200k daily driver

[benjijames28]

frankenstein12 said:

Pffft my old daily was an a4 tdi with 400k miles on the clock.

My "daily" after that was an e38 728 with 150 000 which I put 35k on over the course of a year.

I then swapped to a volvo c70 (cloth Roof) also with 150k and sold it with 180k

Mileage is irrelevant.

Depends on if it's been maintained. People tend to get rid of problem cars, and we all know these car dealers rarely spend money on their stock, they sell for as much as possible then fob you off when things start going wrong.

[frankenstein12]

benjijames28 said:

frankenstein12 said:

Pffft my old daily was an a4 tdi with 400k miles on the clock.

My "daily" after that was an e38 728 with 150 000 which I put 35k on over the course of a year.

I then swapped to a volvo c70 (cloth Roof) also with 150k and sold it with 180k

Mileage is irrelevant.

Depends on if it's been maintained. People tend to get rid of problem cars, and we all know these car dealers rarely spend money on their stock, they sell for as much as possible then fob you off when things start going wrong.

You just need to buy right. Service history is moderately relevant however its mostly condition. For me a key area on any car is the tyres. If it has cheapo tyres then odds are the owner skimped on maintenance and as such it is likely you need to avoid.

I paid £500 for the seven and 850 for the volvo. The bm was bought after taking time to look at it and finding it was wearing expensive bridgestone tyres. It did help as well that it had such a big history file it came in a folder with old receipts including for things like tyres.

Edited by frankenstein12 on Thursday 8th September 10:49

[Matt UK]

Jimmy Recard said:

Willy Nilly said:

Buying a 200k daily driver is a lot different to running a 200k car that you have had for years.

Agreed. If you've driven and maintained a car properly for 200k miles, I would say you risk a lot less than when you buy a 200k mile car with uncertain history.

I bought a merc c class at 195,000 5 months ago.

Currently now on 205,000.

It's a gamble.

Currently owes me a DIY service, DIY valet, three wiper blades and a set of new floor mats.

[Muncher]

I bought a 203k E61 530D as a daily driver at the start of the year. Out of all of the niggles with it, none have been in any way related to the drivetrain or mileage.

[LasseV]

Sump said:

Pfft, it's cheating when it's on an LS

Yeah i agree. In the past i did have several over 200k cars, all of them old toyota's: v6 Camry, 2.2 diesel Avensis and two Corolla 1.3 and 1.6 petrol. Nothing surprising there. Now i have a new masterplan: i will swap my 60k Alfa Romeo for 200k Prius. Reason is that i can save more money and spend it on my sports car.

What could go wrong???

[Kettmark]

E46 330ci sport turns over 204k tomorrow. Bought 12 years ago with 34k on it. Serviced twice a year without fail. 27 stamps in the book. Brand new pirelli p zeros on each corner last month.
Can't bring myself to get rid despite replacement sitting in garage for past 11 months...

[C7 JFW]

I'm on my way to 200k but I haven't quite done it the right way. I bought a car on 137k and then did all the service elements it required.

That said, it's a great car and i'd rather the daily got coated in road salt than the weekend car.

[Matt UK]

Just back from MOT at 210k miles.
Advisory for front lower ball joints, so got them done.
Also asked them to change the alternator belt / pulley as it was clicking on full lock.
And that was it.

[crosseyedlion]

From Mid August to last week (I have just moved next to work) I covered almost 17k. Commuting from Sheffield or Maidenhead to Gaydon. In complete comfort and serenity.

Its now on 212k. 1993 Mercedes 320TE - the only failure was last month when the fan support bearing went & a flat tyre. All I did in it was change the oil.

Now it's getting the attention it deserves.

[DukeDickson]

Nearly there (and will be by end of Jan, assuming I don't replace it).

As long as you're happy, generally speaking, with an older car that could cost a few hundred quid every now and then Vs something that is younger but may cost you several hundred pounds every month, why not.

[RWD cossie wil]

Bought my E39 530d on 141,000 miles, put on 102,000 miles in in 4 years...in all that time it ate about 8 sets of Tyres, usual amount of brakes, an alternator & a low pressure online fuel pump... can't complain at that, sold it to my brother for £400 to help him out, he promptly drove it through a Tescos two weeks after, thus denying it the magic 250k

Don't know why people get so upset about 100k miles now, it's still seen as "leggy", "knackered", "tired" etc etc, modern (decent) cars will breeze 200k if looked after, my current 535d is on 102k , I've done 9k in a year since I bought it & it's tight as a drum!

[benjijames28]

This thread is an inspiration.

I keep considering new motors, some new, some old, some very new and expensive.

Having read all this it's just convinced me to avoid nearly new cars. Yes the perceived reliability is nice, and been able to ensure it gets treated well from scratch is great, but the money you lose on depreciation is just not worth it surely? Maybe if u got a nearly new car say a few year old with below average miles and kept it for 150k or more then it's worth it.

I bought my audi from a dealer, I paid 6000 for it, spent another grand easily, water pump, service, battery, tyres, wheels, OEM radio. Selling it private I would be lucky to get 5k. We buy any car would offer 4300 tops. So I've pissed away about 2 grand in a few months. It's sad really.

[Stormfly1985]

I have a 55 plate Mondeo 2.2 TDCi that I bought in 2010 with 108k on it. It's now on 216k and just went through it's MOT first time with no advisories. I do 110 miles a day commute and have always had it serviced at my local Ford dealer. The Mondeo is a great commute car and was made for going up and down the motorway every day

[Welshbeef]

benjijames28 said:

This thread is an inspiration.

I keep considering new motors, some new, some old, some very new and expensive.

Having read all this it's just convinced me to avoid nearly new cars. Yes the perceived reliability is nice, and been able to ensure it gets treated well from scratch is great, but the money you lose on depreciation is just not worth it surely? Maybe if u got a nearly new car say a few year old with below average miles and kept it for 150k or more then it's worth it.

I bought my audi from a dealer, I paid 6000 for it, spent another grand easily, water pump, service, battery, tyres, wheels, OEM radio. Selling it private I would be lucky to get 5k. We buy any car would offer 4300 tops. So I've pissed away about 2 grand in a few months. It's sad really.

Well assuming your needs of said transportation really you should buy brand new and option it exactly as you want then run it for 25+ years.
I think the advent of EVs will kind of mean vehicles really are much longer lasting so simple nothing to go wrong or a simple swap if and when it does plus easy to upgrade to the latest spec.

[Sway]

caymanbill said:

I'm interested in what jobs you guys are doing which mean you are willing to give up your free time in order to get to and from work?

I'm guessing you must either love your job, do something very specialised which means roles are few and far between, or get paid a st load of money. Probably a bit of all of the above?

For me, at a hundred miles a day, it's a combo of all three (wouldn't say mega money, but above average).


Biggest is that my family get to live in a beautiful part of the country, experiencing the sea, countryside and city life in great balance. Great schools, loads to do at weekends and in the evening, in a great house - all for a tenth of the cost of an average family house in the stty suburb of that London where I work.

Worth every second. Leave before they get up, still have a few hours with them every night before bedtime. Luxury compared to their toddler years, where I was away from home four nights a week...

[Zoobeef]

Bought my Audi A4 on 158k about 3 years ago. It's at 241k now. Oil and filter every 10k, air and fuel filters every 20k. Stuck a new cambelt on it at 200k. When I first got it I thought the clutch biting point was high and put it on the to-do list. It's still high.

[the griffin]

I picked up a 195k astra a few months ago as a winter shed, it's a 2007. Gave it a service and it's done the last 3k fine. It was cheap and had a big gap in history so a gamble.