[masraum]

Originally Posted by biosurfer1

88k is damn high? I think way too many people still abide by thinking from when cars were first invented. 3k oil changes? Completely unnecessary. 100k is high miles and car is done for? Absurd.

My Camry has over 200k and still drives like new. My 968 has 147k and no engine problems at all. My father's 4Runner had over 230k when he sold it 2 years ago and still sees it driving around town.

Cars today can and usually do go 200, 300, 400k or more if properly maintained.

True, but maintenance costs also go up as miles accumulate even if they are just from all of the ancillary systems. That may be OK if you're mechanically inclined and you have the space and time to do your own repairs (I always have), but not everyone has the space, time and aptitude to do those repairs. If you're paying a shop or dealer to maintain your vehicle when all of the extras start going bad, it can get expensive (and be a pain while the car is being repaired if it takes days and it's your only car)

Of course, a car with higher miles probably had a much lower initial investment, and if that's the case, and you were smart and could have afforded a higher initial investment, then you should be able to afford the repairs, and potentially the rental car while it's being repaired.

I would still say that a 3 year old car with 25k miles will probably have fewer repairs needed than a 3 year old car with 100k miles. THen you've just got to way the inconvenience and repair bill vs initial investment.