Anyone think a (new) Volvo could go a half million miles?
I am wanting to finally reach this goal. I drive over 50,000 miles a year, sometimes more.
Just trying to see what others think? Do you think with proper care and maintence it could happen? Or do you think I am barking up the wrong tree with a Volvo?

Do you think a coupe is a better choice than the sedan? Or is that just a style thing?

Can you think of any new, lux car, sport sedan, or just nice auto that could have a shot? Any ideas or thoughts welcome! Please don't write anything worthless. Don't waste everyone's time.

Thanks.

 

I would believe a Volvo can last as much as a 1/2 million miles with proper care. However, you have to be near-perfectionist to do this, as 85%+ people fail in this part. If I were the original owner, I am confident that I can make it last 1/2 million miles or more.

The life of a car depends on how much care it receives, how it is driven and how it can avoid getting hit by another car (you have no control over the last part).

All filters, fluids and rubber parts must be replaced a bit sooner than what the owner's manual recommend. Timing belt components are of most importance with interference valve engines.

Full synthetic oil is highly recommended on turbocharged cars.

You must stick to OEM parts; Volvos get angry if treated with non-OEM parts.

Body styling is a personal choice. However, in general sedans are more stable than coupe on the road due to longer wheelbase. I personally like the stability of sedans. Many coupe feel choppy over bumps.

I would believe Lexus(Toyota) & Honda can compete with Volvo in terms of serviceable life span, but I would go for Volvo for better safety & acceleration & handling performance.

I hope this was not "worthless".


JPN

 

+1. Just take care of it.

 

One or two additional factors. First, and most important besides maintenance, is how many miles per year you drive it. Even at 50K per year, you're looking at 20 years or driving to hit the big mark.

Second, where its driven matters, too. Smooth roads in moderate climates really help.

Third, if like the DMV, you count the firewall with VIN as the "car", no problem if you're willing to keep replacing essentially every other part. I just don't see magic computers lasting 1M miles. And, somebody, somewhere, will have to invent a generic replacement if we ever hope to keep 1990's plus years cars on the road. Or we learn to bypass the suckers entirely.

 

Mileage by itself does not put alot of wear on a vehicle. It's where and how those miles are put on the car that matters. Most wear and tear on a vehicle occurs during city driving (potholes, frequent acceleration and braking, transmission wear, cold starts, short trips, etc). If most of your miles are done on the highway then you have a better shot at reaching your goal.

Here are some things I would consider. 1)Don't get a first-production-year model; they typically have bugs the first couple years. 2)Stick to the basics. A manual transmission typically lasts longer and has fewer issues than an automatic. 3)Consider a diesel. They are over-built and very simple. Diesels have come a long way and are much quieter than they used to be. (Personally I would test drive a VW Jetta TDI or something similar as I don't know if Volvo offers any models in diesel in the US. But that is me.)

In the end, sometimes it's better to just be lucky I guess. Some cars end up lasting forever and not needing much attention. Others seem to be nothing but a constant PITA no matter what you do.

 

↑+1.


Jpn

 

If you want BIG Mileage, then it's all about maintinance.

1991 Mustang GT 5 spd 337,000 miles and still ran pretty strong.
I bought it in 92 with 6500 miles on it and I beat on this car for over 11 years (Oh youth) and I never had any major issues ever, just wear items.

1998 BMW 528i Auto 256,000 and still going real strong.
(I have dumped a bunch of $ in this one over the years however)

(My NEW daily driver) 2006 S60 2.5T Bought with only 36,500 on the clock and now just over 37,500 miles two weeks later and loving it.

I don't know if I will trip 500K... But I am always up for the challenge.

Volvo for life? Maybe!

 

500k on a whiteblock? After many years of changing heads, trannys, oil pump seals, etc.... i would doubt it, although i have seen them with 300k still intact. Bottom ends are bulletproof so it might be possible with meticulous maintenance like the other post said.

 

I'm with 1 fast ride. It's all about how you drive it and the condition you have to do it in. I think it would be easy to do if it's done within 10 years and maintenance schedules are followed well. I taked to a guy that put over 500k on a 850 in 4 years. I'm not sure but I think he was using it as a 18 wheeler. That's 125k per year, wow!

Good newer cars are built to run 300k easy. The thing that gets me now is that things get briddle when the car gets over 10 years old. I am a big believer in a car looking good, even if it's old. If you let it look like crap you should give it to someone that needs it like a young person starting out or some single mom or someone.

I like sedans because they are more usable.

As for brands, I would thing most euro's can do it with a lot of $$$, most in the far east can do it if you stay off of harsh roads, still no faith in us cars (especially with my Jeep not running now - the newest vehicle in my fleet).

 

+.75 - The bottom end is bulletproof, and meticulous maintenance will be required. But you should be able to accomplish this if you are up to the task. I have seen plenty of the 5cyls w/ very high mileage still running the original powertrain, including mine (see below). Be prepared the buy the car several times over during its life through parts and service.

Toyota/Honda make very reliable cars, and will generally go about 200k pretty easily. But when they reach the break point, everything goes at the same time. 500k w/o a new motor or a total rebuild would be a real challenge.

Even more than Volvo (and I'm a devoted Volvonian), the best brand for high mileage is Mercedes Benz, especially their diesels. I can't speak about their new models specifically, but there is a reason that diesel Benzes from the 70's are the standard for African taxis - they run FOREVER, even in the harshest environments.