High Mileage Scenic

beetle · Unread post by **beetle** » 01 Oct 2004, 19:48

Hi everyone
Fairly new to all this and know even less about cars!
My question is as follows:
I have a 1999 1.9dci Scenic with a mileage of 86000. I'm now worried how long this vehicle will/can last before it finally ends up costing me lots of money to maintain? People keep telling me I should get rid of it before too long even though I've had no problems so far - is this true?
Any advice much appreciated.
regards
beetle

Stuart McB · Unread post by **Stuart McB** » 01 Oct 2004, 20:34

Diesel engines by their vey nature last a lot longer than petrol engines. If you have a look at the Citroen site there's loads of guys with 150k and more on the clock. Most questions are about body work and interior electrics. As for your Renault the father-in-law has a Laguna 'T' reg 1.9 Turbo diesel with 163k on the clock and if he hadn't backed in to a lamp post it would still look brand new. It all boils down to if you want to DIY the oily bits your self. GSF are possibly the cheapest place for OE filters and parts.

np · Unread post by np » 02 Oct 2004, 14:04

My Xantia has 138k miles.Its the main car,used every day & tows our caravan.Apart from normal servicing & replacing worn out parts,it still drives great,has no rust & has had no major probs.I change the oil & all the filters every 5k miles.Try to do all the work my self,apart from cambelt.So it doesn`t cost that much to run.Still averages 40mpg.Will be keeping it for another 2 yrs yet.

greatoaks · Unread post by **greatoaks** » 21 Nov 2004, 13:32

i have been running diesel cars for 20 years now and for most of the time have followed the same servicing regime.
Genuine factory filters + Millers XFE oil changed @ 8000miles
I have owned very sweetly running engines of up to 180000 miles
with very little sign of wear or age

reblack68 · Unread post by **reblack68** » 21 Nov 2004, 15:17

Mileage on its own doesn't kill cars. A school run car could do less than 3k miles a year and be more worn than a motorway car doing 30k.
What Mileage DOES kill, due to the inaccurate public perception, is value.

arry_b · Unread post by **arry_b** » 21 Nov 2004, 21:37

How ever much the car costs you to keep going pales into insignificance compared to the depreciation hit you'll take as soon as you drive something new off of the forecourt.
Keep on top of the brake fluid, coolant, oil and filter changes, change the belts when they are due and keep an eye on the cooling system for leaks and almost any car will go on ad-infinitum.
As for "people" saying you should change the car, as a rule of thumb, people are stoopid about cars. They blow their older cars up by skipping servicing i.e. My old car isn't worth much, so I won't bother looking after it - then look surprised that it's died!

np · Unread post by np » 23 Nov 2004, 03:33

Since my post above i`ve done another 3500 miles.People who dont know much about cars say to me to change it.It hardly costs alot to maintain,& its past its MOT today.Not bad for a 7 yr old car with 141k miles on it.

frogs4ever · Unread post by **frogs4ever** » 15 Jan 2005, 03:30

I would agree with redblack68 regarding mileage. If you've had no problems so far, it's clear that it wasn't "assembled on Friday afternoon", and you may not be so lucky with your next car. So if you like it, keep it. Wouldn't be surprised if you get at least another 100,000 miles out of the motor. Other things are likely to fail before the motor does, provided it is serviced at recommended intervals. My experience with Renault engines is that they generally outlast the rest of the car.

ebod · Unread post by **ebod** » 19 Jan 2005, 00:15

Mileage is a trade off with depreciation.
If you are worried about its value then its time to offload it.
If you do a lot of miles ( eg 20 - 40K ) per year, then unless you get a company car or company allowance then its a mugs game buying a newer car. Its better to find a looked after high mileage ex-rep car and treat it almost as a 'write-off' in terms of value.
I bought a 7yr old Audi 80 TDI off a workmate with 205000 miles for £2200 quid. I maintained it and used Millers XFE oil and sold it 2½ years later with 260000 miles for £1000 quid.
I put that towards a 4yr old Laguna with 132K miles for £3100. I'll run it for a couple more years and flog it with about ~200k miles. If it only fetches £500 quid then who cares.
To go back to your original question, my 99 Laguna 1.9 dTI has now got 153K miles. IMO the point in which it will cost you is the 2nd cambelt change because at this point it will need a full set of four pulleys. From experience these are very expensive items.
However when your car reaches ~120k, you might have been more bothered about its depreciation compared to its purchase price...and got rid of it.[:)]