Reply #19: I had two cars with over 220,000 miles at the same time

[jobycom]

An 89 Honda Civic with 235K, and a 91 Chevrolet Corsica with 223K. I sold the Corsica in 2001 because it overheated in traffic, but the engine was still pretty good. A lot of the fittings were dry-rotted, though.

The Civic had a burnt valve, and when I rebuilt the head, it smoked pretty bad, so I got rid of it. New rings, and it would have gone another 100K, maybe, though it the AC was gone on it, too.

I didn't take care of either one. I changed the oil every 10-12K miles, only gave them tune-ups when they started rattling, and only replaced filters and hoses when they positively wouldn't function any more. A little more care, and they both would have lived beyond 300K. Most of the mileage was highway miles, though.

A Toyota pickup should reach 300K without too much trouble, unless you tow large trailers with it. You can probably get more than that, if you keep the fluid and filters changed, and keep an eye on belts, hoses, fuel injectors and the like. A mechanic friend of mine periodically tightens and loosens all the bolts and screws he can reach, to make sure things don't come loose or freeze up. Especially the valve cover bolts, which loosen up over time and cause oil to blow under the hood.

TMI, I know. I'm just in a writative mood today.