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Old 09-22-2012, 10:29 AM   #1
AVANTI R5
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Default 12 Cars That Will Go 200,000 Miles — or More

Quote:
12 Cars That Will Go 200,000 Miles — or More

By Erik Sofge of MSN Autos
A decade ago, the impossible became the status quo: Cars from nearly every brand were routinely making it well past the 100,000-mile mark and chugging along respectably toward a second 100,000. Today, among new or relatively recent models, 200,000 miles is to be expected. But which vehicles are most likely to be truly viable after passing that milestone, not as embarrassing relics, but as proud workhorses possibly capable of hitting the 300,000 mark?
Click through to see which cars have real staying power.





  • 1 of 15
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/12-ca...%80%94-or-more
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Old 09-22-2012, 11:35 AM   #2
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Volkswagen Passat
Durability isn't necessarily one of Volkswagen's strong suits, but in terms of looks alone, the brand tends to age gracefully. "Sometimes, today's trend is tomorrow's disaster," Nerad says. He points out that bold designs from, say, Kia and Hyundai could backfire 10 years out. "Volkswagen is much cleaner, more classic, in its styling," Nerad says. The Passat is as timeless as a VW gets, a roomy, solid performer that promises to never embarrass.
Since when is dependability a beauty contest?
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Old 09-22-2012, 02:05 PM   #3
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Since when is dependability a beauty contest?
Really. So the looks can go 200,000 miles.
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Old 09-22-2012, 02:10 PM   #4
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Yup,

And who cares if a bold design backfires in ten years? That car will be an entirely new generation by then!
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Old 09-23-2012, 06:53 AM   #5
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The point is VW is a car that will still look contemporary in 200k
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Old 09-23-2012, 03:43 PM   #6
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The point is VW is a car that will still look contemporary in 200k
The paint will certainly not fade because of all the time it will spend in repair shops.
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Old 09-24-2012, 02:31 AM   #7
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I didn't even have to read due to the fact that you guys quoted them saying that about the VW.

MSN Autos isn't work my time to read at that point.
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Old 09-24-2012, 08:53 AM   #8
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Ugh. Worthless article.
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Old 09-24-2012, 09:34 AM   #9
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The point is VW is a car that will still look contemporary in 200k
That's pretty much what the whole article has to be saying. Any car will go 200K miles, that's not news. Some designs will age a lot better than others, though.
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Old 09-24-2012, 11:07 AM   #10
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a timeless look is part of the equation for having a high mileage car. There is really no incentive to trade in an older jeep wrangler for a newer one, provided it doesn't have any major mechanical problems.

In today's society owning a vehicle and having it paid in full is a foreign notion. Not everyone wants to live a lifestyle where you constantly owe money but people like me are few and far between these days.

With vehicles now normally doing 200k miles, vehicle loans are extended past 72months. Vehicle prices are way up and people can afford the payments provided they own you for 6 years of your life. We now live in a society that's OK with debt.
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Old 09-24-2012, 11:28 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by gggplaya View Post
In today's society owning a vehicle and having it paid in full is a foreign notion. Not everyone wants to live a lifestyle where you constantly owe money but people like me are few and far between these days.

With vehicles now normally doing 200k miles, vehicle loans are extended past 72months. Vehicle prices are way up and people can afford the payments provided they own you for 6 years of your life. We now live in a society that's OK with debt.
You sure you're not yelling at clouds? New car prices vs income have actually been declining. The biggest reason to finance a car for a long term is that it's smart money management when the interest rate is 0-3%.
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Old 09-24-2012, 11:45 AM   #12
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The biggest reason to finance a car for a long term is that it's smart money management when the interest rate is 0-3%.
Absolutely. If you have $25K in the bank and you still have a mortgage and you use that $25K to buy a depreciating asset(car), shame on you. You can get 1.49% all day long now on new and used vehicles. That $25K dropped on your mortgage will save THOUSANDS(tens of thousands) in the big picture. People are very short-sighted. The tables turn when auto rates are this low.
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Old 09-24-2012, 02:30 PM   #13
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You sure you're not yelling at clouds? New car prices vs income have actually been declining. The biggest reason to finance a car for a long term is that it's smart money management when the interest rate is 0-3%.
While your point is true about new car prices, i don't necessarily agree with smart money managment. It can be done that way, but it's rare to have someone do it that way. When i sold cars that wasn't the reason why 95% of the people buying cars opted for a long term loan. They did it because they wanted a better vehicle than they needed or could really afford. They wanted a larger vehicle for the same monthly payment as a smaller vehicle. Monthly payment was the major talking point with most buyers. It was actually our job to not discuss the total sticker price, just try to keep them talking about monthly payment. Long term loans was a way to achieve that. Vehicles capable of higher mileage with better resale value gave banks the confidence to provide them. So it's essentially not smart money management when you're spending way more money over 6+ years instead of buying a smaller more modest vehicle over 5 years.

And really when you honestly think about it, how many people take those interest rate savings and reinvest in their mortgage? I'd say it's a very very small percentage of people. Instead they either put it into their savings which collects less interest than your paying on your loan, or they use it to buy little johnny a new xbox game.

I'm lucky enough to have just paid off my modest vehicle. It has 80k miles on it and plenty more to go. I won't buy a new car until the government gets america's finances under much better control. However i know that's not going to happen because the majority population just doesn't seem to care about long term success. They just want, want and want it right now, with no regard for where it's coming from or how it'll impact our future.
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Old 09-24-2012, 02:37 PM   #14
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You forget...

You also have $50K additional debt that isn't likely on any of your books...Your share of the national debt at 16+ Trillion, and growing faster than any time in US history.

The interest rates are still low... by the FED dumping money into the stock market and other banks... money that doesn't touch the ground.

Once all that cash breaks the economic dam... the flood will cause hyper inflation.

I have a paid off house. I have 3 paid off, high-mileage cars that are starting to cost some significant money to keep in repair, at only 80-120K miles. I have a little left on a consolidated student loan, and haven't had credit card debt in almost a decade.

Yet I still have to watch what I spend... because I can't access my retirement savings, and I can't afford to save after the monthy and annual bills are paid from my frozen income in an economy where it is a bad risk to try to jump out of a solid job that doesn't pay raises.

Sure, a vehicle might do 200K miles... if you budget for multiple sets of wheel bearings, brakes, timing belts, tires, shocks, bushings, and electrical repairs. Cars since ~2002 have become price-point built, and a mechanic's dream for income, and mechanics rates are certainly not down in this economy, as people repair cars and keep them longer, rather than buying another vehicle which costs even more.

Yet real buying power has stagnated for the last 4-5 years at least, while costs for cars, energy, food, and other things have gone up, and some lending has gotten much tighter.

The same paychecks don't grow much, year to year, but the grocery bill, and the utility bill, and the gasoline bill to commute to work, DO significantly go up. Gas is up ~140% or more than 4 years ago. Food inflation is more than 10% per year for the last 4-5 years. Inflation leaves food and energy out, in order to LIE. Food an energy are the two least-elastic household expenses. No wonder consumer confidence and consumer spending has been flat for years.

The Dollars don't buy as much, and the people on the ground don't see the dollars that the FED is printing... they are caught up in banks and the falsely-inflated stock market.

People aren't borrowing because they have money in the bank, more often than not. People are borrowing because they DON'T have money in the bank... yet car loans are still easier to get than a mortgage or a small business loan.

And those of us who have paid down debt, and been responsible might not have a cash stash to buy a new ever-more expensive car, and the still high used car prices (5 MY-old cars are still ~20K$+... as new cars stay even higher.

Someone with no or very little debt, but still stagnant income, and unable to accrue savings due to ever-increasing costs of living... are stuck still living pretty thin, even though they've been responsible.

There is no incentive to be responsible... and no thought for the eventual consequences of current irresponsibility when the circumstances change in the future.

Savings is encouraged... by the government's tax policy, for SOMEDAY.... but between today and someday... most people have little or nothing, and the Someday money is generating money for fund managers, and is protected by fees and taxes to prohibit withdrawal.

It used to be that you paid your current expenses, and saved for tomorrow. As you continued to do that, your income increase allowed you to have more discretionary now money, and your saving for tomorrow began to accrue wealth, and became saving for next year. Then next decade, and became your nest-egg for someday.

Now someday is with-held for someone else to blindly manage and take their percentage, and it is all most people can do, to keep up with today... and all the days between tomorrow and someday... are significantly uncertain, and at risk.

Even more at risk if the dollars we have continue to devalue as they are.
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Old 09-24-2012, 02:57 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HipToBeSquare View Post
You forget...

You also have $50K additional debt that isn't likely on any of your books...Your share of the national debt at 16+ Trillion, and growing faster than any time in US history.

The interest rates are still low... by the FED dumping money into the stock market and other banks... money that doesn't touch the ground.

Once all that cash breaks the economic dam... the flood will cause hyper inflation.

I have a paid off house. I have 3 paid off, high-mileage cars that are starting to cost some significant money to keep in repair, at only 80-120K miles. I have a little left on a consolidated student loan, and haven't had credit card debt in almost a decade.

Yet I still have to watch what I spend... because I can't access my retirement savings, and I can't afford to save after the monthy and annual bills are paid from my frozen income in an economy where it is a bad risk to try to jump out of a solid job that doesn't pay raises.

Sure, a vehicle might do 200K miles... if you budget for multiple sets of wheel bearings, brakes, timing belts, tires, shocks, bushings, and electrical repairs. Cars since ~2002 have become price-point built, and a mechanic's dream for income, and mechanics rates are certainly not down in this economy, as people repair cars and keep them longer, rather than buying another vehicle which costs even more.

Yet real buying power has stagnated for the last 4-5 years at least, while costs for cars, energy, food, and other things have gone up, and some lending has gotten much tighter.

The same paychecks don't grow much, year to year, but the grocery bill, and the utility bill, and the gasoline bill to commute to work, DO significantly go up. Gas is up ~140% or more than 4 years ago. Food inflation is more than 10% per year for the last 4-5 years. Inflation leaves food and energy out, in order to LIE. Food an energy are the two least-elastic household expenses. No wonder consumer confidence and consumer spending has been flat for years.

The Dollars don't buy as much, and the people on the ground don't see the dollars that the FED is printing... they are caught up in banks and the falsely-inflated stock market.

People aren't borrowing because they have money in the bank, more often than not. People are borrowing because they DON'T have money in the bank... yet car loans are still easier to get than a mortgage or a small business loan.

And those of us who have paid down debt, and been responsible might not have a cash stash to buy a new ever-more expensive car, and the still high used car prices (5 MY-old cars are still ~20K$+... as new cars stay even higher.

Someone with no or very little debt, but still stagnant income, and unable to accrue savings due to ever-increasing costs of living... are stuck still living pretty thin, even though they've been responsible.

There is no incentive to be responsible... and no thought for the eventual consequences of current irresponsibility when the circumstances change in the future.

Savings is encouraged... by the government's tax policy, for SOMEDAY.... but between today and someday... most people have little or nothing, and the Someday money is generating money for fund managers, and is protected by fees and taxes to prohibit withdrawal.

It used to be that you paid your current expenses, and saved for tomorrow. As you continued to do that, your income increase allowed you to have more discretionary now money, and your saving for tomorrow began to accrue wealth, and became saving for next year. Then next decade, and became your nest-egg for someday.

Now someday is with-held for someone else to blindly manage and take their percentage, and it is all most people can do, to keep up with today... and all the days between tomorrow and someday... are significantly uncertain, and at risk.

Even more at risk if the dollars we have continue to devalue as they are.
I didn't forget. I just didn't want to take this thread off topic into a discussion about the economy.

But this cars are lasting over 200k news is important and related. This procreates an environment or culture of people being put into more debt for longer periods of time. Even with troubled economic uncertainty looming overhead.
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Old 09-24-2012, 03:13 PM   #16
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A 200K mile car doesn't do you much good, if you can't afford to buy it until it has 100-150K miles already on it.

And the affordability issue, especially when talking about loan terms that are longer than most people keep cars, and also market actively to re-finance people's negative equity in their trade-in vehicle, is very much an economic issue.

Lenders WANT conscripted debtors that are paying them interest.

Debtors pay more interest right now than banks do for saving.

That has more to do with long-term car loans than the longevity of the vehicles, or their cost of operation.
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Old 09-24-2012, 03:19 PM   #17
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HTBS, the length of your posts, you could bundle them all together and make a textbook.
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Old 09-24-2012, 03:33 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HipToBeSquare View Post
A 200K mile car doesn't do you much good, if you can't afford to buy it until it has 100-150K miles already on it.

And the affordability issue, especially when talking about loan terms that are longer than most people keep cars, and also market actively to re-finance people's negative equity in their trade-in vehicle, is very much an economic issue.

Lenders WANT conscripted debtors that are paying them interest.

Debtors pay more interest right now than banks do for saving.

That has more to do with long-term car loans than the longevity of the vehicles, or their cost of operation.
The banks aren't as apt to lend for negative trade in like they used to be. They will take on a little, like if you're buying a $30k car, they'll tack on maybe up to maybe $2k depending on your credit, even then that's a bit iffy trying to get that approved. It's not like back in the early-mid 2000's where you could get them to approve $8k of negative equity no problem.

Banks have always made their money from loans. They want people to owe them money for as long as possible while they collect interest. That's nothing new, and they've been doing it since before Jesus. The two things that have changed recently where 72 month loans are the new norm instead of 60month loans in the 90's, are cars last longer, and gap insurance. All banks will finance the gap insurance added to your loan. It has always been a fact that you increase the risk of defaults if the car isn't drive-able. The owner is less likely to pay on the loan if someone totals it and they owe more than insurance gives them for it. Also if the thing breaks down and sits in the driveway. Many people don't pay the loan.

But yes i agree, the majority population will trade their car in long before their current loan is payed off. Happens all the time, and it's a bad societal belief that that's ok. In certain circumstances you have to, like you expanded your family, or you need it for your new job, but most times they do it just because their bored of their old car.
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Old 09-25-2012, 02:48 AM   #19
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E28 535i - E34 as well with the M30 but that is more of an old man's boat car.
E24 635CSi

Anything with the M30 engine. They can go over 300k miles and if it blows up you can buy one for $300.

The bonus? They are nice to drive, have decent power, and are comfortable. If you are putting 300k miles on a car i bet you do a lot of long distance driving which is what these are built for. I drive 40 miles one way to work and have been considering one.

Of course today German cars are anything but reliable like that. I never heard of a 300k mile M20 or later engined BMW.

Quote:
Originally Posted by gotsol View Post
The point is VW is a car that will still look contemporary in 200k
Too bad the entire car will have to be rewired and you will be on your second engine by that point.

Also, no. I see the VR6 and 1.8t GTIs and they look anything but contemporary.

I heard people have 200k mile Alfa Romeos as well. :/ <- my unimpressed face People will claim the one is the rule when its the exception, i get it. Any car will go over 200k miles if meticulously maintained. What car will go over 200k miles easily, and not just by chance? If you say VW I will laugh to my grave.

Last edited by mpristave; 09-25-2012 at 02:53 AM.
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Old 09-25-2012, 09:34 AM   #20
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I agree, I have had a few VW over the years and they are engineered dumb, and made to be overly complicated for no reason. They are not as reliable as this suggests... Make that any german car for that matter. I have watched my sister dump tons on money into her bmw (plus the dealers make up stuff like spraying oil somewhere to say you have a leak, which they found out by taking it to their actual mechanic), and mercedes. THE WORST PART of it all is the fact that the parts are obscenely overpriced as well as things do break.
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Old 09-25-2012, 09:46 AM   #21
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Also, no. I see the VR6 and 1.8t GTIs and they look anything but contemporary.
The current Passat and Jetta are very bland and plain looking. They should hold their look very well for many years. They will age much better than say the new mazda 3 and it's bold flowing design. Is what the article is trying to say and i would have to agree. You are getting to specific.
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Old 09-25-2012, 10:08 AM   #22
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out of all those cars, the Honda's and Forrester are the only ones I'd consider keeping past 100k-150k.


i love German cars, had a 86 Golf III and 98 Jetta III back in the late 90s / early 00's. both were great cars, highway cruisers... excellent gas miledge, even doing 80mph. but once the nickle & diming started, it got ugly fast.

i found myself being relieved when my repair bills were less than $400 dollars... while my buddies were driving 1 - 2 year old cars w/o the head aches.
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Old 09-25-2012, 11:34 AM   #23
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H2BS with yet another long winded post way off in left field



THe VW can go 200+K trouble free miles if you put it in a saturn rocket and launch it to the moon
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Old 09-25-2012, 05:03 PM   #24
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H2BS with yet another long winded post way off in left field
I wonder if anyone actually read that word vomit.
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Old 09-25-2012, 05:30 PM   #25
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Originally Posted by HipToBeSquare View Post
You forget...

You also have $50K additional debt that isn't likely on any of your books...Your share of the national debt at 16+ Trillion, and growing faster than any time in US history.

The interest rates are still low... by the FED dumping money into the stock market and other banks... money that doesn't touch the ground.

Once all that cash breaks the economic dam... the flood will cause hyper inflation.

I have a paid off house. I have 3 paid off, high-mileage cars that are starting to cost some significant money to keep in repair, at only 80-120K miles. I have a little left on a consolidated student loan, and haven't had credit card debt in almost a decade.

Yet I still have to watch what I spend... because I can't access my retirement savings, and I can't afford to save after the monthy and annual bills are paid from my frozen income in an economy where it is a bad risk to try to jump out of a solid job that doesn't pay raises.

Sure, a vehicle might do 200K miles... if you budget for multiple sets of wheel bearings, brakes, timing belts, tires, shocks, bushings, and electrical repairs. Cars since ~2002 have become price-point built, and a mechanic's dream for income, and mechanics rates are certainly not down in this economy, as people repair cars and keep them longer, rather than buying another vehicle which costs even more.

Yet real buying power has stagnated for the last 4-5 years at least, while costs for cars, energy, food, and other things have gone up, and some lending has gotten much tighter.

The same paychecks don't grow much, year to year, but the grocery bill, and the utility bill, and the gasoline bill to commute to work, DO significantly go up. Gas is up ~140% or more than 4 years ago. Food inflation is more than 10% per year for the last 4-5 years. Inflation leaves food and energy out, in order to LIE. Food an energy are the two least-elastic household expenses. No wonder consumer confidence and consumer spending has been flat for years.

The Dollars don't buy as much, and the people on the ground don't see the dollars that the FED is printing... they are caught up in banks and the falsely-inflated stock market.

People aren't borrowing because they have money in the bank, more often than not. People are borrowing because they DON'T have money in the bank... yet car loans are still easier to get than a mortgage or a small business loan.

And those of us who have paid down debt, and been responsible might not have a cash stash to buy a new ever-more expensive car, and the still high used car prices (5 MY-old cars are still ~20K$+... as new cars stay even higher.

Someone with no or very little debt, but still stagnant income, and unable to accrue savings due to ever-increasing costs of living... are stuck still living pretty thin, even though they've been responsible.

There is no incentive to be responsible... and no thought for the eventual consequences of current irresponsibility when the circumstances change in the future.

Savings is encouraged... by the government's tax policy, for SOMEDAY.... but between today and someday... most people have little or nothing, and the Someday money is generating money for fund managers, and is protected by fees and taxes to prohibit withdrawal.

It used to be that you paid your current expenses, and saved for tomorrow. As you continued to do that, your income increase allowed you to have more discretionary now money, and your saving for tomorrow began to accrue wealth, and became saving for next year. Then next decade, and became your nest-egg for someday.

Now someday is with-held for someone else to blindly manage and take their percentage, and it is all most people can do, to keep up with today... and all the days between tomorrow and someday... are significantly uncertain, and at risk.

Even more at risk if the dollars we have continue to devalue as they are.
Agreed, and great post. All true stuff for the majority of the middle class, sadly.
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