Originally Posted by
ItsJustMe
I own a Ford Taurus, and I didn't do my brakes until about 120,000 miles, and they didn't need to be done then, I just decided to replace all the consumables at that point. I think I could have made 140,000 miles before replacing the pads.
It's at 130,000 miles now, and all that's been done to it is that one of the radiator pipes rusted out, so I replaced that ($80), and the vehicle speed sensor got flaky, so I replaced that ($40). Normal oil changes (I only change every 8 to 10 thousand miles), new tires about every 40K. And as I said, at 120,000 miles, I replaced all the consumables (air/fuel filters, flushed and refilled all the fluids). Since the engine uses a timing chain, not a belt, it has no recommended change interval; you drive it until it starts to make noise then replace it. On cars I've owned in the past with chains, typically I've replaced them at somewhere around 200 to 250 thousand miles.
I've had similar experiences with all of the 5 cars I've owned, both new and used. Any car can be a low maintenance vehicle if you treat it like the investment it is while driving. Unfortunately people think it's fun to drive aggressively. A woman at work goes through brakes every 15,000 miles and spends a lot getting her car fixed all the time; after riding with her once, I know why. I won't ride with her anymore. There's another guy who has serious anger management issues, and his car is in the shop constantly, it seems like; I think I hear him on the phone at least once a month with his mechanic.
I'd be a bit concerned about saying that the engine going on and off meant that you didn't have to change the oil as much. One of the big things that kills oil is water getting into it, and the way you stop that is by letting the engine get hot enough to evaporate out the water for a long time. Running an engine a few minutes at a time is the worst way to treat an engine.
I had a different experience of the maintenance-free used car. The car that got totaled for the Prius was a 1997 Honda Civic. It only had 80,000 miles on it - and I drive like a grandmother. Seriously - all my friends and even my father's friends make fun of how dowdy a driver I am, especially given my reputation as a racer on the bicycle. That Civic was rated as one of the most reliable cars, and still is today. Which is while those Civics have such good resale value relative to other brands.
Things wore out regularly after 5-6 years. Power window engine wore out, $350 repair. "AC Compressor" (not just required for AC apparently - also the engine) - over $1000 to repair. Cracked suspension (like I said, I drive like a dowdy - have no idea how that happened) - $800. New wheels - $400. New brakes, mufflers, and other small things. One radio speaker fuzzed out - not worth the $350 repair/replacement for a low-end radio. Regular maintenance and tuneups. And I didn't even fix any of the cracked bumpers that were none of my fault, but consequences of living in an urban environment where people hit you.
Older cars can drive great, but when things inevitably break, they cost money to repair. And when your car is only worth $3000, it gets tough to justify the inevitable $500-$1000 repairs that regularly start popping up as things you never heard of start wearing out. And I never drove this car aggressively (not even close), or on anything remotely off-road. I barely drove 10,000 miles per year, and I treated it well - the interior was "mint" - people were always shocked when I told them how old the car was when they were inside because it looked like a new car on the inside.
Don't get me wrong - I loved that car - I'd still say it was rock-solid reliable, inexpensive to repair (relative to other cars), and drove great. Just that even if you don't drive the vehicle that much, there's still a toll on parts that I think is unavoidable with cars this old. If you buy a 5+ year old car and expect to pay very little for maintenance in the ensuing 3-5 years, you're in for a surprise.