At about 100,000 mile on a car what are typical things that need to be replaced and what are their costs?

Question

I am thinking about buying a used car with 90,000 miles on it but it has a new 5-year warranty. What are going to be some things that i will have to replace and what will be their costs?

Answer 1

At 90,000 miles there are lots of things that have either recently been replaced/maintained, or will need to be addressed shortly. In no particular order, here are some comments:

Tires: You're well beyond the first set of tires, so check the remaining tread on the car.

Timing belts/chains: Most timing belts should be changed around 60,000 miles. On some cars, timing belt failure will damage engine components by slamming the pistons into the valves. Other cars are designed with enough clearance to prevent catastrophic failure. Timing chains can last far longer.

Automatic Transmission: Some cars do NOT want you to flush the transmission fluid. Other cars expect fluid changes every 30,000 miles or so. There are many seasoned mechanics who say, "if it has not been routinely maintained, DO NOT perform a power flush. You're going to dislodge all sorts of particles and cause future problems"

Brakes: The car has gone through multiple sets of brake pads and the rotors may not have enough material to be "turned" again. A standard two-wheel brake job is $100 or so. New rotors can be $100 each.

Exhaust: If the exhaust system is stainless steel, it may last a long time yet. The catalytic converter is now beyond its 80,000 mile warranty. A new exhaust will probably run you $500 or more.

Radiator/Cooling: Routine coolant flushes should help it last a long time.

Battery: In hot climates a battery will last about 3-years. In the mid-west you might get 5-years. Any more is a gift. Ambient temperatures influence battery life more than vehicle mileage.

Starter / Alternator / Water Pump: Any of these could go at any time once you at this high mileage.

Overall engine: Congratulations if you've read this far. The single most important maintenance is frequent oil changes. Hopefully there is evidence that the car had oil changes (including filter) at 5,000 miles or so. Spark plugs, wires, belts, and various various sensors may be reaching their "end of life".

Who is offering a 5-year warranty on a car with 90,000 miles? First of all, get all the coverage details specified in writing.

Answer 2

You will have to do a tune up...plugs, wires, ignition parts(cap rotor, coil pack...depending on type of ignition). If it is a GM, the cooling system will need flushed depending on the type of coolant(green=every 30,000-50,000, orange or pink every 100,000 miles). The orange/pink is the dex-cool type of coolant that GM uses out of the factory and I would recommend when flushing, switch to the green coolant. The green coolant is the same old fashioned coolant that has been used for quite some time(I know it has been longer than I have been driving and that is 22 years). If it is a Ford, they also use a different type of coolant called G0-5. The color of this coolant is yellow/gold. This gets a flush every 50,000-75,000 miles. The coolant flush will cost between $70 and $100 depending on where you go. The tune up will cost between $100 and $200 depending on motor and where you go. Some motors have been known to cost quite a bit more for a tune up. Just ask the machanic for an estimate first. Of course everything cost a lot less when you do it yourself...you aren't paying $65-hr+ for labor.

These are just maintenance schedule things that will have to be done not including maintenance on parts that go bad.(alternator, water pump, thermostat, serpentine belt, fuel injectors, fuel pump, etc.)
Good luck.

Answer 3

90,000 miles is not that bad for a modern car that has been looked after. I presume that this is a newer, but high milage car that has just been driven lots. The water pump and fuel pump and alternator could go at any time (or not ). If it was a lot of highway miles, the brakes may be just like new. As long as the oil was changed regularly, I would not worry about the power train. (for another 90,000 miles)

Answer 4

Note: the dodge intrepid is front-wheel-drive, so most of the things you are claiming you wish to do would be incredibly difficult to impossible. Their are two components to making a car "fast": power and handling. The first question is whether you "race" solely in a straight line or on a course with corners. Is turning an issue. If you are looking solely for straight-line speed, you should spend most of your money on power upgrades (just be sure not to over-do it beyond the limits of cooling, your transmission, your suspension, or, most importantly, your ability). If you wish to go around corners, the key is balancing power and handling, suspension upgrades, weight reduction, and better wheels/tires. weight reduction is also great for straight-line speed as well. The problem is, and I know that you don't wan't to hear this, but a car with that much mileage would be very difficult to extensively modify. "throwing a turbo" on would most likely ruin your engine. Frankly, after that much mileage, the best bet would be to focus on chassis upgrades, or spend big bucks on an engine swap. This is quite expensive, though your best bet might be to find a wrecked car with low mileage and a working engine to buy relatively cheaply. Again, your car is front wheel drive, so if want the truth your best bet is to find a good rwd or awd car that is known for being a "tuner" car. This will mean there will be lots of easy to find, cheap parts for it. Additionally, if you don't put any of those useless cosmetic upgrades (looking at yuor giant wing), your car can be both fast and inauspicious. This is a good thing. You don't look like a ricer, you attract much less attention (including that of law-enforcement), and you can still beat people making them looking like complete idiots. The famous Toyota AE86 is a great example of a car to get, though there are many others...

Answer 5

Timing belt at 60000 to 80000 or timing chain at 100000. These probably wont be covered by warrenty but they might, if they brake cost will be very expensive depending on the vehicle again. If the motor is an interferance motor they might just replace the motor, if it is a non interferance motor the cost will be the timing chain and what ever parts it proke. Now just because it is a non interferance motor doesn't mean there won't be major repairs needed.