The Land Yacht has reached 300,000 miles. It turns 25-years-old next month. I wanted to be happier about this, but it doesn’t really feel like much of an accomplishment. It was always supposed to reach this number. Hopefully, we’ll see 400k in this truck too.
What do you consider “high mileage”?
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I would consider 200000 kms a high mileage threshhold. That is 124274 miles, surely a significant point in American minds, too. ?
In other news, this is what happened to my trusty Stihl chainsaw after I bought a cheap Chinese air filter for it:
https://i.ibb.co/xjRBjZt/IMG-20190414-115503.jpg
Also, 2010 Honda Insight: Boring, underpowered, CVT-marred vehicle with a bad reputation for failing engines and bad piston rings. But I am eyeing one because…it’s super rare. How stupid is that?
My personal record is about 230k, but I had a hand in this one. It’s been semi-retired but still moves on its own every now and then. I think he’s up to around 347k.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c4569228b4733c44ab67d5089fe8e895b3f0bb4d644250177235fb52eb25681b.jpg
Definitely a sliding scale. Modern stuff can last a really long time, to the point that cars don’t die natural deaths so much as they are neglected to the point of failure if they’re not totalled out.
I’m convinced that OEM’s gave up on the inline-6 not because of packaging constraints, but because their inherent smoothness combined with other modern advancements mean that they basically can run forever. The last round of Toyota, Ford and AMC/Chrysler I-6’s are legendary for their longevity. The only semi-modern outlier to the rule is BMW, but they’re BMW, so they try to make things break, and succeed.
Depends on the vehicle. 300,000 might be a lot for a passenger vehicle manufactured when a 5-digit odometer was the norm, but it’s barely significant for an over the road 18-wheeler. And a pipe dream for one of mdharrell’s microcars.
Also, how do you count mileage on a “George Washington’s axe” car, where everything has been replaced until nothing original is left?
I would consider 200000 kms a high mileage threshhold. That is 124274 miles, surely a significant point in American minds, too. ?
In other news, this is what happened to my trusty Stihl chainsaw after I bought a cheap Chinese air filter for it:
https://i.ibb.co/xjRBjZt/IMG-20190414-115503.jpg
Also, 2010 Honda Insight: Boring, underpowered, CVT-marred vehicle with a bad reputation for failing engines and bad piston rings. But I am eyeing one because…it’s super rare. How stupid is that?
Found this oddball >>
https://nmi.craigslist.org/cto/d/beulah-1991-mitsubishi-delica-starwagon/6869144446.html
I really like those.
Rare in Michigan, but semi-common in Oregon. There are at least 6 Delicas in Bend, plus some assorted JDM Toyota vans and the Portland Craigslist has a Delica 4×4 diesel and a Delica class C motorhome listed right now.
More & more common around western Washington too – I just noticed a Seattle-area place that has 6-8 right now. Possibly not all Delicas, but similar size RHD/JDM van funkiness.
Highest mileage I’ve ever owned was ~250k kms/150k miles, and I fully expected at least 300k kms out of the thing (’97 Cavalier) as reasonable, but then I got something newer as a free hand-me-down, so I never found out. Rust is really the rate-limiting factor though, moreso than mechanical failure.
“Mileage on the car” vs. “mileage on the car’s components” are two completely different things. If an engine has been rebuilt during a car’s trip to 300,000 miles, then I’m not terribly impressed. However, if the car has had only wear items (clutch, brakes, etc.) replaced during that time, then it’s a significant accomplishment.
I almost expect high mileage out of some vehicles, like those running Toyota’s 22R or Ford’s 300 six (or, even further back, Volvo’s B18/B20). Others seem to be gasping for breath at barely 125k.
high mileage is definitely dependent on era, 100,000 miles used to be a major achievement, since I still have a Volvo 100,000 mile certificate for our 1974 164E. Some time in the late 80s 100,000 became unexceptional as cars became more durable and the EPA emissions test required a car to stay in spec for 100,00 miles. Now 200,000 is high for a car.
The Tuesday answer is probably over 50,000 since 100,000+ mile motorcycles are mostly BMW Airheads and 4 cylinder Gold Wings.
Depends on how much of a top end rebuild you want to include – I think most of the 100K+ airheads are on their 2nd or 3rd set of heads. The oilheads & plenty of the K bikes clock(ed) those miles without the need. I know there are a surprising number of Kawasaki inline 4s in that club as well – Concours & ZRX1100/1200s more than the Ninjas with shared, more highly tuned powerplants.
Depends on how much of a top end rebuild you want to include – I think most of the 100K+ airheads are on their 2nd or 3rd set of heads. The oilheads & plenty of the K bikes clock(ed) those miles without the need. I know there are a surprising number of Kawasaki inline 4s in that club as well – Concours & ZRX1100/1200s more than the Ninjas with shared, more highly tuned powerplants.
I think the heads on Airheads last, it’s the cylinders that reach maximum overbore. The guy I met with 450,000 miles on his R75 /5 was on his 3rd set of cylinders, but still using his original main bearings.
Exceptions don’t prove the rule, but I don’t care what you’re riding – 450K on a single motorcycle is astounding, and I have to assume people who manage this are exceptionally attentive to maintenance & care in use of the machine. Even if he’s on his 3rd set of heads at that point!
A friend had a Peugeot 404 with 400k miles back in the late 1990s. It would have seen its fair share of dirt roads, and he actually got stopped by the police because the front number plate was so chipped/sandblasted it was nearly illegible. He had 4-6 more of them of them, one or two still ran while the last couple were car-shaped spare parts storage with the bits helpfully filed in their relevant locations. I can’t remember exactly how he phrased it now.
I never owned a car with more than 135K on the clock (except my old blunt-nose Ford F150), more so because I just got tired of them. I may have to keep cars longer if I want a car with a real key and not a proximity fob. I figure nowadays with great engine lubricants and better metalurgy engines can outlast suspensions and electronic components. With the exception of high-end German/Italian/British cars in which case rebuilding or replacing critical subcomponents can easily cost more than the car is worth. I learned this not from personal experience but from watching Hoovies Garage on Youtube.
I’ve had two vehicles that were up to about 265K, the 318ti and the RSX Type S. Neither engine had been apart and the BMW still had its original clutch.
All my vehicles but one have over 125K and two have over 200K. 200K is what I’d consider high.
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