Good Question: For How Long Should Our Vehicles Run?

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Summer vacation means plenty of cross-country road trips. And that also means we put plenty of miles on our cars, trucks and RVs.

After a few summers, the miles definitely add up. So for how long should our vehicles run? Good Question.

"My car is a 1998 and I still take it up to Williston, North Dakota," Drew Goddard said.

Goddard is a Ford Asset instructor at Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park. He said a healthy diet of oil changes, air filters and general maintenance are the keys to keeping a vehicle on the road.

"I think some people get nervous when they get right around the 100,000 mile point just because they are afraid of the unknown," Goddard said. "Now, you can expect them to last anywhere from 12 to 18 years, or maybe up to 250,000 miles."

Just as long as it's maintained.

In 2008, we went along for a ride with Frank Oresnik. The Wisconsin man put a million miles on his 1993 Chevy Silverado.

"I've done regular oil changes over the years and a whole bunch of other maintenance. This truck has never, ever, ever left me in a lurch," Oresnik said.

But even with upkeep, Goddard said that 250,000 mile mark for most vehicles is really pushing it.

"After 250,000 miles there is an overall wear factor on the vehicles where it begins to loosen up and there's obviously more rattles and things like that," Goddard said.

Goddard said he sees a lot of people trade in their vehicles just before the 36,000 mile base warranty runs out.

But there is something to be said for sticking with a car as long as you can.

Goddard said everything is built better now. From the metals to the oils, that's one reason why you can go longer without an oil change compared to 20 years ago.