Attempting to pluck experiences from people who have bought high mileage used cars. I'm referring to good condition used cars and not cars where metallic paint shows rust and doors about to fall off etc.

Usually at what mileage can a car last if it's well taken care of with scheduled servicing all carried out regularly? I'm aware that if parts such as suspension, engine mount get worn and need replacement, these are normal and not an issue. Or the steering rack needs replacement, not an issue too if parts are available. What I'm concerned is at what point if judging on the mileage, the car will be close to its lifespan and will not fit to be driven anymore. In other words, what do people mean when they talk about the "lifespan" of a car.

A quick search on the Internet showed this :-
In the past, the average lifespan of a car was significantly lower than it is today. Now, you can expect a standard car to last around 12 years or about 200,000 miles. More advanced vehicles like electric cars can go even longer, up to 300,000 miles.

200,000 miles is about 320,000 km. So, say the vehicle is close to 300km, it has seemingly reached its lifespan. What does this mean? If replacement spare parts are still available even at 300,000 km, can the car continued to be driven? Or perhaps the performance of the engine or transmission may have gone down with wear and tear as the power or acceleration is not as good when compared to new. In this case is it possible to restore the performance of the car to original new condition and if yes is it worth it.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Ok thanks for the responses. Looks like I'll avoid getting a used car that is above 200,000 km if I ever consider one.

If I am considering used cars, will only buy from actual owner and all servicing record available. I will not consider buying from used car dealers.

Throughout my 25+ years driving experience, this is the first time I might be considering buying a used car. All my previous cars are bought new.

I appreciate the sharing of your experience as well as others. As others have aptly pointed out, card which are well taken care of will have a high chance of lasting a lot longer. My capping of 200,000km is a matter of preference as I do not wish to own a car with high mileage anyway although it can be in good condition. Also, all things being similar, a low mileage car will have a higher chance of being in better condition than a high mileage one if judging from apple to apple basis.

By the way, the used car I'm considering is not a reliable type such as Japanese Toyota or Honda etc. so I will expect costly repairs when something fails. Hence, a lower mileage vehicle will be a better choice than a high mileage one.

Although not always the case, your post reminds me when I was in my 20s driving a Proton Waja. During that time before I sold the car, I drove over speed bumps as if they don't exist. I actually wanted to test the limits of the suspension to make it fail but surprisingly it can take all the abuse thrown at it.

The car was still in one piece before I sold it to a used car dealer. It was still in fairly good shape though and the suspension is still original and working when I got rid of it. 😂