8 Super Reliable Engines That Can Last Over 300,000 Miles

Buying a car is a pretty major thing, whether it's new or used. It takes a lot of planning and a lot of decision-making. You probably know this already, and you're more than likely aware that there's one aspect of car shopping that's very prevalent for those who plan to keep the car for a long time: reliability.

This is important for any car, but especially with used cars, as they're usually older and have a good amount of mileage on them. For the most part, automakers don't build engines to last all that long, and eventually, the time may come when you sell that old junker and pick up something newer.

If you want to hold on to a used car for a considerable amount of time, you're probably looking for something that will outlast you and your family. However,  there's good news — there's a handful of well-known automotive engines that are known to last 300,000 miles, or maybe more.

Volkswagen's engines are especially known for not being the most reliable. Many of the group's engines are frequently talked about on forums, with many people warning potential buyers away from them. That is not the case with the 1.9 TDI.

The 1.9 TDI became available in the 1990s, and it lasted in a lot of the VW Group's brands all the way to the late 2000s and the early 2010s in some cases. It found a home in everything from Golfs to Jettas and a lot of Skodas and Seats over in Europe and other markets.

Whenever the conversation is about reliable, long-lasting diesel engines, the 1.9 TDI always gets top points. With regular and proper maintenance, these engines won't last 300,000 miles. Rather, they will comfortably go for 600,000 miles, or maybe even more than that.

They're also well-known for starting up in freezing temperatures very easily, which is not something you can say for a lot of diesel engines. Amazingly, VW offered the 1.9 TDI in the U.S. for a little while, so if you pick up an older VW with this engine, you won't regret it. Small wonder we featured it in our own rundown of the most reliable engines ever made by Volkswagen.

Volvo was among the early adopters of the five-cylinder engines in a lot of its vehicles, along with Audi. It initially started out as a gasoline five-cylinder, finding a home in stuff like the brilliant V70 R. Eventually, Volvo also introduced a diesel five-cylinder for those who prefer oil burners and low-end torque.

For the majority of its life, the D5 was a 2.4-liter unit, but a 2.0-liter was introduced to the lineup in the late 2000s, for better fuel economy. The most powerful version put out a cool 212 horsepower, ad it was often paired with AWD.

Volvo never offered this engine in North America, but it might prove to be a fun idea for an engine swap. The most notable thing about the Volvo D5 is its incredible reliability. No problem reaching 300,000 miles or possibly more with regular maintenance. Being engineered in Sweden, it can also handle winters with ease.

Hard to believe that there was a time when Mercedes-Benz was known, among other things, for immense reliability and longevity. Especially throughout the 80s and 90s, there was hardly anything that could kill a Mercedes apart from maybe blowing one up. Then again, if it had the OM617 under the hood, I'm pretty sure even that wouldn't be enough.

The OM617 is the three-pointed star's only ever production five-cylinder engine, and it's a diesel. Mercedes never actually got into gas-powered, five-cylinder engines, so if you want I5 thrills, it'll have to be this. Good news though – Mercedes put the OM617 in quite a few models.

Displacing 2.7 liters in most applications, and sometimes 3.0 liters, the OM617 was a powerhouse with a lot of low-end torque. It sounds pretty good as well, and it can take an absolute beating when it comes to mods. That's not even scratching the surface of its reliability. This is one of the only automotive engines in history that can go for quite literally millions of miles.

Make sure it's taken care of, and you'll have no problem. Mercedes did offer this engine in North America officially, but foreign market models that used it are now old enough to import as well. Now that's an idea for a cool used car.

One of the greatest stories told in the world of cars is the story of Lexus. To summarize, Toyota decided to take on the Germans where it hurt most, and it actually succeeded. Lexus is, to this day, one of the only luxury car brands that survived and, on several occasions, won the fight against the established Germans.

A big reason for that is the original Lexus LS, which really speaks for itself. It's one of the most impressive modern luxury cars and one of the most successful Lexus models, not least because of the powertrain on the hood. The earliest LS400 came with a 4.0-liter naturally-aspirated V8 dubbed the 1UZ-FE.

Even though this was a luxury car, Toyota didn't forget to sprinkle some of the well-known Toyota reliability magic into the LS400. As well as the 1UZ-FE being one of the only automotive engines ever to be certified for use in aircraft(!), the 1UZ-FE is completely unstoppable. Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire owned an LS400 with a million miles on the odometer, so that should tell you more than enough.

Did you really think we could talk about the most reliable engines without mentioning Toyota more than once? Of course not. Toyota's list of super durable powertrains is far too long and expansive, but one we just had to single out is the 2GR-FE 3.5-liter V6, seen in Camries, Avalons, and even the Lotus Evora.

The 4.0-liter 1GR-FE unit did suffer from a few somewhat significant issues, believe it or not, but that is not the case with the 2GR-FE. The 2GR-FE wasn't safe from a few minor problems, as they had a tendency to leak oil through the front timing cover. However, if you take care of this issue quickly, you'll have quite a reliable companion on your hands.

These engines are pretty low maintenance, and if you do the little maintenance they require regularly, they can easily go for hundreds of thousands of miles. The Camry is the most notable application for this engine, and you already know about the indestructibility of that.

You knew it was coming. You can't go wrong with a good old GM Small Block V8 for a perfect all-around engine package. There's a reason why these engines are still so popular for engine swaps in just about anything you can think of. Well, anything that has enough room under the hood, anyway.

GM introduced the LS family of V8 engines in the 90s, and since then, they've been installed in all kinds of stuff, from sports cars and muscle cars to humble sedans, SUVs, and trucks. The most common variety of small block V8 is the LS1, with 5.7 liters and around 350 horsepower, seen in stuff like the C5 Corvette and the Pontiac GTO.

One key reason why these engines last so long is their simplicity. For years and years, small block V8s from General Motors used pushrods instead of overhead camshafts, and a lot of them had only two valves per cylinder. This made them very easy to work on, and the components can easily last over 300,000 miles. Oh yeah — there's also the small fact that this is one of the easiest engines in the automotive world to squeeze more power out of relatively reliably.

The Jeep 4.0 I6 is a bit of a wildcard. Jeep isn't exactly known for quality or reliable powertrains. Some of you might have seen that fake news report claiming that Jeep has threatened to continue building cars, which should make it clear how most people feel about Jeeps. Up to 30 years ago, however, things were a little different.

For a while, you could have a Jeep with a 4.0-liter gasoline six-cylinder engine, jointly developed by Jeep and the American Motor Corporation, Jeep's last owner before it was scooped up by Chrysler. Obviously, this engine went into all types of Cherokees and Wranglers throughout the 80s, 90s, and into the early 2000s in some cases.

Jeep owners and the Jeep community in general absolutely swears by the 4.0-liter six, due to its incredible reliability and its ability to take a beating. Remember, Jeeps do take a beating because of their off-road capabilities. Similarly to the LS V8, the 4.0 I6 is a simple affair with overhead valves instead of camshafts, and Jeep owners frequently report anywhere from 300,000 miles to half a million with regular, proper maintenance.

Almost all of Honda's engines get love from car enthusiasts due to their stellar reliability and ability to be taken to the extreme. Before the automaker introduced the venerable K-series of engines, the B-series was the go-to if you wanted a four-cylinder engine in your Honda. The B-series went on to power lots of stuff, from Civics to Integras and even the CR-X.

The most well-known version of the B-series is the B16B, which powered the first ever Civic Type R. B-series engines are also known for their inclusion of VTEC, Honda's claim-to-fame variable valve timing technology that allows for high-revving shenanigans and countless memes and jokes.

Being a Honda engine, the B-series is not excluded from that reliability reputation. If you wanted to, you can take a B-series-powered Honda to the limit, but it's super unlikely that you'll kill the engine. There's that one group of Honda owners that do take their cars to hell and back, but the B-series under the hood carries on without a care in the world. Despite the complexity of some of these engines with their dual overhead camshaft designs, they're still bulletproof even after all these years.