blow and engine oil and antifreeze are now one and the same; you can see a “strawberry milkshake” when you look inside your radiator cap or on the engine oil dipstick.
Dodge Durango I’m not buyin that one. Or Ford Explorer.
Toyota 4 runner should be numero uno on the list.
My 2004 F-350 Super Duty has over 214,000 on it and still going. I’ve had to put a lot into repairs on it though.
I don’t think they do, and I have not had the problem on any of our other vehicles.
Based on my on-line research, there have been a LOT of cases of Silverados (primarily early- to mid-2000’s models) having brake lines rust away. As of yet, GM has not acknowledged it as an endemic issue justifying a recall.
How about cars — half these on the list are trucks.
My Plymouth Neon has 217,000 miles, and I treat it like a rented mule. I bounce off the rev limiter like a banjo. Off course, I do all my own maintenance and mods.
The only vehicle I have from the list is a Ford Expedition. It only has 180k miles, but should make 200k with no problems.
I have been especially impressed with my newer vehicles, a 2007 Ford Focus and a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country. The Focus is past 80k miles with zero issues besides regularly scheduled maintenance. The T&C is at 120k with only a leaky heater hose replaced.
I have a 1999 camry that is at 127,000, and doing fine.
the biggest issue with the old design camrys is the fact that they used timing belts instead of chains....and those belts tend to fail at about 100k or so.
with a new belt...figure another 100k of life, with proper engine maintenance...oil changes, etc.
my kid had a 97 that lasted 185k, but I suspect he did not change the oil as regularly as he should have.
usually, the drivetrain will outlast the body on those old camrys. I have a 2009 venza in my garage now, next to the 99 camry....I love that venza. plan to drive it to 200k, also.
My Xterra is a 2005. We love it to death. 2 years ago we bought a 19 foot travel trailer. Loaded up, it weighs close to 4,000 pounds. The X pulls it fine.
But we do want to upgrade to a bigger trailer, so I might have to get a bigger truck. With a V8.
But I sure do love my X.
I sold my stick-shift 1992 Toyota Camry after driving it 14 years. It had 333,000 miles on it, burned no oil, and ran smoothly. I did use Marvel Mystery Oil on fill-ups and oil changes.
Toyota Tercel 1996 2 door LAST RIDE Atlanta Georgia - Raleigh NC Road Trip Documentary Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ3rZC7r9ow
“No Mercedes, Volvo, Fiat, Saab, Peugot, Mini, BMW or VW on that list...”
My wife has a 323i BMW Convertible. At 75k miles, on a hot day, the plastic radiator failed stranding her in the middle of the freeway. It cost just about $1000 to replace the radiator, water pump, belts and tensioners. The shop that did the repair said that we were extremely lucky that the overheating didn’t trash the cylinder head too ( seems they tend to crack between the center two cylinders) because that would have been another 3 grand. He also told us to “routinely” replace the radiator at 60k to 70k because “they all fail.” He said that Mercedes is just the same. The euros are in love with car parts that are “recyclable,” hence the plastic radiators. BMW’s are wonderful cars to drive, but they are a maintenance headache in our experience. Every time we need to have something done to our car, the shop’s standard response is “they all do it!”
Half of them are trucks because apparently trucks last longer than cars.
Further down in the article there is a list on which trucks and SUVs have been removed, which shows only the longest lasting cars (based on their research).
Coming up on 200,000 in our Honda Oddysey.
Nissan hardbody pu trucks are hard to kill.
Just basic maintenance-oil changes, etc
Mom’s is almost 20 years old and would look brand new if my brother didn’t drive it. It’s still plugging along though. It’s gotta be tough to have survived my brother. He’s cooked a couple of cars
I had to replace the ignition control module and a water pump on mine. I replace the timing belt every 50,000 miles too.
LOL. I forgot to mention that the picture is of my 1993 Ranger and the picture was taken in 1999. So...(it still looks go though.)
Except for road time, it's been in the shade it's whole life.
My VW diesel has 214k and running strong. I saw one for sale on Autotrader with over 430k.
I’m both surprised and not surprised that no VW TDIs made any of the lists, and I’m speaking as an owner of one with 328,000 miles on the original engine.
This points up a problem with anyone making buying decisions based on this historical data (unless you use it to buy one of the reported models, used). New production models of historically durable vehicles may have dramatically different life expectancies.
Pre-2009 VW TDI models, for example, were legendary for longevity. But 2009+ (Mark 6) models with the Bosch CP4.1 high pressure fuel pump (google VW TDI HPFP) are subject to catastrophic pump failure, irreversible contamination of the entire fuel system (tank to injectors), that essentially “totals” the vehicle if you can’t get VW to pick up the tab. This issue is why I have not replaced my 2003 Jetta. The jury is still out on the Mark 7’s EA288 engine.
In the specific case of F150s (and I have owned a couple of F100s), if Ford starts using a lot of aluminum, I would have concerns about dissimilar metal problems over time, and only time will tell.
Further, there’s just too darn much fragile computer hardware and software in modern buggies. Keeping them running after the typical end of support life (last sale + 10 years) could be impossible. Cars are turning into cell phones with wheels, and few cell phones seem to have a service life of more than 5 years.
Yep. IF you live in the cold weather states the weather and salt on the road will rust out a car's body before the engine or drive train goes out. Assuming you take care of the vehicle and maintain the fluid and oil levels.
Then again, I had a Dodge Caravan that lasted over 200,000 and another Caravan that had 180,000 on it when I traded it in.
All that said, if I were to acquire a new vehicle, it wouldn't be a Mopar or GM....both owned by Government Motors.
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