How many kays is too many?

[simmons001]

Taken from a post I wrote from another thread..

His second point is interesting. I consider around 140 - 160 ish on a VS acceptable if i was intending to buy one (mine has done 155) being 10-15k per year on average. Less is low, more is high kays to me. I wouldn't buy a car with much more on the clock and would be looking for receipts that the above had been done recently. I am constantly amazed with VS' with 250, 280 kays on them. Who does that much driving?

Thought it might be worth a thread of its own? How many kays has your VS done? If you were off to buy one how many kays is too many? Are they even relevant depending on service and owner history etc?

[doms3]

My caprice has 212ks and runs perfect ,though I have re done a lot of stuff & intend to replace everything eventually.Anything up to 200ks would be ok to me.

[WogBoyz]

my vs has got 116ks

anything over 150kms i prob wouldnt buy

[stocky]

the average is generally 20-25k a year, not 10-15. thats more acceptable for weekend cars

[Philthy]

On a VS I would look for something under 200k's. Mine is up to almost 250 but I didn't have a lot of options at the time

[Morton]

I would think it depends more on the engine. For an ecotec, 200,000 would have to be the upper limit if you wanted a few good years to yourself - but on a 304, anywhere up to 300,000 and they still go strong. Accessories like distributors and oil pumps get a bit tired, but the engines keep going hard.

[Calaber]

Can I digress slightly from the OP? I had a VR Berlina, purchased in 1998 with 179K. I sold it in 2003 with 335k.

The car only required a water pump, thermostat, plugs and serpentine belt replaced on the motor in that time. Trans had regular services every 20k, air con needed new condenser (the most expensive item replaced at $775 including labour) and a fuel pump. It was resprayed because the metallic green had faded badly as that colour always does. All other replacement parts were typical wear and tear, such as discs, pads and tyres. When I sold it, it looked better than the day I bought it and it went to the first buyer because he could see it had been looked after.

If you treat them right, VN-VS Holdens are just about indestructible.

[dunno85]

i bought mine with 170 000 on the clock a very well looked after car ran like a dream my new engine has about 2000. as has allready been said the 5l run strong upto 300.000ks plus..

[GetToDaChopa]

Over 300,000 is to many.

[Kirbs]

Around 200k.

[jujibelly]

If I were to buy a new secondhand car I wouldn't look at anything other 120k. On the contrary I've seen many cars operate almost 100% even after 250k+.

Anything under 120k is pretty much perfect broadly speaking and will last you a very long long time and the fact that randomly some bastard of a part will not break.

Ignorantly speaking the KM a car has traveled is how much headache your gonna get.

10k= Stress free
50k= Oh shit service
100k= Still headache free
150k= Belt what belt?
200k= Oil what the pump?
250k= Sign the contact to give your first born to pay service fees.

[pillzor]

got mine at 192.000 , its on 201000 now ... only issues i have are fuel consumption a little high (error codes not showing anything wrong so slowly figuring that out now) and heaterfan/demister not working ocasionally.

[_R_J_K_]

286,000

Still runs fine considering what the previous owner (my father) put it through, but we've had it since 40,000. Only had to replace general consumables.

It's all relative to what you consider "old" or "new(ish)". A lot of people often mention the cost of replacing parts in regard to having them replaced by somebody else. There's the real cost. If you get smart with your car, you will save heaps.

You might also be interested in this.

How many K's on your VR/VS

There are plenty of owners in that thread with cars of 250K+.

[HamaTime™]

Bought mine in February with 204,000. Now done 211,000.

Anything over 200,000 gives cause to be wary...if you own the car and you know it's history then it's fine, but I'd be suspicious and cautious otherwise.

[ozengines]

I have 450,000 Plus, my oddometer is stuffed, on my VR. It is only too many K's when the engine dies :-)))

[greenacc]

My VS has 248000. Runs perfect, but you notice all the original consumables reaching the end of their lives so you have to be ready to replace them so you don't get stranded. If you buy a VS of that age and put a water pump, idler pulleys, rocker gaskets, heater tap, coils, shocks and bushes on it you can wind back the odometer to ZERO and start the clock all over agin. You'll have a dam fine car for another 10 years.

[redrags]

i just bought a ford (96 model) ex cab off my dad its done 638000 ks

[simmons001]

yeah that's nearly to the moon and back

[VSCristian]

I've been lucky, got my '97 VSII executive ecotec auto with 211,000kms, it now has 254,000kms, and i've only owned it for 11months! i am thrilled with it! it runs reall, really, well. it's xtremely smooth and very powerful and responsive..

i drive around 1000km/week.. sometimes 1200kms... am really happy with it, haven't had any dramas with it, my nieghbour who drives a VS Lexcen, and has had it for more than 200,000kms had a go in mine and said that it is in a really good condition!

for $2200 I was bloody lucky too!! the bloke wanted $3k for it, talked him down,... this was back when fuel was c1.50-1.60/L

[alan smithy]

319,ooo. runs like new. only trouble was power steering pump. i change the oil ,filters every 8,000. (use the best you can afford) doesn,t use any between changes. i don,t thinkit,s been over 2,000 revs. i think if you look after them they will look after you. also tows a van a fair bit. very happy with it.

[Kovacic_VR95]

my vr has 314,678 runs great lol

[Fekason]

I once had a friend who had a used car yard. I always found out that he was spot on with his advice, be it regarding specific models or times to buy or not to buy.

One thing he told me was that once a car has passed ten years old, odometer readings became much less important. The main issue became more how it had been used and looked after than how many kilometres it had travelled. His recommended test was how it handled an extended test drive, covering NVH as well as engine performance.

There is every likelihood that a 12 year old VS with 120K on it has spent its life doing short trips, which is not good for the condition of the engine in particular.

My VS 5 speed that I bought new in early 1997 is still in the family, and still going strong at 225K. I see no reason why a VS well looked after should not continue to give faithful service up to around 300K at least.

[shiftySLE]

I've got a burnout car at my work with 8650k's on it, time for a head gasket, thats ALL burnout kays and the odd drive to a show or a cruise around. I also had a Celica with 422000, still running A1.

How the car has been driven and maintained is the main thing, of course time will take it toll on other compenents.

[-ToM-]

Picked my car up with 165,000kms on it, now has 185,000kms on it.

Holden book shows it was a fleet car for Dasfleet scince it was bought new. Then got sold while over here and then ive become the 3rd owner.

Nothing engine wise has needed replacing, besides a leaky valley cover gasket, a dead water pump and the crank angle sensor. Not bad for a 16 year old car.

Ive got the full service history for it too, and mainly its been just services and air con repairs, and the power steering pump once recently a year or two before i bought it.

[Disturbed_vegeta]

i bought both my cars from my dad,

stato 1995 vs - he owned for 3 years (had it rego'd for 6months) and ive had it for 2 1/2 years and its about the 215ish kms mark, only thing major was the gearbox..which was my fault anyway.

Senator 1994 vr - he owned for 5-6 years and it sat in a shed the whole time and rarely got driven (he never rego'd it) and ive had it for 5 months, its got around 135ish kms...(he got it with 128xxxish kms) only issue was the auto, again was my fault.

But over all, i'd say around 200 for a vs and 250ish for vrs are pretty good considering alot of them are daily drivers and things will always break no matter how many kms they have. my brother skids his car, hoons the shit out of it and never serviced it( vr exc) and hasnt missed a beat. me on the other hand give my cars a hiding every now and again and im the only one who has issuse lol. owell