Driving a Car on the Second Hundred Thousand Miles

Wyoming eats cars, which means we learn things here you'd not learn as fast elsewhere. If you buy a new car, you can usually pay it off before something catastrophic happens, but if you buy used, you generally won't finish the payments before the transmission or engine gives out. Most people in Wyoming who live in rural areas put in excess of 15,000 miles per year on a car, and many put as much as 50,000 miles on one. That does not leave you much time for paying things off.

Since we fall in the category of needing close to 60,000 miles each year, between my husband and myself, we have had to learn some strategies for keeping our family in transportation. Out here, having two cars is a must, because commuting long distances is the norm, and if you don't have a backup, you don't have reliable transportation. We have come up with one other strategy which our children have also adopted, and that is to drive a car on the second hundred thousand miles. Not just any car though.

The catch is that in general, certain Asian made cars will do this, most domestic ones will not. A few European ones will, and the odd Jeep will work well for this.

Now, you must understand that we are not talking about being a backyard mechanic here. I hear many people who swear by certain brand names and drive them with an excess of 100k miles, but they also spend a lot of time rebuilding things in their garage. My husband knows how to change the oil, do a basic tuneup, change tires and fuses, and that is about it! So our strategy had to depend on NOT having to replace anything major, and being able to afford to hire for the smaller things.

We love Toyotas, Nissans, Kias, Hondas, and other Asian made cars. We have found that the following can generally be counted on:

1.. During the first 100k, you will have to do routine maintenance, including such things as replacing a timing belt, or the odd fan or pump.

2.. During the second hundred thousand miles, you will have to replace things like the alternator, blower fans, water pump, clutch, or other mid-priced components (generally under $500).

3.. Somewhere between 160 and 180k miles, things will start to happen which will make driving the car more inconvenient. Little things will break (sun visors, knobs or handles, finish strips, interior fixtures, etc), or the car will develop oddities such as always having to double clutch to get it into reverse (though many small transmission cars have this oddity anyway). At this point, you may feel it is just simpler to live with them than to repair them on a car that is starting to really look worn.

4.. If you take good care with maintenance, you can usually get more miles out of it than if you neglect it.

5.. Somewhere near 200k miles, you'll begin to see indications that you are driving on borrowed time. The engine may not make it up hills with quite as much spunk as it used to (I'm not talking about major power loss, just that you may have to shift down on a hill that you did not have to previously), or it may not be quite as fuel efficient, or it may be harder to start in the cold (not due to battery problems). These are still minor inconveniences, and not signs of immediate failure.

6.. At some point, the engine will finally die. It usually does so before the transmission, but not by a whole lot. You'll usually get a good warning that it is coming, with major power loss, or unusual noises or behaviors. So if the engine goes, you have the big choice to make: Is the car worth repairing? If you replace the engine, you'll likely have to replace the transmission within the next 20 to 50,000 miles. And then there will be a round of suspension and smaller components which will also require replacement. Sometimes at this point, the body may have rust, or other damage as well, so consider whether the value of the car will warrant the cost of the repairs. If you have a car that holds its value well (such as a Toyota Tacoma), it may be worth repairing. If you have an economy car, then it will most likely not be worth it.

7.. Usually there are warning signs that something is going to go, and you can sell the car for whatever you can get and purchase another used car when that happens. Even with as many miles as we put on them, we have had time to plan what to do, and how to replace each car by the time it made us uneasy to trust it for long trips. You won't get more than $500 or so for a high mile economy car with developing problems, but usually it will be enough to pay the sales tax or down payment, or enough to use for a small trade in allowance on a replacement vehicle.

So our strategy has been to purchase a car with right around 100,000 miles on it. We make sure it is sound, drives well, and feels tight. We look for value under the hood - we'd rather have a car with some body damage that runs well than one that looks good but leaks or burns oil. Sound operation also takes priority over frills - a cool set of speakers or power windows won't get you to and from work. And we generally try to buy one with as little over 100,000 miles as we can afford.

We also make sure the payments are affordable, and that we can pay it off before we anticipate major problems occurring. We discover if we can whether the timing belt has been replaced - if we do not know, then we budget to replace it so we don't have a time bomb in the engine. And then we budget for the occasional mid-level repairs that will have to be done. With the high miles we put on our cars, we generally have about two of those per year.

We pay about $4000 for a used economy car, or $8000 for a more popular model (mini-van or x-cab pickup), with around 100k miles. We get between 3 and 4 years of use out of it. The cost of payments (if we have them) is $100 to $200 per month (2-4 year loan). Insurance is lower than it would be on a new car, and so is registration. Periodic repairs break down to about $50 to $75 per month. Maintenance and routine repairs are no different than they would be for a new car. The cost comparison is considerable, a new car would cost us twice as much in payments, and even with the cost of periodic repairs added in, the total savings on transportation is significant. I estimate that we save between $50 and $200 per month (depending on the car) by driving an older used car instead of a brand new one. Our total cost per month for insurance, repairs, maintenance, and car payments is about $600, for three cars that run well, and which accumulate an average of 20k miles per year, each.

We have a total of three cars, so we have a backup in case one goes down. My son has medical needs, and my husband commutes long distances, so it is pretty imperative that we both have a car when we need it.

This strategy has worked well for us, to avoid the high repair costs on a used vehicle in combination with a high payment. We'd buy new if we could afford to, but we'd still drive it until it had somewhere around 200,000 miles on it.

Written by Laura Wheeler, Owner of Home Business For Parents - http://www.homebusinessforparents.com/ - Laura writes instructional materials, produces infosites, and builds affordable websites for her business startup clients. Her varied experience allows her to give exceptional service, and to produce instructions on a surprising range of topics. Laura is a busy mom of eight, homeschooler, and home business owner.

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