What’s the most impressive mileage you’ve personally seen on a car still running strong?
Posted by EvelynClede@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 126 comments
Otherwise_Switch7536@reddit
The ‘ol family van. A ‘91 Grand Voyager V6 with ~420k miles. No A/C, hubcaps gone, wood paneling peeling, still had the hood ornament and ran great! Donated to a women’s shelter around 2008 and we saw it a few more times around town.
Chuckle_Flukk88@reddit
At our dealership we had a one owner, Volkswagen New Beetle with a diesel engine with 440K on it as a regular customer. The guy drove 220 miles r/t every day. Stickler about regular and scheduled maintenance!
IllMasterpiece5610@reddit
I got rid of my 1.8l mk3 golf after putting 865,000 on it. The heater core blew (my fault); otherwise I’d still be driving it and it would probably be around twice that mileage now.
OGDirtDude117@reddit
I've seen vehicles with original drivetrains in the 600k mile range but the most impressive vehicle I have seen was a Kia Borrego with 250k needing a wheel bearing. It was in MINT shape.
A 2016 Honda Fit automatic with 82k miles getting spark plugs and it had a valve cover leak. I pulled the valve cover off and it was sludged beyond belief. Never had its oil changed! That one was scary.
Unfair-Bison-3946@reddit
750,000km mk2 diesel Jetta going strong
goldielocks42@reddit
My 98 Chevy tracker. Has 376k on it. It’s just my bush rig that lives at redline. Only thing that killed it was a crushed fuel pump and gas tank. I swear it will go forever. I just make sure all the fluids are full and up to date and send it
thatguy82688@reddit
93 ford ranger 500k+ miles
Dieseldave42069@reddit
My dad’s 97 f350 7.3… original brakes, no major work done at all. Some small things here and there. 500 (and some change) thousand miles.
biggunzcdb1@reddit
I used to service a white 81 Mercedes 380SL that had 385k on it the last time I seen it. Regularly brought it in. Often a little early. Had oil change stickers from all over the country. Cool car. The woman who drove it was dead set on it being her only car she ever owned.
ClapClapFlapSlap@reddit
370k Pontiac Vibe (don't be fooled, it's a Corolla wearing a skinsuit)
04limited@reddit
220k on a 2019 Chevy Cruze
BobDerBongmeister420@reddit
Not personally (sorry op) but my brother had a Mercedes Sprinter come in with a few kms.
Allegedly it did a million and only needed a turbo at 500k and regular maintenance.
JSTootell@reddit
Impressive mileage? Maybe my dad's old Ford Ranger. It had 250,000 miles on it when it got stolen. Not impressive mileage, except for how poor the maintenance was.
My van has 350,000 miles, but I won't be impressed for a long time.
Onecooltrack@reddit
My neighbor’s 1995 Toyota Camry with close if not over 600000miles
floof29@reddit
I have witnessed about 700 K kilometers on a škoda Octavia 1.9 TDI. Still running like brand new even though the whole engine was a Mass of oil leaks, Black goop and schmoo.
Errornametaken@reddit
My ex somehow put 380k on a v6 Dodge Challenger through a combination of luck and extreme force of will
Wheredidiparkmyyugo@reddit
Someone should make this thread for cars in the upper Midwest with salt
YeahIGotNuthin@reddit
My '95 Maxima was still in my rotation of useful cars a couple years ago, at 303,000 miles, when a tree fell on it.
I mean, it still RAN afterwards, and the a/c still blew cold. But at that point, desperately needing tires and starting to leak rain in around the window seals, it was time to let 'er go.
MrPogoUK@reddit
My dad’s friend was a taxi driver, and the Mercedes he used for work had about 800,000km on it. This was back in 1996. I assume he’s still driving it today.
Remarkable_Cheek4788@reddit
1997 Buick LeSabre GM 3800 engine 328k miles still runs like butter
Bulocoo@reddit
2015 Chevy Cruze. It was my nieces. The first time I drove it I thought something was messed up. 45.mpg. Seriously efficient car. I ended up buying it from her.
I bought a 2009 Honda Fit for my kid. 42 mpg
Both these cars can be had in the 100-130k miles range for 5 grand.
For reliabilty I would do the Fit. Bought it at 80k and it just clocked 200k. No repairs except 3 coil packs, a set of tires and a window motor.
Justaviewer10@reddit
It was around a 1999-2003 Toyota 4Runner I believe at about 1.2 million km’s, original engine, transmission was replaced around 800k km I think
Key-Earth-2628@reddit
My mom's 99 Grand Cherokee had 300k miles before the original engine/drivetrain kicked the bucket. Now at 350k, still runs and drives flawlessly (which, i mean, it should), and is damn near rust free!
mehbtdt@reddit
I6 motor?
Key-Earth-2628@reddit
Yes!
nostradumbass7544678@reddit
972k, on a Honda Accord. I have pictures of the odometer.
lumpiawrappers@reddit
Hell yeah , my 1999 CRV just rolled over 207k the other day. Best used car purchase I’ve ever made.
Ok-Employee680@reddit
Sadly new Hondas are trash garbage.
Serialtorrenter@reddit
What year? I'm assuming 7th generation?
nostradumbass7544678@reddit
Fourth (1990) It was Joe LoCicero's car, AKA 'Million Mile Joe'. He was a rep for the district my dealership was in, so I saw it pretty regularly. If the odometer had read 97k, I would have believed it, the car was in such good shape, especially for the northeast.
Serialtorrenter@reddit
That's pretty impressive. I saw a 1992 Accord (same generation) being driven recently (within the past couple of months).
LavishnessOk6635@reddit
360k
Prudent_Animal5135@reddit
My 91 Legacy sedan with 550k miles. Yeah it smoked like crazy but it still drove good enough to daily.
LaDolceVita_59@reddit
I’m driving a 2008 Corolla. The odometer stopped working at 299,999km. Every single thing still works fine including the ice cold AC. I’m guessing that it has over 500km on it by now.
LowWeb7551@reddit
570k miles on my dad’s old 2001 ford ranger
ItsDiegoU_NO@reddit
My 2003 Corolla with 220k
kaydnh@reddit
400000miles Mercedes sprinter
artest1111@reddit
350k on 06 Tacoma
Puzzleheaded-Sail536@reddit
My grandfather owned a bit business on the east coast that required him to drive all around. Has had his fair share of diesel trucks and one of them was at 800,000 miles and still was in solid condition, considering the stuff he had to lug around. Always took care of his maintenance on time and that thing ran beautifully.
288bpsmodem@reddit
Kia amanti, I dunno what year. 800k km. Saw him all the time at my mechanics shop. He was a salesman southern Ontario. Religious oil changes at 5k km.
TSLAog@reddit
660,000 on a Ford Escape Hybrid used for Taxi in SF, original battery, engine, and transaxle. Amazingly it still ran, just needed a new coolant pump.
That fleet of taxis convinced me to buy a did escape hybrids, it was a phenomenal vehicle.
WorkerEquivalent4278@reddit
350k miles on 1979 300D Mercedes. I’m sure some of the 200D taxis I took had even more, but many of them stopped counting.
BrianLevre@reddit
I have 312,000 miles on a 2009 Honda. Drive it about 1700 miles a week, every other week.
Dude at work is bumping 600,000 on his 2008 Honda. He drives it about 2500 miles a week, every week.
We are couriers.
Relative_Class8311@reddit
Not as high as some of the other folks here, but my 2014 Lexus CT200H just broke the 500K (KMs) mark. The car is known for head gasket issues but I think I’ve been lucky, other than ref fluid flushes it’s been running strong. Have had to replace the breaks twice, 12V twice, otherwise no issues.
runerx@reddit
Saw a 500k mi. Mercedes at the dealer in the kate 90s
Brixmis51@reddit
998,900kms on an ex-taxi 2002 Ford Falcon. Original engine, gearbox replaced at 650k. Belongs to a retired taxi driver neighbour. He cant bear to part with it.
ShipshapeMobileRV@reddit
2000 VW Jetta TDI, 450k miles, still occasionally hitting the dragstrip when I sold it.
MaleficentExtent1777@reddit
I drove an Infiniti QX60 to about 207000 miles with a CVT. My sister had an Altima with over 320k when she finally gave it up.
Still-Ambassador4459@reddit
600k on a diesel 2001 excursion
Esperante_@reddit
Highest I've personally seen was just over 500K kms / 313K miles on a Lotus Elise S1.
Hersbird@reddit
I had a 2007 Wrangler with 304,000 miles. I didn't put those miles on it, but sort felt sorry for whoever did.
safety3rd@reddit
That’s wild- that’s a lot of time spent in that little thing
Hersbird@reddit
I have a 2013 work truck f450 gas v10 with 342,000 miles and climbing 30,000 miles a year. Runs great, has never had anything motor or transmission fixed, maybe a starter or alternator. Never had plugs or wires. I think they are just waiting for it to have a problem to get rid of it, and it never does. Normally the trucks are replaced every 10 years.
GlassCityJim@reddit
Our 1980 Volvo had 330,000+ miles on it and was running fine when we donated it to the local NPR station. As they say in Sweden “ the world’s fastest tractor “
makgross@reddit
I have a Swedish car, too. It’s the world’s slowest jet (SAAB).
And also 308,000 miles.
murmur333@reddit
I have two Volvo 940s, one at 340k miles and one at almost 300k miles. No signs of stopping.
psyco75@reddit
When i worked as a mechanic at a cab company, we had a Chevy caprice that had 375k miles on the odometer.
EVE_Burner_Account@reddit
We had multiple 300k+ mile e39s that rolled through the shop when I worked there. Change the oil, coolant system refresh on schedule, reglue the rear door vapor seals, send em on their way.
RSways@reddit
Was there any particular engine in the e39's that tended to make it to their higher mileages? M54? Or did they all seem fairly stout?
EVE_Burner_Account@reddit
The M54 is more sturdy than the M62, which requires timing chain service around 130-150k miles. But that's usually a one and done service, the OEM guides just didn't hold up. With good service history probably 350-400k is doable for the m54
ID_pending@reddit
Je ne connais que les m57, les diesels. Vous pouviez en voir en vente avec 700 000 km encore fringuant
StelioKontossidekick@reddit
They're talking about the diesel variants, M51 or M57. The M54 gasoline rarely made it past 300k miles.
Skodakenner@reddit
I own 2 wich sit at around 300k km basically what you said. Sometimes the PCV valve has issues as well but its cheap to fix. I love them alot the quality of them is the best i have seen my dads one looks better after 300k km than my new skoda does after 100k.
ID_pending@reddit
Les E39 sont mes préférés, le M57 est un tracteur, la caisse est super confortable et le poids reste contenue Je me suis surpris à préféré ma dernière sans option avec siège tissu Et effet l’habitacle n’a pas bougé alors que la voiture a 26 ans mis à part le cuir des volants qui ce décousent La seule que je regrette c’est l’e36 en TDS. Après j’aime beaucoup les moteurs diesels, ce qui peut être mal vue mais ces M57 sont tellement économique dans mon pays
Skodakenner@reddit
M57 are great engines was looking for one last yesr but couldnt find a good one sadly
ID_pending@reddit
J’ai eu trois e39, une qui a atteint les 520 000 km, une a 450 000 km et la dernière qui n’a que 370 000 km. Toute avait le moteur qui ronronnait C’était des L6 3.0d
dragonitexy@reddit
3-year old V6 F-Pace with 230k miles
darkpyro101@reddit
My dad’s 09 Camry is currently around 450k km and while I never particularly loved the car, Ive grown very fond of it and the longer it goes the more proud I am. Our family buys new cars and maintains them well for 15+ years, but this one’s done the most mileage by far.
whiteplugadn@reddit
had an early 2000s highlander come in with 480k miles on the dash. car still looked fresh off the dealer lot. unsurprisingly also worked on a 1998 ls400 with 560k.
Father-of-zoomies@reddit
72 GMC Camper Special w/350k and some change before it was put out to pasture.
megasmash@reddit
There’s a guy driving around my work area with a 1st generation Toyota Matrix. He has “1 000 000kms and going strong!” Posted on the rear windows.
Ezika7@reddit
I had 227,000 on a Peugeot
Grimey1z47@reddit
Driving a mailtruck (called the LLV). On the gauge cluster is a sticker (Add 100,000 MILES). The gauge said 897,596. Almost 1 million miles.
MysticMarbles@reddit
My uncle sold (not scrapped) his 89 Mazda B2200 with 743,000km on the clock.
Clutch was done around 650k. engine was original and while down on power, only took a quart of oil between changes.
HDauthentic@reddit
480,000 on an old Sequoia that came through the body shop. It was a total loss from the accident but still ran great
Vybo@reddit
There are 1.9 TDI PD based cars from VAG are still running around with close to 600k miles around here. The engine is never the problem, the rest of the car is.
BagRight1007@reddit
Uncle has a 1.9 tdi pd (ALH) Golf with about 1.1 or 1.2 mil kms. Engine going strong, the car itself had to get fully cleaned of rust like twice or three times. Literally refuses to die and it does like 4.5-5 l/100km.
The_Coalition@reddit
These cars only ever get scrapped because rust eats them alive and it no longer makes financial sense to maintain them. Truly a pinnacle of combustion engine engineering. Similar things happen with Subarus with 1.6 and 2.0 boxers (and 2.5 too after upgrading head gaskets). Engine keeps going while everything else slowly falls apart.
colorsntones@reddit
Can confirm- I had a diesel Jetta wagon and I like it but the dumbest stuff would break on it(but not the engine). The problem in the U.S is that they are a German car assembled in Mexico- terrible combo
Vybo@reddit
Yeah, I'm not sure how true this would be for other continents where the cars are made by different factories. My comment was about Europe specifically.
_eg0_@reddit
1,752,509km or ~1.1 million miles on a Skoda with the original 1.9TDI engine. The odometer already rolled over once, but the owner always had the service history and an article with him because he was pretty proud of the mileage.
The_Coalition@reddit
those 1.9 TDI engines really do last forever on basic maintenance. I'm more surprised that the rest of the car is still in good shape after all that. Mine is in a golf with almost 300k km and it's basically running like new. interior is falling apart, we fix some electrical issues every now and then, rust is forming on bumpers and sound insulation fell apart long ago. But it gets 5,5-6/100km with AWD and won't fail anytime soon.
_eg0_@reddit
Former Neighbors got a 1.9 Golf 4. I've talked to them recently. "The engine is at 750k km right now. No idea about the rest of the car"
cshmn@reddit
I got picked up from the airport in 2018 by a late 2000s Lincoln Town car with 980,000 miles. The centre armrest and driver's seat had essentially melted to the shape of the driver. It was not a pleasant trip.
I've personally driven the following:
2004 GMC Savana 3500 passenger van (taxi) with a 6.0 L V8 and 786,000 km. The oil pump finally went out on it around that mileage.
2x 2015 Chevy Express 4500 (20 passenger bus) with the 6.6 duramax and retired at about 550,000 km.
2002 GMC 3500 pickup with 6.6 duramax and 620,000 km
1998 GMC 1500 with 5.7 vortec and 580,000 km
2 different 2004 Grand Caravans with the 3.3 V6 and 480,000 km, a 2010 with the 3.3 and 670,000 km and a couple of 2012 Pentastar caravans with around 500,000 km.
Other than that, I've driven several Semi trucks with 2.4 million km or more, but that's pretty typical end of life for those.
Jo-18@reddit
I’ve been shopping for an 03-11 Town Car or Crown Vic to make my new daily. Yes they’re slow by modern standards, but they just ride so damn good and are reliable as hell
ahandmadegrin@reddit
One of my teachers back in the 90s had a Lincoln Town Car. I remember getting a ride hone and even at that young age remarking to myself how it felt like sitting in a comfortable couch on a cloud. At least, that's how my 12 year old brain explained it.
ScientistSuomi_og@reddit
My close friend has Mazda CX-5 with 457 000 miles now.
It has been brilliant car, original manual transimission and engine.
ctlou2345@reddit
500k+ miles on an 80s Audi 80 saloon taxi.
glomar-recovery-co@reddit
A friend had a civic with 430k ish miles.
Manual. He said he only did a starter or alternator in that whole time and one clutch. The clutch was done at the dealer and a year later had problems. He ended up giving it away before it hit 500k.
His commute was 75 miles and he said he barely shifted either way to the expressway.
Timewastinloser27@reddit
675k in a 16 gmc 2500 this was in 19, dude basically drove from Houston to Canada for work weekly. He loved that truck, and the cool thing about the dealership I worked at was they offered lifetime powertrain warranty even on diesels!
My dad has an 08 gmc with 450k miles and its his daily still bought it new in 08 from the same dealer ther other trucks from.
alanbdee@reddit
In person. My brother’s 98 dodge Cummins has 400k. It’s no longer his daily so I’m not sure he’ll get it to 500k.
Yksisuomalainenkuski@reddit
Mazda3 with 500k miles
twelfthfantasy@reddit
My friend has a '97 Corolla with 426,000 miles and counting
Altruistic-Fun5062@reddit
Mazda 3 -15 or -16 with legendary Skyactiv-G engine.
Was about 780 000 miles on the clock, that happened 2 months ago.
According-Fan5406@reddit
My dad's 2019 X6 M50i is at like 50k miles, and has only had one electrical issue (complete power failure) and the sunroof broke but it's pretty impressive. Engine still works!
ThePurch@reddit
My 2005 Toyota Matrix is at 752,000km. Original drivetrain.
National-Chemistry50@reddit
500k kilometers on a Volkswagen Passat, 1.9 TDi
ApprehensiveAd6603@reddit
My buddies Nissan Frontier PRO4X has 767xxxkm on it. Original engine/trans etc.
The only problem spot is something weird like some sensor that he's replaced 10 times. And I think he's done his left rear wheel bearing like 5 times. Everything else is good.
He works for the forestry dept and probably a quarter of that mileage is on logging roads and trails. He's super anal about maintenance but the truck deff doesn't live an easy life lol.
NothingLift@reddit
2+ million km on a Volvo 240 wagon. Been getting around the local area delivering flowers since I was a kid
Ambitious-Ocelot8036@reddit
I worked at a gas station in the 70s where the mechanic only worked on MBenz. There was an old 300D with 880k. The car was in better shape than my dad's Buick with 40k.
Medium-Oil8577@reddit
1973 dodge D 100 318cid/automatic 419,000. That was over 20yr ago it was still running strong. The old man never changed the oil he only changed the filter and added a quart. Im still amazed by that
Imaginary_Meet_5558@reddit
I drove a 1989 Volvo 240 with original engine & trans to 380,000 miles. I sold it in excellent mechanical shape. I then bought a 2007 S60 and drove it to just under 300k before selling it. No issues on either.
ImamTrump@reddit
Did you wait for the sparks to die or did you replace them right on time?
Imaginary_Meet_5558@reddit
I kept on top of maintenance.
ImamTrump@reddit
I saw many Mercedes taxis in Germany over a million km. Never did I see that in another country.
Realistic-March-5679@reddit
Personally put hands on? Several Subaru Outbacks with 350K+ Miles. Absolute highest I had in the shop? Had a converted Ford camper van thing that had maxed out the odometer. Still running strong…but it’s kind of like the ship of Theseus question. It’s been modified so much and so often is it even the same truck/van it was when it was built?
slartibartfast64@reddit
My wife's 2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited had over 250k miles on it when we sold it.
I understand that number is not impressive for many other models, but given the common Wrangler reputation I thought it was worth a mention.
birdpix@reddit
Over 300k for our company minivan, a 4-cylinder 1984 Dodge Caravan that my boss was anal-retentive about doing all mechanical service items from the manual.
That van was often stuffed with 6 adult school photographers and towing a 4x5 trailer loaded with 300+ pounds of cameras and studio gear. And it still got nearly 30 mpg highway as we crisscrossed Florida every day!!
jrileyy229@reddit
People of Reddit... Look at the account posting this... This is not someone looking for car advice.
Eschewed_Prognostic@reddit
1973 Porsche Carrera with 480k miles on its original engine. Ran great. Daily driven since new by father then son.
Bankrupt_drunkard@reddit
What I think is impressive is 250,000 miles on a Peugeot 107. 1.0 3 cylinder engine, still on the original chain, and never had the head off. In terms of the number of revolutions and max power delivered, these little engines are amazing.
Business-Dot6130@reddit
2006 Toyota Avensis 2.0D4D, 340,000km and still gets 4.9 L/100km. Unbelievable. It's the sedan version of the Hilux, bulletproof.
that_dutch_dude@reddit
1.6 million on a taxi we operated. runner up was 800k on a tesla model S and third was my own alfa 156 that i scrapped at 670k. The engine from that got saved and ran for another 200k.
RunsWithPremise@reddit
In my dealership days, I saw a lot of Duramax and 7.3 Powerstroke diesels with 500k+ miles on them. Occasionally we'd see an OBS Chevy truck or an Express van with 500 - 700k miles.
At the Honda store, we had a regular customer who put a million miles on a 1990 Honda Accord. Honda gave him a brand new Accord.
They held an event at the Volvo store for the guy who had driven over a million miles in his P1800. I think it was part of a press tour because he was from NY and not local to us.
aperturephotography@reddit
My 530d E39...265k, engine was solid. Car unfortunately rotten.
But, the engine oil, that's a different story.
MOT ramp and the dipstick tube comes out the sump after I had forgotten to fit the bolt on the inlet after some work. MOT place was out of oil but they had the barrel of old drained oil. Guy said he could use that just to get me home and I could change it there. So in goes 5 litres of unknown oil drain offs.
3 years later I still hadn't changed the oil 😂 and it still ran beautifully.
Sadly an ews fault and rotten jacking points was it's eventual downfall.
Doublestack00@reddit
92 Toyota pickup. When I was younger the company I worked for used it for deliveries.
The last time I drove it, the speedometer said 480K the gauge had stopped working a couple years before I started working there.
SeriesHot6646@reddit
I motori più longevi sono sui Toyota Land cruiser africani... 4,2 litri 6 cilindri in linea aspirato con precamera..
4.000.000 di km li....
Krilitane1@reddit
I work at a Chevy dealer and I've seen a 3 year old 6.6l Duramax over 500,000 miles. Guy had a 5 year unlimited mile bumper to bumper extended warranty that would do pretty much anything we suggested maintenance and repair wise.
jules083@reddit
A friend got one of those unlimited warranties on a Yamaha motorcycle. Same thing, 5 year unlimited mile.
4 years into ownership the timing chain let loose and junked the motor with 99,000 miles. Yamaha bought him a new crate motor. I don't think they expected many people to put that kind of mileage on a motorcycle when they were pricing those warranties. Lol
Humble_Handler93@reddit
A guy I work with has been daily driving his 2003 F150 since he bought it brand new including still towing his fishing boat and his camper regularly for 465k miles. The only thing he’s had done aside from routine maintenance is replaced the alternator twice and the radiator (which he cracked rear endings semi back in 2008). Other than those two things it’s been belts, hoses, spark plugs, breaks and fluid and nothing else
maldoricfcatr@reddit
I bought a Mazda 3 hatch with 320K. Had factory sparkplugs still. Runs great after tune up and new brakes
420aarong@reddit
Recently sold a 415k mile 1st gen is300. Both test drivers of the car were impressed with how well it still drove. Original engine and transmission.
timmy_05@reddit
My grandfather’s Renault 18 had over 800’000 km on it when he sold it.
AppropriateRound1@reddit
Neighbor does rideshare full time, retires his honda odyssey when they hit the max miles. Said the last one got up to like 600k
Pantsmnc@reddit
Ive run a lot of civics past the 300k mark. Usually the engine outlasts everything else. A few old subarus up there as well. My brother in law has a tacoma with like 700k on it though. He treats that thing like a semi truck and does nonstop preventive maintenance but he also drives like crazy for his army job so he's got the money for it.
Squozen_EU@reddit
Not personally, but the Hyundai EV that was still running on the original battery after 360k miles was pretty impressive. https://www.techradar.com/vehicle-tech/hybrid-electric-vehicles/worried-about-ev-longevity-these-5-electric-cars-have-all-done-over-200-000km-on-their-original-battery