balthus

Currently driving my 2013 wagon that now has about 30k miles. It was a CPO vehicle that I bought about 3 years ago which is usually how I buy my MB. It replaced a 2010 wagon that was in an accident at the dealership by someone at the dealership when it was in for repair. My husband is driving a 2016 Subaru Outback with 10k miles that replaced a 2010 GLK that was totaled when someone hit him. His Outback was bought new. They are both purchases which will both be paid for by year-end. We have short commutes.

I am turning 65 next month and he will be 62. We both work and are not planning on retiring in near future(at least not voluntarily) but were talking about when we might or should buy next cars with the idea that if we stay where we are geographically in a urban driving city that we will need one or two cars for the next 15-20 years.

I have an extended warranty on my wagon in effect until 9/23/19 and he has an extended warranty on the Outback.

Any ideas of about how long you think we can keep these cars if they are well maintained. I am a planner and prefer to stagger replacing both vehicles so that time we only have one car payment at a time but not sure when or with what.

I love my wagon & would love another CPO but not sure if they have become cost prohibitive to buy and service.

I think right now I'd have some upside trading my wagon in and wondering if it makes sense to go from a 2013 to a 2105 or 2016 now or just wait.

Would go to a sedan but not to a larger SUV. Also if you have good credit and are no longer working is it easier to lease than to purchase but is that a wiser option in case something happens health-wise and you are stuck in a lease.

Wow realize this may be a depressing or rambling post which was not my intent.

Thanks in advice for any feedback.

homeofstone

I can say most cars today will last to about 250,000 miles with no major repairs if well maintained. We put about 25,000 to 35,000 miles a year on cars and keep them to about 220,000 miles. Maybe this helps. If you do a google search there are many articles regarding how long today's cars last.

kajtek1

My father, being 93 just donated his 1987 Mercedes 300DT as he can't drive anymore.
Car was in perfect mechanical condition with only 299,000 miles. You still "could eat from the engine" as I made it leak-less.
Cosmetically the car was just fine, but I was able to find seat skins from junk yard, so beside some venting elements all the car could use was paint job.
I don't see why Mercedes can't reach 50 years, however even mechanically perfect car is not appreciated as it does not have GPS, no Bluetooth, no MP3 and such.
It won't park itself neither
I hope by the time when I'll celebrate 90, most of the cars on the roads will be self-driven. That sure should make much smoother and faster driving.

Peachy

I'm gonna sound like El Cid but Kia has a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. That'll get you half way to 20 worry free. I'm not familiar with most Kia models, other than the Stinger GT, which I wouldn't mind having, especially with that warranty.

Toyota and Honda are always a good bet for a car that'll last 20 years, the paint and interior might not, but the powertrain will.

Darel

Literally every single one.

This isn't the 1960s anymore. Technology, and especially metallurgy and materials sciences (and most critically, rustproofing!) have advanced to the point that, barring abuse or neglect, every single car should easily last 20 years or longer.

Every car out there should have no problem at all lasting 20 years from a Kia to a Mercedes.

Now, can you afford to fix it when it's out of warranty? You need to decide that. The Kia's going to be cheaper, period. They are all going to break from time to time.

40 years ago, 100,000 mile cars were rare, and completely used up. Not anymore. I can't think of a single car I'd be afraid to buy and at least expect to put 100K on without major surgery. 200K for something that's not a Lamborghini or Ferrari. I'm an old-car guy, only really interested in stuff if it was made before 1975 or so, and you CAN'T find anything with more than 100K on it from pre-'75. When you do it's remarkable, and usually something that was fairly expensive when new, and European.

Now, would I want to go buy a twin-turbo V12 S-class used, out of warranty? Hell no. Because even the most minor service issue would be more than I can afford.

JSch

I fully agree that any car can do 20 years if maintained.

My '88 300SEL is 30 years old, my little '96 Nissan pickup is already 22 years old, and my BMW motorcycle is young at 15 years old. Since my E350 is parked in my garage at night and in a parking deck at work, there is no reason why this should not do 20+ years as well.

The biggest issue is to get certain OEM parts. For my '88 MB, you have to start looking at alternatives since MB/Bosch don't make these parts any longer. And not all aftermarket parts are created equal.

I hope that all my vehicles can do another 20 years!! I am definitely going to give it a try!

Darel

The other reason cars were thrown away after 10 years back in the "old days" was the lack of an internet. If you couldn't find the part at NAPA, or your local junkyard, you just weren't fixing that car. Now I can have literally every single part for every single car at my door in 24 hours. And if it's something really odd / obsolete / rare I can just Google "machine shops", "metal fabrication", or most ercently, even "3D printing" if I care that much.

VegasE

Although I'm not one of them, I know lots of folks who keep their cars to 200K. If by "major repairs" you mean not replacing the engine and tranny, I'll agree. However, there many things that should be replaced with as you add the miles, although most folks don't. For example, you don't notice how the suspension has degraded because it happens so gradually over time but the suspension should be replaced at 100K and that is not cheap. Then you have motor mounts, etc. Also, you have fewer issues getting to 200K in 8 years vs someone who will take 20 year to get to that mark. Deterioration of non-metal parts begins at about 8 years. Today's engines have so many vacuum hoses and leaks there will impact performance. Those hoses should all be replaced in the 8-10 year time frame and is not cheap if you are not a DIY.

Then you have the issue of reliability and location. If you are retired and live in a metropolitan area, then it is not a major impact if the car breaks down. If you do a lot of rural recreational driving in the West as I do where you are often 50 miles from a gas station and even further from an actual garage, I would not trust ANY car over 100K or 10 years old.

raja777m

Hyundai in GA has 20yr/200k mile warranty from factory. Not sure about other locations, YMMV.

MaschioneCazzuto

My jeep is a 2001 mint pristine. It was my uncles from new. It will last a while with that in line 6cyl. Then again he only put 21k miles on it till I took it off his hands.

thefisch

My folks still have a 1995 Lexus that is still a daily driver. With such low miles, time is your only concern and how well the materials last over time from exposure and use. But I could see you pulling off 20 years. If your drove a lot more, I would move my comfort range down to 10-15 years.

VegasE

The Hyundai warranty is notoriously bad. What they don't tell you is that different parts drop off warranty coverage every year or 12K miles. By 4 years/50K almost nothing is covered. The warranty says "drive train" coverage at that time but they define drive train as starting at the pistons and ending at the axle. Intake manifold, fuel system, starter, alternator, etc are not covered. 3 family members got caught up in the Hyundai hype a few year ago and all had major, non-warranty, expensive repairs around 65K miles. They have all learned their lesson and moved on to better brands.

Strigoi

I don't get that mentality. Both of my cars are over 10 years old and one has well over 100,000 on it. They're both well maintained and have no mechanical issues so I'd drive them anywhere. I wouldn't keep the cars if I was constantly worried about one breaking down and leaving me stranded.

MaschioneCazzuto

agreed. Plenty of good life left in jeeps over 100k miles with figures never depreciating. It's one of the most sought after vehicles and many will buy Jeep wranglers with 100kmiles on them. Mine is not close to that however yet when driven I get asked if I want to sell it

mellonc

I have a 2001 Lexus RX 300 AWD which has 253K miles. Runs great and upkeep was quite cheap. Compared to MB - about 1/5 of the cost of upkeep. No bluetooth, though.

Because of the cost issues, I'd bet something like a Toyota Avalon hybrid will last you 20 year with a battery replacement in it's 10th year. that thing has no timing belt to replace, and brake pads won't wear out for 100k miles or longer because it uses generative braking. You do your spark plugs, change fluids, other accessory belts and hoses after 10 years, and tires. Maybe your shocks after 10 years. That's it. and the parts should be even cheaper than that of Lexus. Don't even bother with an extended warranty.

but no excitement........it's a Toyota.....

ironyforever

I just sold a "04 CLK500 with 90K Miles. It was perfect but I had "new car envy" issues

MaschioneCazzuto

Mellonc,
Bluetooth adapter $10-20 plug into cigarette lighter in car. Switch cell phone to Bluetooth mode. Adapter will link with cell. Your set. Your car now has Bluetooth. I do it with my 2001 jeep wrangler

thenew3

Just because it's a lexus/toyota doesn't guarantee reliability. I have a friend with a 20 year old Lexus ES with 400k miles that he still drives daily. But I also have a few friends with brand new lexus that kept breaking down in the first year of ownership. Some even got Lexus to do lemon buy backs.

Just about any car sold in the last few years will last 20 years with proper maintenance. I have no doubt the E350 wagon can last 20 years with proper maintenance. Yes maintenance will be pricey at some point, but it'll still be lower cost than buying a new car. My last BMW lasted me 175k miles before I sold it to get something bigger because we were having a baby. It was the first year production of a new model which most say to avoid, but I had relatively reliable service from it over that 175k mile period and would've kept it much longer if it weren't so small it couldn't fit the baby car seat.
My current 2013 E350 wagon was purchased with intention to keep for a good 15 to 20 years, however baby #2 came into the picture somewhat unexpectedly so now we are thinking about selling it for something bigger (GLS probably), and it has been fine in the 5 years we owned it. (one bad battery at year 4 mark but was covered under warranty and consider regular maintenance item).

My parents used to buy a new car every 3 to 4 years. They don't drive much (6k a year) but they feel more comfortable to have car under warranty. They just traded their 2011 C300 in for an 2018 Volvo XC90 and bought the 10 year extended warranty and 10 year pre-paid maintenance with it. My dad turns 70 this year and he figured this will likely be his last car purchase.

My point is any modern car will last 20 years with proper maintenance. Without proper maintenance, don't expect any car to last. (I've seen Camry's die after 30k miles because the owner never changed the oil. )

Oh and I would stay away from the Avalon. Had a rental for 2 weeks (2017 Avalon Limited) and it was scary to drive. Very floaty, squats at every turn, and brakes that feel like jello and can't stop the car.

kajtek1

Funny how indyvidual experience can vary.
I bought 1998 E300DT when it was 7 years old with 170k miles. Kept it for 8 more years, even usually I change cars every 3. But after some expenses in first couple of years (radiator failed I think due to PO hitting a curb) , the car run perfectly, so when it reach age of 15 years with no part replaced for last 3 or 4, I start feeling guilty that I don't do anything on it. Out of the guilt I replaced flex disk, even my mechanical friends say it should last anther 40k miles.
I stay in touch with new owner and he replaced AC compressor even the old one still work. So the car passed 20 years, should have 300k miles on it by now and still brings joy when driven.
Last year new owner lend the car to his sister when her car was for repairs and she did not want to give it back.

Peachy

I had a 1995 C280 I drove for 9 years, it got to around 230k miles before I traded it with my dad for another car. The only problem with it at the time was that it needed new lifters, everything else was more or less fine. My dad fixed it and it's still being driven, I think it's at 260k miles now. What's the opposite of a lemon? A unicorn? Sometimes you just get a unicorn.

mellonc

pamiboy

allenjdmb

You're all dreaming. Modern cars simply do not have the raw materials in them to last that long. Weight, costs, competition, environmental concerns....all of these are reasons why they are not designed to glve that kind of longevity. In addition tech changes so rapidly now....along with government regulations...that it just can't keep up. Once these modern cars are out of warranty, it's going to be prohibitively expensive to own one. After you burn thru the factory warranty, and one certification, they want you to throw it in the trash.

kajtek1

Having 2 of MB of last decade, each with over 180k miles I can testify you are wrong.
Sure newer cars have more gadgets on them and those add to maintenance cost, but when was the last you hear about MB engine catastrophic failure?
What you are saying I heard for several generation and each older guy will say "cars were better when I was young".
Small trivia - what year MB was last having metal housing for gear shifter?
I pulled one from JY and have it hanging in my garage as "sign of the time" - cast aluminium sure makes impression.

DFWdude

Um... The steel body on steel frame cars I used to drive 40 years ago have long ago rusted to dust. You have to look closely to find any steel in today's cars. So the "raw materials" argument doesn't fly for me.

I owned one of the very first Japanese cars in the US, a 1977 Honda Accord 3-door hatchback, purchased as new. While I agree the oriental cars are designed better than the affore-mentioned land barge American rust buckets of the day, when was the last time you saw a '77 hatchback Accord puttering around? Those all went to the recycling yard by the early '90s, mine included. Those were rust buckets, too.

For me, a car's longevity stems from the sturdiness of the build. I keep a car until the rattles, squeeks, creaks, groans, etc, get unbearable. Those are a car's way of telling you it wants to die. For an American car, those signs start to appear by 70,000 miles, maybe 110,000 miles for a Toyota, Honda, etc. I have a 2003 Honda CRV with 140,000 miles on it and it is (finally) falling apart.

In contrast, my 2001 C320 is as tightly built today as it was 17 years ago, with not a rattle or squeek anywhere in it. And 95% of it's features still work as they did when new. (The rear window electric shade doesn't work anymore... big deal). I don't know for sure, but this car might last another 17 years. This bankvault build quality is what convinced me to buy my 2016 E350... that and a desire to have a car with modern Blue-tooth connectivity (we didn't have smart phones when the C320 was built, LOL) Whether it will last as long is yet to be seen. But I'll play the hunch on this one.