I may have asked this before, but how many miles can you expect to get from a Corolla 1.4 VVTi before it starts becoming economically unviable to repair?
I'm trying to cost out my wife's car which does 30,000 miles per year and is used entirely for business purposes. So far there have been no problems with it apart from the usual bum luck things - burst tyres and someone reversing into it (in fact, it was one of her customers - was that embarrassing, or what!).
I'm assuming that we'll keep to the service schedule and replace old parts with new. What tends to go first? Gearbox, engine, steering etc?
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Wow Rob,
How many miles has it done so far? Has it been economical to run in terms of fuel etc?
I can't say how long it will last, but as far as the engine goes Id say as long as synthetic oil is used (and changed as specified) it should go on and on. Certainly Lexus's with the VVT-i technology (and Hondas with the similar VTEC) seem to have excellent life spans.
Good luck!
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>How many miles has it done so far?
At the last count it was 36,000 miles - it's just over a year old
>Has it been economical to run in terms of fuel etc?
My wife averages 35-38 mpg depending on season (better in the summer). On the odd times I've driven it, it was more like 41-48 mpg. I think my other half is a tad heavy footed!
The engine is just about the best all rounder I've come across - certainly the best for the cylinder capacity. My boss has recently taken delivery of an IS200 with a six cylinder engine and he can't get over how good it is although he says it's thirstier than his old BMW (probably because of the new engine I expect).
As far as the servicing goes, I'm sticking to the manufacturer's schedule. It's under warrentee at the moment anyway. Would you say it's worth taking a warrentee extension or is it better to put the money aside for the rainy day?
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Impossible to answer.
The engine should do 150K easy at 30k pa.
However, your costings would have to include your own estimate for "cost" of non-availibilty when replacing worn items.
Exhaust, brake pads, shock absorbers, etc. etc.
This replacement part factor (NOT to be confused with breakdowns) MUST increase with time.
The gearbox should last as long as the engine, but NOT clutch plates.
Steering? not major parts, but bushes and bearings must wear.
Just be grateful you have had the brain to choose one of the most reliable cars on the road.
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>your costings would have to include your own estimate for "cost" of non-availibilty when replacing worn items.
That cost is more the "pain-in-the-bum" factor as my wife can use my car when her's is at the garage but I appreciate that items do wear over time.
I think the problem with any car is determining when it is going to cost more to keep repairing it than it would be to replace it. Knowing that a set of pads will last 40,000 miles (for example) can be costed for but with something big - like a gear box going it will skew the figures and the last thing I want to be doing is to replace something expensive like a gearbox to find that something even more expensive goes the following month.
150K sounds reasonable as this is what we got out of her previous car (Almera) before something major went (a gearbox - in that case). We could have had that repaired but I knew there were several hundereds of pounds worth of work that would need doing in the near future. Added to that, it seemed to be eating tyres after a rear-ending argument with a Mercedes van so it was a fairly easy descision to call it a day.
>Just be grateful you have had the brain to choose one of the most reliable cars on the road.
... and my wife had the sense to believe me!
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Loads of '80s/early '90s Japanese cars and vans from the UK have been exported to African countries to end their days because of their durability.
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Rod,
My guess for any car that is well serviced and racks up the mileage quickly is 135,000 - 150,000 miles.
Even then you shouldn't *expect* a major failure, just a falling off (not actually) of pleasure because of some inevitable wear and tear.
David
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"My guess for any car that is well serviced and racks up the mileage quickly is 135,000 - 150,000 miles."
And the rest! Brother gets 200k in his three years of custody of his company car. Dad gets over 100k in 2 years.
The vehicles usually aren't even using oil when they go back.
Unfortunately they also look mint so some poor sould must be buying them off garages with 34,000 miles on the clock!
When you do that kind of mileage you're looking at monthly services which can't be bad.
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And this is a Toyota - synthetic oil, regularly changed (ie twice as frequently as dealer suggests) and it will do at least 200k before you need to start thinking about it. On the other hand, ANY car can go bang at ANY mileage if you're unlucky - but less likelt to be 'unrucky' with a Toyota.
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