How Long Can You Keep A Car Running For?

jsrz18 on 07/12/2020 - 08:43
Last edited 07/12/2020 - 09:07

Wondering roughly and realistically how long a new car could run for.. Do cars of today have better longevity than those of the past or is it the other way round?

If I bought a new car in the next few years (i.e. regular corolla, mid-spec petrol), could I possibly keep it running for 20 or so years assuming it is serviced at required intervals, doesn't get written off, standard 12,00km per yr driving etc? What would be the things to go? CVT? Engine?

Time to get a new car soon and I'm not the type that changes it every 5 years haha. Will want to keep it until it literally dies.

Cheers

Automotive

Comments

  • idonteven on 07/12/2020 - 08:49
    +13

    How long is a piece of string? Twice as long as half its length.

    Cars from the 90's are still a common sight on the roads today.

    I think most run of the mill cars will be running for decades to come.

    • jsrz18 on 07/12/2020 - 08:57

      True though I was thinking that cars of today weren't as durable as those of the 90s for whatever reason?

      • godofpizza on 07/12/2020 - 09:47
        +6

        the only car i still see today from the 90's are the 94 camrys.

        • Jackson on 09/12/2020 - 00:03
          +1

          possibly the most reliable car ever made

          • spoonmugen on 09/12/2020 - 09:41

            @Jackson: or corollas and civics
            actually alot of 90s cars on the roads are from toyota or honda

        • macrocephalic on 09/12/2020 - 10:18

          There are still a lot of commodores and falcons from the 90's on the roads. The square X model falcons and VL and earlier commodores are getting rare, but all the round ones are still out there.

          Have a look on FB marketplace and you'll see a lot of 90's 4wd's for sale - still running with rego.

    • Keplaffintech on 08/12/2020 - 11:53
      +20

      You're only seeing the cars from the 90s that are still running. The rest are in junkyards. Survivorship bias.

      • Euphemistic on 08/12/2020 - 19:31
        +3

        While this is true, it is evidence that cars don’t suddenly turn to dust after XXyears or YYYkm. The models renowned for failing just aren’t around anymore, the ones with good reliability are still out there in decent numbers.

      • smartazz104 on 08/12/2020 - 20:57
        +1

        That's because most people who buy a car new or near-new haven't got a clue about maintenance.

        • Jackson on 09/12/2020 - 00:06

          Can't upvote this enough. Meanwhile some people are putting ceramic coatings on their cars

    • RedHab on 09/12/2020 - 13:42

      What bothers me is the amount of electronics in modern cars.

      Modern cars are more reliable mechanically, and bodywork lasts way longer. However the added complexity of all the gizmos means they have more components to go wrong.

  • Nugs on 07/12/2020 - 08:58
    +8

    In your scenario, that is only 240,000km.
    .

    • GordonR on 08/12/2020 - 23:55
      +5

      In fact, if you read the OP carefully, it’s only 24,000km, so should definitely be ok.

    • macrocephalic on 09/12/2020 - 10:20

      My wife's Hyundai Getz was still running fine when we got rid of it with 230k on it.

  • MS Paint on 07/12/2020 - 09:01
    +2

    So many variables.

    A Corolla living in stop/start traffic I reckon should be good for 250000 and country roads about 400000 with good maintenance.

    They would still be decent after these miles but keeping them alive would likely be uneconomical especially the small capacity turbo engines that seem all the rage.

    Engines these days have very tight tolerances compared to older cars so when they do fail (eg. timing belt) it's not pretty.

    • ESEMCE on 07/12/2020 - 09:51
      +7

      especially the small capacity turbo engines that seem all the rage

      This type of technology is bound to shorten the life of a vehicle's engine.
      Tiny engines boosted up to perform like engines twice their size are working "twice" as hard.

      Even with solid maintenance, things are more likely to go wrong at an earlier stage.

      The electronics technology in cars is also more prone to early death. In particular the infotainment systems that are now heavily integrated into the dash and are no longer a standard size component that can just be switched out for a cheap, generic replacement as with cars from the 90's and earlier.

      Otherwise, though, I;d trust a well maintained modern car to mechanically last just as long.

      • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2020 - 20:47

        low displacement turbocharged cars can be reliable. Take the Golf R with the EA888 engine which produces 235kw. That can produce even more power reliable. Plenty of high mileage golf Rs.

        My point is , well design turbocharged cars can last long too

        • Jackson on 09/12/2020 - 00:09
          +1

          if they aren't thrashed, overboosted, and well maintained, yes. Wheras a naturally aspirated toyota engine could be neglected and absused and still be running

          • [Deactivated] on 09/12/2020 - 08:18
            +1

            @Jackson: i doubt it. Then new toyota engines are just like everyone else , tight tolerances and low viscosity oil. Surely ,it'd need to be serviced regularly. The most bulletproof Toyotas are the Hiace and Landcruiser 200/79

  • Marcsie on 07/12/2020 - 09:03
    -8

    lol 😂

  • Seraphin7 on 07/12/2020 - 09:11
    +2

    If I bought a new car in the next few years (i.e. regular corolla, mid-spec petrol), could I possibly keep it running for 20 or so years assuming it is serviced at required intervals, doesn't get written off, standard 12,00km per yr driving etc?

    Yes, it's possible.

    What would be the things to go? CVT? Engine?

    Both of these could go. Or other things. Or nothing at all.

  • bobbified on 07/12/2020 - 09:11
    +5

    I'm thinking of taxis and there are some that run for over a million kms. That is, the odometer ticks over 999,999 back to 000,000km and then starts again.

    But that's obviously with proper maintenance and there are not as much of the cold starts as a normal family car that might get started a few times a day for short trips. They start once a day or so and just run all day long so there's less wear and tear that happens when the engine is warming up.

    • Jackson on 09/12/2020 - 00:10

      yes but if you are talking about the Fords and Holdens they all had new trannys usually after about 700k (at least was my understanding)

      • 811b11e8 on 09/12/2020 - 08:41

        Can confirm have driven two ford fairmonts to over 350k kms!

        Transmission was still going in both at the end but had developed nasty kicks..

        The old straight NA straight 6 fords will run pretty much forever if they are not abused.

        Drove my last one over 50k without a service waiting for it to die, it just kept kicking until somone broke a window to rob it and I decided to retire it at the scrap yard…

  • RockyRaccoon on 07/12/2020 - 09:13
    +1

    how long a new car could run for..

    As long as the fuel allows and/or you turn the key to the off position.

    Or as long as you pay the rego

    Or as long as you dont get a lemon (or Euro car)

    Or as long as you keep your licence

    Or……. ???

  • 87percent on 07/12/2020 - 09:23
    +21

    I thought you meant how long can you keep it running idle..

    • jsrz18 on 07/12/2020 - 09:27

      hahaha that is a question for another day

    • ozwog05 on 07/12/2020 - 13:42

      Until the fuel tank runs out.

  • seraphim2017 on 07/12/2020 - 09:24

    The question is whether you'll be able to find fuel for it after the apocalypse? Better get a Tesla and some off grid solar! :)

    • jsrz18 on 07/12/2020 - 09:29
      +1

      Oh yes the apocalypse haha. I might have to build a petrol station in my backyard

    • macrocephalic on 09/12/2020 - 10:21

      I hope you're not planning to drive very much - because it will take you a while to recharge a car from most solar arrays.

      • seraphim2017 on 09/12/2020 - 12:44

        Don't own an EV myself so no idea on ownership (and happy to bow down to real owner knowledge) but the works ones just get 'topped up' rather than sitting for a full fill like a nontraditional ICE design, so unless you drive the full 'tank' every day it would be a top up. 10kw solar array would 'average' (some days much less) 40kwh per day? so would depend on your daily hunt for supplies in the wreckage of the future!

        • Euphemistic on 09/12/2020 - 13:19

          That’s the bit most people don’t get. Every day you can start with a full tank. If you only drive 10% of your range that’s all you need to supply the next charge. Lots seem to think you need to stuff 80kwh into the battery every time you plug it in.

          My diesel vehicle currently does around 700km per tank and I only fill up every 2-3 weeks. So with an EV I’d need to do a full charge maybe once per week - but only if I ran the battery empty each time. Commute is less than 20km, other daily drive possibly the same amount - 10% of 400km range daily.

  • [Deactivated] on 07/12/2020 - 09:26
    +3

    For however long you want to continue paying its maintenance and parts replacements for.

    Just look at cars that are over 50 years old still going.

  • SF3 on 07/12/2020 - 09:28
    +1

    Will want to keep it until it literally dies.

    Based on your "logic" on https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/582975 you don't have to wait until it dies, you can…

    20 yrs would not seem unreasonable, given the number of cars on the road at the age or older. Depends how you drive it and the driving conditions, not just if you service it well.

  • Caped Baldy on 07/12/2020 - 09:30
    +8

    Newer doesn't mean better. There is a lot more tech in cars now so they are more complex. More components means more failure points.

  • Headless on 07/12/2020 - 09:32
    +7

    If you buy japanese, it will last many many years - mines 13 years old and still looks relativly modern and tidy with little to no issues (220,000k's).
    My mates ford falcon of the same year - falling apart! colour fading, trims fallen off - looks terrible ;D

    To that note, it's also how you drive it

    • smartazz104 on 08/12/2020 - 20:58

      Could be down to the drivers as well.

  • TheBird on 07/12/2020 - 09:39
    +4

    I'm not good with cars, but I don't think it's as simple as failure points. As Caped mentioned, it has a lot more to do with complexity of problems but it also has to do with the economics. With computers being embeded in cars, I'd hazard a guess that diagnosing issues be a blessing and a nightmare in disguise. Great while it works, but catastrophic when it doesn't.

    There is one more thing to consider. The standards of cars are improving. It might only be time before the government steps up the requirements on old cars.

    I think you're going to find new cars will be fine until you hit the uneconomical to repair time. I suspect this will be earlier in the cycle than it currently is. But as I say, I'm not good with cars. I'm just basing it on some extrapolation I've had with some mechanically minded people.

  • holdenmg on 07/12/2020 - 09:42
    +1

    As long as you can get (or afford) fuel.

    • jsrz18 on 07/12/2020 - 10:12
      +1

      Yeah hybrid might come in handy if the prices get ridiculous

  • Chesso on 07/12/2020 - 09:45
    +2

    Theres lots of variables, most are not within your control, however the only thing I would do is to learn how to do an oil change (its not hard) and do an oil change yourself between services. I actually do my own oil changes every 5000km instead of the manufacturers 15000km and oil is very easy to find on special at least than half price offsetting the extra changes. Stock up when it is.

  • sharka on 07/12/2020 - 09:47
    +2

    I tried this on my camry a few year back.
    It ran for about a day until the petrol ran out…

    I got rid of it after that

  • tanksinatra on 07/12/2020 - 09:48
    +3

    Interesting question.
    Essentially you can keep a car running until it is uneconomical to keep it running. Usually this is when the car needs more work done than it is worth (i.e. engine failure, gearbox failure) or if it suffers chassis rust.
    Modern engines seem to exceed 200,000km pretty easily and a lot of japanese cars happily hit 300,000km.

    Some cars have a bad reputation for needing major repairs early (e.g. head gasket in early Subaru Foresters, timing chains in VW V6 engines, CVT in Nissan vehicles, injectors in Toyota 3.0L Diesel, Toyota DPF, early DSG's etc).
    If you avoid vehicles with known weaknesses you can expect a trouble free run.

    • [Deactivated] on 09/12/2020 - 08:19

      Just go for the Toyota 3.5 litre or 2.5. One of the best engines on the market.

  • godofpizza on 07/12/2020 - 09:49
    +2

    I think statistically your going to write off car before it ever reaches the end of life.
    This model doesn't apply to Europeans cars

    • smartazz104 on 08/12/2020 - 20:59
      +2

      Yeap, usually you trade in a Euro after 3 years so it becomes someone else's problem.

  • TheBilly on 07/12/2020 - 09:50
    +6

    Generally buying a Toyota is a safe bet.

  • apsilon on 07/12/2020 - 09:57
    +6

    IMO modern cars won't last as long. It's why I laugh every time sometimes suggests something is going to be a modern classic. Mechanically engines etc are probably better but the failures will be in the electronics. Not only is there so much of them they're not just basic circuits like old cars that were easily fixed or modified. Todays cars are complex and riddled with computer systems (the new Land Rover Defender has 86 computers in it IIRC) and a failure in one of those 10 years down the track is likely to make it an economic write off even though it may be mechanically OK.

    • smartazz104 on 08/12/2020 - 21:00

      the new Land Rover Defender has 86 computers in it IIRC) and a failure in one of those 10 years down the track is likely to make it an economic write off even though it may be mechanically OK.

      Could be a trait of being a British car; 50-60 years ago they were building cars that failed early in their lives too.

      • apsilon on 10/12/2020 - 13:36
        +1

        All modern cars are the same. The new Defender was just an example that came to mind but everything is packed with multiple computers now. Continuing to use Land Rover as an example you've got no chance of fixing an electronics issue on the side of the road. Is the problem in a computer? Is it a relay? A solenoid? Fuse? Multiples of those? All of those? None of them? You need to plug in to the diagnostics and pray it gives you the right answer. The old '75 series 88" I used to own, I once fixed on the side of the road with a swiss army knife which was the only thing I had with me at the time.

  • Bid Sniper on 07/12/2020 - 10:04
    +1

    Highly dependent on what car and how you treat it. modern cars are starting to become semi-disposable, dont see most lasting.

    Corolla pushing $30K+

    Be cheaper to buy an ex demo Kia Rio for half the price, then sell it in 7-10 years and then buy another one. So you will covered by warranty by at least 14 years of 20, rather than running an old car into the ground. Overall will be cheaper, Toyota have a good rep but still will fail when they get old.

    • macrocephalic on 09/12/2020 - 10:25

      Having just driven a Rio over the weekend I would certainly spend the extra on something slightly better. The Rio had deafeningly loud road noise along the highway compared to my i30, and the i30 is noisier than a family car like a camry.

  • Youfah Mizzum on 07/12/2020 - 10:20
    +3

    OP, you've had plenty of feedback which basically says any car can be kept alive for an easy 20 years if maintenance is kept up.
    But there'll come a point where its economically unviable to repair a worn <whatever> as it'll cost $2,000 and that's pretty much what the car is worth.

    Case on point - I had an old(ish) s40 volvo several years ago and although it was an awesome car, smooth drive, always maintained & serviced etc, at around the 10 year mark things just started wearing out. Wheel bearings were getting noisy, brake & clutch master & slave cylinders needed replacing, various bushes around the engine & steering needed replacing & they were in awkward locations so needed lots of labour just in R & R. That's just what I remember. It was still a great car but I could see it had reached a point of maintenance where it would be expensive just to repair things.

    One the other hand, (and this goes against the "don't buy a Euro car" someone else mentioned) I have owned a Renault Megane bought new in 2008, now around 12 years old & it runs as sweet today as it did when I bought it. Can't fault it - but it's at that age where I'm expecting things to start failing. It's done around 250,000 kms. It'd only be worth $5,000 or $6,000 if I'm lucky. When it starts giving me trouble, do I repair or sell & move on?

    That'll be your option around that 10 year mark.

    • Brick Tamland on 09/12/2020 - 08:47

      Apart from the cost the Euros are let down by the use of plastic engine parts such as the plastic cooling components of BMWs and plastic sumps and plugs of the VWs. This is good for weight saving but not longevity.

  • sghetti on 07/12/2020 - 10:22
    +2

    So many variables as others have mentioned. I had an old VN Commodore with the old buick V6 motor in it. Had over 400k's on the odo and the block and internals were all going strong. Made the mistake of putting it on LPG, I regret doing it but the engine was still strong but had issues with fuel pumps siezing up and needing replacing.

    A few mechanics had mentioned it was one of the best condition motors they'd seen from that range in a long time. It was kept in the family and well maintained throughout the years.

    • [Deactivated] on 09/12/2020 - 08:20

      the reliability was probably at the cost of efficiency

  • kizzy on 07/12/2020 - 10:22

    Hard to say. There are many many old cars that have withstood the test of time. New cars haven't done that yet. But based on what I've seen in more modern cars you would be hard pressed to get 20 years. Buy a good Japanese car and above all stay on top of maintenance!

  • poohduck on 07/12/2020 - 10:23
    +2

    The thing is that e cars will become the more viable alternative. We will be buying them because we want to - they will simply be the better vehicle. I expect this to happen within 10 years, definitely 20. One car we have is 16 years old, the other is 21. I service them and expect them to last easily till we get an e vehicle. I ride an emtb now and it is just awesome - each ride is 2 to 3 hrs of mtb trails, I use about 40% battery. What is the cost of charging? Negligible.

    • jsrz18 on 07/12/2020 - 10:25
      +1

      yeah I expect to get an ev or hybrid after my next car in around 20 yrs or so which at that point I think most cars would be like that anyways

  • brad1-8tsi on 07/12/2020 - 10:32
    +1

    If you service the car in a manner that suits how (and where) it is driven and fix small problems as they arise then there is no reason the vehicle can't last 300k+.

    Keep in mind that the car that cost $600/yr in the first 5 years will get more expensive as time passes. There aren't many people that see the economic sense in spending $2k/yr on a car that has a $2k resale value.

    My girlfriend has a 2000 Mazda 323. It's worth $2000. She spends $1k/yr on servicing/repairs plus rego, green slip, comp insurance (don't ask), fuel, etc. Most people wouldn't think that a sensible use of funds.

    My car has 195k and is 13 years old. It runs like a champ but there are more and more small (and large) items that are failing. Most noticeable at the moment are interior trim pieces that are UV affected and foam / glue is degrading.

  • nailsforlunch on 07/12/2020 - 12:02

    Wait 10 years and buy a self driving car.

    • jsrz18 on 07/12/2020 - 12:32

      no thanks

  • Euphemistic on 07/12/2020 - 12:29
    +2

    While they design and make a car to tighter tolerances and to minimise costs, it still needs to last a reasonable time.

    In the good old days they didn’t have the computer modelling to get the quality up so the over engineered the structure but didn’t have the tolerances on mechanical parts. Engines and gearboxes failed before body parts - rust excepted, rust proofing has improved a lot.

    Modern cars with better built working parts are probably the opposite. The seats, steering wheel etc and other parts are likely to wear out first.

  • avoidfullprice on 07/12/2020 - 14:06
    +1

    The replaceable parts of modern days car are a bit complex with electronics and black box ish. If one is broken, you have to replace the whole thing. I reckon it's unlikely you can bypass functionalities to keeping it running. So once these parts are exhausted from the market you have no choice but to upgrade. So I reckon they will become uneconomical to repair sooner than the cars built in 90s.

    And then we need to factor in the fuel type of engine, and what the government wants to phase out from petrol station….

    • saltypete on 08/12/2020 - 08:39

      You haven’t asked any!!! 😁

  • Myone888 on 08/12/2020 - 08:10
    +3

    I had a Mercedes E250CGI and many things were failing at 10 yrs old. Like roof cover dropping, many engine hoses needs replacing, front disc rotors worn out, many plasticky parts broke. Only done 76000 Kms! Head rest came out!car was very well taken care of.

  • saltypete on 08/12/2020 - 08:26
    +3

    I think that technology and safety will be the reason that you move from a decent car that you service properly and buy new today.
    We recently gifted our mechanically perfect 2000 Corolla to our daughter, but having second thoughts about the safety of this for her.
    In the next 20 years safety and driverless, acoustic improvements etc will move lots of us over to cars that will likely use a 6g network to do amazing things.
    Maybe pick a car you will absolutely love to drive rather than a basic so that in 20 years you are willing to put up with the old tech and lack of relative safety and won’t part with it….

    While most others have something that picks us up at the front door in our pjs, makes brekkie and a coffee for us while it drives us where we want to go. Passing you in the lane you are confined to but driving ‘the love of your life’ 🤔

    • FrugalDealHunter on 09/12/2020 - 09:02

      Quite a few safety features have been added to >2018 cars already: AEB (high and low speed), Rear cross traffic alert (this has saved me a few times in dim shopping centres backing out), blind spot monitor (also saved me), and although few years older feature even reverse cameras i couldn't do without now.

  • MontyMacaw on 08/12/2020 - 08:51
    +1

    If it is suitable as a taxi today, chances are it will last a long time. Taxi companies don’t buy rubbish.

  • HelpMeiCantSee on 08/12/2020 - 09:30
    +1

    A well treated non turbo petrol that’s not tiny (>1.8L) should easily last 300k with proper care and maintenance( particularly transmission, ESPECIALLY if you insist on auto- manuals will have little trouble going that distance).

    Small diesels should be good for similar-500k and big diesels a million plus. Factor in DPF and catalytic converters replacements for smaller capacity vehicles into your maintenance schedule.

    If it was just the engines and not the emissions controls, they’d last for bloody ages

  • RibaldGadfly on 08/12/2020 - 09:41
    +3

    My pattern has been to buy a fairly recent second hand car (2-3 years old) and then keep it for a long time.
    Currently my Mercedes Diesel has 185 000km on it and is still very good at 13 years old.
    I've had a Peugeot 405 diesel (325 000 km) at 9 years.
    BMW 318i (225 000 km) at 8 years, Mazda 626 (over 200 000km) and a Falcon (over 200 000km) at 10 years, amongst others (Renault, Honda, Ford, Holden (Opel))
    All of them were good. My philosophy is if anything breaks, I fix it ASAP so that I'm seldom overwhelmed with a long repair list.
    I've also not found that Japanese cars are inherently superior to European.
    So, yes, I'd think that 20 years old is not unreasonable.

    • trinkasharma on 08/12/2020 - 20:55
      +1

      You buy lots of cars. I wonder why?

    • nubzy on 08/12/2020 - 21:29

      European cars are not all doom and gloom if you buy the right models. I love Peugeot's and see many older models (and especially diesels) still on the road and running like a dream, there is no doubt about it they make the best affordable cars in the world and only people who have owned one can appreciate this. Longevity of small capacity turbo petrols though remains to be seen, it seems like all manufacturers are moving this way though.

    • nickj on 09/12/2020 - 10:33
      +2

      My ideal pattern is similar. It's:
      * Buy a recent second hand car (2-3 years old). Ideally Japanese, or Korean as a second choice. Ideally a vehicle with a 5 or more year warranty, so you can still get any issues fixed. You're usually paying ~50% of the price of the car when it was new. For example, my Hyundai i30 was ~ $13k (compromised of $11.3k winning bid at ex-govt auction + auction house fee of ~$400 or so + rego transfer fee of ~$350 + ~$700 in repairs even though it came with a rego renewal certificate + ~$300 to get it really thoroughly cleaned/detailed inside and out and seats shampooed), and the new price for that model was around $26-27k after haggling & shopping around for best price.
      * Get it serviced once a year at rego renewal time, and fix any issues. Find a decent mechanic who doesn't rip you off, and stick with them. I used to get my cars serviced every 6 months, but with modern cars and the short distances I drive, once a year is fine.
      * Drive until it's around 10 to 15 years old, until something happens where the cost of repair exceeds 50% of the value of the car, at which point you should either flog it privately and fully disclose the issues, and if nobody wants it then sell it for a few hundred for scrap. For example my previous vehicle was 15-year old Holden commodore that was only worth an absolute max of ~$2,500 in near-perfect condition, and then it needed the $2000 of mechanical repairs to pass rego. So I said "no thanks", and listed it on gumtree for $800, first person to come inspect was a retired mechanic, disclosed all the issues. He was quite refreshed to have someone be completely truthful with him, was happy to do all the labour himself to repair it, and paid the asking price after a 5 minute test drive.
      * So if you're buying for ~$13k, and selling for ~$1k, and owning for 10 to 15 years, you have an average depreciation cost of $1k per year (obviously there's more depreciation at the start and less at the end). If you kept the car for longer than this, there would more frequent major mechanical issues, parts become harder to obtain and more expensive, and it just increases the maintenance cost. So whilst you could keep a car to 20 years, I think it's probably not the most economic option. I'd guestimate keeping a car to around 10 to 15 years would give the lowest overall TCO / total cost of ownership, over a lifetime of driving.
      * Safety is the other factor. Newer cars are just safer than older cars - they have more safety features (more airbags, automatic braking for collision avoidance, blindspot alarms, and so forth), they have better safety ratings (remember that a 5 start NCAP rating now is much safer than a 5 star NCAP rating from 10 years ago, because they keep raising the standards bar each year), and newer cars are better designed (progressively better designed by computers so that the impact force is absorbed by the car and engine, such that in bad accidents that car can be utterly crumpled and destroyed, but sometimes the occupants walk away with barely a scratch, which is the ideal, you want the car to absorb the force so that the bodies of you and your family don't).
      * Cars are not like tamagotchis - the aim is not to keep them alive as long as possible, the aim is to get you and your family from A to B economically (based on TCO over an extended period) and safely, and personally I think keeping a car until it's 10 to 15 years old is the sweet spot for doing that.

  • OzHunterNSW on 08/12/2020 - 10:00
    +1

    you could theoretically keep it for a 1,000 years+

    The key is what you just said… maintenance.

  • Baniya on 08/12/2020 - 12:40
    +1

    Toyotas and Subarus. Built exceptionally well. They will last 400000 km if maintained.

    • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2020 - 20:56

      Not really for Subarus. Most of their lineup uses the TR580 CVT transmission which the service manual does not advise for fluid changes as it is a 'lifetime transmission'. I really don't buy into that. Over time , fluid will degrade and change viscosity with shearing forces and heat.

      Toyotas , yes. Their 2.5 and 3.5 are bulletproof

    • BartholemewH on 09/12/2020 - 08:43

      Boxers are a pain in the arse to maintain and are known for head gasket problems.

    • MontyMacaw on 10/12/2020 - 10:18

      Subaru? Are you kidding me? How many 20 year old Subarus do you see out there????

  • Nutrino on 08/12/2020 - 13:49

    "How Long Can You Keep A Car Running For?"

    When i read the question i thought…

    Meaning how long can you keep the engine running for.

    • AustriaBargain on 08/12/2020 - 20:07

      Now I wanna know the answer to that. But not bad enough to Google it myself..

  • smashman42 on 08/12/2020 - 16:10
    +3

    We've got a pair of 2000 model CE2 Lancers (both 5spd manual sedans) that are mechanically still fine (like modern day Datsuns pretty much, owned one from 3yo and loved it so bought another to share spare parts etc) but the interior switch gear and the like is falling apart…

    • All the vents in both cars are floppy or the mechanism for changing where they point air is broken
    • sun visors really loose in one car but fine in the other
    • one car's A/C switch doesn't "click" to stay on any more, so wedged some plastic in to hold the A/C in
    • the other car's selector mechanism for choosing air at your face, your face and your feet, your feet etc, won't select face only and face & feet is as good as it gets
    • central locking is borked in one where the box controlling it is faulty in some way that drained the battery overnight, but the central locking still actually worked fine.
    • the one we bought 3yrs old has small rust holes where the bonnet and its frame underneath meet - like they used the wrong sealant between them or something
    • both obviously have shitty oxidised paint now being parked outside their whole lives, but meh cosmetic

    So yeah they've both passed their 20yr birthdays, both just shy of 200,000km on the clock (timing belts done to go for 300k) and are mechanically fine cause I've maintained them well, but all the plastic shit and some of the electronics are starting to shit themselves. They're at the age where smaller wreckers here in NQ are starting to get rid of them too so those interior spares are getting harder to get. When we replace the primary car in the next year or three, we plan to rat all the parts we can from it to put in the one without the rusty bonnet to make one as good (or least bad) as it can be as our second car and pass the one with the rusty bonnet off to the wreckers or whatever.

    oh, my father has a '92 Navara diesel non-turbo that has about 540,000 on the clock on the original unopened motor, but everything else in the thing fell apart too. Same experience with other cars in the family, motors keep going, everything else around them falls apart.

    So TL;DR - well maintained engines/drivelines last indefinitely, but the interior switch gear and electronics will start falling to bits between the 10-20yr mark and may push you into easier to replace the car than fix point, depending on your own ability to fix and/or ignore this stuff breaking.

  • mirz on 08/12/2020 - 20:05
    +1

    Most of Toyota vehicles can do 400,000 kms easily if service on regular intervals.

    • [Deactivated] on 08/12/2020 - 20:57
      +2

      same as nearly all other Japanese manufacturers

  • N15 on 08/12/2020 - 20:45

    Ensure the blinker fluid is full and it will last a lifetime

  • Spam Service on 08/12/2020 - 21:24

    My parents hilux has 750k+ on the odometer. It still drives the same way I've always remembered it.

    We also had a Daewoo Lanos that almost made it to 400k. What killed it was that we didn't change the timing belt at the right time.

    Driven normally, even a crap car like a daewoo can last a long time provided the maintenance is done. And that's the thing - the reason you don't see many daewoos or similar cheap cars around any more is that people don't want to spend $1000 to change the timing belt on a $1000 car. Most cars are an economic write-off for that reason.

    If you buy a new car, don't thrash it, change the oil regularly and don't skip services, just about any car will make it to 300k in a canter. There are a few exceptions with fundamental design flaws, but buying a car with an engine that's known and tested should help avoid that.

  • gimme on 08/12/2020 - 22:26
    +1

    This is why we need annual RWC in VIC. Too many shitboxes being driven by ppl who just want to run it to the ground

    • jsrz18 on 08/12/2020 - 23:13
      +1

      Maybe you should buy everyone new cars

      • gimme on 09/12/2020 - 10:40

        Hey if you can maintain your car in roadworthy condition, you can keep it for 50 years if you like. But I see so many clunkers on Melbourne roads with non-working headlights, bald tires, blowing smoke, falling into pieces and who knows how many internal mechanical problems and poor brakes, simply because we don't have an annual RWC. For a large state like VIC, it's embarrassing not to have this. It's a lot more dangerous than nabbing people for doing 3.5kph over the limit!! You only have to do it when selling a vehicle, which is fine but a lot of people just run their cars to the ground.

  • JimB on 09/12/2020 - 00:17

    I think most cars should make it to 300km and 25 years without too many repairs.

    After that it's probably uneconomical to keep fixing things.

    However, I don't want to be driving a 15 or 20yo car. At that age, they don't drive like new and will have rattles etc.

    Plus, newer cars are much safer. I wouldn't drive a car without ESP today.

  • pogichinoy on 09/12/2020 - 02:07

    My 2005 CRV I’ve had since new has 140k km and still going strong.

  • syousef on 09/12/2020 - 05:18

    Assuming governments don't regulate petrol engines off the road and you don't have a major accident and maintain the car, the consensus seems to be 15-20 years and 150,000-300,000. It's very hard to predict what happens 3 years down the road though. You could even been medically unfit to drive in 20.

    • jsrz18 on 09/12/2020 - 09:19

      They'll never ban petrol engines off the road but I believe they'll be banned from sales in around 2040 or otherwise if manufacturing countries ban them then we won't get them. By hybrids and electric will be normal by then anyways. Very hard to predict though with health and everything I agree. I'll be in my late 40s in 20yesrs from now so still a while away.

      • syousef on 09/12/2020 - 09:50

        Never say never. In any case as soon as demand drops petrol will get very expensive.

        • jsrz18 on 09/12/2020 - 09:51

          Yep which is why I'm also considering hybrid as well though I haven't decided

  • ozpaisa on 09/12/2020 - 06:53

    Sometimes you are better off selling the car after 10 years, that way you hardly spend anything for major repair work and can get decent amount when you eventually do sell your car.

    I had a Honda jazz, kept it for 9.5 years, 100k kms, required no major repair work till then. Sold for 6k privately, didn't have to fix anything for rwc. Had bought for 19k.

    If I had kept it for 5 more years, would have required timing belt, possible gear box issue , servicing would have become more expensive and getting rwc to sell it might have required even more repair work.

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