My first car was a 1991 Dodge Shadow. It had over 262K before I finally got rid of it. My current car is a 2002 Hyundai Elantra. It currently has 210K and I am going for 300K before I buy my next car.
Bottom line: you take care of your car with regular maintenance and it will take care of you.
...and for the most part, that is true regardless of make, model, etc.
Except for 70s vintage Fiats. They sucked no matter how well you took care of them. They sucked when they were new, they sucked when they were on the road, and what is left of them is STILL sucking as it rots away in junk yards throughout the world.
I would even recommend that where possible, everyone avoid purchasing anything which might be made from the recycled parts of a 70s vintage Fiat. There is no reason to risk having even a small portion of the suckage contained in those cars accidentally making its way through the recycling process and in to your new toaster oven, fence post or shovel.
I also have a 2002 Hyundai Elantra. Around 2 years ago, the odometer quit working at 273k.
I am very rough on this car - and I have paid the price by performing some major maintenance on this car - 4 clutches and a new engine, to name a few items. But I’ve been pretty happy with it overall, and it is very easy for me to work on. With the exception of the free oil changes that came with the car, no mechanic has ever touched this car.
Its rusting like crazy, but I’ll just keep fixing it mechanically until the body it totally shot.
“My first car was a 1991 Dodge Shadow. It had over 262K before I finally got rid of it.”
I’ll bet you replaced the head gasket tho!