Make your car last 200,000 miles

If you think you're staying ahead of the game by trading in your car every three to five years, here's a secret: Many of today's cars last for 200,000 miles or more with few if any major repairs, if properly cared for. And holding on to a car long after the payments are through can save you $30,000 or more.

Thanks to advances in motor oil, engine technology, and rustproofing among other things, today’s cars are more reliable than ever and thousands of our readers are benefitting. Those cars run the gamut of the automotive spectrum, from small sedans to SUVs and pickups. Still, more motorists could be saving money by hanging on to their cars.

Here's how to get your car into the 200K Club:

Any vehicle can reach 200,000 miles if you're willing to keep replacing parts. If you want to get there with a minimum number of visits to the repair shop, buy a car with a good track record.

For starters, see our lists of best and worst used cars. To dig deeper, check out our reliability ratings in our new car selector (available to subscribers).

Buy a car that has performed well in government and insurance-industry safety tests and has the latest safety equipment, like electronic stability control and curtain air bags. If you're going to live with a vehicle for a long time, you will want it to provide maximum safety protection.

Tell us about it, give us your tips for automotive longevity.

The most important thing in keeping a car performing properly is to follow the maintenance schedule in the vehicle owner's manual and make necessary repairs promptly. If you think you're saving money by skipping an oil change, think again. Missing even one oil change can accelerate premature engine wear and cause engine damage, reducing long term car reliability.

The manual contains a maintenance schedule that tells you how often to change fluids such as oil, transmission fluid, and antifreeze; when to rotate tires; and when to check and replace parts such as filters, belts, and hoses.

Maintenance intervals are increasing as new technologies extend the life of items such as spark plugs and motor oil. It isn't unheard of for modern cars to go 10,000 miles between oil changes and for spark plugs to last for 100,000 miles.

As long as you stick to the schedule, you'll save in the long run, even if some services are expensive. A pre-2006 Honda Pilot, for example, requires the first two changes of differential fluid every 15,000 miles and subsequent changes every 30,000 miles. The fluid costs about $30 a gallon, and with labor, the service can cost more than $100. But if you skipped enough fluid changes and the differential was damaged as a result, the repair could easily top $2,000.

When seeking long term car reliability, consider using what might be called the severe- or extreme-use maintenance schedule in your manual. Typically, drivers who need to follow such a schedule do a lot of city driving, live in a hot or cold climate or near the ocean, make a lot of short trips, tow a trailer, or drive in dusty conditions. If that sounds like it includes a lot of drivers, it does.

The difference between the regular maintenance and extreme-use schedule can be significant, with oil-change intervals as frequent as every 3,000 miles in the severe-use schedule, as opposed to the typical 7,500 in normal use. Intervals for other services also change accordingly under severe use.

Some vehicles have sensors that take the guesswork out of maintenance, and they can supersede the manual's recommendations. Some BMW, General Motors, Honda, and Mercedes-Benz models monitor the miles driven since the last service and record data such as how much stop-and-go driving is done, the engine temperature during each trip, and the time the engine spends operating at higher speeds. It then calculates how quickly your oil is breaking down and alerts you when service is due. Those systems can then adjust a car's complete service interval based on the severity of use and boost long term car reliability.

Overmaintaining your car is a waste of money. A common service scam to watch for is a dealership or repair shop that tries to add maintenance items that aren't specified in the owner's manual. That can add hundreds of dollars to a service visit.

When it's time for maintenance or repairs, use only parts and fluids meeting manufacturer specifications. Using the wrong type of oil or transmission fluid, for example, could result in damage leading to expensive repairs, and diminished long term car reliability. Cheap and no-name belts and hoses might not wear as well as those from a name-brand supplier.

Although synthetic motor oil is more expensive than conventional oil, you should use it if that's what the manual specifies. Synthetic oil better resists extreme temperatures, and some engines, especially those tuned for performance, might require it. But conventional motor oil is fine for most cars.

If your car's engine is designed to run on regular gasoline, filling up with premium is a waste of money. Even if the manual recommends using premium fuel for optimal performance, it's all right to use regular. Your car's fuel system has sensors that will compensate for the lower octane and make adjustments. There will probably be a very slight drop in performance, but you're unlikely to notice it in normal driving. But if your manual indicates that premium fuel is required, you'll need to buy it. Some engines don't perform correctly without it.

Problems can arise at any time and for inexplicable reasons. The manual might tell you how often to inspect belts and hoses, but when to replace them can vary greatly by climate and other factors. So it helps to get in the habit of opening the hood and looking, listening, and smelling what's happening in your engine bay. Look for fraying or cracks in belts, and cracks or bulges in hoses. Investing in a vehicle service manual, available at car dealerships and most auto-parts stores, will help show you what to look for and assist you with minor repairs that can extend long term car reliability.

While you have your hood up, look for evidence of leaks. Check the level and condition of all fluids, including coolant, brake fluid, and power steering. Fluids can give you clues about what's happening inside your engine or transmission. For example, if your transmission fluid smells burnt when you pull out the dipstick or feels gritty between your fingers, it could signal the start of internal damage. Early detection might reduce repair costs and, again, increase long term car reliability.

Listen for odd noises from your engine, suspension, and brakes while driving. If you have any doubts about a noise, get it checked out by a mechanic.

Get out the cleaning products periodically. Regular cleaning inside and out can make the car a more pleasant place to be as you roll up the miles, and washing and waxing can help preserve the paint and keep the sheet metal below it from rusting. Vacuuming sand and dirt out of carpets and seats can minimize premature wear that leads to tears and holes.

If you buy a used car, there's probably no way to know how well the previous owner cared for it. Even a model with excellent reliability can become a clunker through neglect. But that doesn't mean a used car can't make it to 200,000 miles.

Before buying any used vehicle, take it to a diagnostic shop not involved in the sale and have it inspected. The shop can often spot signs of premature wear. Also, inspect the car yourself. Look for incidental signs of abuse such as a mold or mildew smell (which often means water damage), paint overspray on body panels (which might indicate damage repair), and heavily worn carpet near the brake and throttle (which can indicate that the car was driven hard). Also, a dirty interior typically signals a car that wasn't cared for.

If you own a used vehicle, it's never too late to start taking care of your car because it will extend the life of any vehicle and make long term car reliability a greater possibility. Be especially watchful of wear items, such as belts and hoses, that may have approached or exceeded their life expectancy before you bought the vehicle.

We compared the costs of buying and keeping a car for 225,000 miles over 15 years to buying and financing an identical model every five years. The savings were more than the original purchase price of the vehicle and even more if the savings are invested. Savings for the popular Honda Civic EX with an automatic transmission was similar to the savings we found with other automobiles.

No matter how well your car has served you, there will come a day when it's time to let it go. It might be that your car is spending more time in the shop than on the road, or that it is no longer safe. Here are the top signs that could mean it's time to part company: