We've all read stories about high-mileage cars, but usually they are big-ticket Euro models, and rarely pedestrian models. So here we have a 12 year-old Civic with 930,000 miles on it that up for sale on Craig's List. The best part is that it runs like new. Oh sure, items have had to be replaced over the course of its life, but even so, this is pretty remarkable...
...And speaking of old Hondas... Recently I brought in my '86 Honda lawn mower in for repair. The reason being this is the first time since I bought it back in 1986 that I couldn't start it—another rather remarkable feat, I think. When I brought it in, the Honda Power Equipment dealer was concerned that because of its age, that they may not be able to get parts for it.
So with that in mind I started looking at the possibility of getting a new Honda mower, and in talking with the salesman, he told me that my old '86 mower was actually better than the ones they are now currently making. Unlike the spiffy feature-packed newer ones, rarely do they have problems with the older Honda mowers. I left the dealer with a Honda mower brochure to study and to ponder, and then to weigh the option of getting a new mower vs. the cost of repairing my old mower.
A week later I get a call from the dealer saying my problem was solved with just a few squirts of some WD-40! Since it was in there I told them to give it the once over, and so now I still have that old mower, and it's running better than ever.
Full story here at Autoblog.
So with that in mind I started looking at the possibility of getting a new Honda mower, and in talking with the salesman, he told me that my old '86 mower was actually better than the ones they are now currently making. Unlike the spiffy feature-packed newer ones, rarely do they have problems with the older Honda mowers. I left the dealer with a Honda mower brochure to study and to ponder, and then to weigh the option of getting a new mower vs. the cost of repairing my old mower.
A week later I get a call from the dealer saying my problem was solved with just a few squirts of some WD-40! Since it was in there I told them to give it the once over, and so now I still have that old mower, and it's running better than ever.
Full story here at Autoblog.
opfreak says:
05:48 AM, 10/ 3/07
hmm. Its hard to call hi-jinks on this car. but at the same time.
given 365 days a year, and 12 years, this guy would have to drive ~ 212 miles a day, every single day. @ 60 miles per hour about 3.5 hours a day. even with many cross country trips it would be hard to hit that average. Esspically since he went to big cities. atlana, la, seattle. etc. So even giving him a high range of 40mph, means he would have had to be in the can over 5 hours a day.
Lets say he took a single day off a week, your up too 250 miles a day, or 6 hours a day.
If he was actually at work one day a week up to 300 miles a day, or 7.5 hours of driving. and thats not counting breaks.
It could be true, but the time frame seems off too me.
And then the 2500 mile oil change? some of his cross country trips are longer then 2500 miles. did he stop mid way to get an oil change?
crowb says:
06:01 AM, 10/ 3/07
opfreak,
He could be a salesman. The salesmen who call on me put some hefty miles on their cars. Still, you are right, to get that kind of mileage in 12 years is a LOT of driving, more than the salesmen I've talked to. But its the only thing I can think of that might account for it.
Maybe he pulled a Ferris Beuller and just put the car on a lift and left it running? : )
Your last point of contention is unfounded though. On a long cross country trip I have stopped to get an oil change. I believe I was in Tallahasse (sp?) Florida. Nice town. MoMo's pizza is awesome.
flicmod says:
06:51 AM, 10/ 3/07
This was posted over on AutoBlog yesterday. Apparently this guy's employer wasn't very merciful and made him DRIVE from Atlanta to Seattle and San Fran on a regular basis. Talk about cruel and unusual!
Although he would've gotten CRAZY mileage reimbursement from it!
steve_ says:
07:43 AM, 10/ 3/07
Maybe the owner was afraid to fly.
On a leisurely road trip with no return date or deadlines and no need to rush, I figure I average about 50 miles an hour with stops. Six hours in the car and 300 miles in a day is a good distance just for tooting around and easy to do . I did 32,000 miles in '99/'00 this way on a 10 month road trip with lots of layover days.
To do 930k in 12 years at 300 mile days, you'd only need to drive 77,500 miles a year. That's 6549 miles a month. Figure 22 six hour days of driving a month and you're about there. Bump your hours up to ten hour days instead of six and you're down to 14 days of driving a month. You'd use the down time for replacing all those engines and trannies.
John Madden covers 80,000 miles annually in his luxury coach, but he has two drivers. He's scared of being locked up in a plane for a few hours I guess.
Any math errors are Google's fault. :-)
flicmod says:
07:54 AM, 10/ 3/07
steve_
"I did 32,000 miles in '99/'00 this way on a 10 month road trip with lots of layover days."
Lucky dog. Are you retired?
estreka says:
10:54 AM, 10/ 3/07
Often times Honda dealers have a poster of the highest mileage Hondas they service locally. This guy's probably at the top for his dealership. Way back when I lived in Nacogdoches, TX, my buddy had a '90 Honda Accord with 1.2 million miles (he delivered pizzas and the car was a hand-me-down). This was back in '03.
Bob's mower experience isn't just limited to mowers. Honda vehicles were laughably reliable in the '80s and '90s. They've lost some of that in the past 6 or so years.
hondacura4 says:
12:06 PM, 10/ 3/07
I know the owner of a 1999 Acura 3.2 TL that has over 400,000 miles on the original engine and transmission. He credits the cars mileage to Acuras recommended service intervals. The best part is the car itself is still drum tight and the drive train is still smooth.
blackadder5639 says:
12:33 PM, 10/ 3/07
Wow!
SubyTrojan says:
01:45 PM, 10/ 3/07
hondacura4, a 1999 3.2TL with over 400,000 miles and its *original* transmission. THAT'S INCREDIBLE!!! I would love to meet him or her!
http://www.hondatransmissionsettlement.com/
steve_ says:
03:32 PM, 10/ 3/07
@ flicmod, not yet. :-) I'm not sure I'm ready to tent camp that much again though, now that I'm pushing 55. In normal years, our 2 cars rarely get driven 15,000 miles combined, so I'll probably never own a car that has 200,000 miles on it, much less 900k (although our minivan is holding in there at 120k).
corvette says:
04:51 PM, 10/ 3/07
From what I've heard, Honda Power Equipment still makes a good lawn mower...
From the Craigslist ad: "...the tires are 7 months old..."
At the rate the miles are being racked up, that probably means they're nearly worn out!
hondacura4 says:
05:49 AM, 10/ 4/07
Suby pretty sure the 99 TL has a slightly different design than the 00-03s as Acura changed it for the 2000 model year. I don't think the 99's were problematic. Yes I know of the tranny fiasco as thats the reason I bought a 6MT Acura CL Type-S.
flicmod says:
06:15 AM, 10/ 4/07
steve_,
Well, I'm still young yet. Might sound insane, but I'm looking forward to retirement and all the roadtrips I have planned :-) I hope I don't lose my enthusiasm for tent camping and driving until then ;-)
ateixeira says:
07:38 AM, 10/ 4/07
Yeah, this is a salesman's car, or a delivery person's. Could have even been a taxi.
Some of those folks drive 12 hours a day.
Plus, why lie about mileage being high? To reduce the value of the used car sale?
Mileage is closer to 940K!
bennetpullen says:
11:41 AM, 10/ 4/07
The really amazing part is that it is on the original engine and transmission! Go look at the ad, the thing looks to be in great condition.
SubyTrojan says:
04:21 PM, 10/ 4/07
hondacura4, the 1999 3.2TL definitely had tranny issues as it is listed as one of the vehicles affected by the class-action settlement. I also remember seeing ROs (repair orders) for some 1999 3.2 TLs for tranny replacements for the short time I was working as a warranty administrator at an Acura dealership.
hondacura4 says:
07:53 AM, 10/ 5/07
Suby, I'm not sure where I received that information about the 99's but I was assuming that they weren't affected. I guess I was wrong. The bad part is that all Honda/Acura V6 powered cars all shared the same tranny design and it affected everything with a V6 for a few years. And I believe the AT Preludes were included also even though they weren't V6 powered.