"Ike" <binarydotike@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:aXCRg.11236$rE5.6965@tornado.socal.rr.com...
>
> I'm from an era when a valve job was necessary after 40k, and at 80k or so
> the engine was shot. My 1949 Chevy followed that profile, but of course
> gas was 24c/gallon and Earl Scheib would Paint Any Car for $29.95!

Boy, I don't miss those days! I still hear the Merle Haggard song on the
radio, bemoaning the days when "a Ford and a Chevy still last 10 years like
it should..."

Most modern cars will give 200K-300K miles, with the possible exception of
some of the domestic designs. I had a Nissan that had fatal electrical
problems at 150K miles and an '84 Dodge that was completely used up at 95K
miles, but other than that 200K is sort of my baseline. I bought my first
Volvo with 190K miles on the odometer, although I had to rebuild the engine
because it had been torn up by detonation. My current Volvo turned 240K
recently, but my daughter's '93 Accord (bought at 163K miles) is gaining on
it fast. My son bought a '94 Acura at 130K miles last year, and I just
bought a 2002 Toyota Prius with 103K miles on it. My wife's 2002 Prius is
the baby of the family at nearly 65K miles.

I agree that 300K is about the limit for mainstream driving characteristics.

Mike