Cars that can run for over 200,000 miles

[Viva Las Espuelas]

Usually all I see stranded on side of the road, truckwise, are Chevy's. Sure, they could've run out of gas, but still. I can speak for Ford and say they're pretty solid trucks.

[DMC]

Forget the logo on the vehicle. Focus on the engine and the drive train. Engines are made of certain materials and they all work pretty much the same way. So it usually comes down to what lubricant the manufacturer has settled on, what coolant they develop, what emissions systems designs they incorporate and what shortcuts they took to get there.

Engines are all about lubricants and lubricants are all about thermal breakdown. That kills most engines, even the older ones.

Good oil bypass systems and synthetic blends will allow engines to run far longer with much less friction induced heat, and good oil coolant systems will allow that blend to maintain it's viscosity far longer than dinosaur oil. That's just the engine.

The drive train is similar, but you have to have one that's built in tolerance with the torque of the engine, and some manufacturers push the envelope to both save costs and to advertise "best in class" for rear wheel horse power and torque, often at the price of increased service intervals and higher failure rates post-warranty.

[Wild Cobra]

I know that he's partially right. An experienced mechanic(used to supervise the service dept. at a large dealership before going independent) whose opinion I trust told me that after a 100k on most Chevy truck products(trucks, Suburbans, Tahoes, etc.) you are better off trading it in unless you want to spend a lot of time in his shop.

Was it a dealership service department? Could there be motive to sell more cars?

[leemajors]

uhhh...trucks are still doing quite well in Texas...

My uncle who attends weekly car auctions in Houston would beg to differ. They may sell well but they aren't worth much for resale.

[CosmicCowboy]

My uncle who attends weekly car auctions in Houston would beg to differ. They may sell well but they aren't worth much for resale.

Thats basically a short term phenomenon on 1-2 year old F150s because Ford way overproduced on new trucks this year and was offering zero% interest and rebates to get rid of inventory which temporarily screws up the resale market...nice 250s and 350s are still bringing good money.

[CosmicCowboy]

Was it a dealership service department? Could there be motive to sell more cars?

Dealerships make it or break it on their service departments. Theres not a lot of profit in the actual new car sales.

[leemajors]

Thats basically a short term phenomenon on 1-2 year old F150s because Ford way overproduced on new trucks this year and was offering zero% interest and rebates to get rid of inventory which temporarily screws up the resale market...nice 250s and 350s are still bringing good money.

It's been that way for a while since gas prices ed badly 4-5 years ago, at least in Houston. Everyone bid up the small Honda and Toyota sedans to ridiculous prices, but you could walk out with a damn nice truck dirt cheap. The smaller cars have come down in auction price a bit, but you can still get trucks damn cheap at auction.

[CosmicCowboy]

Maybe in Houston. SA market has been pretty strong. I was looking for a 50,000 mile used F350 to add to the fleet for six months this year before I finally found a deal.

[CosmicCowboy]

If they are giving them away in Houston tell your uncle I'm looking for another 2005+ F350 dually regular cab cab/chassis or flatbed (gas) with under 80,000 miles.

[Das Texan]

my 06 corolla is at 230,000.


still going strong. goal now is 400k

[benefactor]

Was it a dealership service department? Could there be motive to sell more cars?

He no longer works for a dealership. He is independent and has his own garage.