Vehicle longevity, how long do they last?

[Flyin6]

Let's have a general discussion about vehicle reliability/vs longevity

So I already believe that these full sized diesel trucks last an "Uber-Long" time. I'd say one could plan for 300K miles with little maintenance on a duramax like truck, then expect to get at least another 100K out of it, perhaps 200K

But when it comes to small gassers, like these mid-sized SUV's or jeeps, or cars we also buy.

So my wife does not know how to stop driving. I bought her a Rubicon, the "GJ" in March of 2016, so we have just passed the two year mark. That jeep now has over 30,000 miles on it. I financed it for a bunch of years, but I wonder if it will last to the end. Whenever I start seeing over 100K miles, me, personally, I begin to get nervous. But I am obviously skewed toward the ultra conservative, as most of you happily drive vehicles with 130K-150K and more like it is nothing

So, generally speaking, when are these vehicles starting to time out?

Side note: When the GJ starts to hit that point, and we do not decide to sell it or trade it in, I may re-engine it and build it into a proper off roader

[Nate]

honestly don, I think the days of vehicles lasting past 150k are about gone.  heck even to get to that point I believe they will require big $$$ just to fix the electronics (that control everything) that have been shoved into todays vehicles. 

my LBZ was about to roll 190k, and in the 10 years i owned it (i bought it 1 year old with 30k on the clock),
1. i replaced the entire front end twice in a matter of 4 years
2. had to replace the front diff because of the stupid "C" clip that wouldnt release on the shaft so i could replace the leaky seal
3. i had to have the CP3 replaced because it went bad
4. i had to replace the entire brake hardware 3 times because of crappy manufacturing
5. had to replace the power steering pump and hoses because of faulty manufacturing
6. the trans cooler lines were starting to leak because of faulty manufacturing
7. the straw that broke the camels back for me was when i started getting crazy engine electrical problems when i sprayed the engine down to find out where my oil leak was coming from, a day before i was to make a trip back to washington with my trailer to get the rest of my house.

sad thing is, i now own a new truck that is completely controlled by electronics.....

to bad i still dont have the 1981 VW scirocco that i owned when i was stationed in germany.  it had a little 1.8ltr gas engine, automatic and the clock read 800K+....and it was given to me.

[BobbyB]

My 2000 Tundra had 24x,xxx on it when I sold it, and I had no problems with it. The 98 XJ I donated last June had 24x,xxx on it and had I replaced the PCU or whatever it was I could've still been driving it.

[Nate]

I also truly believe that auto manufactures build their vehicles with a true wear out date/time/mileage!  I also believe that depending on what day of the week your vehicle and the major components were made and assembled play a big part in the longevity as well!

[Atkinsmatt]

Our company fleet (12ish) is almost entirely 07-10 model F150's.  The get used like construction vehicles by people who are using the bosses stuff like they don't care.  They routinely get the minimum maintenance to stay on the road, ie gas, oil changes and tires.  They have between 160,000 and 365,000 miles on them.  We do have to occasionally spend some on them as they continue to age, but not enough to convince the boss to replace them.  He is starting to consider replacing them as they approach 400k.  We have a couple gas F250's that are newer with 125,000ish miles on them and are treated about the same.

I am not a big ford guy, but the gas trucks take a beating and see a lot of miles.

[longball]

When I sold my LB7 last week it had 201,800 miles on it. I stay on top of maintenance and the only thing I had to replace was the injectors, alternator, idler pulleys, belt and tensioner, and batteries. To my knowledge it still had the original brake pads. The 2001 5.3 half ton I had before it had 192,000 when I sold it and all it got was a fuel pump. The biggest problem we had was my wife’s terrain. It got a new set of pistons and rings under warranty at 99k miles due to oil consumption. I’ve had pretty good luck but the next vehicle I get for myself will be something older. I figure I can buy something older, with fewer electronics and emissions crap, and fix it up just the way I like it for less than I can buy something 3-5 years old that takes an engineering degree to perform a basic service.


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[TexasRedNeck]

Anything Honda. Easily 200k plus with routine maintenance.

Had a 3 door 1986 civic and it had 286k on it when I just got tired of it.

Wife’s van. 13 years old. But it only has 109k on it. 

Morale to the story on these new vehicles is forget the published maintenance schedule and maintain them like an older vehicle. These new maintenance schedules are to get you through 100k cheaply. Then the next 100k is expensive because of the lack of preventive maintenance


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[EL TATE]

285k on my 01 jetta 2.0L before I got run off the road and totaled. 1 timing belt, one head gasket, 1 clutch and 1 throttle body. it had a host of "built on Friday" problems, but I believe had it not been totaled out I'd have had it for another 100k easily.

[wyorunner]

We’re in the older vehicle crowd. Easier and cheaper to maintain and tend to last longer. For instance the 3.4l in our 4Runner has been known to reach 300k with the normal maintenance. While this one only has 130k on it, the last one we had we sold with 165 and it was still running strong. I’ve have seen many of the 3.4l at 250k plus. The stupid things still fetch absurd prices too.

Until recently wife drove an 88 Ramcharger with the 318 in it. Sadly many small parts are no longer made for the Ramcharger but it just keeps chugging along. Routinely maintained I think it will continue to do so.

Then the 74 Cummins Crewcab we have, simplicity, durability and longevity at its best. Regular maintenance it should easily see another 150k miles, as there is currently little to no blow by.

[wilsonphil]

I have own nothing but Chrysler products(cars/trucks) my entire life. 

My DD driver was a 2000 Neon it had 285K and I never touched the engine, Clutch and a few suspension bushings were the on thing I changed on that car until I destroyed it being inattentive!  The Magnum I drive now has 120K and the engine and tranny are still doing well, the rear diff is not long for the world and the paint and soft parts are starting to go away from the sun, bushings and ball joints crap like that.   My 2006 Ram 2500 has been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned, never let me down and nothing has broken yet, I plan on having it the rest of my life.

The RC there is ALOT of engineering/material shortcomings with that and the metal sucks, even before I put the Cumming in it.

My 97 Viper has 25K TRACK miles on it and I have had to do NOTHING to it other than rebuild the rear end which I was the cause of the failure.  The Scyros in the tranny are a little tired but again that's from the track time, the other wear items don't count.

IMO with most modern cars/trucks if you maintain and drive them as designed they will all go 100-200K dependably.  The engineering is so much better and the metal and material are 1000 times better than just 10 years ago.  Long term it will be the parts you will be able to get it seems like after 10yrs OME don't support and then its up to the Chinaman!     

 

[Bob Smith]

Well, my son has a 2001 Dodge PU that needs a front end and a clutch bad. Clutch should be here shortly and the front end parts are on order. Sorry but I do not agree on stuff not lasting like they use to do. Maybe I trade off to often to change my mind but these things last a very long time with proper maintenance.

[Flyin6]

So at my frau's current rate of accumulating miles, she will have 120K on it in 2020, and 150K on it in 2021. I think it will no longer be a reliable vehicle, judging from how cheaply made everything on that vehicle seems to be (to me).

When I worked on it, the thing just looked like some cheapo Korean or chinaman car from beneath. Just not much there.

By my thinking that thing does not look like a reliable 200-300K vehicle.

I started doubting the integrity of vehicles when windshields became stressed members/panels in some applications. When you are relying on a piece of glass holding up to keep the people enclosure "cage" intact, I think you're betting on a bad proposition.

And what Nate said. He washed his engine and it started having problems. I recall when I asked the mechanic to pressure wash my excavator, he refused to open any panel and wash inside. He said it was even/even that it may never work again. That's bullcrap in my view.

My neighbor asked me for help once with his Expedition. I fixed it, then as a bonus, polished his headlights which were opaque, and pressure washed the engine. He was too nice to tell me, but afterward it started having electrical problems, so he took it secretly to a garage where they charged him hundreds of dollars running down all the sensors which had water in them. I had caused his woes without ever knowing it.

I just have so little faith in modern vehicles, and they don't even look all that good. Working on them is a nightmare, and here in the tuck, best news of all is we get to pay a value tax on them every year. THis year, it cost me $658 just for the pleasure of owning my truck.

I really just want an older vehicle which has none of this myriad of electronic garbage, and is more robust.

[KensAuto]

Phil, you must be the luckiest Mopar owner in the universe!
...oh, and what Charles said X3


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[Bigdave_185]

I also truly believe that auto manufactures build their vehicles with a true wear out date/time/mileage!  I also believe that depending on what day of the week your vehicle and the major components were made and assembled play a big part in the longevity as well!

This is not a believe thing, it’s fact.  The years of school, 98Honda Civic was over engineered and actually hurt sales for years and Honda is still feeling the effects.

Design can only cost so much for the company To stay at in business, market requires things to break to drive the economy forward.   

It’s all in the $$$


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[Tommy13]

My 2003 Chevy 2500 Extended cab 6.0L gas burner has 158k on it. Has never leaked a drop of anything and burns no oil, but is starting to have a few electrical issues. The gauge cluster only works intermittently and needs repair.  I recently replaced the alternator and it needs a new tensioner pulley.  Overall I expect the electronics to be the biggest issue.  The truck doesn't get driven much and I expect my son will be driving it full time in a few months. 

Our 2016 Yukon XL Denali has 42k on it and gets a lot of highway miles.  It has given me zero problems and is the most comfortable vehicle I've ever owned.  Hopefully it will carry on family hauling duties for another 6 years.  Thinking of adding an Accord or Civic to the family to eat up commuting miles and shorter trips.  The big GMC is comfortable and while 20mpg isn't terrible, it's not exactly cheap to operate.

I really liked my 2013 Ram 2500 Cummins but didn't have much need for the truck and found it hard to justify the high cost of maintenance.  For the way I use a truck these days the 6.0L gas Chevy is plenty, it costs me hundreds less per year to maintain and in my experience is one of the most reliable platforms out there.  It won't win any drag races but there are other better toys for that. If I look for another truck it will most likely be another GM 6.0.

[JR]

I don't think the day of manufacture has anything to do with it anymore. It is all cnc and robots except for some odd fitting now, like plastics.

My 87 el camino has probably 500k on it, doesn't burn a drop of oil but it is tired. Has gone through 2 trannys (200r4), but other than the window molding it is sound. It has a mild cam in it with an intake are all the mods. I did put a BGN rear in it thats help the go a little.

I think 200k is about right on the money for about anything made now. But I would do way more maint than is listed.

My LBZ has been sound, but a few hubs and upper ball joints I attribute to craking it up a little. Thermos and a little leak by the CP3 rail was about the worst for it otherwise. Now at 150k and it urns great, hope it does for another 150k.

[stlaser]

Phil, you must be the luckiest Mopar owner in the universe!
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[cruizng]

I'll chime in.

My wife has driven a 2005 Nissan Armada since it was new. It now has 190K miles. We are religious about maintenance on it but it has paid off. Other than brakes and normal wear items we haven't had to do anything else. It has a strong V8 and the transmission shifts as well as it did new. The electronics and interior has held up really well. I have been worried about the miles so I was asking her what new car she wanted. She kept coming back to the Armada. Looking at a year or two old one with under 20K they are $50K. Ouch.

In my younger years I always got tired of a vehicle before I ever needed to sell so never drove anything much over 100K. I did have a 2004 Duramax that had 130K when I sold it. I would have kept it except for the electrical problems it developed.

My 2008 Duramax LMM has been pretty solid but only 114K miles. Replaced one injector, couple of glow plugs, brakes, front end spindles, and normal maintenance. Not too bad. Will probably keep it until it starts to give me problems even though it is expensive for a daily driver asphalt queen.

[TexasRedNeck]

Just for perspective.  Think back to the early 1980s(those of you old enough to remember the 80s -#best decade ever)

Wonderful gm vehicles like the Pontiac Parisian (their version of the Caprice) with the 305. The mess of vacuum hoses and air injector reactor pumps and nonsense.  If you made it to 100k you were flirting with disaster (obscure Molly Hatchet reference for the 80’s)


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[Tommy13]

I remember the Caprice well.  Once they started running rough it was time to ship them off.  Good luck finding the bad vacuum line.

[Bear9350]

I also truly believe that auto manufactures build their vehicles with a true wear out date/time/mileage!  I also believe that depending on what day of the week your vehicle and the major components were made and assembled play a big part in the longevity as well!

This is not a believe thing, it’s fact.  The years of school, 98Honda Civic was over engineered and actually hurt sales for years and Honda is still feeling the effects.

Design can only cost so much for the company To stay at in business, market requires things to break to drive the economy forward.   

It’s all in the $$$


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Most don't design things to break on purpose per say.  For most major purchases there is a factory warranty period.  This warranty period is usually somewhat dependent on how much said purchase costs compared to similar products.  Products are designed so that they statistically exceed the warranty period.  Statistically most failure data would look like a bell curve.  In order to make sure 99% of something will exceed the warranty period the majority will far exceed it. (If my customer service guys see a production part with a 1% fail rate it quickly rises to the to of my issues list and becomes a hot priority for me to investigate and find a solution.)

The difference between now and 20 years ago is that we have the technology to simulate and better understand when and how things are stressed and will fail.  This allows us to make more informed decisions on when and where additional material/ structure etc... is needed and where some money can be saved.  In stead of over building everything strength is added strategically.

[Flyin6]

So are we shading in any particular consensus here?

For the jeep that I am questioning...Safe to 200K? But needs better than recommended maintenance?

May be too late im my case as she changes oil a few days after the change oil message appears (Exceeding limitations?)

Regarding oil, most people change it too early. It used to be the 3,000 mile oil change, then the 5,000 mile interval. Now most new purchases have become so expensive that the new owners strive to save some money on the backside with the one or two years free maintenance. That, of course, is using factory mandated intervals on tire rotation, chassis lube and engine oil changes. No one changes transmission, rear axle, transfer case, or power steering oil, so I am not counting those.

I think the consensus on the HD Diesels seems to be well north of 200K, perhaps double that or more. Dunno, the europeans drive their cars for a long time. Mercedes and bimmer owners seem to hold their cars like we hold onto these early 12 valve Cummins trucks

Good discussion with targets of 200K for gassers and 400K for diesels starting to show...

I am still far from convinced that that wrangler GJ will be reliable approaching anything like 200K

[stlaser]

Change the oil in the jk every 3500 miles imo & run full synthetic. I say it will probably go 100-150k, those motors in them suck. All of them not just the early versions either.

[JR]

I like the 200k mark myself unless something comes up.

My 87 Elky did have a HUGE nest on top. I pulled off a wad once with all kinds of switches and delays and rerouted a hose or 2. It has run fine since then and passed smog every time.

Oh, the LBZ does have the dash light issue and 3 glow plugs have been replaced. I change oil at 5k now but use the best filters and a bypass I change every other.

[Tommy13]

Don, it looks like the GJ gets a good amount of miles, but what kind of miles?  Does it get up to operating temp and stay that way for a bit?  Does it get started driven 5 mins shut off for 30, repeat, repeat, repeat?  I see there being a drastic difference in how vehicles are operated.  Maybe I'm way off here and I'm sure someone will pile on, but most grocery getters live an extreme duty cycle life.  You might be able to squeeze 200k out of the Jeep if you were driving it daily, but will the current driver pay attention to little changes?  A small drop in MPG?  More oil consumption?  Where is that coolant going?  Is it possible that you are just going to be replacing the wife's vehicle every 6 to 8 years regardless of what you buy?

Mostly thinking out loud here, but I think some of this would carry a lot of weight in the discussion. 

A vehicle I'm driving or riding in daily will last longer than one solely operated by my wife.  I'll put money on that.   

[JR]

Valid point Tommy. Just like maint, what kind of miles?

[wilsonphil]

Phil, you must be the luckiest Mopar owner in the universe!
...oh, and what Charles said X3


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I have not had and major issues with any of the Mopar units I have owned, I come from a Mopar family so that is all I have ever owned or been exposed to long term and know them pretty well, I have driven other Brands for a short time but didn't own them, usually trying to help solve issues or performance problems, from high end to ultra cheap.

My dad bought a 81 Reliant K-car new(2,2 USA made engine, 4sp manual), he still has that car 450K on the clock, nothing major other than Head gasket and clutch, rust killed it for the most part.

  Many of my co workers have High end units and most dont make 50K before issues start to pop up, BMW and Mercedes have real issues long term, Range Rover they are lucky to get off the lot, they are nice but not for owning long term unless you are a very forgiving owner, Tesla for the most part are very dependable mostly software issues that are fixed via network updates.  Here in sunshine land you can get high mileage BMW, Mercedes, Range rover DIRT CHEAP if you are willing to work on them! 

[moto123]

Around here the rust often kills the vehicle before the mileage.  But that's not the point of the discussion.

Our family has seen a strange trend starting at 140k mileage.  We've been forced to sell 3 half ton suburbans in a row that we weren't ready to get rid of yet simply because at that mileage the repair costs accelerated substantially.  None were completely dead, but we didn't consider them fully reliable either.  In other normal passenger vehicles we typically had sold them around 100k as the maintenance was increasing.  And this isn't from deferred maintenance, I do everything mechanically on time.  It is from increasing electrical system failures, computers, etc.  Things that can't be maintained but do wear out.  I am not going to keep something long enough to replace the entire wiring harness and all gauges, sensors, electrical items.

[KensAuto]

Phil, definitely agree on Euro "trash", especially rover junk. It's bad enough that they have plenty of issues, and difficult issues at that, but the parts can be multiple times more expensive compared to the US or Asian brands. I will say, it's extremely hard to discredit the quality of Euro fit and finish though.

I have seen enough Mopars in my shop to know that I would prefer something else. (don't get me started on Neons!) lol

As far as newer cars not lasting, well, it wasn't that long ago that I was replacing engines with less than 50k on them....smoky, smelly, noisy, gas guzzling engines. (anyone remember the olds 350 diesels? eww)
We had a bad spell in the 70s and 80s but I put more blame on the government than the manufacters for that. The '90-2010ish cars are greatly more reliable up to the 100k mark, than pre-90s imo. After 100k, the electronics can begin to fail, but, the mechanicals have tighter tolerances and better alloys, and they can rack up a boat load of miles.
Now, on the newest cars we are seeing issues we didn't see a few years ago, mainly variable timing and direct injection. If you guys get time, google pics of intake valves on a direct injected engine. I'm seeing issues with those 2 systems on engines with less than 50k on them....not good. I think we're starting to go backwards on reliability all in the name of better mileage (again government).

I like Hondas, but Toyota is #1 in my book (as far as light duty) We have a few at home.

[wilsonphil]

Yes the Euro cars have much better fit and finish and they use ALOT better materials for that.  I like that about them

What a Neon is hard to work on!! mine was not problematic but it was a total pain to work on, between 6-8hrs for the timing belt I like to have a conservation with that person.

Yea and in the 50's-60's the metal was so poor you HAD to rebuild every 50K, the guy on the farm next door to where I grew up had a 1962 1.5ton GMC they bought NEW, it had a straight six (215cid I think) it didn't have an air cleaner, from the factory air-cleaner was an option it just had a screen over the carb!  that thing never went anywhere and the engine was SHOT with 30K, had to bore it .060 over on the only rebuild  it was dead again a couple years after that, he endend up putting in a 283 or 305. We Had a early 70's 440 that went 150K cam lobes gone and need a .060 over also, heads completely gone but it went 150K

Cant blame the Gov for all of it, most of that 70's emissions crap the OEMS knew was coming they just put off implementing it until they had to IE: last min which means poor quality.

Biggest problem I see with OEM is they are just assemblers they really don't build the product.  You will always have this problem because the OEM can't control the suppliers quality.  the only people that build 100% for their product is Ferrari they build 100% of the car every nut, bolt washer.   

350 Olds/gm diesel  wasn't an engine, that was somebody's sick idea of a joke.

Not surprising about the direct injection, time will tell where that goes.

  I have never owned a foreign Automobile nor do I plan on owning one.  I am an American I always try to buy USA made when possible, I even waited for the Dodge truck plant to shut down for its yearly maintenance in Mexico to order my Ram so it would be built in Saint Louis.

Motorcycles/atv well that's a different story, I own Harleys but I like to go fast so I have Jap stuff also!

   

[halsey]

1990 w350. The odometer quit at 417,776 about 6 years ago. It's had a water pump, an alternator and a starter.  Still starts at the tap of the key and gets well over 20 mpg. Could use injectors and an exhaust but no hurry... My backup vehicle is a 1990 w250 with about 180,000. All original. I expect another trouble free 250,00 from it.

[TexasRedNeck]

FIAT (Fix It Again Tony)......loved that car
Mopar from the 70s - can you trust anything that has a starter that sounds like that?
Fast and foreign....I had a british Triumph 955i Daytona.  I'd been 187mph on that bike and had to rebuild the entire electrical system.....fast but not reliable.
My Mercedes CLS550 had 2 transmission rebuilds, 1 cylinder head, 4 sensors, 3 oil leaks, 3 air struts and 2 air suspension compressors, a evaporator core (that one cost $3000) in 75,000 miles.

[KensAuto]

Come on Phil, you know Toyota's built in the US!
...and most US cars don't have very many US parts in them anymore, especially electronics.   :(

Yet I still wouldn't trade my GM truck for anything. It's tough being patriotic, and having to work on the darn things at the same time.

[JR]

 

[wilsonphil]

Come on Phil, you know Toyota's built in the US!
...and most US cars don't have very many US parts in them anymore, especially electronics.   :(

Yet I still wouldn't trade my GM truck for anything. It's tough being patriotic, and having to work on the darn things at the same time.

Yes the Tokyo's are built/assembled here and I agree with the very high US content.  That dose not change the fact that 100% of the profit from those sales goes back to Japan to be invested in the future of that country(Japan) not your children's future here in the USA.

I am not defending the extremely poor quality and arrogance of US companies or and the decisions they made in the 60'-early 70's.  Had the US just tried to have a little forethought we would still be on top in many areas.  We should complain when manufactures produce a terrible product and hold them accountable and make them fix it!   

My current company, we build 90% of the product in house, even the Ground Support Equipment is built in house and we test every component in house.  Getting Raw material became such a problem we just finished building our own Foundry and Forge.     

[KensAuto]

My current company, we build 90% of the product in house, even the Ground Support Equipment is built in house and we test every component in house.  Getting Raw material became such a problem we just finished building our own Foundry and Forge.     

 

[cudakidd53]

Come on Phil, you know Toyota's built in the US!
...and most US cars don't have very many US parts in them anymore, especially electronics.   :(

Yet I still wouldn't trade my GM truck for anything. It's tough being patriotic, and having to work on the darn things at the same time.

Since when did you drive a 70’s MOPAR and worry about a STARTER?  I worried more about running out of gas, payments for speeding tickets and running out of brakes avoiding all the slow vehicles by the other manufacturers! 

[TexasRedNeck]

Right up until the time you ran across a LS6 1970 SS Chevelle.......

[cudakidd53]

That’s correct, no brakes until the Six-Pac kicked with the hood scoop started to eat as I went by- 340-6 in the Cuda had it beat in the power to weigh ratio...and then coming out of a turn going into the next....ask Dan Guerney....   I’d be proud to own either again!

[cruizng]

My current company, we build 90% of the product in house, even the Ground Support Equipment is built in house and we test every component in house.  Getting Raw material became such a problem we just finished building our own Foundry and Forge.

   

Your company is definitely a shining light on many things that use to be USA excellence. Love to hear that.

One sad story in my industry is Qualcomm now Omnitracs. They used to build all of the Satellite tracking and communications equipment we used in trucking that started in the early 90's. You would buy an outdoor unit and they said it should last for 3 years and it would last for 6 or 7 without any issues. Built rugged to handle all the weather and vibrations on being on the road 24X7. Since they sold off the unit and moved to Dallas area they outsource everything and it comes from Asia. We will be lucky if we get 3 years out of the units. But hey.. they are $700.00 a unit now instead of $2400.00! Yippy

[Flyin6]

Don, it looks like the GJ gets a good amount of miles, but what kind of miles?  Does it get up to operating temp and stay that way for a bit?  Does it get started driven 5 mins shut off for 30, repeat, repeat, repeat?  I see there being a drastic difference in how vehicles are operated.  Maybe I'm way off here and I'm sure someone will pile on, but most grocery getters live an extreme duty cycle life.  You might be able to squeeze 200k out of the Jeep if you were driving it daily, but will the current driver pay attention to little changes?  A small drop in MPG?  More oil consumption?  Where is that coolant going?  Is it possible that you are just going to be replacing the wife's vehicle every 6 to 8 years regardless of what you buy?

Mostly thinking out loud here, but I think some of this would carry a lot of weight in the discussion. 

A vehicle I'm driving or riding in daily will last longer than one solely operated by my wife.  I'll put money on that.   

I'd say 50% start, drive 30 min, shut off with 75% of that driving at 75mph steady state cruise
the other 50% is a combo of short trips and medium trips, perhaps sequentially.

[stewie]

my first car was a 1991 dodge monaco (google it). It was the biggest pile of crap ever produced, IMO. @ 140K, it was done. donated it. not worth it.

my 2001 XJ had 90K on it when i traded it in back in 2006.

The two above mentioned vehicles were North East cars and subject to salt and lots of harsh driving. the XJ was in almost constant need of some sort of repair, BUT that engine itself never had to be touched.

my wife's 09 suburban has 144K on it and aside from every stupid electronic thing going wacko occasionally and the usually maintenance + the stuff that tends to breaks after so many years... the thing has been quite reliable and durable.

my 2012 sierra has 126K on it and although I've owned it only a month, it looks and drives like it's brand new.

[OldKooT]

I felt the need to revive this LoL

Don it's a Jeep...it's life expectancy is 70K ish. Some go more, some less, its well established that engine isn't exactly a winner. Change oil every 3K, use quality filters/oil and try and use good fuel in it, and that's all you can do. The upside, that's more than most do, so your results may be better.

I have zero faith is the manufactures "suggested maintenance" routine. Oil tests have proven to me in a variety of situations they are just bunk.

My Sons 6.4 Hemi Power Wagon calls for 5w20 every 5K miles. Oil tests prove not only is the oil failing at 1.5K already, but the filter is doing very little past that range as well. He has tried assorted oil brands, some are better than others...but he swapped to 10/W30 and now changes every 3K and the oil tests say the engine is happy regardless of which brand he uses. 

The Mustangs are similar. They run 5w/50 and I change it every 2500 miles or every track day. The called for 5/20w is failing with just a couple wide open throttle blasts. The 5/50 is fine even after a track day...but oils cheap. $15K long blocks aren't. I just use the drain oil in my Wife's CJ5 or something. That 258 Jeep six could care less. It also works well in my Case skid loaders hyd system. In fact the leak to oil change ratio is about perfect. Change oil in a Mustang, dump it all in the Case...win/win LoL

Anyway....my point is. If you want a newer Jeep, and unless Jeep decides to put a decent engine in them..what can you do?

Could be worse, in theory.

[JR]

I don't think any of us really follow the man suggestion on oil changes, time wise at least.

Many jeeps have great motors, they do swaps.

[Flyin6]

I don't think any of us really follow the man suggestion on oil changes, time wise at least.

Many jeeps have great motors, they do swaps.

Unfortunately, my Frau has been having the oil swapped out two days after the change indicator comes on. She now has over 60K on a '16.
I told her, that's the last one I'm paying for, she needed to take care of it. If it dies, she'll have to take care of it.
If it stays dead, I'll swap in a diesel or maybe a 6.0 LS Chevy down the road...

I don't like jeeps...

[OldKooT]

I have driven a few Jeep's with Hemi's  Honestly they aren't too shabby as a "package" with the Hemi. It's what Jeep should have done most likely.

What Jeep shoudl do is sell the JK and such like the AR15  Buy what ya like, assemble, and enjoy life. They would considerably improve the product line that way.