200,000 mile club

[Bart_Comstock]

When I first bought my Jeep I bought it with the intention of being cheap and only lasting me a few seasons. By the end of the week the odometer will roll over 200k and The Storm Trooper is still running strong.

Who else on here has their chase vehicle rolling over the 200k mark soon and who here already has hit that?

Have your vehicles had any major problems or have those 200,000 miles been smooth?

How many miles do you typically put on your chase vehicle in a year?


For me the Jeep has had to have its transfer case and transmission rebuilt and the alternator replaced but seeing as I only spent 3k on it when I bought it (with just over 100k miles) it wasn't the worst thing in the world to have to work on. Each year she gets an average of 50k miles put on her.

 

[James Hilger]

2001 Suzuki Grand Vitara. I've got 174,000 and it needs Cv joints, and a rear main seal replaced. I bought it about 2 years ago with about 85,000 on it. I replaced a belt when i got it just as a precaution. Other than that i havent even changed the plugs. Biggest expense so far-windshields. Not sure how many miles i've put on it chasing. Way more than i can afford, that's for sure.

 

[Chris Gullikson]

2000 Chrysler Town and Country mini van with about 207 grand.
Still has original transmission - which has been my biggest concern due to their reputation.
Replaced rear wheel bearings after 100,000 miles. They are sealed, modular units that cannot be repaired...800 bucks I believe.
Outer tie rods at about 190,000 miles.
I should replace struts.
Runs great, does not burn oil. It is now retired from normal driving and I plan on destroying it by driving it into a tornado this year!! JK...

 

[Jerry Prsha]

1998 Jeep Wrangler 204,000 miles... One radiator, alternator, one clutch, brakes and multiple set of tires.

Still trust it to get me through just about anything...

 

[Jesse Risley]

I have 194k miles on my 2005 Chevrolet Impala; all but 18k of those miles are mine. I purchased the car in 2006 and it will cross the 200k mark sometime soon.

The only major repair that I had to have completed was having a new (re-manufactured) transmission put in the car in October 2009. The original transmission went awry when the car reached the 150k mile mark, likely due to my own failure to keep close check on having the fluid flushed and replaced at regular intervals. I opted to go with a Jasper transmission that was fully re-manufactured, yet came with a 100k mile warranty, for a price tag of $2800 installed. I also had to get a new water pump in June of 2009 for $125 installed. Otherwise, I've only had basic, expected maintenance issues like new brakes/rotors, rear shocks, tires, etc.

I went ahead and replaced the fuel pump this past May on my own accord (it had 175k miles on it and thus was living on borrowed time), since that is one repair that will appear w/out warning and leave you stranded in a New York minute.

With proper maintenance there is no reason why most vehicles can't run for several hundred thousand miles with few, if any, major repairs ever needed. Yes, I know there are always going to be exceptions to the rule, but modern vehicles can often do this more often than in the past. I think the most important rule if thumb is to be meticulous about maintenance, especially with oil changes and transmission fluid changes (I learned a hard lesson here), as well as other smaller items like fuel filters, belts and hoses (as needed).

 

[Verne Carlson]

My old red 1999 Subaru Outback made it to 235,000 miles before giving up the ghost. At the end it was leaking oil and you couldn't shift the transmission anymore. It died at the bottom of the road to our house. I called Goodwill and donated it. I had put about 25 - 35k miles on it per year.

 

[Skip Talbot]

The "Mudpuppy", my '99 Chrysler Voyager minivan has 241,000 and is still going. It has most of its original parts with just routine maintenance and some minor replacements being done over the years. The left tower strut is rusting badly, however, and the mechanics say that it will collapse sooner or later, and that will be the end of the van. I don't drive it everyday though so maybe I'll get another season out of it?

 

[Dick McGowan]

My 2003 Toyota Camry has 207,000 now. Never had a single problem with it...just regular maintenance has been done on it. Has about 400 hail dents and a cracked windshield...but otherwise drives almost as smooth as it did when I bought it with 60,000 already on it (in 2007).

 

[Jason Foster]

My old red 1999 Subaru Outback made it to 235,000 miles before giving up the ghost. At the end it was leaking oil and you couldn't shift the transmission anymore. It died at the bottom of the road to our house. I called Goodwill and donated it. I had put about 25 - 35k miles on it per year.

Was it the Rio Red (bright red) or the more maroon color. I've got the Rio Red on my GT. Any pics?

The "Mudpuppy", my '99 Chrysler Voyager minivan has 241,000 and is still going. It has most of its original parts with just routine maintenance and some minor replacements being done over the years. The left tower strut is rusting badly, however, and the mechanics say that it will collapse sooner or later, and that will be the end of the van. I don't drive it everyday though so maybe I'll get another season out of it?

If it was worth it, you could fix it. Interestingly, after the cash-for-clunkers program that nabbed a ton of the Chrysler family (Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler) vans, the value has risen on them somewhat (at least around here) because they are extremely reliable (transmission issues largely over exaggerated) and the rarity of them now. I still see 2005 to 2008 models fetch over book value all around this area (as long as they pass state inspection). I owned a '96 Caravan...damn good ride...no where close to 200k though....and I burned it up before I got to live with it long.

 

[AaronPippin]

My '99 Ford Ranger that I chase in, drive back and forth to school, as well as hunt out of all over the midwest has 241,000 miles on it. I bought it in May of 2007 with 123,000 miles on it. Never had any engine problems, or transmission problems. Only thing major I've had to replace (other than typical routine tune-ups) was the rear-end. And that was my fault. I was trying to pull a guy out of the ditch who was stuck pretty good and the gears in the rear end got bound up and broke. I'd still trust the ol truck anywhere, and as long as nothing major happens I'll be out in it this spring hopefully under a big meso.

 

[Dave Gallaher]

I've retired it now, but my 1984 Dodge B250 van made it to 656,000 miles. It was my only vehicle, with my band traveling on the road in it for about fifteen years. I also made a number of chases in the Deep South (my avatar photo is from the drivers seat), but rented cars for trips to the alley to save gas money. Though it took four rear axles, five transmissions and an untold number of things like windshield wiper motors, the 318 motor was rebuilt only once, at a local speedshop that specialized in Mopar racing when it reached (IIRC) +/-270,000 miles, so I got nearly 300,000 out of the rebuild.

Now it rusts quietly under a small line of hackberry trees that stain it darker every summer. Every now and then someone tries to buy it. Or the police check to see if it should be towed, but I keep the tag up to date. It's replacement, a 1994 Dodge B350 with expanded top and a hydraulic handicapped lift in the back doors, has only 110,000 miles so far.

 

[Jon Miller]

My 1999 Chevy Prism currently has 282+K miles on it and it still runs great and gets good gas mileage.

Jon Miller
KT8NDO

 

[Winston Wells]

My 2001 Honda Civic has about 204,000 miles, although the odometer stopped working last year. It's been remarkably trouble-free, but I'm beginning to leak oil. I replaced the timing belt at 105,000 miles, but I'm still on the original brakes and clutch. I'm now sporting a bashed-in front left bumper from an early-morning meeting with a raccoon on 6-25-10 as I was driving to southern Minnesota, and many handsome new hail dents from 6-7-10 Scottsbluff, NE.

I put about 9,500 miles on it this past season. I love this car, but my wife can't wait for it to die!

 

[Greg Campbell]

When I first bought my Jeep I bought it with the intention of being cheap and only lasting me a few seasons. By the end of the week the odometer will roll over 200k and The Storm Trooper is still running strong.

Who else on here has their chase vehicle rolling over the 200k mark soon and who here already has hit that?

Have your vehicles had any major problems or have those 200,000 miles been smooth?

1992 Accord with 206K. Nothing major has failed. The worst breakdown was a ruptured heater hose that fortunately broke just after I'd driven across umpteen hundred miles of rural Utah.

A few years back the mater clutch cylinder leaked down to the point that the system sucked air. In my efforts to purge the lines, I somehow over-extended the slave cylinder and clutch springs. Ever since, the springs have been weak and I need to avoid hard shifting. I suspect a clutch job is somewhere around the corner.

The engine will run forever.

It's all the rubber bits that are causing me grief lately. Heater hoses, ball joint boots, suspension bushings, etc. are all getting old and are prone to failure. The heater and intake manifold warming hoses are a real bugger since they are damn near impossible to access w/o tearing disassembling parts of the engine. The A/C o-rings are in need of a compete refit, which will also require tearing apart half the car. None of these parts are expensive, but the PITA factor limits how much maintenance I complete.

Occasionally replacing things like alternators and CV axles is a given with an 18 year old car. I've done these once each.

The shocks are starting to feel a little loosey-goosey, so they may be the next multi-hundred dollar item to be replaced.

I check the brakes every 25K or so, expecting them to be thinning, but they are wearing with glacial slowness. I do mild 'hypermiling' around town (when it won't piss off the people behind me), anticipating lights and traffic as much as possible. Easing off the gas early saves fuel (doh!) and brake lining.

I recently did the timing belt, so the car should be good for another 100K, easy!

How many miles do you typically put on your chase vehicle in a year?

Chasing, maybe 5K, at most. Az Monsoon chases are usually under 50 miles, and I hit the Plains once a year at most.
Overall mileage is about 15K / yr.

For me the Jeep has had to have its transfer case and transmission rebuilt and the alternator replaced but seeing as I only spent 3k on it when I bought it (with just over 100k miles) it wasn't the worst thing in the world to have to work on. Each year she gets an average of 50k miles put on her.

50K a year is some serious motoring!

 

[Jeff Snyder]

My 99 Pontiac Bonneville has about 195k on it now. For the most part, it's been a pretty good car, though a broken starter and a melted hole in the upper intake (near the EGR "port" where, incidentally, GM opted to pipe through coolant, which resulted in coolant flooding the cylinders and rendering the engine unusable) recently cost me ~$1300. Otherwise, I haven't spent much aside from routine maintenance. I do have a yet-to-be-identified problem with my AC that causes engine overheating and some electrical issues when I turn on the AC in warm weather. So far, after three mechanics have looked at it, I've opted to just live with. However, it's been getting progressively worse, and I'll need to find the problem before this upcoming chase season. I'm hoping it's as easy to adjusting the compressor clutch (there are a few folks who have had similar issues and have fixed it by adjusting the clutch), since many other parts of the AC have already been examined.

Otherwise, the suspension is still original, and the water pump is getting old as well. I believe this particular engine (3800 series II V6) has a timing chain that, per my research on various forums, tends not to need to be replaced (unlike the timing belt on my wife's '99 Neon).