Just Hit 200,000 Miles on My Car

We hit a personal milestone this week as the 1998 Nissan Sentra I purchased (with my parents help) in graduate school hit 200,000 miles. I've owned the car for 12 years and overall it has been a very reliable form of transportation. My car won't win any awards these days with years of bumps and bruises and there are times I give some deep thought to upgrading to a newer car.

A picture of the odometer from my Nissan Sentra this week.

However, this car has played a significant role in how we have gotten to where we are today with our personal finance goals. Its a form of transportation, long ago paid for, nothing more.

At this point I'm hoping I can get another 50k miles out of my car. We already have $15,000 earmarked in a savings account ready to purchase a replacement car when it is time. For now, I'll continue to enjoy the car and recognize that each month that I continue to drive it we are getting that much further in our financial goals.

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Comments (9)

I'm in a similar situation and am curious if you have a trigger for purchasing a "new" car. Do you have some dollar amount for repairs that you refuse to go over, so you'll just drive it until $1000 (or whatever) won't get it running again, then it's off to the junkyard? Or is there some amount of residual value left in your car that you feel is worth trading in before it dies? I'm kind of worried about my car collapsing into a "money black hole", where I have to keep making $200-$300 repairs to keep it going.

Posted by plankton | May 25, 2011 6:31 PM

Congrats! My car just hit 140,000 miles. I'm hoping for another 100,000 before replacing it.

Posted by No Debt MBA | May 25, 2011 7:30 PM

Congrats! I have a 1994 Mazda that has 239,000 and still running good. Here's hoping to many more

Posted by Stephen | May 26, 2011 5:59 PM

I had a similar experience. I had a 1996 Nissan Sentra and just past the 160,000 in early 2008 I splurged and bought a $7k used midsize vehicle. Granted I sold my Sentra in one day for like $1400, so, my net expense was just over $6k (taxes).

Posted by Daniel Manfre | May 27, 2011 1:46 AM

It's such a challenge to remember that we are not in a race to keep up with others who always have the newest stuff. My husband wants a new car so badly, even though his daily driver is in WONDERFUL condition. We could probably keep his car for another 3-4 years before he actually needed another one. I probably won't need one for 4-5 years either. The word to keep in mind, though, is "need." Just because we have money doesn't mean it needs to be spent all the time. Thanks for this post. It's really encouraging even though it makes my desire for better stuff come more to the forefront. I'll be back to read here again... :(

Posted by Christi Johnson | May 31, 2011 1:20 PM

Well you know what they say 'You can with a Nissan' - congrats on the 200k milestone and here's to you adding another 50k before you retire it.

Posted by Budget calculator | June 1, 2011 3:14 PM

i feel so bummed that i got rid of my 1994 nissan sentra back in 2005. :-( to be honest, it did have some serious engine issue, and i did not have a close by trustworthy mechanic i could take it to.

- s.b.

Posted by some body | June 1, 2011 3:30 PM

I just recently got rid of my 1994 Nissan Sentra due to mechanical problems. I have lived the past 5 years listening to "get a new car" as the one you drive is old. I always said since it was getting old, I would drive it until it would not go anymore or cost too much. The car was almost 17 years old when I got rid of it and have no regrets. I also do not owe anything on the new car and that feels better than anything.

Posted by Lynn | June 9, 2011 11:05 AM

This is great! I purchased a car in 2007, prior to it I had swapped cars every few years. Maybe it was the "keeping up with the jone's" mentality or perhaps cars are my financial weak spot. In either case I find this story inspiring as I had made the decision with this car that I will be driving it until the day it stops and cannot be repaired.

I'm now at the 4 year mark, the vehicle is paid off and in great running condition. Had I kept with my past process, I'd be shopping for a new car now, but am enjoying the financial reprieve from the car payment.

Posted by E. Breacan | June 15, 2011 3:02 PM