Catherine Alexander estimates that her 1965 Volvo has 400,000 to 500,000 miles on it. (Cody Ellerd Bay)
Catherine Alexander keeps the original toolkit for her 1965 Volvo under the car's rear floor mat.(Cody Ellerd Bay)
Catherine Alexander isn't sure how many miles her 1965 Volvo 122S station wagon has traveled, because the odometer wasn't set right when she bought it about 14 years ago. But her estimate is 400,000 to 500,000 miles -- and she doesn't see any reason it wouldn't be able to go 500,000 more.
"It just runs and runs and runs," says Alexander, a research technician at the University of Washington. "Unless it gets totaled, it could go forever."
To always have a working car, some drivers have a strategy to buy new and trade in every few years. Others, such as Alexander, keep the same automobile for years; they put a couple thousand dollars of maintenance into it each year in hopes that they'll never have to buy another car again.
Since the recession began, more new-car owners are holding on to their purchases longer, according to Polk, a company that analyzes auto-industry data.
There are high-mileage clubs for virtually every make of car, with members boasting from 200,000 to 1 million miles. Even though the average life span of a car is 145,000 miles, local auto mechanics say proper maintenance can extend that indefinitely.
Extend your mileage
- Thomas Wilson of High Road Automotive offers these tips for adding years to your car's life:
- Get one that you love. Buy a quality car that you really like so you're more likely to take care of it.
- Find a like-minded mechanic. A technician or mechanic with an eye toward longevity can help you identify what to do different from what the manufacturer recommends.
- Adjust the oil changes. Schedule your fluid changes based on how often you start the engine, not the number of miles driven.
- Do your research. The more you know about your car, the better prepared you'll be to communicate your needs to your mechanic.
"Many people take good care of a car when it's young and then taper off when it gets older, and that's what kills a car," says Thomas Wilson, co-owner of Ballard's High Road Automotive. "You have to stick with it."
Alexander takes her Volvo, which she bought for $300, into the shop four times a year for oil changes and twice a year for other maintenance. It has few of its original parts -- the engine, clutch, brakes, radiator and transmission have all been replaced.
Underneath the rear floor mat, Alexander keeps a worn pouch holding an original Volvo tool set that the manufacturer provided for small fixes.
"These cars were built at a time when people took care of them by themselves," she says. "I love that."
Matt Pollitz services Alexander's car out of his Ballard garage, X-Ray Auto. He says that Seattle's mild climate is well suited to keeping cars running for a long time. Many of his clients are the original owners of their Volvos -- Scandinavians who brought their appreciation for the Swedish brand with them when they immigrated.
"It's a cool legacy to maintain," Pollitz says. "It's part of Seattle history."
Alexander says she has noticed a growing appreciation for old workhorse cars. Even though it's not fancy, shiny or glamorous, her 46-year-old Volvo has been getting covetous looks lately from younger men, she says.
The idea of selling it or getting a different car is out of the question, Alexander says: "I expect them to take my coffin out of the back of the Volvo."
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