When dealing with foreign cars? I ask because it was mentioned to me today by a mechanic I deal with and it got me thinking. He said most cars are good for 10 years then after that, get rid of it.
Now I know that if you take care of your car on a normal basis it can basically run forever, but for the rest of us who have to deal with dealers and mechanics when is it time to draw the line? Repeated repairs quickly becomes an expensive problem and most times its better to trade in and get a newer car.
So I come back to the question, is there a lifespan for our foreign toys?

Sidenote: Right now part of my muffler has begun to rust away and needs to be replaced and my left rear wheel break refuses to fully release. It does not cause the wheel to lock or not spin, but I can definitely hear some sort of friction. All this will be looked at tomorrow.

 

sounds like you just have a seized caliper and you need a new muffler. your mechanic said ditch the car because of that? Is anything else going wrong? I assume you have a 2000. how many miles?

I guess an answer to your question, IMO, would be NO. There is no set lifespan. Of course, after 10 years certain things will need replacing. Measure your cars longevity by miles driven.

 

Well I think his statement was in response to how often I have been showing up. Its usually one little problem after another, and we all know how them things add up. I think it was just his opinion and not fact that prompted him to say that.

Yeh, that muffler will need replacing no question, I saw the rust break when I went under it.

Lets see, I have had this car now for almost 5 years (I got it at in December of 04) with 112K on it. ~28k in 5 years~
I will add up all the costs and bring that back for you guys, but is has not been cheap to keep her running.

 

sounds like you got a bad one in my opinion...i had a 97 that the 4 years i owned it i replaced the tires 2x, starter, battery, spark plugs, the brakes(pads only, turned the rotors once), both half shafts, clutch assy, transmission bearing and a camshaft sensor...most of that is normal (i dont know about the sensor). doesnt seem like a lot to me. I had a Probe (2 actually) and i was replacing stuff all the time and big stuff to boot

B

 

your mechanic is an idiot. any well maintained car will last a long long time..

 

there are a lot of people on THIS FORUM with cars well over 10 years old that run and drive great

 

any time you buy a used car theres always the crap shoot of did the previous owner take care of the car...what it comes down to is do i buy a new car and have expensive car payements, or buy a "new" used car and start to nickle and dime it, or do i keep what i have knowing whats wrong.

If you think your guy is giving you the run around take it to another mechanic or even to the stealership for a 2nd opinion, also see if you can buy your parts online and have your mechanic or another install them...most mechanics make most of their money on parts.

 

Wow dude 28k in 5 years??? I put that much on in just over a year. you have no real problems with your car. I think the michanic just scared you forget about it. I had a 91 Sentra SE-R for 2 years back in 04-06 and the thing had 165 when I got it and all I put into it even after I hit a deer going 50mph was a hood, headlights and grill(from the deer), and......changed my oil and bought some tires. Drove it hard every day. and reving it up to red line at least once a day taking clover leafs at 65mph and not givin a good gosh dang. about how hard I drove it and the thing still drove great with 206k and I sold it for 1200 in 06 when it was 15years old. oh how I miss that car.

Jake

 

Seriously, you bought a 5 year old car with 112k miles - that's an average of 22.4k miles per year. Everybody is different, but the "usual" average is between 12-15k per year. So the car was driven more than the "average" car.

Do you know how the previous owner(s) took care of it?

Some items are going to give you problems - either in a certain amount of time, or a certain amount of mileage - that's just the way it works....nothing lasts forever.

I'm sure we've all heard the stories from people that have driven their car for 20k+ per year and the only thing they do is change the oil, tires, brakes, and other "normal maintenance" items, and they have the car last forever.

And we've all heard the people that take the car to the dealer for every recommended maintenance and have non-stop problems.

Happens for every make and model.

28k in 5 years, you might be having problems from lack of use.

I had a 95 Altima that I bought in 96 with 25k miles. By 2001 I had it up to 100k miles and no problems - and very little maintenance. The only major thing I ever replaced was the distributor (at around 100-105k). Had the usual o-ring leak, knock sensor issues, and the main ABS sensor went bad - none were worth the thousands the dealer wanted for the repair. Minor issues were brake calipers that would lock up - cheap enough to replace (well, cheaper than the $1300 ABS sensor!), and rusted exhaust system, and speed sensor that went bad. Finally got rid of it a few months ago with ~ 145k miles on it (yes, 45k miles in 8 years.....happens when you have 4-5 vehicles to rotate). Car was still running strong, but I couldn't really justify having so many vehicles, and a family member really needed something to drive.

I guess my point is at 112k miles you are going to have to expect certain things to go bad and need replacement. At 9+ years you are going to have things go bad and need replacement.

Rusted exhaust system on a 9 year old car with 140k+ isn't a big deal. Sticking brakes aren't that bad either.

My wife had a Probe that was constantly needing repaired. We also have a 5 year old Pontiac with 70k miles that is going to start nickel and diming us to death. Be happy that your issues have been few and minor.

 

Typically, Asian built cars (Honda, Nissan, Toyota) will require less maintenance and repairs than others. And I mean "typically"

10 year life span is a bunch of bull if you ask me.

 

Everything has a lifespan. For cars, it is generally when costs approach the vehicle's present value. Therefore, more cars with higher initial purchase prices, minimal depreciation, and/or low costs have the greatest lifespans.

Unless the government runs a scheme where your car is labeled a clunker.

 

Thanks for all the input everybody.
I totally understand what you guys are saying (most likely he was just having a crappy day when I showed up and all he could think to say was that)
It is true, I have only recently started putting more miles on the car (my old job was literally ten minutes from home )

Some points:
I got the car for 7k
I think by this point I have almost put that much back into it as far as maintenance, but I will check and give you the more accurate number.
It was owned by one person before me and she put mostly highway miles on it. I would suspect she took car of it, but I could be wrong.
Work that I have done:
New Brakes, new tires, new muffler, Cat replacement, new CPU, new battery, aleternator, oil changes....I think thats it
When I get off work I will double check.

 

properly maintained, a car last well past 10 years

 

I have 262104 miles on our 87 300Z which is why I went with a 03 Max. When the meter turns 262626 I will post a pic. Oil change EVERY 3K (penz 5-30) is the secret. plus NO "burn outs"

 

10 years is NOTHING. My parents both have an 01 Honda and a 01 Toyota and both are still running strong. I'm running an 02, running strong. At least 20 years down the road is when you should start questioning the worth of costly repairs.

These engines are built well enough they can go a million miles if you know what you're doing.

Hell, there are still first generation maxima drivers here (80s) that are going strong.

 

theres prolly more 4th gens on here than any other generation... plus look at all the old civic hatches or historic 240's... bro, the lifespan of your car all depends on how well you maintain it... my boy's 94 civic sedan just hit 350K miles original motor

 

I have a 90' camry that is still running just fine 200,000 miles later. Does leak oil tho.

 

Hondas seem to have the most miles out of all of them. I saw one with 425K miles once. Couldn't believe my own eyes..

 

I HAD a great 4th Gen w/225k on her when some knucklehead making a u-turn wrecked if for me!
Had 21k when i got her. Replaced trans after I hit debris on the highway & cracked the housing @ 169k. Later on the starter, battery, all 4 rotors @195k, alternator @ 205k, and other than brake pads & tires, that's it! If I still had her I'd be doing suspension and steering components during the cold weather this winter. Instead I have a "new" project. Another Gen 4 w/80k I picked up for $2.6k.

 

Other than the cat replacement, sounds like you are average, or maybe even gotten off cheap!

I've had my '02 since new. 82k miles - mostly city driving.

Other than the regular maintenance (oil changes, air filters), recalls and TSB work, I've had new brakes/rotors (front) - getting ready for my second set of each, on my 3rd set of tires, an exhaust repair (that ended up probably being just as expensive as getting a new pipe and muffler!), 1 or 2 $80-100 sensors, battery, and getting ready to replace the struts and possibly more suspension parts. Also have recently noticed a whine from the front of the car, so whatever that is!

My experience is that most people that truly drive "mostly highway" miles don't have to do much more than basic maintenance - tires, brakes, and oil changes. Not sure if "highway miles" are less destructive or what.

But, most things will need to be replaced either due to age, or due to wear and tear.....just the way things are made and designed.

 

brakes, tires, battery, alternator, oil change = regular maintenance/wear and tear, especially at 100k+ miles... muffler is probably from cold weather, cat = who knows, cpu = who knows.

is this your first car?? most of the stuff mentioned isn't really a hidden cost type of thing.

 

Yes, this is the my first car. I dont want to sound like a whiner (especially after reading some of the expenses other members have dealt with). It just gets annoying as hell and I know it would be cheaper if I knew how to do it myself and had the space to do it in.

Oh, i added up maintenance bills, so far $8191.46
Soon to be added on too