Alternative vehicles – Cars that last far more than 200,000 miles... for cheap \ stacker news ~alter

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Alternative vehicles – Cars that last far more than 200,000 miles... for cheap

1923 sats \ 35 comments \ @DesertDave 16 Mar alter_native

Japanese vehicles tend to outlast most others by a large margin. Why is this?

For one, they build with the principles that are inherit the the philosophies of kaizen

From https://www.spica.com/blog/kaizen-method

“The philosophy of kaizen emphasizes acceptance of change in the name of improvement. Toyota encourages every employee to speak out about flaws or opportunities for improvement. This egalitarian approach means the brand has hundreds of thousands of contributors to every design.” In my experience, purchasing Lexus and Toyota Vehicles, with over 200,000 miles is the way to get a great car for very cheap, at the bottom of its devaluation curve. Especially with inflation, a $5000 Lexus with 200k is likely to be worth at least that when it has 300k, if it is still running great and maintained. The car can actually be a store of value. If you know which vehicles outlast the 150k we are lead to believe is the “standard” life span of a car. I have bought and sold many cars all my life. I was obsessed with it so I have experienced this first hand. If you look at cars for sale online, you will not find them, because they have little retail value vs. their actual utility value. I have seen first hand, a few vehicles with 500k-1mil miles. They we all Toyotas. Many of them end up in Mexico. So with this knowledge,I tend to drive cars for free. Or make money on them when I sell it and look for something else. I understand that this works well for me since I am able to do most maintenance work myself and that isn't the case for most. But for you DIYers mechanics and car bargain obsessed folks like myself...

What are you favorite cars that last a long time?

Have you heard of this philosophy?

Tell me some interesting history about your favorite car brand, that makes them great!

Tell me why your favorite car is still a great deal used with high mileage

What are the issues and challenges of driving high mileage vehicles?

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257 sats \ 13 replies \ @freetx 16 Mar

By choice, I'm driving a 20 yr old Civic at the moment - has 180K and runs great.

Another reason to go for older Jap cars is that they are mechanically very simple. If you are a handy person, you can do 70% or all routine repairs / maintenance by yourself. This winds up being a huge savings....especially in an era where you need to practically disassemble a new car to do something like change a light bulb.

25 sats \ 5 replies \ @DesertDave OP 16 Mar

100% For that same reason, I like vehicles from the 90s or early 2000s. They start getting progressively harder to work on after that.

155 sats \ 4 replies \ @freetx 16 Mar

Yes, my wifes BMW, after you change the battery you need to "program it" (ie. bring to dealer so they can enter a special code so it "charges properly"). Who has time for that?

0 sats \ 3 replies \ @DesertDave OP 16 Mar

Do you know how much something like that costs? What year is it?

155 sats \ 2 replies \ @freetx 16 Mar

2012 BMW. The dealer charges about $100 or so....but there is a mechanic I know who has the proper electronic OBD-2 "programmer" that does it for $25. Its really just the hassle of it....clearly its designed to funnel more work to the dealer.

145 sats \ 1 reply \ @Bell_curve 16 Mar

How often does she change the battery and reprogram?

155 sats \ 0 replies \ @freetx 16 Mar

well we've only had to change it once since owning it....

The car will run without programming, but it won't charge correctly. So if you don't get it programmed it will run the battery down quickly

155 sats \ 6 replies \ @Bell_curve 16 Mar

My 2002 civic still runs. I recently had to change the license plate because the paint faded to invisible almost.

I was so annoyed losing a 2002 plate.

I also have a 2005 Infiniti suv which was given to me by my brother.

0 sats \ 5 replies \ @DesertDave OP 16 Mar

Have you owned it the whole time? How many miles now? Does it have timing chain or belt?

145 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 16 Mar

Civic has a timing belt which I guess is outdated now. 150k. Car still runs great. I don’t drive much in the last 5 years.

0 sats \ 3 replies \ @freetx 16 Mar

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10 sats \ 2 replies \ @DesertDave OP 16 Mar

I have heard reports of the first timing belt lasting 300k on those. 🤷‍♂️

145 sats \ 1 reply \ @Bell_curve 16 Mar

Maybe but I think age is also a factor

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @DesertDave OP 16 Mar

For sure. That might be a bit lucky.

195 sats \ 1 reply \ @ibz 16 Mar

I don't think I ever bought a car with < 200k km... To me, it just doesn't make sense. I mostly buy VW or Audi, because these are what is preferred here in Eastern Europe. Toyotas are lovely, but every mechanic here knows how to deal with German cars and spare parts are very easy to get - either aftermarket parts (new) or just original parts from retired cars.

I currently have a VW T4 and and an Audi A4, both have hit 300k km and are in good shape. One was 5k EUR, the other one was 1400 EUR. So yeah, buying new cars just doesn't make sense...

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @DesertDave OP 16 Mar

That makes perfect sense. I on the other hand don't feel equipped to work on German cars. But they are pretty great. What about the new, partially bmw supra? That car is sweet.

52 sats \ 0 replies \ @DesertDave OP 16 Mar

I am all about function. And comfort. So Lexus hits the mark. Nicer than a Toyota. Practically the same price in the 200k+ club. I want the best tool for the least money.

155 sats \ 2 replies \ @joelaw 16 Mar

I loved my Honda Civic, bought it used in 2008 (it was a 2007). I was an irresponsible car owner and that little guy just kept on going. Not sure how much weight it holds, but in the newer Honda commercials they hint at turning your old gas car into a new electric car. Neither for or against ICE vs EV, but I do think that would be different for a manufacturer to pull off. Time will tell.

I have heard of kaizen. I worked in an Amazon Fulfillment Center awhile back and they adopted several of Toyota's methods, including a weekly Kaizen session with the different departments. I really appreciated it, but unfortunately it did not always translate into results (managers were too busy to enforce some of the needed changes).

52 sats \ 1 reply \ @DesertDave OP 16 Mar

I have owned maybe 8 civics, some were beaters, some brand new, 4 where civic Si. ALL. were amazing cars. WAY more fun than a Toyota. Legendary reliability. It was my goto model for many years.

It makes sense with Amazon, taking on some of the methods but it not translate very well. We have a lot of conditioning here in the states for something very different in my opinion.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @joelaw 17 Mar

Agreed, will own one again someday. If not a Civic then an Accord. Want something that will last and can be fixed when needed.

Amazon had the right idea, logistics/shipping is very similar to assembly line work for building vehicles at scale. It was a pretty cut-throat environment, I did not stay very long.

10 sats \ 0 replies \ @DesertDave OP 16 Mar

This is a great way to stack sats

246 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 16 Mar

My mechanic recommended a Toyota, Honda and Lexus

He drove his Camry for 300,000 miles. His previous car, Honda Accord, lasted for 250.

166 sats \ 1 reply \ @sime 17 Mar

Toyota Hilux has a big reputation of being kill proof https://youtu.be/xnWKz7Cthkk?si=_q_vqZYzuRkM8i10

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @DesertDave OP 17 Mar

This video is so epic. Have you seen the one that whistling diesel did? I want the new 10,000$ Hilux to come to the states. Seems like an amazing work horse of a truck.

145 sats \ 5 replies \ @BitcoinIsTheFuture 17 Mar

Love this as a scrum master by trade. I’m always teaching Kaizen (fish bone diagram). Lean and agile principles are the way to go.

Oh and I’m on my 3rd car now. The Toyota Camry and Honda Civic I had both made 230k miles!

10 sats \ 4 replies \ @DesertDave OP 17 Mar

Awesome. Hondas are my other love in the car world. And I am a big fan of their old little motorcycles.

145 sats \ 3 replies \ @BitcoinIsTheFuture 17 Mar

Ha yup! I’m older now and have a family, so we have a Honda Odyssey van too.

10 sats \ 2 replies \ @DesertDave OP 17 Mar

Mini vans are a other life hack vehicle. The value and functionality you can get out of a used odyssey is ridiculous.

145 sats \ 1 reply \ @BitcoinIsTheFuture 17 Mar

Totally my wife won’t let me call it a minivan as there is nothing mini about it!

145 sats \ 0 replies \ @BitcoinIsTheFuture 17 Mar

Yup @BitCoinLuvr4eva also has one lol! It’s a movement

145 sats \ 3 replies \ @Coinsreporter 17 Mar

I had Accord previously and it was done for more than 400 mies without touching upon its engine. Unfortunately, I had to scrap it for government policies. That was my mother's favourite. Now, I have 2 SUVs, 1 Sedan and one MPV. But, no match for my Accord.

0 sats \ 2 replies \ @DesertDave OP 17 Mar

Scrap it for government policies? What is that?!!

145 sats \ 1 reply \ @Coinsreporter 17 Mar

Here in my country, it's a government policy that we can't run a diesel vehicle on roads after 10 years and with an upgrade only for a maximum of 15 years. After 10 or in upgraded case after 15 years, we have to scrap it. It's for demoralising the use of fossil fuels to combat green house gases.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @DesertDave OP 17 Mar

That is so insane. I had no idea. I have a vehicle with 465,000 miles. I'm sure glad no one is telling me I have to scrap it.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @DesertDave OP 17 Mar

What about electric cars like Teslas. Are those good options used with high mileage? I don't know much about them in terms of longevity. Is there any other electric cars you like?