What'll Last Longer? How Long?

[cbodie]

What'll Last Longer? How Long? I've got (3) cars to pick from right now. They're all family cars, and each is in very good mechanical condition. Estimate the number of miles or years each will last, or speculate which will be the most trouble-free. This is tricky. . . .

2001 VW Jetta 176K miles, 2.0L NA, Manual Tranny

1996 T4R 196K miles, 4wd, 6cylinder, original automatic tranny

2005 Subaru Legacy Outback LL Bean 76K miles, 3.0L NA, Automatic

I'll tell you this: I'm kinda worried about the Subaru maintenance, though I've had the Jetta since new.

 

[Thai]

Subaru #1, Toyota #2.

Subaru's main problem is the head gasket (if you have 4 cyl). For the most part, i will always buy the vehicle with the lower mileage.

 

[BucknutBob]

I would tend to agree with Thai on this, especially with such a disparity between the total miles of each. They should all be quite good vehicles, although I've often heard VW maintenance/service can be pricey, and parts hard to come by. The Yota will take you more places, though, which is what would steer me in its direction. Still, when you're talking longevity, it's hard to argue with only 76k on the Suby--and their drivetrain will still get you through many tough situations.

 

[IanB]

My wife has an '05 Legacy 2.5i Limited wagon, it has about 135,000kms on it now, bought it with about 79,000kms. It's been a very good car for us, I had to change the LCA bushings which was a PITA job to do, and I've got some clunking in the rear currently I'm hoping new rear strut mounts will remedy, but otherwise it's been a trouble-free vehicle to own. Timing belt is coming up at 160,000, and I've changed the diff and tranny fluids as well as new spark plugs over the years.

I would suggest the Subaru might be the hardest to do your own work on of the 3 (basic maintenance aside), the Toyota is just well thought out and very serviceable, and the VW is old and simple enough that it should be fairly straight forward. The VW electroncis can be interesting though.

I'd recommend the Subaru #1 and the Toyota #2 for a reliable family car.