Rules to follow for high mileage drivers?
Posted by EdumacatedRedneck@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 46 comments
Wasn't really sure how to word the title....
People who drive a ridiculous amount of kilometers/miles in a year, what rules do you follow with regards to choosing vehicles and when you get rid of them?
I drive a lot and have went through a lot of vehicles over the years. I've had a 2024 infiniti qx60 for 3 months and I've already accumulated 21k kilometers (13k miles for my freedom friends). If I continue at this pace, I'm looking at over 80,000 kilometers a year. I don't mind too much atm since this is a 3 year lease, but I'm looking at
Given my driving habits, I either destroy the resale value of my vehicles or drive them into the ground. Recently I've been buying cars with around 80k km and selling them a year or two later once they hit 200k km.
People who drive similar amounts. What rule of thumb do you follow? Buy shitboxes and drive them till they die? Buy new and sell? Lease only? Have 2 cars and alternate?
Smooth-Apartment-856@reddit
Don’t get rid of cars at 200,000 kms. That’s low for modern cars. That’s only like 124,000 miles. I’ve bought cars with more miles than that.
I currently drive a 2009 Jaguar XJ8 with 158,000 miles. That’s like 254,000 kilometers. I plan on driving it at least until 200,000 miles (321,000 km). Preferably 250,000 miles (400,000 km).
Buy a car like a Mercury Grand Marquis or a Toyota Tacoma, and half a million kilometers is well within the realm of possibility. Heck, half a million miles is doable.
andervic209@reddit
How’s you get a jaguar that high. I hear all they do is break down and rank top 2 in unreliability
Certain_Childhood_67@reddit
Rule one. Dont drive a leased vehicle
EdumacatedRedneck@reddit (OP)
When it's a company car where I live it's a 100% write off. If you buy/finance it's ~35% write off
Fishandchips6254@reddit
I thought this was a discussion about what to do with a high mileage car. Came in this chat with a beer about to shout “Make it go sideways!”
All that energy for nothing
Smooth-Apartment-856@reddit
Someone get this man a 300,000 mile 1990’s Camaro or Mustang!
SOTG_Duncan_Idaho@reddit
You're going to get raked over the coals leasing a high mileage vehicle. Your lease almost certainly has a mileage limit and specifies a penalty for exceeding that limit.
EdumacatedRedneck@reddit (OP)
I'm on my 3rd vehicle with them and have exceeded every time. As long as I get a new vehicle from them, they're happy with me haha
SOTG_Duncan_Idaho@reddit
Nice stick it to 'em.
Be prepared to get hosed when you want something different ;)
Current_Lobster3721@reddit
I don’t drive nearly as much as you (about 45k a year) but when I was at the point of buying a vehicle I bought a used Corolla that I plan on running into the ground. Over 200k on it right now & it’s paid off, have been lucky to barely put anything into it besides regular upkeep (brakes, tires, battery, alt belt, water pump)
Given your situation with the leases it sounds like at some point you’re going to get bent over, it’s basically just a matter of when you want to bite the bullet & start owning a vehicle again. I would do a lot of research on what cars are reliable that you actually would see yourself driving for more than 4 years without getting sick of it. I personally love my corolla for the lack of headaches I have but I can totally understand why people would rather ride in a cardboard box.
TheWhogg@reddit
I used to buy near new cars ex lease. Currently 3yo cars are wildly overpriced though. Just as well that I’m now driving 7000km a year.
If I had to do it now I would buy an ageing 20d BMW station wagon (3 or 5 series). As much space as an X5 but drives like a sedan for a far lower price. Doing 1600rpm on the freeway with minimal cold starts or even gear changes means it should last 2 years fairly easily.
Kahless_2K@reddit
Buy cheap cars that are known to last for a long time.
I driven more cars with over 100k miles on ten clock than without.
sweetrobna@reddit
A lease costs more. Even if you get an incentive to waive mileage limits when you keep leasing over and over. And leasing a luxury suv costs a lot more than a cheaper car
For some cars an off lease or former rental vehicle is cheaper. For some buying new is cheaper.
You would save a lot of money having one smaller vehicle you drive for work and a larger vehicle for personal use where you need the space but don't need to drive long distances. So buy a second car and keep the lease.
Prius is the best car to drive a ton of miles in. Can get 65mpg on the highway. That means you are stopping for gas half as often as you are now, spending less. Less wear on things, longer between oil changes. Prius with high mileage still have decent resale value
The cheapest is probably a corolla, elantra, niro, escape hybrid. Because they are so cheap upfront, and sometimes you can get a great deal on a used one.
Canuckistanni@reddit
What do you do? Is a premium brand/shape a necessity for professional image? Do you need a large SUV?
Write-offs or expense per mile/km reimbursement?
Camry is a nice comfortable vehicle that you could get several years out of at that kind of mileage, while still looking professional.
I'd steer clear of the pure econo boxes spending that much time behind the wheel.
EdumacatedRedneck@reddit (OP)
Criminal defense lawyer, all the mileage/gas/penalties are company expenses. Needed the large suv due to a growing family and 2 100lb dogs.
In all honesty I'm mostly interested what others are doing who don't have company write offs. I'm thinking of getting a pickup truck for camping/fishing/road trips and I'm curious what people are doing for personal vehicles.
Fast-Wrongdoer-6075@reddit
My wife has the big SUV for towing and i drive the lil gas sipping honda fit. Are you able to do the same?
Canuckistanni@reddit
I run an excavation business, but also have a family.
I have my work truck because I need a truck. Carrying 1000+ lbs of cargo daily; fuel and tools, crew, trailers, ect.
We have a family van that is the wife's primary vehicle. We use this for family road trips/camping/ or additional family in town. We also have a third older vehicle we use as a backup, or as my run around vehicle when the 1ton pickup is too big/impractical.
I would look at your situation the way I view purchasing more equipment for the business. What are the missions you need to accomplish, and does it make sense to generalize multiple missions together at a higher per unit cost, or specialize and have individual units per task?
In your case, possibly a higher end unit for the family, that would last longer with lower mileage on avg. And then a sedan, at a lower overall and per mile cost for your massive running around. This could be an off-lease that you buy, run for a year and then sell and buy another. I would avoid mixing missions with that amount of mileage.
Fast-Wrongdoer-6075@reddit
I commute 200km/day or about 50-60k km yearly. I drive a 2019 honda fit. Before i got the fit i was driving whatever shitbox i could find.
But over 4 years with all the repairs and going through 2 vehicles (roughly 16k between repairs and buying the cars) i could have just bought something newer and more reliable for the same cost. So i did.
bigloser42@reddit
you might want to check the terms of your lease. Usually you are only allocated like 12-15k miles per year. There would be severe penalties for going that far over.
EdumacatedRedneck@reddit (OP)
I've been abusing a loophole where they wave the excess mileage if I get another infiniti. If I don't get another infiniti, it'll probably be $8-10k in penalties
bigloser42@reddit
What is your cost per km over the limit? Also, they may not be willing you do business with you if you are abusing the terms of the lease that badly, legality aside. There may be a loophole there, but they don't actually have to sell you a car, businesses can refuse to do business with you for any non-protected reason they want. You might be on the hook for the overages.
knightofterror@reddit
Right. I’m sure the dealer is totally reluctant to collect large sums to cover mileage overage. ‘You’re banned, sir. We’re tired of all the profit you generate.’
Carvanasux@reddit
Or know you are stuck in a pattern of leasing another one. It's just as much a benefit for the dealer as it is a loophole for the customer, if not more.
arsonall@reddit
The loop hole is that OP spends more a month on a lease versus buying and financing.
And they don’t own it.
I tried leasing, and it made no sense because you are renting the car, without the option to pre-pay, and without a negotiation for buyout (they determine the cars value at buyout, so you get bent over if you buy out.
Only thing I can see is that OP should be getting compensated if this is for work, and that could possibly offset the “car sized” debt being accrued via lease without an exit plan.
bigloser42@reddit
If you read OP’s response to the first question, he’s not paying the overage charges due to a loophole that they waive the overages when he buys another Infiniti from them.
EdumacatedRedneck@reddit (OP)
It's $0.10/km if I recall recorrectly. I'm on my 3rd car from them. I think this'll be my last though, so I'll end up paying the excess
StockUser42@reddit
That’s when you have to consider a buyout (where the kms get ignored).
32carsandcounting@reddit
This is the answer. Buy it out, drive it till it has issues, sell it outright. Then buy vehicles that have already taken a hit on depreciation.
kstorm88@reddit
Holy shit....
cmbtmstr@reddit
Sounds like you’ll be getting another Infinity then!
sllewgh@reddit
So they've got you trapped forever. Good business model.
pessimistoptimist@reddit
I am curious as to your driving habits that are trashing the vehicle. The body and interior should easily be able to last more than 3 years so the issue presumably would be drivetrain issues. With those kind of miles I would assume there is alot of highway driving which modern engines can tolerate for a very long time with regular maintenance using quality parts and oils. If you are doing alot of hard acceleration, hard stops, over revving, or towing then obviously they won't last as long. I think it has already been mentioned but if you are penalized for kms on a lease then would buy it out, drive what you got until you have issues then sell for what you can get. Then look at used (leased buybacks, fleet vehicles etc) from a dealer If you go in in advance and tell them what you are looking for and explain that you put miles on and buy a new vehicle ever 3 years they may be able to give you a shout when what you want comes in at, hopefully, a decent price. caveat is that you may have to be ready to buy quickly when something comes in but if you have a working vehicle you can use that til the right vehicle comes in. A good dealership will know which customer are on leases that usually get a new lease and the condition of the cars they bring in. If they can move that buyback asap that's good for them so they probably would work with you on that. Of course this is internet arsehole stranger giving his two cents, it will all depend on what makes sense for your time and budget cause it sounds like you have a decent deal currently going if they waive the over kms.
Windycitybeef_5@reddit
Rule #1. Do the opposite of what you are currently doing. You’re going to be in for a rude awakening with leasing if your loophole fails. Why would you ever buy or lease new? Makes no sense unless you’re already a millionaire.
EdumacatedRedneck@reddit (OP)
Company write off. I'm curious what other people are doing who are in a similar situation but with their personal vehicles.
fredfarkle2@reddit
I went from a Lincoln Town Car to a Subaru Forester. Unbelievably reliable. They've stayed with their AWD/CVT and engineered all the problems out of it.
Although, any Subaru has the same drivetrain and reliability.
EdumacatedRedneck@reddit (OP)
I had a lifted manual crosstrek as a camping rig recently and absolutely loved that thing! Sold it when it hit 200k km. Very reliable car! I just wish the wrx and sti had the same reliability haha
CountryBoydCustoms@reddit
Buy a vehicle that you like and just keep up on the maintenance i don't really see the point in trading in vehicles all the time highway driving is generally easier on the vehicle so not much should break as often
ShadowK2@reddit
Buy an older Prius or other Toyota hybrid around 100-150k miles. Maintain it really well. Drive it up to 300-350k miles and repeat.
3amGreenCoffee@reddit
I drive it until I don't feel like I can trust it or keeping it going gets annoying.
I'm at 180K on my Subaru. I haven't lost confidence in it or become annoyed.
New-Blackberry-6623@reddit
Depends what you need.. my brother was always renting box trucks for trips. We got him downsized to a Lexus gx460 and large enclosed dual axle trailor, then even further to an older sienna w no or fold down seats. (Much better fuel economy) Then if you need more space, cargo bag/hitch cargo hauler. He also plans trips around 1 way RV rentals. (They need it at another location) so they rent it cheap for a 1 way drive. So far I think the older sienna and 1 way RV'S serve their purpose most effectively. Route planning ahead of time with the ability to pivot as needed. Personally, I prefer a 10yr old economy or minivan (more comfortable) but unsure if I have a dog in the fight.
rolowa@reddit
Its a tough predicament. On one hand, I would only want to buy something cheap like a base corolla or civic then drive it till it dies. On the flip side, I understand buying a luxury car, you are in it so often that you deserve to be comfortable.
I like the loophole you are using, even if its with a brand I would never consider.
Dedward5@reddit
Probably makes a difference if the miles are all business related. I’m UK so can’t provide any advice but here you might want to put the car all on business for tax/losss purposes and manybe have a different car for personal use (or not).
Manderthal13@reddit
You're eating the value out of the cars by putting that much mileage on them but if you're not choosy about what you drive you could find a couple of low mileage Toyotas and just drive the heck out of them, alternating between trips. It's got to be all highway right? Find a cream puff used Venza or Rav4 with 30k or less and drive the heck out of it for a few years. Leapfrog into new ones whenever the right one comes along to save resale value. Either that or buy one brand new car and see if it'll last to a million miles. Good luck.
PCho222@reddit
You drive that much on a lease? How many miles they give you? Assuming they aren't screwing you in the pricing somehow or you aren't paying X$/mile over and just eating it, I'd lease whatever I want and drive it into the ground.
EdumacatedRedneck@reddit (OP)
They wave the excess mileage if I get another infiniti at the end of my lease. Otherwise I eat $8-10k in penalties.
I've been hearing bad things about the new toyota engines for reliability.
PCho222@reddit
That's only their newest turbo V6 with some manufacturing flaw in the first few years of the engine's offering. Their other stuff is fine.