[marta]

The cost of shipping including the return. The cost of the battery was ~$2100 and the shipping was $125 (delivery of battery and return of old). We did not cost out what it would have been to have it replaced at a dealer or mechanic. We liked the idea of their replacement battery instead of a remanufactured/refurbished battery. I know it sounds like a lot but we have had very little maintenance costs over the 11 years. It has been a lot less than my previous Accord which we had for 20 years.

[n16ht5]

[tigermn]

[Ski]

High odometer mileage readings are not necessarily a harbinger of increasing maintenance costs or frequency. Certainly there are components which inevitably will fail- brakes linings, wheel bearings, and water pumps are three which unquestionably fall into that category. All cars will have components which fail over time, in some cases due to normal wear and tear, in others inadequate design and engineering, and in some what is commonly referred to as "planned obsolescence" (i.e., the component is engineered to fail after a given time.) The commonly held belief that a car with 100K on the odometer is ready for trade-in is a remnant of the past. Certainly cars with high odometer readings are going to show signs of age just as we ourselves do (i.e., less power, more noise), but even minimal upkeep and maintenance can keep some vehicles on the road for 200,000 or 300,000 miles. There are, however, the problems of availability and the ever-increasing cost of replacement parts as the vehicle gets older, which need to be taken into account when one has to choose between repair or trade-in. (After passing the emissions test yesterday, I bought new tabs for my truck, which has 290,013 miles on the odometer. I believe Larry put new spark plugs in it at about 130,000. I get about 18-19 mpg on the highway, about the same as when it had 35,000 on the odometer.)

[nuclear_eggset]

[Ski]

well.... all things have to be taken in context: I started on a parts counter in 1963, and during the 60's and 70's, anything with over 100K usually fell into the "$200 beater" category.

[marta]

[tigermn]

I'd say at 120k miles you should have a ways to go before stuff starts falling apart. Heck almost any semi major car repair these days is gonna cost you at least a grand if not more anyway.

[Backpacker Joe]

I recently bought a 1995 (no computer, no electronics) Dodge Cummins diesel truck. Second owner. Maintenance records. 199.000 miles. $10,000. I got 26 MPG on the ride home from Portland. The same truck new today would be 50,000+! Im very happy with my purchase.

[l'Emmerdeur]

'96 Grand Cherokee that I picked up on the cheap a year ago when my '91 Pathfinder finally croaked. It's got a big V8 and a couple hundred grand on the odometer, lots of power and handles/runs well. Decent shape and so far pretty reliable, just don't ask about the mileage-- you'd think that when this thing came off the line, we'd just won an oil war or something...