200,000

My car has reached a milestone. I don't think I've ever had a vehicle more than 120,000 miles.

My little commuter car, a 2006 Ford Focus SES zx4 (why all the letters and numbers?) is the best car I've ever owned.

My commute is exactly 30 miles from house garage to the parking deck. It's all interstate (US 1 and I-40) till just before downtown. That's 15,000 highway miles per year plus another 5,000 for chores, trips and such. Not bad considering I live so far out in BF-Egypt. Every trip to the grocery store, restaurant, barber shop, whatever is a trip way the hell over yonder and then some.

It drives just as tight and as well as the day I bought it. It does have some rattles and noises that it used to not have. Also, my right heel has worn completely through the floor mat and carpet (where it rests from the accelerator pedal). Other than that, and 3 small rock chips in the windscreen (there is a rock quarry down the road from my house - I've replaced the windscreen 3 times already) - it looks like it did the day I bought it.

I have taken very good care of this car. Observed all the maintenance recommendations. Oil and filter changes promptly every 5,000 miles. Tire rotation, balance and alignment every 10,000. Other fluids and service as needed.

I took it in recently for a 200,000 mile service that included brakes with front rotors and rear drums; transmission fluid and filter; new spark plugs and wires; coolant change; serpentine belt and some other odds and ends. The only major repairs (so far) have been two alternators. Knock on wood - it'll keep running good without anything expensive going wrong.

I'd like a new car. Just because. But I can't really justify it since this one is driving so well.

Also, my Ford Escape only has 130,000 miles on it. And it's in great condition too.

At this rate, it'll be years before both vehicles get to the point where it makes sense to replace them.

I still want to buy an overly expensive Mercedes-Benz or BMW SUV. Just because.

My second best car was a 1974 Toyota Corolla. I drove it until the engine finally died after about 120,000 miles. That car was fun to drive.

Worst car? A 1987 Ford Taurus. Great design - worst built car ever. No other car I've ever had comes even close to how bad that one was.

It was a Lemon. Seriously, I tracked it and could have returned it to the dealer under the NC Lemon Law. It really was that bad.

The only reason I didn't - I had purchased the 100,000 mile extended warranty. Thankfully I did. I think I tracked over $5,000 in repairs to that car up to about 60,000 miles. By then, most major items (except for the engine and transmission) had been replaced and it finally became dependable - more or less. The folder where I kept the paperwork from major repairs was at least 2-inches think - maybe more.

I've also had an Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Ford Contour and Chevrolet. Decent cars that all served me well.

I tend to keep a vehicle for a long time. They are not investments. It's nice to have one that is fun to drive. And, maybe, one that looks decent. Beyond that - they are a conveyance only and a depreciation. Anyone who thinks otherwise is fooling themselves.