But maybe your clunker can get 500,000 miles

Elton Gissendanner keeps looking at his 1990 Acura Integra. It's got 325,000, maybe 330,000 miles on it. He hasn't checked the odometer lately.

Every six months, the insurance expires, and he asks himself, "Do I want to renew it?"

"I bought it from my daughter-in-law," Gissendanner said. It had 160,000 miles on it then.

"It needs a new set of tires, the air is worn out, and the cruise doesn't work. But it gets 40 miles per gallon," says Gissendanner. The A/C still works on his 1998 Acura, so he drives it more in the summer, and the older model in the winter.

A veterinarian, Gissendanner averages better than 700 miles week, driving to clinics in other counties where he spays and neuters dogs and cats.

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report found cars and trucks are lasting 26,000 miles longer than they did 10 years ago. A typical passenger car's lifetime is 152,000 miles longer; light trucks are averaging 180,000 miles. About 79 percent of 10-year-old vehicles are still on the road, the 2006 report said.

Modern cars are built better. For instance, modern steel is electrogalvanized to protect against corrosion. Modern engines are made of aluminum alloys instead of cast iron.

But maintenance is crucial to long life, said Bill Berdelle, who lives in the Hickory Hills neighborhood of Chicago.

"I changed all the fluids way before it was time," Berdelle said. He was in Sebring last week to visit his mother. He owned a 1990 GMC Safari mini-van until two years ago.

"It had 480,000 miles on it when I sold it," Berdelle said. But the story goes even farther. It was a cargo van - the kind without big windows. He sold it to a band that needed to hide their instruments while on the road.

"I talked to them about two weeks ago, and they had over 750,000 miles on it," Berdelle said.

And here's the mark of a guy who maintains his vehicle well - the original tires were replaced at 110,000 miles.

Gissendanner tells a similar story. That '90 Acura has had two new timing belts, a clutch, a few sets of tires and two or three new batteries.

"It probably needs shocks and a realignment. Who knows? I just run it. But I changed the oil every 3,000 miles, and I don't drive fast."

Berdelle, a retired mechanic who now owns another GMC van with 124,000 miles on it, swears by Quaker State. He didn't need expensive synthetic or super-slick oil.

"I feel I'm winning the game," Berdelle laughed.

High mileage stories aren't unique anymore.

"Three years ago," said Art Brand of Avon Park, "I retired my beloved 1986 VW GTI. And only because the interior was falling apart. The reason: it had 430,000 miles on it and it still ran like a top, while only breaking down on me once during that time."

Like Berdelle, Brand changed all the fluids as needed. And like Gissendanner, Brand changed parts that he knew were close to the end of their lives, like the water pump, timing belt and alternator.

Psychologist Bruce Borkosky usually puts 25,000 miles per year on his 2004 F150 truck, which now has about 130,000 miles.

"I was glad I purchased the extra warrantee insurance, because I have had a few problems, notably a transmission failure that would have cost more than the insurance," he said.

He keeps up with the maintenance. "It's kind of expensive," Borkosky said, "but it's still much cheaper than a brand new car. I would like to keep it through 200,000."

As an Automotive Service Excellence certified technician since 1975, Brand says almost any quality automobile built since 1994 will last at least 300,000 miles - with proper maintenance.

"The problem is that most people only change their oil and ignore the little new noises or lights that come on until the car breaks, which doubles or more the cost of repair," Brand said. "Which would you rather have, a $400 maintenance bill or a $1,200 repair bill?"

As for Gissendanner, who drives his wife crazy because he doesn't believe in wasting anything, he's considering whether to recondition his 19-year-old car and give it to a grandson. It still has the original engine, transmission and upholstery.

"I've got a lot of time to think about it," the veterinarian said. "He's not even out of grammar (elementary) school yet."

Tips to add years of trouble-free mileage

Here's the simple secret to a car's long life: change the oil regularly.

Drive smart

Jackrabbit starts stress the engine, transmission, and differential. Driving with one foot on the brake petal and stopping quickly damage the brakes. Shifting from reverse to drive while the car is moving backward harms the transmission. Potholes damage the suspension and tires and wrecks wheel alignment.

Use it or lose it

Switch on the air conditioner in the winter and the heater in the summer for a few minutes. This lubricates the seals and other moving parts. If you rarely use it, occasionally engage the four-wheel drive.

Be gentle

Engine wear is greatest just after starting, before the pump circulates oil through the engine, but don't waste time and gas by idling in the driveway. Just drive slowly until the engine is warm.

Go synthetic

Synthetic oils cost more than petroleum-based oils, but they are superior. Synthetics reduce wear over the long haul, but they can't undo wear. Use synthetics when the engine is young.

Source: AAA