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How many miles is too many? The general consensus for diesel engines is they're just getting broken in around 200k miles? What about the transmission in these vehicles (usually heavy duty)?
How about the VW diesel?
I have owned several Subaru's with well over 200k miles and they ran great when sold. Some are still driving around town north of 300k miles. Same goes with a couple 80's GM square body trucks.
How many miles is too many? The general consensus for diesel engines is they're just getting broken in around 200k miles? What about the transmission in these vehicles (usually heavy duty)?
How about the VW diesel?
I have owned several Subaru's with well over 200k miles and they ran great when sold. Some are still driving around town north of 300k miles. Same goes with a couple 80's GM square body trucks.
Meh. The whole just broken in imo is bs. It depends how the vehicle was used and maintained. If the truck was used for 200,000 miles and it pulled 14,000 pounds a day every day that truck is worn out at 200,000 miles.
If the truck was used as a grocery getter 200,000 might as well be nothing.
I have a GM truck with a 350 V8 that at 393,000 is finally burning oil. Has power runs and is still drivable but the engine is getting worn out. So I’m getting ready to pull it and rebuild it. I could probably hit 400,000 plus but I don’t see the point. Most cars today should easily hit 250,000 miles if they are maintained
200,000 miles on some diesel engines ... not a big deal with proper care, but definitely broken in even with light duty use.
There are many diesel engine series that are problematic at much lower mileages ... GM and Ford have both had their share of these engine failures in various series of engines. Some of these problems have been addressed in the aftermarket with durable fixes. Cummins in Dodge has a pretty good reputation, but I've seen a lot of these worn out in commercial/heavy use at 350-400,000 miles (and they had their flaws, too, with some premature failures years ago).
M-B car diesels could see 300,000-400,000 miles with proper care, but typically needed a valve job or two along the way to reach that mileage.
Like you, I have had several Subie's that ran well past 200,000 miles without major distress. One 2.2 ran into the low 300's before it wore out.
We used to drive MB diesels/turbodiesels as our primary drivers. Given the disparity in fuel price/gallon, we found the Subie's to be far more economical to keep on the road and cost/mile.
Absent a need for a pick-up truck with a diesel for hauling power, there's many better options in the marketplace today.
How many miles are "too many"? Depends upon the series of vehicle and the present day condition. Some may be toast at 100,000 miles, some may be ready for another few hundred thousand. All must be considered in light of what your expectations and intended use will be.
PS: we use a '95 F-250 Powerstroke and a '96 Dodge 2500 w/Cummins 12v turbodiesel for our ranch/farm hauling vehicles. Both now with 250,000 miles on the clock, both run well. The Powerstroke seeps a bit of oil and the Cummins doesn't use more than a 1/2 qt between oil changes. But both only see about 12,000 miles/year use anymore. The Powerstroke is original, the Dodge is on it's 3rd transmission (automatic). By far and away, the Ford is a better built truck with far superior ride/handling/HVAC/ergonomics. Both purchased used with 120,000 miles on the odo.
Remember, they're talking about the ENGINE in diesels. That doesn't mean engine accessories, transmissions, clutches, suspension, door locks, electric windows, radios, etc., etc., won't go at 100K miles.
I bought a new 2000 F250 with the Powerstroke 7.3 diesel. It's often been touted as the best diesel Ford ever used. (Current is probably better.) The truck became my daily driver the day I bought it. My office was in my home then, and most days it never left home. We bought it for our 5th wheel camper -- had small 10K-11k campers over a 14-year span -- but it was mostly just a vehicle to run downtown to the bank, grocery store, post office, etc. I had it serviced by the Ford dealer regularly.
For the first 11 years, I average 6-7K miles per year, and I was very happy with it. Then the 12th year I took a job in which I travelled ~25K miles per year. Normal fuel and maintenance is fairly high with a diesel, and I understood and accepted it, but that first year of traveling cost me an extra $9K in unscheduled repairs! Year two: An extra $10K in repair bills. Year three: It was headed there. The dealer found a couple things that would have pushed the repair that year to $9.5K. Keep in mind, this is all for unscheduled repairs, not fuel, oil, and tires. Those were all extra, and they're not cheap on a full-sized truck. Tires run $1,200 for a set, oil changes are $100+, fuel was ~16 mpg, and diesel is usually costlier than gasoline.
My repairs were usually in the $1,000-$1,500 range each, so when I was only driving it 6-7K per year, repairs weren't too bad. Usually one per year, $1,000-$2,000. When I started driving it 25K per year, with mileage already at around 75K, it got worse. I don't have time to work on my cars, so everything went to the shop for repairs. After year 3 I realized these repairs were the norm. I traded for a Prius. It's not my first choice for a vehicle, but it was like getting a huge raise. I haven't spent a dime on repairs since getting it, and fuel and routine maintenance cost 1/3 what they did for the truck. The truck only had 151,000 on it when I traded it. Problems started getting bad after 100K miles.
To sum it up, if you don't intend to drive the truck much, maintenance will probably be acceptable, but don't plan to drive it a lot or you might be ahead to buy a $60K new one! Others will report better results, but I know how to drive and have been driving for 50+ years. The truck was not abused. I think I may have had some bad luck, but I did everything I could to make it last.
Remember, they're talking about the ENGINE in diesels. That doesn't mean engine accessories, transmissions, clutches, suspension, door locks, electric windows, radios, etc., etc., won't go at 100K miles.
I bought a new 2000 F250 with the Powerstroke 7.3 diesel. It's often been touted as the best diesel Ford ever used. (Current is probably better.) The truck became my daily driver the day I bought it. My office was in my home then, and most days it never left home. We bought it for our 5th wheel camper -- had small 10K-11k campers over a 14-year span -- but it was mostly just a vehicle to run downtown to the bank, grocery store, post office, etc. I had it serviced by the Ford dealer regularly.
For the first 11 years, I average 6-7K miles per year, and I was very happy with it. Then the 12th year I took a job in which I travelled ~25K miles per year. Normal fuel and maintenance is fairly high with a diesel, and I understood and accepted it, but that first year of traveling cost me an extra $9K in unscheduled repairs! Year two: An extra $10K in repair bills. Year three: It was headed there. The dealer found a couple things that would have pushed the repair that year to $9.5K. Keep in mind, this is all for unscheduled repairs, not fuel, oil, and tires. Those were all extra, and they're not cheap on a full-sized truck. Tires run $1,200 for a set, oil changes are $100+, fuel was ~16 mpg, and diesel is usually costlier than gasoline.
My repairs were usually in the $1,000-$1,500 range each, so when I was only driving it 6-7K per year, repairs weren't too bad. Usually one per year, $1,000-$2,000. When I started driving it 25K per year, with mileage already at around 75K, it got worse. I don't have time to work on my cars, so everything went to the shop for repairs. After year 3 I realized these repairs were the norm. I traded for a Prius. It's not my first choice for a vehicle, but it was like getting a huge raise. I haven't spent a dime on repairs since getting it, and fuel and routine maintenance cost 1/3 what they did for the truck. The truck only had 151,000 on it when I traded it. Problems started getting bad after 100K miles.
To sum it up, if you don't intend to drive the truck much, maintenance will probably be acceptable, but don't plan to drive it a lot or you might be ahead to buy a $60K new one! Others will report better results, but I know how to drive and have been driving for 50+ years. The truck was not abused. I think I may have had some bad luck, but I did everything I could to make it last.
I’m not sure why you had so many issues but I have two 7.3 diesels with 165 and 180,000 miles. The 180k one needs a water pump replaced. It just started leaking from the weep hole. I ordered the parts for about $600 bucks. But I’m replacing all the hoses too. Considering it’s the original water pump I say I got my money’s worth. . At 150,000 I replaced the hubs and a few things on the front end steering and the torque converter.
It’s really weird because the 7.3 is well known to be a reliable platform.
But if the car is abused the mileage makes no difference
Paid $12,000 for a VW Jetta TDI with 103,000K back in 2010. Dealer stood behind car, car worked flawlessly, no problems until.....I let my mother in law borrow it one day and she forgot it was a diesel. Regular gas doesn't work so well in a Diesel. Thank God VW created an automatic cutoff when it didn't sense the right fuel was being added. However, it isn't 100% fool proof. They still have to flush the engine and chances are it's not going to be once, maybe twice before it starts running back to normal. I have to stand up for it though, excellent vehicle if you can get one. Leather interior was built like rhino skin, no diesel smell in cab whatsoever, and even after 3 engine flushes over 100K it ran like a beauty. I even made it from Charleston, SC to Atlanta, GA on less than half a tank. I'll gladly pay $3.50 to get that kind of mileage any day of the week!
Subscribed, I’m very interested in this. I have a 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel, or JGC CRD in shorthand. It has 43K trouble-free miles on it now and I plan to keep it for a very long time. I want at least 300K, and would love to get 500K out of her. I am 56 years old so maybe, at 20K miles per year, just maybe this JGC CRD could be the last car I’ll ever need to buy. If, God willing, I live to my mid-80s, that’s 600K miles.
Maybe I drive more like 30K a year and get 1M miles out of my JGC CRD! It’d be cool if I check back on this thread in the year 2047 to report in with my 1 millionth mile, wouldn’t that be cool.
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It's not my first choice for a vehicle, but it was like getting a huge raise. I haven't spent a dime on repairs since getting it, and fuel and routine maintenance cost 1/3 what they did for the truck. The truck only had 151,000 on it when I traded it. Problems started getting bad after 100K miles.
