Assuming no hidden major damage but just normal wear and tear.

For me, I'll say 80k and above is high mileage. And, with that, I'm comfortable with Toyota. Say, 100k+ in a Corolla or Camry, I would have no problems buying. I don't know about other makes, but probably Honda, Nissan and Mazda as well.

What about fancy brands, like BMW or Mercedes? How many miles are they good for with just routine maintenance and without major breakdowns?

For BMW, it’s well known that the older 335 had lots of problems under the hood once the car was around 80k miles and it would be expensive to maintain. If I’m looking at those brands, I want it to be CPO

For me, I wont buy after the factory warranty runs out unless I get a full factory backed extended warranty for the time I plan to keep the ride.

I had a higher mileage 2004 Audi (pre VW era). It was for sure a luxury performance sedan, so some of the maintenance costs were high (touch screen replacement, etc). Mechanically the motor and transmission were solid but things like the timing chain were stupid expensive.

I was averaging more $$/month in maintenance than the payments on a financed new car, so I bought the new car (Subaru Crosstrek) for cash and saved a pile of money.

We do own a 2020 Audi now, and so far zero maintenance costs. I do all the regular stuff like oil and filters. Still low mileage but I expect to be looking to trade it in no later than 100k miles.

Yes, German cars are quite expensive to maintain.

The Subaru though is as good as any modern car for maintenance costs. However, my research at the time (2018) showed that the majority of maintenance costs for any car are after 100k miles. Combine that with the purchase price of a used car and the cost of ownership is the same for a new car as one with 100k miles on it.

Imho, newer-ish cars will do worse than older cars did for longevity. CVTs are frequently problematic, and the newer cars are chock full of electronics. Troubleshooting and repairing cars less than about 10 years old is costly.

Basically, I would not buy a high mileage car these days. Under about 40k miles for a decent price, yes. 80k+ miles, no.

Jumped into my brother's Lexus Rx350 last night. 159,000 on the clock. Way too many miles for me. I keep them (Honda, Toyota, Mazda) under 75,000 and them sell them.

I've had a few new cars I kept past 100k but sold them soon after. All my BMWs I keep till around 75k then I start looking to offload them. There's been no major issues. My last one was a '18 430 hard top convertible. No issues other than the coolant hose broke around 60k and I had to replace it myself. It's now a warranty issue but I sold the car around 72k. I maintain the cars myself. I try not to buy anything with over 30k miles if I'm looking at a used car.

European cars can last a few hundred thousand, but it’s going to cost you.
We have a 08 Lexus RX 350 that headed towards 400,000 and only had an AC compressor beyond basic maintenance. Still drives well too.
I know of several Honda Odyssey’s that have over 200k and going strong.
5000 mile oil changes with Mobil one on all but the other mechanical parts have lasted too. All are southern cars too so that’s a factor in areas with real winter and crappy roads.

Our 2015 Volvo S60 just turned 190,000 miles. Previous owner took really good care of it and had a new timing belt installed at 164,000. So I'm hoping it's got another 50k in her. It's a beautiful car....

They may not provide the comfort level that you would be looking for. However, I am now on a 3rd Subaru that has crossed 250,000. Two of the three closed in on 300,000 miles. I sold the first two still running fine. Routine maintenance. Just monitored the timing belt mileage. Don’t know anything about the newest ones though.

In good shape and good maintenance records, I would have very little fear in buying a Toyota. Honda might fit that bill too, but personally,I have no experience.
Anything else would have to be a good deal with the potential of it turning into a money pit!
I did buy a 2000 F-250 in 2003 with 108,000 miles on it for $10,000. I have a long driveway and plowed and sanded with it. Hauled lumber, wood pellets, ect.
Traded it last year for a 2015 and they gave me $5000 with plow. I put on 30,000 miles in 19 years. Wish every vehicle I bought turned out like that.

Sample size of 1, but my coworker has a 2016 Mercedes C300 with almost 150k trouble free miles on it.

Different generation, but my first 2 cars were early 80s Mercedes diesels with over 300k on each.

Have had a few Hondas over 100k

80k feels like a fair baseline. I am not so concerned with makes of high mileage vehicles as I am models and years. For instance I know I’d never buy a 4th generation Ford Explorer as they have significant and well known issues. I currently have a 99 Isuzu Trooper with close to 100k that has been near perfect.

Also I’d be more hesitant to buy an older vehicle based on the previous owners. I don’t want a car that was used as a rental car for example.

My dad drives for work and regularly puts 300-500k on a truck before he gets a new one. AFAIK most of his recent vehicles have been Chevy trucks and he’s only had a major issue with one of them, which required an engine replacement at around 300k. But most of his miles are highway miles and the trucks are meticulously maintained.

Purchasing several 80's and 90's Hondas with 100K to 120K and keeping them to 200K to 300K has worked well. Most were purchased privately with good maintenance records so there were no big surprises. Around 140K to 160K they typically need suspension work like struts and CV joints. Alternators and AC also typically needed attention before 200K. I'd expect Toyotas to be similar.

Some specific models and years seem to have issues with transmissions or other major things, so it does pay to research well.

Toyota and Honda are the only makes I’m interested in anymore. The modern iterations aren’t high mileage until 150k and up, in my opinion.

I just traded my 15 Avalon with 160k on it, simply because I wanted to get good money for it, which gets hard when nearing 200k. Got a 22 Corolla XSE hatchback with manual trans. I plan to drive that to 400k, if it’ll let me.

Our 13 Sienna had 230k on the clock when we bought it in 2018! Clearly all highway miles, and lovingly dealer maintained. It’s now nearing 270k, and we’d still drive it anywhere, if we actually ever went on long trips! 500 miles is about as far out as we regularly have occasion to travel, and we don’t give it a second thought!

I've had early 2000's Honda and Acura that went over 100,000 without major problems. I think Honda and Toyota are much better than most other brands. I do worry about some of the newer ones though. Honda's 1.5L turbo only time will tell.

FWIW at work we have had Ford 150's and E150 vans that have gone over 200,000. We did do some transmission work but that was on a van that was close to its max weight for its entire life. Those where all the old-school V8 and I6. As with Honda, I wonder how Ford's newer V6 with twin turbos will fair.

2001 Silverado 2500 HD with a 6.0L and 4L80E - 225k miles
2003 Suburban 1500 with a 5.3L and 4L60E - 420k miles
2013 Mazda 3, 2.0L and 6-speed manual trans - 140k miles

I buy used. I change the fluids regularly, and if something breaks I fix it. Mileage doesn't scare me...rust and overcomplicated electronics do. The rest is just parts.

I have seen the oldest Avalons still running just fine. Much the same can be said of Camry. Either, with good maintainance can go to 500,000 miles, maybe more. I have always liked the Avalon and would not hesitate to buy one up to 200,000 miles, providing it was well cared for. I consider a Avalon with less than 200,000 on its clock to be a worthy purchase for a used vehicle.

I bought a 1998 MB V8 with a little over 89k on the clock. It's at 115k now. Honestly, the age probably worries me more than miles. Wiring coatings, plastics etc. They start to break down. I've had a few broken brittle plastics on this (sunroof mechs). But the mechanics otherwise have been good. The AC needs fixed. I'm sure this won't be cheap, but as a package, it's been a great purchase and delivered a lot of value for very little depreciation cost.

I'd buy a Honda or Toyota with 80k-100k on the clock for the right price. I'd probably take a Subaru too, if it had good service records and had some high failure items replaced.

friend had a 94 Toyota base model pickup, the small one, and sold it at 498K,

we had a 97 Camry, sold it to the wifes sister at about 140K IIRC, and she still has it, (around 300K on it,

she (sis in law) has a handful of high mileage cars she goes between, including a Tahoe (150k) and a CRV at 200K,

wifhe had a CRV that we sold at 130K,


her Lexus RX350 is not at about 140K
my Civic is 120K and my 2000 tundra is at 210K


I had 2 mini cooper S's but traded the first at 65K on the second tht was totaled for me at 78K,
between the 2, I think I spent $167 in actual parts\repair, (beyond oil, brakes etc, and I had extended warranty I purchased for those )

friend had a standard Cooper that ran fine until she hit 100K, then it started to nickel and dime her to death and she got rid of it at 120K

my brother drives a 15 foad F150, it is at 150K,

and my shop van is at 115K,


FWIW, I am considering trading my Civic this summer for a midsize\small SUV (CRV or RAV4 type) and will probably by low mileage (50K or less) if I can find a deal,

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
I buy used. I change the fluids regularly, and if something breaks I fix it. Mileage doesn't scare me...rust and overcomplicated electronics do. The rest is just parts.

This for me as well. I maintain all my vehicles myself. I was a mechanic for a few years out of high school until I decided I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life.

I bought one new car in my life, a 2000 Dodge Durango. I had it for 15 years and 196,000 miles. It was still in great shape until I got T-boned in a snowstorm (my fault). We sold my wife's 99 4Runner last year with 220,000 miles on it. She put 200,000 on it. Still ran great, but she had it for 19 years and wanted a new one, her first new car (2022 4Runner).

I have a 2010 Tahoe I bought in 2017 after I totaled my Durango. Had 97,000 on it when I bought it, and about 140,000 now. The passenger side front wheel bearing started making noise the last few weeks. I just ordered one this morning for just under $250 delivered. It will take me an hour or so to replace it.

I don't mind replacing parts. I hate making a payment, I'd rather invest that money for my retirement. If you're not comfortable working on cars then I can see not wanting cars with over 100,000 miles on them.