9 Tips to Get Your Car to 200,000 Miles or More

The average age of cars on the road today is higher than ever — over 11 years old, according to IHS Automotive.

(Image credit: istockphoto)

The average age of cars on the road today is higher than ever — over 11 years old, according to IHS Automotive. And with the average car adding more than 10,000 miles to the odometer each year, it’s practically a given that you’ll hit the once-notable milestone of 100,000 miles. With care (and some luck) you might even triple that without needing a big-dollar repair, such as a new engine or transmission.

But reaching those loftier targets requires some input from you, the owner. Squeezing maximum life out of your ride at minimum cost means being attentive to your car in a variety of ways. We’ve outlined nine here. Take a look.

David Muhlbaum
Former Senior Online Editor

In his former role as Senior Online Editor, David edited and wrote a wide range of content for Kiplinger.com. With more than 20 years of experience with Kiplinger, David worked on numerous Kiplinger publications, including The Kiplinger Letter and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. He co-hosted  Your Money's Worth, Kiplinger's podcast and helped develop the Economic Forecasts feature.