2002 first-gen prius. 89,000 miles.Drove it until I got rear ended last year.

Anonymous wrote:What ultimately killed it? (Engine blew, cost too much to fix? Etc..)

Any regrets on keeping it as long as you did?

What kind of car and how many miles?

NY up state car.
Total rusted out frame that would not pass Va state inspection.

At what mileage is it considered too risky to be reliable? Mine at 200K now. Last one made it to 300K. I got rid of the one before that at 170K. I’m making long drives at all hours and getting nervous but would love to get a couple more years from it.

Anonymous wrote:A little over 290K miles. Never died, just was traded for another car. Did need some work, and I did consider fixing rather than buying another car.

As far as regrets, I have contemplated the best time to trade. I have bought used cars that have already depreciated, driven them for years and years, and traded them when they’re high mileage and not worth anything. I have wondered whether it would be better to trade earlier, like maybe between 100-130K miles, when repairs start adding up, but the car is still worth something. But you’re paying taxes every time you buy a car, so not sure.

A little over 290K miles. Never died, just was traded for another car. Did need some work, and I did consider fixing rather than buying another car.

Minivan transmission at 240k mles - didn't want to spend $3k because it had a camshaft issue that was getting loud. Towed away - probably auctioned for parts.
Volvo - 180k miles. wouldn't run and my mechanic said we'd have to spend a couple thousand to fix a bunch of things and it still might not run. Also was rusted into the ground. Towed away.
Subaru - Only 130k miles."Totaled" by the insurance company after an accident at 180k miles. Could have fixed it but didn't want to deal with getting through state inspection for a salvage title because it would need a lot of other work.
Pontiac - car fire! Estimated 190k miles (odometer broken like everything else on the car, except for the Iron Duke engine) Towed away.

In each of those cases, I hung onto the cars longer than most people would. I'm handy and stubborn.
Three other cars that were derivable but problematic when I got rid of them.
No regrets except that I wish I had more money so I could buy a newer car once in a while.

My car heated up on the highway. It was scary. The day before started making some noises. Should have stopped driving it the day before.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting rid of a car because it cost too much to fix is different than keeping it until it died.

NP. Our Honda Odyssey didn't die as such (like on the side of the road) but at 207k the mechanic said it wasn't safe to keep driving it. So it wasn't really a case of not wanting to pay to fix it. It was that too many things were in bad condition all at once.

I do think plenty of people use "it would cost too much to fix" as an excuse to get a new car sooner than they need to, but I don't feel like that's our case. We would and do keep driving vehicle until they are totaled or unsafe, and we have paid for some very expensive repairs relative to the value of vehicles in the past.

No regrets. Also no regrets on putting a few thousand into another car that got over 200k but got totaled. One of our current vehicles has 170k and is still working great. We are hoping to keep it at least another 50k miles or so.

Anonymous wrote:Getting rid of a car because it cost too much to fix is different than keeping it until it died.

NP. Our Honda Odyssey didn't die as such (like on the side of the road) but at 207k the mechanic said it wasn't safe to keep driving it. So it wasn't really a case of not wanting to pay to fix it. It was that too many things were in bad condition all at once.

I do think plenty of people use "it would cost too much to fix" as an excuse to get a new car sooner than they need to, but I don't feel like that's our case. We would and do keep driving vehicle until they are totaled or unsafe, and we have paid for some very expensive repairs relative to the value of vehicles in the past.

Ford Taurus at 25 years. Transmission slipping. No AC or heat. Sold.

Power steering went. It was a very old(15 years) 2000 Honda Accord V6 Coupe with 70,000 miles on it.
Instead of fixing it we donated it. Guy who came to tow it couldn't believe it. It auctioned for $2300.
Loved the car, no regrets

I had a 1992 240. Sold it at the 17 year mark.

Was still in great shape other than having no AC.

1. can't name bc too identifying--family car decades old, parent still has junkyard parts in rafters of garage: parent who fixed became too elderly/ill to physically fix anymore

2. 20 year old 240 volvo, repairs too expensive, worth more than the cost of car or even better used car. Wish I'd kept it though as zero computer stuff in it that could fail

Getting rid of a car because it cost too much to fix is different than keeping it until it died.

What ultimately killed it? (Engine blew, cost too much to fix? Etc..)

Any regrets on keeping it as long as you did?

What kind of car and how many miles?