15 cars that drive forever

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - New cars lose their value soon after you drive them off of the lot, so getting an automobile that you can drive as long as possible is the ideal situation.

Kiplinger, the finance website, writes there are about 15 that will go the distance. We find a few usual suspects and a few that are less expected to stay on the road for a very long time. 

John Clough has one of them. He's had a long relationship with this car. He laughs at the notion that his 1997 Toyota Camry sends the signal that 'here comes safe and reliable.' But with more than 256,000 miles, it is.

"I keep up with the maintenance. You don't get 256,000 miles if you're not on top of your maintenance," the Oak Grove resident tells me. 

Kiplinger writes that the Toyota Camry, made from 1992 on, is a long-term relationship if you want it to be.

We asked expert mechanic Eddie Elhert what makes some cars so good for so long.

"It's good engineering. Careful manufacturing. And quality parts installed from the beginning. After that, it's how you take care of it," says the owner of Chamblee's MazdOnly.

That's why the Honda Accord, going all the way back to 1976, is a natural to be on the list, he says.

"Great car."

But there are a few that you might not think of necessarily like the Buick Roadmaster Estate. It's hard to find on the road because it's not made anymore. But, if you have one of the models from 1991 to 96, you might still have it.

Eddie Elhert calls it "grossly overbuilt." And he means that in a good way.

"It's like a full-sized pick-up truck that never goes more than a couple a miles a day. It'll last forever because it's designed to be stressed much more than the average driver will stress it."

Same thing, he says, with the 900 Series Saab, which is no longer sold in the US. One driver, according to Kiplinger, still takes it cross country - 435,000 miles and all.

"The 900 Series was simple. It was different from anything made or sold in the United States," says Elhert.

Oh, but wait until you see what Harold Hair keeps in the garage.  It's a 1957 Volkswagen camper van. He says when he takes it out on the road that young people, older folks, everyone loves it.

"I can tell ya we get a lot of thumbs up going down the highway. A lot of people seem to be attracted to it," the Calhutta, Georgia resident tells Fox 5.

Combine nostalgia and access to parts and you get an automobile that'll stay on the road for generations.

"The older, air cooled ones, they are still one of the biggest available cars in Mexico, so there are still a huge number of parts available from Mexico," said MazdOnly's Eddie Elhert.

Other classics are older Mercedes diesel models. And Volvos, that were made as Kiplinger describes, from the "Dawn of Man" through '76.

But if you want something more current that's super reliable and will stand the test of time, Kiplinger lists the more budget-friendly Geo Prizm, specifically 1984-2010. And Ford Escorts 1991 - 2002.

For John Clough, he's about ready to hand down his Camry to his son.  It's been a long time since he's car shopped. What's he looking for this time?

"It might be a little bit snazzier because I'm 53 now. I keep my cars 20 years.  I'm running out of time here," he laughs.

Kiplinger's complete list of "15 Cars You Can Drive Forever" is here: http://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/cars/T009-S001-cars-that-refuse-to-die/index.html