I've been thinking about this lately as I watch late model turbo engine sell. In the used auto parts business it used to be that when you bought a late model vehicle you could count on most of the body/collision parts selling, along with suspension pieces, etc., but the mechanical parts would sit, sometimes for years until the demand increased. With so many smaller turbocharged engines on the market (do a search for how many manufacturers use 2.0L turbo engines now!) we're seeing a lot more mechanical parts selling sooner, so this started me thinking about the cars themselves as they get older.
In the future, I wouldn't be surprised to see more older inline six NA engines still on the road than later model turbos. They just can't last as long and they're expensive to keep running. I just drove my daughters 08 E90 wagon with 154k on the clock on a 300 miles day trip and it just cruised all day as smooth as can be.
My guess is that the average mileage for longevity will drop substantially with the latest group of turbo cars.
In the future, I wouldn't be surprised to see more older inline six NA engines still on the road than later model turbos. They just can't last as long and they're expensive to keep running. I just drove my daughters 08 E90 wagon with 154k on the clock on a 300 miles day trip and it just cruised all day as smooth as can be.
My guess is that the average mileage for longevity will drop substantially with the latest group of turbo cars.