Is there a chart for "expected" mileage for a given vehicle?

husk_varna

I have been looking a few varieties of used wagons and minivans and am having a little difficulty establishing a relationship between model, mileage, and price. I know that many vehicles will run 150,000 miles+ and can command a more premium price. What I am thinking about is if anyone knows of a breakdown available that says for example "this model historically has averaged around 100,000 miles in its lifespan ; this model has"...etc.

Yes I know in any model for a given year some will go much longer (or much shorter) than others but the data should be some bell curve I would guess.

Mr_Shiftright

It's an interesting question but I don't think so, because of the huge variables involved that you can't really sort out statistically.

The major problem is how to factor in owner maintenance and driving habits, accident rates for certain cars (a Corvette for instance, is more likely to be wrecked than a 4-door sedan), weather conditions, etc.

Another issue is that with money and determination, just about ANY car can get to high mileages.

Maybe what you are asking is about reliability predictions rather than mileage predictions...I think these are two separate things, and that reliability is much easier to forecast. I'd think the best you could do about a mileage forecast is in some sort of pure laboratory sense, where you could ask engineers how much longevity they typically put in a certain component, like the engine or trans. I'd guess that most automakers build their cars to last around 125K, all things considered...just my educated guess from many years of experience, but really, I don't know for sure of course. I'd doubt the average is really more than this, if you add up every car in every junkyard that landed there from every cause--whether it be wearing out, collision, neglect, salt corrosion, theft, etc. I'd bet around 125K is all you can wish for, statistically speaking.

tboner1965

...cost per mile. Of course, that figures in the cost of the vehicle and fuel as well. But you could probably factor those out and determine the repair and maintenance costs of the vehicle.

However YMMV (essentially what Mr Shiftright said) is very true, every car and every driver is somewhat different.

Cheers,

TB

wilcox

If all things were equal (except for price), then someone who pays out more of their hard earned and valuable dollars will tend to take better care of their investment.

If the vehicle has more attention paid to it, then it will last a longer time than one that is not (tended to).

Fiats, Yugos, and Renaults are exception candidates.

Mr_Shiftright

Not really...these were CHEAP cars, and we might presume that the owners would remain penurious when it came to maintenance. Maybe a tight wallet kills a car's reputation as easily as a poor quality control program at the factory!