Could a Camry go for One Million Miles?

[abelhands]

I have a goal to buy a new car, and drive basically for the next 20+ years to One Million Miles. Do you think this Camry could be a possible car for me to do it in?
I am considering a few cars for this,
Camry
Corolla
Lexus GS 300 (not new, used with low mileage)
Volvo S80
BMW 335i four door
1995 BMW 525i (just the car I have now)

Thoughts? Opinions?

[ToyotaToday]

Originally Posted by abelhands

I have a goal to buy a new car, and drive basically for the next 20+ years to One Million Miles. Do you think this Camry could be a possible car for me to do it in?
I am considering a few cars for this,
Camry
Corolla
Lexus GS 300 (not new, used with low mileage)
Volvo S80
BMW 335i four door
1995 BMW 525i (just the car I have now)

Thoughts? Opinions?

The goal should be to maintain the car as long as possible, not to reach 1 million miles. In order for you to reach one million miles in 20 years, you will have to average 50,000 miles per year. The average person drives about 12,500-15,000 miles per year, so roughly you will have to drive 3 times the distance of an average person.

[ToyotaToday]

I re-read you post, you did say 20+ years, so it could be more than 20 years. So, if you drove an average of 15000 miles per year, it will take your 66 years to reach a million miles. Good luck. Have fun driving.

[Redline_Me]

take care of it and it will last more than that. but parts will need to be changed such as gaskets.

[robiewp]

It's definitely possible, but what are your motivations? You will not be minimizing carbon footprint, cost of ownership, fuel consumption, or risk of injury. We can detail the specifics of each of these facts if it's important to you.

I myself like the idea of keeping a car for a long time. I'm at 220K on my T100 and I expect to easily get to 300K, perhaps further. But at some point reason (or my wife) will strike me and I'll get a new car. If I continue to be really irrational, I'll probably keep this one then too, and just retire it to one-day-per-week. However, a million miles for anyone that doesn't drive for a living probably isn't worth the trouble or justifiable for any reason. Big rigs are million mile vehicles these days, but no passenger car sees the consistent use that they do.

There's some interesting reliability info on this site, but relating to your desires... here's a log of high mileage vehicles:
http://autooninfo.net/AutoonInfo/Dur...ationPage5.htm

to quote:

Rank Manufacturer Line Model Year Last Updated Mileage
1 Honda Honda Accord 1987 603,572 miles
2 Volvo Volvo 740DL 1989 601,000 miles
3 Toyota Toyota Celica 1983 571,000 miles
4 Toyota Toyota Celica 1978 553,264 miles
5 General Motors GMC Safari 1993 529,193 miles
6 Toyota Toyota 4Runner 1990 510,000 miles
7 Toyota Toyota Tacoma 1996 503,500 miles
8 Toyota Toyota Camry 1983 500,536 miles
9 Toyota Toyota Corolla 1984 500,222 miles

Even at the rate of these record-setting vehicles, it would take over 40 years to rack up a million miles.

[centennialman]

+1.

It was a stupid question to begin with, to be perfectly honest.

[GT-R]

Hah.. 1 million miles? You're joking right?

I'd keep my car until 3yrs / 36,000 miles, then get a new fresh out of the factory one.

[Carzzz]

All cars can go over a million miles, but it worth the $$ on maintenance to do it?
When the maintenance costs surpass the monthly financing payment, i think majority will get a new one.

[Netforcer]

Originally Posted by GT-R SE

Hah.. 1 million miles? You're joking right?

I'd keep my car until 3yrs / 36,000 miles, then get a new fresh out of the factory one.

You would or you will? Because then that's as stupid as trying to reach 1 million miles... might as well lease it if you're willing to waste money buying new cars every 3 years or less

The body might last a million miles, but the engine/transmission won't.. in the end you'll be paying more for maintenance.

[CJCride]

Originally Posted by abelhands

I have a goal to buy a new car, and drive basically for the next 20+ years to One Million Miles. Do you think this Camry could be a possible car for me to do it in?
I am considering a few cars for this,
Camry
Corolla
Lexus GS 300 (not new, used with low mileage)
Volvo S80
BMW 335i four door
1995 BMW 525i (just the car I have now)

Thoughts? Opinions?

If you are young enough & you maintain them well & don't write it off, then I am Confident you could do it with the Camry & Corolla.

The Beemers & Volvo could only achieve that in the Cargo Hold of the Space Shuttle. {you probably could not afford the Cost}

[thrawnis]

This all depends on what you part of the car you consider the actual car. Theoretically, any car could last that long if you classify the car as being the body alone, in which case you would probably have to replace the engine a few times, the transmission probably 3-4 times, suspension a few times, etc. by the time you hit one million miles.

I would say that it is highly unlikely that you will reach one million miles on any car without some MAJOR work being done to it along the way, no matter how well you maintain it. At the point where you have to replace the entire drivetrain, can you really consider that the original car anymore? I personally do not think so...

On a side note: You should realistically look at an 1980s or 1990s non-turbo diesel with a manual transmission, few electronic gadgets, and a carburetor instead of fuel injection (if there is such a thing). That would possibly be more reliable due to the reliance on fewer electronic components that could fail, though you will sacrifice convenience, ride quality, performance, and pretty much anything else that makes a car fun.

[GT-R]

Originally Posted by Netforcer

You would or you will? Because then that's as stupid as trying to reach 1 million miles... might as well lease it if you're willing to waste money buying new cars every 3 years or less

The body might last a million miles, but the engine/transmission won't.. in the end you'll be paying more for maintenance.

I always lease cars BTW.

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

you won't make 100,000 miles with the Gen 6...

Gen5 or 5,5 you can read 2 billion miles and it'd keep running strong...on it's original factory oil...

[ToyotaToday]

Originally Posted by Netforcer

You would or you will? Because then that's as stupid as trying to reach 1 million miles... might as well lease it if you're willing to waste money buying new cars every 3 years or less

The body might last a million miles, but the engine/transmission won't.. in the end you'll be paying more for maintenance.

I agree with you. Why would someone buy a new car after 3 years, the BIGGEST depreciation happens after 2-3 years. An average Camry new is about 30 grand, after 2-3 years, it will be about 20 grand if that. So either you have too much money or just not too bright.

Besides, with these cars, after 3 years of driving you are just breaking the car in ( i might be exaggerating a bit but for the most part true).

[PRINCESS PEACH]

Originally Posted by Punks_Not_Dead5

you won't make 100,000 miles with the Gen 6...

Gen5 or 5,5 you can read 2 billion miles and it'd keep running strong...on it's original factory oil...

lol you sunava gun. i heard volvo's go on forever. the 2AZ engine is also built like a tank. Just as how TRD VVTI would state, just do your maintenance, and you should be good to go.