Is 100,000 miles a lot for a car?

[Rugged Collectivist]

I'm getting a car. It has slightly over 100k miles on it but it's over ten years old so that doesn't seem to be abnormal. I can't really go into make and model for security reasons.

I looked at it and it seems to have been maintained really well, but I'm not really a car person so I wouldn't know.

[Q]

I can't really go into make and model for security reasons.
You're getting a tank or something?

But 100k miles is a lot. At least if it is a gasoline engine. Expect a pretty worn out engine and steep maintenance costs.

If it is a diesel engine however, then you can add another 100k miles to it, easy.

[Rugged Collectivist]

You're getting a tank or something?

But 100k miles is a lot. At least if it is a gasoline engine. Expect a pretty worn out engine and steep maintenance costs.

If it is a diesel engine however, then you can add another 100k miles to it, easy.

Nah, just paranoid.

It's gasoline. I guess it's better than nothing...

[Conscript]

I drive an 11 year old pontiac grand prix with a little over 100k miles. It's reaching the end of its life.

[Rugged Collectivist]

I was told that it only had one previous owner. I checked the price online and it's actually really close to the market price for the type of car that it is. I asked for a report but the dealer said he couldn't pull it up since the car was technically sold, which I thought was shady as hell.

It's an American car btw.

The thing is, I can't really shop around because my dad is buying it for me and he didn't consult me at all about it. I just called him one day and he was all "yo I got you a car". He pulls this shit all the time. I can't back out because he already paid like half of it off and I don't feel like I can complain because I'm not paying a dime for it and I've never had a car before. I just hope it doesn't die on me.

I told him to get me a brand new scooter for less than half the price but my parents are afraid I'd die. I told them it's worth the risk but they're stubborn people.

[Rusty Shackleford]

i have a 17 year old Honda Accord that is approaching 400k miles. I will still take it on 500 mile trips if i need to.

[Rugged Collectivist]

i have a 17 year old Honda Accord that is approaching 400k miles. I will still take it on 500 mile trips if i need to.

Damn son. Teach me everything you know.

[Rusty Shackleford]

Damn son. Teach me everything you know.

i know its a honda, and i change its oil roughly every 3,000 miles.


ive taken it over 2 mountains and possibly over the sierras this summer. just need to get the breaks all nice'd up and get the transmission cleaned.

[Sasha]

For a gasoline Alfa Romeo it way to much, for a VW diesel it would be fine
But its an American make gasoline huh...
Convert it to LPG if you are not planning road trips through the midle of nowhere. Only thing that makes US cars better than other makes, cheap converts but I guess you have less lpg pumps arround than we..
And if its hasn't been replaced you will have to have distribution belt replaced, so count another few hundred bucks for that.

[Rugged Collectivist]

And if its hasn't been replaced you will have to have distribution belt replaced, so count another few hundred bucks for that.

I don't know what you mean by distribution belt. If you mean timing belt I'm pretty sure it has a timing chain. I don't know what difference that makes.

[ellipsis]

diesels mercedes go to like 600,000 if the body survives. gas not so much.

[bcbm]

i think my car is over that and it isn't doing too bad besides when the ball joint fell out while i was driving...

[Art Vandelay]

What the fuck is with people saying 100k is alot? 200k and okay you're getting up there (and I'm not saying there will never be a repair) however I'm push 235k on my 2000 2 seater truck and its hauling ass. Not to mention I've driven cars well past that amount in the past. That being said, get regular oil changes.

[bcbm]

my dad routinely drives cars past 250k

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Depends on the car. Cars like BMWs and Mercedes can easily do 200,000 miles + if they're in good condition. Most well built, well looked after cars will do 150,000 miles.

So yeah, depends how much you're spending, whether it's in good nick, whether it has full service history, what happened at its last MOT/service and most importantly, what you want to use it for and how long you want to keep it.

[Rusty Shackleford]

dont get a BMW or Mercedes regardless because that shit is expensive on upkeep in the US

[bcbm]

yeah my dad has had buicks for the last idk two plus decades? they keep discontinuing the models he likes but they are like fucking tanks and go for ages, just need the occasional big repair

my car is a chevy and when we were thinking of selling it earlier this year online there were ones with a ton more mileage than mine still being sold for a decent price so they obviously hold up too. just gotta treat it right i think

not that i do a very good job

[Rugged Collectivist]

yeah my dad has had buicks for the last idk two plus decades? they keep discontinuing the models he likes but they are like fucking tanks and go for ages, just need the occasional big repair

I'm getting a Buick so this is really reassuring.

[pastradamus]

Nah, Im afraid I am king of the mountain here.

My first car was a Toyota Corolla 2 litre Diesel that was a hand-me-down from my father whom was using it for ten years previously - as a taxi.

I love it and it never let me down. Then one night two scumbags stole it and destroyed it. It had over 400k miles up on it.

I was working as a mechanic and I did some amount of alterations to its engine. I converted it to allow it to run off a combination of diesel and cooking oil (my car's output used to smell like something you get in the backroom of a macdonalds restaurant), I even ram-charged its engine and made the cars air intake super rich.

So does it depend on the amount of miles in a car? Yes and No.
Just have a few things in mind in this regard:

1) Who owned the car previously? A young/ old man/woman? Young men can do untold drivers damage to an engine whilst women have a tendancy to keep their foot on the clutch - which can damage it. (Not all women, just a few mind, but it is common).

2) Are the miles genuine? I put up about 15k a year myself. Its VERY easy to clock a car backwards.

3) Is the car petrol (gas) or diesel? Diesel cars are more robust. Hence the extra cost of buying them.

4) Has the car ever been involved in a collision? There are ways of checking this online and by a visual inspection of the doorline, bonnet line and rear bumper. If the lines ain't straight then neither is the seller.

5) What make and model is the car and whats its rep? I find many different makes of car to be rather reliable and some to be completely shit. Stay away from anything French and anything Italian (I dont imagine you're getting a ferrari). Japanese cars have excellent electronics and German cars have excellent engineering. American cars haven't been good since motor city closed down.

6) Do you see many of the same cars of the same age driving around? Always a good sign. Its the biggest tell-tale of the lot. I used to see lots of fiat punto's in Ireland about ten years back. I could drive the length of the country now and not see one thats 3 years or older. So no fiat punto on my shopping list.

7) Internet, Internet, Internet! Check forums online. People will give you their positive and negative experiences.

8) Insurance. There is no point paying top-dollar for a car if your insurer is also going to hammer you. We all want a 6 litre V8 but if the insurance aint right its gonna hurt in the long-run.

9) Make sure you test drive it first! I find power-steering is the breaking question. Its the sign the car is past its age. If you are told a car has power steering and you still have to work hard to get it around a corner then just say no.

10) New Tyres and Fuel. If a person selling a car hasnt bothered putting 4 new tyres on a car and filling it up then forget about it. If they dont respect their car then why should you?

11) Chassis number. Make sure the chassis number is there. If its filed off or looks to be tampered with then its been stolen or involved in a crime.

12) All the other stuff. Leg room, comfort, safety, road handling, room for kids, fuel comsumption....make sure the car is for your needs.

[pastradamus]

yeah my dad has had buicks for the last idk two plus decades? they keep discontinuing the models he likes but they are like fucking tanks and go for ages, just need the occasional big repair

my car is a chevy and when we were thinking of selling it earlier this year online there were ones with a ton more mileage than mine still being sold for a decent price so they obviously hold up too. just gotta treat it right i think

not that i do a very good job

Actually the new Chevy's are pretty good. I think the brainstomed a few jap idea's and the last one I saw had pretty robust electronics in it.

[Rusty Shackleford]

Actually the new Chevy's are pretty good. I think the brainstomed a few jap idea's and the last one I saw had pretty robust electronics in it.

maybe extend that to 'Japanese' ? at least in the US 'jap' is considered racist and has a history of racist anti-japanese usage especially during WWII

[pastradamus]

maybe extend that to 'Japanese' ? at least in the US 'jap' is considered racist and has a history of racist anti-japanese usage especially during WWII

Yeah, just seen that. My apologies if I have offended anyone here. I often use that term, more slang than anything else really, ie "you can't beat Jap electronics" ect... a common phrase used by mechanics here. Im absolutely murder for it, I once called a comrade from Turkey a "Turk" without giving it a second thought or thinking it offensive. Then again we had no Pearl Harbour, Hiroshima or WWII for that matter so we have only reasons to like them over here. In the end I mean no offense. So its Japanese from now on comrade ;)1.

[REV3R]

My car is a 97 model with just under 100k and running great, never had problems. Really depends on the model and make i guess.

[skitty]

An old friend went the other route and never worried about mileage-refused to ever pay more than a hundred bucks for a car. He led a charmed life with few breakdowns; and knew the owner of a rural junkyard who'd let him pick parts for a bottle or two of whiskey.

[DasFapital]

What the fuck is with people saying 100k is alot? 200k and okay you're getting up there (and I'm not saying there will never be a repair) however I'm push 235k on my 2000 2 seater truck and its hauling ass. Not to mention I've driven cars well past that amount in the past. That being said, get regular oil changes.
I have a 2000 silverado that's at 235k. still drives fine.

[cyu]

I got a 17 year old Saturn with over 100k miles on it. Drives fine, and I know squat about cars. I've even slacked enough to let the motor oil run practically dry, and the oil change guy tell me I had to sign a waiver, saying the car already came in terrible condition and they wouldn't be responsible for any damage already there xD

There were times in the past where I'd see the "Service Engine Soon" light come on and get all paranoid, taking the car in for repairs, losing money, and thinking the car was near its end. Then I actually read the user's manual and found out it's pretty common when moisture gathers on the sensor. After that, it's mostly been a breeze.

...that said, sleazy used car dealers are sleazy. Typical characters bred by capitalism ;)

[L.A.P.]

I drive a salvaged-title Honda Civic with 125k on it

My dad has a few lincoln town cars that are well over 250k