If you want a truck that lasts over 200,000 and is pretty much maintenance free... get a Duramax. End of story. Best truck on the market.

LMFAO! Any car will make it to 200K, I don't know about GM Car/Truck.

I'll stick to the Best.

Useless story.

Totally skewed data...how many people buy a car with over 200k which is what this report was based on? Most people with cars with over 200k keep them until they die because the resale value is horrible.

This data is a better representation of resale value for cars with >200k miles, which this does a good job because large SUVs usually retain their value the best.

I don't think the data is very reliable. Seems to me they're only getting a percent of a percent of a percent of total car sales.

trucks I owned max mileage:
98 silverado-85K reaer end went
2003 silverado 91K-reaer end went
09 Ram- 95K 3 transmissions later
11 F250 diesel-currently 89K-no issues

Cars-
93 Honda accord 289K
95 VWgolf GTI-237K

3 transmissions on a 09 ram ? Doubt it

I have owned and successfully operated a Fleet service company for nearly 14 years now.

We service a LOT of half ton pickups and vans and MANY have over 200K on them. Fords and Chevys seem to do it with ease for the most part. IF you care for them and folks dont ABUSE them , they will do it. They are both plagued with their share of issues that can cost you ....Ford mod motors sealing their plugs into the heads or injectors going out etc. Dodge/Ram trucks do decently but with a few more repairs . The Toyotas we service with V6's have been STELLAR . I have a customer that racks up 1K per week on his fleet of 10 V6 Tacomas and Tundras. He retires many of them around 300K . They do all highway driving with very light loads .

Diesels , despite what most people think , tend to be very maintenance intensive and expensive and this includes every thing from light trucks all the way up to OTR trucks and construction equip. They do HEAVY work and LOTS of miles so this definitely contributes.

The biggest thing is to take care of you vehicle REGULARLY and dont ABUSE it .....use it HARD but be smart , if you must . Big difference between hard use and abuse.

Conspicuous by its absence were 3/4 and 1-ton pickups which regularly reach that kind of odometer reading.

In the iSeeCars.com article, I found their criteria way at the bottom: "heavy duty vehicles ... were excluded from further analysis." Unless you read that far, they don't mention they are only basing their findings on light-duty (8500-and-under pounds GVWR) vehicles.

So even though Cummins, Duramax, and Powerstroke powered trucks regularly reach 200K and have no trouble on the used-truck market unless the body was complete junk, they were completely dismissed.

In other words, this is a targeted, useless article by iSeeCars and a just as unnecessary promotion of it by PUTC.

I consider any vehicle that doesn't make it to 300,000 miles to be a failure. In order of longevity, I rate them:
Toyota, out of six, three made it, one didn't, two still driving
Saab, moved on after 200,000 miles, but still running strong
GM, two still going strong after 100,000 miles, moved on
Ford, two with severe issues, blown head gaskets, extreme oil consumption, sold both in disgust
Fiat/Chrysler, one severely rusting at 60,000 miles, totalled in crash, second, a van, suffered total failure of all three doors plus spectacular transmission failure at 109,000, sold to junkyard

Not ranking my prehistoric vehicles: '58 Hillman Husky, '63 Corvair, or '72 Datsun 510

Comical...... Nevermind how many engines and transmissions go in them HAHAHAHAHA just still on the road. that's a funny article that shows............ nothing.

@ Ron D. Yup. Every time I towed the camper with it longer than a 5 hour drive, I would get transmission light on and high temp warning. Camper was within the limits of the vehicle, dealer put 3 in over a 4 year period under warranty. After the third one I left and went to the diesel and never looked back. I did really like the Ram though for sure.

It's a no brainer the three fullsize suv make 200k more often. They are mainly used for family travels, they rack up miles easily. Plus highway miles are hardl any work for an engine. A daily driven 200k vehicle is different than a 200k highly miles vehicle... people know this... why else do you think most high mile vehicle are sold with a comment "mostly highway miles".

This study is so flawed.

All three of my vehicles have over 200K and I anticipate they will be running for many more years.
2001 Ram 2500 (diesel). 1996 Accord, 1994 S-10 blazer.
With basic maintenence and avoiding abuse most vehicles should be able to do over 200K.

zr2 cranked out 300k 10 years before tranny crapped out,i drove that sucka till the doors fell off (literally),just change earl and belts,ocassional tune up,that it

Volvo cars had a few with several million miles on them. Generally most people get rid of a car after 5yrs irrespective of the mileage( k's in my case)

the 200k miles yardstick only works in a limited sphere. There are places like the Northwest and Alaska where cars don't live that long.

There are places like Mexico (and Cuba?) where 200k miles is nothing.

Good luck getting 200k in the Northeast also, unless you drive your vehicle for a living. Salt brine is no respecter of brands. I've come close 3 times- only to have to retire good running and driving piles of rust.

I have seen several 5.3L chevys with will over 200,000 miles. It is common knowledge that an engine that accumulates miles with the fewest # of warm-up cycles will last longer. Engine warm-up cycles is where the greatest amount of engine wear occurs.

I put 300k on 2000gmc siera gas motor with no major isues,
My boss had Astro van v6 with 650.000k needed new tranny once..

If you dont overheat the motor or tranny most any motor should last long time..
Im in a rust belt so every fall spray the good old Rust check on chasis and so far its holding together well

@GMSRGREAT

Cycles?

Chevrolet builds a better way... says that overheating is the enemy. I'm thinking he's right.

Engines and trannies are designed to really endure the heat & cold but getting outside of the design spec (whether too hot or too cold) is going to put terrific stress on the block and cooling systems.

My own experience includes a couple of trucks that outlasted the average. My old 88 S10 lived to the 200k mark and my 94 Ranger made well over 200k. Neither one leaked or smoked.

The 88 was a 4.3 it only died because of a bad collision. The Ranger was an old Pinto 2.3 Neither design is all that remarkable in today's terms, but both of them were pretty amazing performers.

If so many are claiming this study is flawed - where can one obtain more accurate evidence on the subject?...

@papajim: Overheating will absolutely have a negative effect on an engine as does running it low on oil. However, that should never occur in a vehicle that is properly operated and maintained.
The warm-up cycle consists of a cold start followed by a momentary insufficient amount of lubrication as the engine RPM and oil pressure builds. Next, as the engine generates heat, the pistons and rings begin to expand from an oval shape to a round shape that more precisely fits the round cylinders. It is during this time when engine wear occurs. Knowing this explains why an engine experiencing 2 -3 warm-up cycles per day would incur more wear than an engine that is started once daily and then driven for hundreds of miles and essentially never left to cool any longer than having to refill the gas tank.

It is all dependent on 3 things:
1. Climate
2. Usage
3. Maintenance

Example:
A pickup used in the forest industry primarily on gravel roads in Northern British Columbia will NEVER see 200,000 miles unless you do some extremely expensive repairs.
My brother was in charge of logging road maintenance and went through a pickup every 2-3 years and rarely kept one beyond 100,000 miles (160,000 km)
I've never kept a vehicle much beyond 225,000 km or approx 140,000 miles. Harsh winters kill a vehicle.

So where is the pic of the Tacoma? Why the Silverado of the Tacoma is the best pickup?

In order to qualify for such categories, no engine or tranny overhauls, nor rear axle!

All has to be original, only oil and gear oil changes and watch that list drop!

Related to the blue Chevy in the article, does GM recruit their designers from the local elementary school? No offense to the second grade kids that must have designed that grill.

If GM is curious why their sales are down, they need to look no further than this picture. Hmm, what's changed in the last model year? The grill is so ugly it almost makes customers forget about the square wheelwells GM designers keep trying to force onto their customers.

GM designers are their own worst enemy. This isn't rocket science.

trucks I owned and mileage:
1999 F-150 - 123k miles, oil pump failure
2004 F-150 - 88k miles, transmission failed (rebuilt), 98k miles rear axle carrier bearing failed (the 8.8" is JUNK) 110k miles timing chain failed,
2009 Toyota Tundra - frame rotted out (traded it off at 100k)
2012 F-150 - Ecoboost timing chain @65k miles, started rattling again at 71k, traded before it went again
2015 F-150 - 5.0 has the famous knock but Ford says its normal, transmission "squawks" during hard acceleration shifts- still driving it 30k miles now

For a point of reference I have heard numerous times that a Crown Victoria in either police or cab service was expected to live around 350,000 miles. Both situations get a lot of idle time too.

@ Lionel

I don't think there is any real accurate information on this. Most articles like this find one or two data points and then just infer the outcome to get a story out. I know here in TX the state doesn't even keep track of mileage after 10 years. The Title just says exempt.

Yes, Dirty max but you may have to spend $5000-$10,000 in injector replacements to get there. That was the case with my 2002 Duramax/Allison. Sold it with 298,000 miles on its 3rd set of injectors.

"Dirtymax,
If you want a truck that lasts over 200,000 and is pretty much maintenance free... get a Duramax. End of story. Best truck on the market.
Posted by: Dirtymax | Apr 4, 2017 10:26:05 AM"

Man that list is crawling with GM trucks, no wonder they GM outsold Ford the last two years easy!

2006 GMC 2500HD 6.0 Plow truck in winter pulls bobcat and a boat in summer 199k, torque conv replaced 80k (warranty) no other major problems
2004 GMC 2500HD 6.0 daily driver/ hunting truck has 257k and has no major repairs brakes even made it 235k before l/f caliper locked up pad were still 4mm
1998 chevy 1500 z71 plow truck 170k sold it in still running

@GMSRGREAT

One of the main reasons I trust Mobil One is its ability to perform at the kinds of temps that ocur when a radiator hose craps out unexpectedly and dumps half the coolant and depressurizes the cooling system.

Under those conditions---which can happen at almost any time---including fairly new trucks, the synthetic continues to lubricate and do its job, at temps that would toast regular oils.

On a warm day here in the South with the A/C crankin' the margin of error can get pretty slim. The cycles you refer to in your earlier comment are probably more extreme in a more temperate environment.

Where I live the oil temp in my truck probably never gets below 40 degrees even overnight. In contrast, in a place like Alberta or Upper Michigan the oils operate at the full extremes, both ways. Your comment about cycles and wear is an interesting angle I had not considered before.

Lol that just happened to me a couple mo ago i was in my 06 2500hd and i hear the warning chime and it says engine overheating, gauge buried in the red my lower rad hose clamp failed and blew the hose off. I was near a menards so pulled in and put new hose clamp on and coolant in no damage. I also run mobil 1 only and have seen this truck run in the red a bunch of times while plowing. I now have flex a lite electric fans to fix that.

@papa/gms, although I agree warm up COULD play a part, theres no real data on that being the case. I live in the far North, we use oil for temps below zero in the winter time, so its a non factor, problem is the data could easily show what you guys suggest if people are using standard oils depending on the climate in which one lives, this is what PUTC should be focusing on the efforts to get the data.

On a side note living up North, most trucks with engines over 200k, are not much of a truck with all the rust potential from the ungodly amounts of salt on the roads up here, lol.

In chicagoland they coat the roads with so much salt the roads are white so you have wash your vehicle more often. My 06 just started to rust on the rockers and lower tailgate, the comp. i plow for and one other one my buddy plows for washes all their trucks after a storm and they keep them 10 yrs then cycle them out usually 100-130k of hard work. none of them look like rust buckets.

@skeeter

I'm dying to know: Was the radiator hose (and clamp) in the 2006 HD original equipment?

These products are so much better today than they used to be. When I was a kid you replaced your hoses every three or four years unless you enjoyed taking chances. Batteries were not reliable much past 4 years either. Tires sucked.

But tell me about your HD

No hose clamp was replaced with screw on type clamp when hoses where replaced. clamp failed and would not tighten anymore. was on there for a few years also before it failed.

the only reason i did the lower rad hose was the crappy trans cooler line that seem to always leak, leaked onto the hose and it looked swelled up and i didnt want to take a chance.. but your correct i have not replace hoses on vehicles very much anymore.

@skeeter

On some trucks you need Harry Houdini to replace a coolant hose.

Only time i replace hoses at acura is when the rad fails and mixes trans fluid with coolant. hose will swell up and get mushy.
Rad failure are becoming more common on honda/acura.

On a side note living up North, most trucks with engines over 200k, are not much of a truck with all the rust potential from the ungodly amounts of salt on the roads up here, lol.

Posted by: Nitro | Apr 5, 2017 9:46:47 AM

Thoroughly wash your vehicle underneath each spring and again in early fall. In the fall, spray a Petroleum based product (rust check) onto all the underside metal surfaces except the exhaust. Be sure to spray the product inside door drains, along door undersides, back side of fender panels and wheel wells. If you follow this regimen and drive one of the GM Twins, your truck will last forever.

Only a complete incompetent idiot would have any vehicle fail before 100,000 mi. Most vehicles are decent up to 150k. The real test of a vehicle isn't its mileage, its how old it is. A 1990 pick up truck with 133k on it is a much better truck than a 2007 pick up with 133k on it. Structure is more important than powertrain. All those Toyota's with 200k ran real good with the frame rotted into rust dust. That's why the Dog Lam didn't make the list...the shortest lasting pick up truck around.

i had a 1996 ford E350 box truck .hat had 321000 miles when i sold it .the trans went out at about 180000. the exhaust bolts broke.replace when when trans done .have a 1998 dodge B1500 with 206000 miles now

Most of today's vehicles are designed to run 200k to 250k miles. Maintenance is a critical factor along with where you live. Colder climates with salt on the road will do a vehicle in long before the drive train does. Many of today's vehicles will be junked not because of mechanical failure but because of electronics and safety features. Electronics and airbags can be very expensive to replace and once a vehicle gets some age on it the cost to replace them can well exceed the value of the vehicle. Many vehicles that are not wrecked go to the junk yard still running but rust and electronic failure make it not worth fixing them. Anyone who has spent some time in a salvage yard soon learns that the value of the parts exceeds the value of the vehicle. I have a neighbor that has a 92 Camry with at least 300k miles and another neighbor that put over 200k miles on a 2007 Silverado crew cab. With both those neighbors it was sticking to a regular maintenance schedule.

Many of today's cars make it harder to do maintenance on and more expensive to have maintenance done to them. BMW has done away with oil dipsticks and uses an electronic service reminder that at about 145k miles cannot be reset and continues to stay on. GM on some of their vehicles has done away with dip sticks on auto transmissions and are not as easy to service for do-it-yourself. The manufacturers want you to lease a vehicle and turn it in for a newer one because it keeps customers coming back. Many people have no idea how to check the fluid levels on their vehicles and they are more interested in hands free wi-fi and other electronic gizmos. Manufacturers are putting more electronics on vehicles which will eventually fail and cost more to replace.

@Jeff S

Collisions are the biggest car killers.

Colission repair used to be fairly cheap, but today's cars are no longer body/frame construction for the most part.

Body integrity failures are killers. The widespread adoption of unibody was the end of the line for durable cars. When I was a kid the body outlasted the engine; now it's the other way around.

@papa jim--Yes collisions do kill a lot of vehicles but even then you can have a vehicle with very little body damage but the cost of replacing air bags and electronics out weigh the replacement value of the vehicle. There was a news story a few years ago in Cincinnati about a man and his young son who survived a direct lightning hit in an F-150 that was a year or 2 old. Father and son were not hurt but the electrical components and the tires were destroyed causing the truck to be totaled. I realize that is a freak occurrence but things can happen. I would disagree about the bodies of vehicles being better in the past in that bodies would rust out much sooner in the past especially if you lived in an area with snow and where salt was used to treat roads. Today's vehicles have much better bodies in that they don't rust out as fast as they did in the past. Also today's drive trains last much longer and require less maintenance. In the past it was unheard of for a vehicle to last beyond 100k miles especially a 4 cylinder engine--now it is common and it is expected that most vehicles will last over 200k. It is not unheard of to see a 3 cylinder Geo Metro with 300k miles.

This article means little without having information as to how much was spent in repairs in that 200,000 miles.

Jeff S

Bodies today are an integral part of the car's structure, which departs from the old body/frame approach in that regard.

A collision that trashes the right front of the car not only means sheet metal repair, but also requires a means to return the car's structural integrity to like new.

That's before you can consider the cost of fixing the FWD components, the steering and suspension, and then the cosmetic repairs.

Ask anybody who does bodywork and they'll agree with me on this point.

@papa jim--I do know someone who had a new Honda Accord that was smashed in the rear to the back pillars. The owner thought the insurance company was totaled but the body shop did manage to replace the rear and it was perfectly fine. I thought the car would be totaled as well. With all the sensors along with the body construction you have mentioned it would be hard to justify fixing many of these vehicles. The steel on many of today's vehicles is so thin that many body shops prefer to replace damaged body panels then pop a dent out.

As for bodies being an integral part of the structure there were some cars even in the 50's that were making vehicles like that. Chrysler was one of the first US manufacturers to make unibody cars. The one thing that is good about today's vehicles is that even though many vehicles cannot be repaired after an accident the driver has a better chance of walking away alive or without life threatening injuries. At least a vehicle can be replaced but you cannot replace yourself.

Kentucky passed a law several years ago that required vehicles that have been severely damaged and written off as totaled to have a new title reissued showing that it is a rebuilt vehicle that has been totaled. There were many independent body shops that were welding together salvage parts front and back on totaled cars and running them thru auctions. In one case there was a salvage front welded onto the rest of a totaled Chevy Cavalier with the tires still on the shop floor instead of being lifted off the ground and put in a vise like device. The Cavalier was bought by a new car dealer thru an auction with a new titled and was sold to a buyer that almost had an accident in it not realizing it had been totaled and rebuilt.

You have too be very careful when buying a used vehicle. Recently there have been a lot of flood damaged vehicles on the market. That is one reason I prefer to buy new and keep a vehicle a long time unless you know the history of a vehicle. I know of very few people who maintain a vehicle meticulously and usually those owners hold onto their vehicles for a long time.

@Dale--Yes that would be good information but I doubt most vehicles need major repairs to get to 200k miles. Most of the drive trains on newer vehicles are fairly trouble free and the maintenance schedules are over much longer periods of time. Most vehicles use synthetic or some form of synthetic oil. Many people do not keep a vehicle long enough to reach 200k miles and more people are leasing vehicles that include the maintenance over the life of the lease. As some have stated a vehicle with mostly highway miles will go many more miles than one in stop and go traffic.