# 100K on the car



## peakbagger (Apr 4, 2019)

I was on one of my long occasional one business day trips and realized that my car was going over 100K. Its a 2013 Ford Fiesta that I bought in 2014 at a discount so I have put on a lot of miles for me. I also realized that this is most likely the only car that I bought from new that hit 100K in around 40 years of driving. I have bought high mileage beaters on occasion that have rolled 100K but usually I got them with 80 or 90K on them. This latest Ford Fiesta has been beyond reliable. The only non wear component repair was a bad resistor coil on the heater that I DIYed for $20. it didn't strand me but made for a hot drive home once. It has a broken lumbar support spring in the drivers seat that is $40 part and 8 hours of work to replace so I live with it.  I have changed front rotors once and front brake pads twice plus gone through a few set of tires. It has predictive oil changes and given my long trips it goes about a year before needing a change. I use synthetic oil and rarely if ever do I add any. Still gets 40 to 41 MPG on the highway with the cruise set to 75 mph. No trace of rust. Best thing to call it is an appliance. I had a Honda Civic before this for 12 years but wasn't working my current job so it didn't hit 100K.The strange thing is given my current early retirement plans I don't see me buying another car that I will drive 100K. Folks make wonderful claims about electric vehicles but when I routinely put on 400 miles in a day for business trips they wont work for me and given what I paid for it I would never break even with an electric.

I lucked out in that I bought a standard transmission (millennial antitheft device ). The automatic Fiestas were pretty notorious for reliability and the Sync ap built into the radio is poor but it works just well enough so that I can live with it. Ford needed to sell Fiestas so they could balance out the bad gas mileage of their trucks so this one was loaded with options. I can even put a roof rack on it and haul my 19 foot kayak on it. 

I remember in the sixties and seventies and even eighties, 100K was an achievement. Pretty well all the major mechanical components started showing some significant wear around 60 to 80K and from them on it was usually having to budget car payment sized amounts in replacing or rebuilding major components and living with adventures of roadside breakdowns. Even at that point the cars were burning oil and when hitting a bump the parts all resonated at slightly different frequencies. If someone did hit 100K they made an event of it but usually it wasn't much longer before it made its way to the junkyard. Mechanical reliability in the late seventies and eighties started to get better with the exception of the early emission controls but up in New England it was rare for a body to make it more than 4 or 5 years before it was swiss cheese.

I will probably run it couple more years or until it get unreliable. At that point I can just give it away and it not owe me a thing. It probably will get replaced with Toyota unless Ford decides to start selling cars again.


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## begreen (Apr 4, 2019)

Modern cars often go to >200,000K with just routine repairs. I too am impressed by the overall improvements in almost everything in many new cars. They often get better gas mileage, burn cleaner, have less maintenance, handle better, etc.. The only over 100K car I had in the past were a Honda Accord, Subaru and a few mid-sixties Volvos (loved the 122 Volvo wagons). I've sold or traded in other cars in between with lower mileage.


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## Fiddler (Apr 4, 2019)

my 2010 Colorado has 205K on it. My 92 Acclaim had at least 230K on it (odometer was broken for a while) when the trans finally gave up the ghost and I got rid of it. My 2005 PT Cruiser had 215K on it when I sold it and it was still going strong.


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## SpaceBus (Apr 4, 2019)

peakbagger said:


> I was on one of my long occasional one business day trips and realized that my car was going over 100K. Its a 2013 Ford Fiesta that I bought in 2014 at a discount so I have put on a lot of miles for me. I also realized that this is most likely the only car that I bought from new that hit 100K in around 40 years of driving. I have bought high mileage beaters on occasion that have rolled 100K but usually I got them with 80 or 90K on them. This latest Ford Fiesta has been beyond reliable. The only non wear component repair was a bad resistor coil on the heater that I DIYed for $20. it didn't strand me but made for a hot drive home once. It has a broken lumbar support spring in the drivers seat that is $40 part and 8 hours of work to replace so I live with it.  I have changed front rotors once and front brake pads twice plus gone through a few set of tires. It has predictive oil changes and given my long trips it goes about a year before needing a change. I use synthetic oil and rarely if ever do I add any. Still gets 40 to 41 MPG on the highway with the cruise set to 75 mph. No trace of rust. Best thing to call it is an appliance. I had a Honda Civic before this for 12 years but wasn't working my current job so it didn't hit 100K.The strange thing is given my current early retirement plans I don't see me buying another car that I will drive 100K. Folks make wonderful claims about electric vehicles but when I routinely put on 400 miles in a day for business trips they wont work for me and given what I paid for it I would never break even with an electric.
> 
> I lucked out in that I bought a standard transmission (millennial antitheft device ). The automatic Fiestas were pretty notorious for reliability and the Synch ap built itop the radio is poor but it works just well enough so that I can live with it. Ford needed to sell Fiestas so they could balance out the bad gas mileage of their trucks so this one was loaded with options. I can even put a roof rack on it and haul my 19 foot kayak on it.
> 
> ...



I feel like a manual transmission is a must in a small car. I had a base Fiesta Sedan as a rental, and the automatic was atrocious, but otherwise no complaints about the car. Have you considered a Mazda? My 06 ram has 247,000 miles, but it is also a diesel. I bought it with 242,000 miles on it last summer. The Chevy Cruze is available with a hatch, manual, and a diesel, and would probably be at the top of the list for a daily driver.


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## SpaceBus (Apr 4, 2019)

Fiddler said:


> my 2010 Colorado has 205K on it. My 92 Acclaim had at least 230K on it (odometer was broken for a while) when the trans finally gave up the ghost and I got rid of it. My 2005 PT Cruiser had 215K on it when I sold it and it was still going strong.


That's impressive out of a pt cruiser


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## AlbergSteve (Apr 5, 2019)

SpaceBus said:


> That's impressive out of a pt cruiser


...out of a Chrysler.

There, fixed that for ya.


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## begreen (Apr 5, 2019)

AlbergSteve said:


> ...out of a Chrysler.
> 
> There, fixed that for ya.


FWIW, I know of multiple grand caravans locally with close to or more than 200K miles on them.


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## SpaceBus (Apr 5, 2019)

AlbergSteve said:


> ...out of a Chrysler.
> 
> There, fixed that for ya.





begreen said:


> FWIW, I know of multiple grand caravans locally with close to or more than 200K miles on them.



My current Chrysler has 247,000 and going strong, but not without a new turbo, steering box, linkages, ball joints, hubs, shocks, and a few other odds and ends. I got it for a song with 240,000 and it's a diesel so it should run forever if I keep up on the maintenence. Thankfully the clutch was done around 225,000 miles, so I might not ever have to deal with it. Several interior items are broken or damaged, but I'll fix them eventually. Modern Chrysler stuff is pretty good. Pretty much everything since the proliferation of automated assembly lines and computers has become pretty reliable. Taking out the human element has gone a long way. Look at exotic hand built cars and they are not only exceedingly expensive but also extremely unreliable. That's obviously not the point of such vehicles, but it gets the point across.


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## blades (Apr 5, 2019)

i do not seem to have problems with getting to and past 100k on units- providing that the bodies last that long here in the rust belt


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## begreen (Apr 5, 2019)

Yeah, salt is the enemy of the car chassis. Definitely a benefit of owning a west coast car.


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## saewoody (Apr 5, 2019)

begreen said:


> FWIW, I know of multiple grand caravans locally with close to or more than 200K miles on them.



I know it’s a stereotype, but anytime I hear about a high mileage Chrysler, I wonder what number transmission it’s on. 




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bholler (Apr 5, 2019)

SpaceBus said:


> My current Chrysler has 247,000 and going strong, but not without a new turbo, steering box, linkages, ball joints, hubs, shocks, and a few other odds and ends. I got it for a song with 240,000 and it's a diesel so it should run forever if I keep up on the maintenence. Thankfully the clutch was done around 225,000 miles, so I might not ever have to deal with it. Several interior items are broken or damaged, but I'll fix them eventually. Modern Chrysler stuff is pretty good. Pretty much everything since the proliferation of automated assembly lines and computers has become pretty reliable. Taking out the human element has gone a long way. Look at exotic hand built cars and they are not only exceedingly expensive but also extremely unreliable. That's obviously not the point of such vehicles, but it gets the point across.


Yes but the only part of that drivetrain that is Chrysler is the transmission.  And that is really the only part I have heard of problems with.  Well that and body rust.  They don't really seem to have frame rust issues like the GM trucks of that time period.


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## SpaceBus (Apr 5, 2019)

bholler said:


> Yes but the only part of that drivetrain that is Chrysler is the transmission.  And that is really the only part I have heard of problems with.  Well that and body rust.  They don't really seem to have frame rust issues like the GM trucks of that time period.


Nope, it's a Mercedes G56 six speed manual. The automatic is all Chrysler though


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## bholler (Apr 5, 2019)

SpaceBus said:


> Nope, it's a Mercedes G56 six speed manual. The automatic is all Chrysler though


Ahhh ok so Cummins motor Mercedes trans new venture transfer case and gm differentials.  No wonder it has held up so we'll. 

Just kidding Dodge makes good vehicles yes they have had some issues but all companies have.  The most reliable vehicle I have owned was a 1997 Mitsubishi eclipse which was mostly Chrysler.  I put over 200000 on it.  It had 260000 when I traded it in.  The only things i had to replace other than normal wear stuff was the water pump power steering pump and radiator.  The only thing wrong with it when I traded it was the clutch was shot.  But I hadn't changed it and wasn't exactly easy on it so I think that is pretty good.


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## SpaceBus (Apr 5, 2019)

bholler said:


> Ahhh ok so Cummins motor Mercedes trans new venture transfer case and gm differentials.  No wonder it has held up so we'll.
> 
> Just kidding Dodge makes good vehicles yes they have had some issues but all companies have.  The most reliable vehicle I have owned was a 1997 Mitsubishi eclipse which was mostly Chrysler.  I put over 200000 on it.  It had 260000 when I traded it in.  The only things i had to replace other than normal wear stuff was the water pump power steering pump and radiator.  The only thing wrong with it when I traded it was the clutch was shot.  But I hadn't changed it and wasn't exactly easy on it so I think that is pretty good.


Basically I bought it for the engine and payload, but lately Chrysler is doing well. The old DSM cars like the Elcipse were really neat, especially if you could snag one with AWD. It's basically an Evolution coupe at that point.


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## KJamesJR (Apr 5, 2019)

What’s with all the Chrysler bashing??

I’m seeing a lot of big numbers being thrown around 100k, 200k, 260k... My Chrysler has redefined my definition of “high mileage”.

Except it’s a 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport with 270,000 miles on the odometer. Still technically Chrysler as of 1987.


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## bholler (Apr 5, 2019)

KJamesJR said:


> What’s with all the Chrysler bashing??
> 
> I’m seeing a lot of big numbers being thrown around 100k, 200k, 260k... My Chrysler has redefined my definition of “high mileage”.
> 
> Except it’s a 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport with 270,000 miles on the odometer. Still technically Chrysler as of 1987.


I just have had more trouble with Chrysler's than any other vehicles.  I have only owned 3 Chrysler's including the eclipse which sort of is.  And I have replaced 1 motor 3 transmissions and 2 rear diffs in them.  But the eclipse was fantastic and my father's Dodge work truck before I started with him was great as well.    The first Dodge van wasn't to bad trans between 120000 and 150000 and rear not long after.  Almost made.it to 200000 before motor trouble so we got another.  Trans went under warranty then motor went under warranty.  Trans went again under 100000 then motor again around 120000


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## KJamesJR (Apr 6, 2019)

bholler said:


> I just have had more trouble with Chrysler's than any other vehicles.  I have only owned 3 Chrysler's including the eclipse which sort of is.  And I have replaced 1 motor 3 transmissions and 2 rear diffs in them.  But the eclipse was fantastic and my father's Dodge work truck before I started with him was great as well.    The first Dodge van wasn't to bad trans between 120000 and 150000 and rear not long after.  Almost made.it to 200000 before motor trouble so we got another.  Trans went under warranty then motor went under warranty.  Trans went again under 100000 then motor again around 120000



It’s hard to hold “work duty” platforms against your typical “consumer grade” platforms. Specifically when hauling. I’m sure my Cherokee has only made it so far because I just daily drive it. Once you start adding weight and hauling you can expect the life to drop.

Even though these vehicle are “work rated” or have an enormous towing capacity they never really specify for how long under what conditions. I guess they toss around warranties to give a rough idea. Though I’m not sure what the standard is now, but with today’s advances in motor vehicle manufacturing I don’t think you’re typical 100,000 mile warranty cuts it anymore. Seems like they set the standard 30 or 40 years ago and haven’t adjusted to match today’s manufacturing standards.


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## bholler (Apr 6, 2019)

KJamesJR said:


> It’s hard to hold “work duty” platforms against your typical “consumer grade” platforms. Specifically when hauling. I’m sure my Cherokee has only made it so far because I just daily drive it. Once you start adding weight and hauling you can expect the life to drop.
> 
> Even though these vehicle are “work rated” or have an enormous towing capacity they never really specify for how long under what conditions. I guess they toss around warranties to give a rough idea. Though I’m not sure what the standard is now, but with today’s advances in motor vehicle manufacturing I don’t think you’re typical 100,000 mile warranty cuts it anymore. Seems like they set the standard 30 or 40 years ago and haven’t adjusted to match today’s manufacturing standards.


Yes all of that is true.  But we have had multiple ford and gm vans that have done the exact same work without major driveline failure untill close to 200000 if at all.


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## firefighterjake (Apr 8, 2019)

2003 Honda Accord. Second owner. Bought it from a dealership with less than 50,000 miles or so in 2007. Only had to replace a lower . . . can't remember the part . . . It helped drive the front wheels. Ran it for a few more thousand miles after it rolled over 200K before replacing it with my current 2015 WRX which I bought brand new. Surprisingly enough the body was actually quite solid with very little rust.

Sold the Accord to my friend who gave it to his boy who ran it for a few years. Engine was eventually replaced under his watch.


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## fbelec (Apr 22, 2019)

back when a car did 100,000 miles before they went bad shortly after i had a 1976 lincoln town car. i was the third owner and knew the 2nd owner and the 2nd knew the first. a lot of highway miles but plenty of city stop and go. i put 125,000 on it with just oil brakes and tires. added a few things from the back of popular mechanics magazine and upped the mileage to 13 city 23 highway trans went at 350,00 miles i got rid of the car when the frame broke but took out the engine for a friend for his truck when i gave it to him it had 425,000 miles. it was possible to get a lot of miles out of those old cars with just preventive maintenance if the car was made right from the get go. todays cars like the crown vic or grang marquis town car majority of people get 300,000 before something major happens and can go to 4-500,000 with proper maintenance


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## PaulOinMA (Apr 22, 2019)

fbelec said:


> ... todays cars like the crown vic or grang marquis town car majority of people get 300,000 before something major happens and can go to 4-500,000 with proper maintenance



Yup!

Friend had his 1994 Impala SS for 300,000 miles.  Only did manufacturer-recommended routine maintenance and only replaced the water pump and seat cushion foam in that time.

Dealer gave him $500 as trade-in towards a new Chrysler 300C.  Had that for 250,000 miles with, again, just dealer recommended maintenance intervals.  Traded that in for a new Chrysler 300C AWD that he has now.

The $500 trade-in amount was a goodwill amount according to the dealer.  Friend asked what they do with a trade-in that has 300,000 miles on it.  They said it will go on a boat to Africa.

Friend thought that he may have the highest mileage Impala SS since he drives a lot.  Posted it on the Impala forum (NAISSO).  Several folks had 300,000 - 400,000 miles.


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## PaulOinMA (Apr 22, 2019)

I mentioned my friend's Impala SS that the dealer said they were sending to Africa.

Thought of the TX person that traded in his work pick-up.  Dealer was suppose to remove the business name.  They didn't, and the truck ended up with Syrian jihadis.  

https://www.usnews.com/news/article...e-decaled-truck-went-to-syria-settles-lawsuit


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## begreen (Apr 22, 2019)

Dad bought a '67 Buick Special wagon with the 340 V8, heavy duty towing package, and manual transmission + heavy duty clutch. It was a special order and unusual with all the bells and whistles (AC, pwr windows, leather interior, roof rack) but with a three on the tree shifter. We had a Shasta trailer that we towed around with that car and it was super reliable. At around 150K miles he got a new Buick and the wagon was turned into a shop car for his plumbers. It kept going, loaded to the hilt for another 150K before the frame finally rusted out. Motor still ran fine.


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## maple1 (Apr 22, 2019)

I wouldn't consider 100,000 'high mileage'. Might just be me.

Our 2006 Civic has 510,000 kms, our 2007 Pilot has 270,000 kms, and our 2017 Civic has around 80,000 kms. Regular oil changes (12,000km+/- interval) and tires when needed, plus the odd brake job.


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## Dix (Apr 22, 2019)

I've been driving around in a 2002 Mitsu Lancer that I bought 6 years ago for $2000 with 130,000 on it.

6 years later, it's got 229,000 on it.

I've done one set of tires (4 years ago, almost time for another go round), an exhaust system, upper cat, tune up, brakes (twice, last time 1 month ago), radiator / heating hoses & thermo, and some other stuff.

35 MPG cannot get any better, for me. Scarlett is mine until she croaks 

*My other car is a 2005 F250 XLT*


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## Dobish (Apr 23, 2019)

the average mileage on our cars is 198.7K with an average age of 19....


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## AlbergSteve (Apr 24, 2019)

maple1 said:


> I wouldn't consider 100,000 'high mileage'. Might just be me.
> 
> Our 2006 Civic has 510,000 kms, our 2007 Pilot has 270,000 kms, and our 2017 Civic has around 80,000 kms. Regular oil changes (12,000km+/- interval) and tires when needed, plus the odd brake job.


We've had countless Civics and Tercels with over 300k here on the west coast. The killer in NS is the salt, sooo much salt! Last time I was home in the winter you couldn't tell where any of the lane markings were there was so much salt...


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## maple1 (Apr 24, 2019)

Yes, lots of the stuff. Annual Rust Check or Krown sprays are the only decent defense.


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## gabenson (Jun 12, 2019)

My F150 has 158K on it and still runs great. It had a clattering cam phaser issue. I've changed the alternator, bearings in the axle, shocks and other components. I also replaced my 20 inch dually wheels with 18's. Nothing major. Regarding the underbody rust protection, I used Fluid Film. This stuff works great. It is just a bit messy to use.


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## SpaceBus (Jun 13, 2019)

gabenson said:


> My F150 has 158K on it and still runs great. It had a clattering cam phaser issue. I've changed the alternator, bearings in the axle, shocks and other components. I also replaced my 20 inch dually wheels with 18's. Nothing major. Regarding the underbody rust protection, I used Fluid Film. This stuff works great. It is just a bit messy to use.


How did you apply the fluid film? Why Dually wheels on a half ton?


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## Sully1515 (Jun 13, 2019)

I currently drive a Subaru Crosstrek.  Big fan of that car.  Excellent gas mileage.  Prior, I drove an '05 Ford Taurus.  My job had me do a ton of traveling and now that I have a new job, I'm pretty much in one location.  Glad to not commute as much anymore.   My old Taurus, I had originally purchased with 10k miles.  I was able to get 220k miles.  Great car.  Unfortunately, living in New Hampshire, our winters and roads are covered with quite a bit of salt during the winter months.  The under carriage started to rust out, and we simply decided to trade in the car.  Overall, a great car!


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## SpaceBus (Jun 13, 2019)

Sully1515 said:


> I currently drive a Subaru Crosstrek.  Big fan of that car.  Excellent gas mileage.  Prior, I drove an '05 Ford Taurus.  My job had me do a ton of traveling and now that I have a new job, I'm pretty much in one location.  Glad to not commute as much anymore.   My old Taurus, I had originally purchased with 10k miles.  I was able to get 220k miles.  Great car.  Unfortunately, living in New Hampshire, our winters and roads are covered with quite a bit of salt during the winter months.  The under carriage started to rust out, and we simply decided to trade in the car.  Overall, a great car!



A friend of mine has a Taurus with a 3.0 Vulcan (not the DOHC Duratec) and it won't stop running. He uses it for work as well and puts thousands of miles on it every month. I'm a big fan of the Crosstrek in principle, but I wish Subaru had done a better job in the execution portion, specifically a little more power and a six speed manual. A WRX or STI version would be incredible, but unlikely. Even just the engine from the FR-Z86 (200 HP naturally aspirated) would be great with a six speed. A plug in hybrid or electric would get my attention as well. Still, after we build a garage one could end up in the stable since we already have a sporty car. What kind of milage do you get?


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## Sully1515 (Jun 13, 2019)

SpaceBus said:


> A friend of mine has a Taurus with a 3.0 Vulcan (not the DOHC Duratec) and it won't stop running. He uses it for work as well and puts thousands of miles on it every month. I'm a big fan of the Crosstrek in principle, but I wish Subaru had done a better job in the execution portion, specifically a little more power and a six speed manual. A WRX or STI version would be incredible, but unlikely. Even just the engine from the FR-Z86 (200 HP naturally aspirated) would be great with a six speed. A plug in hybrid or electric would get my attention as well. Still, after we build a garage one could end up in the stable since we already have a sporty car. What kind of milage do you get?



The Vulcan engine was a great product that Ford produced.  Regarding the CrossTrek, yes, I agree.  The car needs just a little more power.  The trick is to simply not push the car.  Let it get to speed and stay at that speed, especially on the highway.  Granted, my commute now is more back roads, but, I'm averaging 32 to 36 MPG's.  Of course, some people may get better mileage and some may get worse mileage, but, overall, for us, it's a great car.


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## Ashful (Jun 13, 2019)

gabenson said:


> My F150 has 158K on it and still runs great. It had a clattering cam phaser issue. I've changed the alternator, bearings in the axle, shocks and other components. I also replaced my 20 inch dually wheels with 18's. Nothing major. Regarding the underbody rust protection, I used Fluid Film. This stuff works great. It is just a bit messy to use.



A 1/2 ton dually?!?  Never seen one of those...


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## SpaceBus (Jun 13, 2019)

Sully1515 said:


> The Vulcan engine was a great product that Ford produced.  Regarding the CrossTrek, yes, I agree.  The car needs just a little more power.  The trick is to simply not push the car.  Let it get to speed and stay at that speed, especially on the highway.  Granted, my commute now is more back roads, but, I'm averaging 32 to 36 MPG's.  Of course, some people may get better mileage and some may get worse mileage, but, overall, for us, it's a great car.



Not bad fuel economy for an AWD hatch. I wager only the regular Impreza gets better mileage.


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