Our car just reached the 100,000 mile mark. This is the second car we have taken to that mark.
Why is this significant?
To me it is significant because we live in a throw-away society. It is so easy to upgrade to the latest model and cast aside a perfectly functional product.
But it is also significant because when we bought that car in 2014 we had no idea where it would take us.
We bought that car when my daughter was merely 2 months old. We had no idea 6 months later we would be driving it across the country to move to Arizona.
We had no idea it would take us to the Grand Canyon.
This car has taken us on our first camping trip, our first beach trip, our first cave trip.
It has taken us to nearly every trail head in the greater Phoenix area.
It has picked up visitors coming to Arizona and taken us back home to Illinois.
It has been covered in crushed food, milk, melted crayons, and hundreds of stickers.
It has safely carried our family around town and safely carried my husband to work.
It has hauled boxes, bed frames, and tons of other miscellaneous IKEA furniture.
It has needed repairs and tires along the way.
But keeping and maintaining it a long time has created countless memories.
We went to an empty parking lot to drive the last mile to get to 100,000. The kids got to sit up front with us as the numbers changed.
Watching that number change, I felt our resiliency.
Every mile was not fun, quiet, or clean. But each one was part of the journey.
I am glad we did not cast the Versa aside for something “better.”
We would have missed all those miles along the way.
-Brittany
Less Less More 
I just passed 100k on the Jeep this last weekend! 🙂 It’s hard not to start belting out some Dierks Bentley when you reach a milestone like that… “Every mile a memory….”
LikeLike
Perfect song for the 100K mark!! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
At 71, I can honestly say most of our Cars were going strong at 200,000+. My current car is well over 200,000, but I maintain it well. Even if were to need a spare part, that is a so much cheaper than a year of monthly car payments. Win/ win!
Sent from my iPhone
>
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sheryl, that is amazing you hit 200,000!! And you are correct, most repairs and parts won’t compare to the cost of monthly payments! Thanks for reading.
-Brittany
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just found this blog via the recent post on No Sidebar and after browsing the 100,000 mile car post had to reply (which is a first for me). Your comment about the throw away society resonates with us. While emissions are definitely higher in old cars, we must also consider the emissions and resources associated with developing the materials to construct a new vehicle. Also, we find that the older cars, appliances, etc. just last longer than the majority of newly bought items.
We keep our cars a long, long time and sometimes the repairs add up to more than the car is worth over the course of a year. But that is relative to the value of the vehicle. You see, our oldest car is going to be 31 years next month and has over 435,000km on it (270,000+ miles). Our 17 year old son came home from the hospital in it and is driving it to school now. We call it our little workhorse (1989 Mitsubishi Galant). The other car will be 28 years old next month and I just watched the odometer turn past 365,000kms (227,000 miles). This 1992 BMW 318i is so fun to drive, even in the winter (must have Blizzak tires!). Both these cars were bought used: the Mitsubishi was only 6 months old and the BMW was 4 years old. They are part of our family now and while we know the time will come when we have to say goodbye there are still miles to go before that time. 😁
LikeLike
Deb,
I am so impressed by the lives of your vehicles!! That is pretty amazing that your 17 year old is driving the car he came home in. We often joke about that with our kids, so it is neat to hear it can actually happen.
I agree with you that older items seem to last longer. Today’s items seem to be built to break.
Thank you for your comment and thank you for reading! -Brittany
LikeLike