How long will a $1100 car with over 387k miles and 29 year old engine last?

tree days                                                              

It's only a guess without knowing how the car was maintained, driven and taken care of otherwise. If they previous owners took care of it and your friend continues to without driving it hard it could have another 100,000 miles in it. Certain Toyota's and Honda's just keep going and going. I started out paying cash because I refused to make payments so in the early days I had worn out vehicles. I never bought from anyone whose place, current vehicle and anything else in sight did not look like it was taken care of. That gave me a little reassurance the one I was purchasing had been as well. I always got a couple years in the least out of them. $10 a day for a new car since you seem to be fine with paying all the interest on making payments that small is your friend not worth $10 a day to you?

Toyota Corollas are sturdy cars now and we're just as tough in the mid to late 1990s, they are still sought after Japanese cars in some parts of the world because the engines are still sound at 500,000 miles + a friend of mine has a 1995 model.which I recently had the pleasure to drive it and honestly I was stunned by the overall drive quality and it's an original car. Engine tight, suspension okay, steering good. No smoke from.the exhaust. 

Nothing added or taken away other than tyres. A 25 year old Carolla.

I have no way of knowing how long that car could last. If I could inspect it I may have an idea. Personally, I wouldn't waste my time on it.

The price has NOTHING to do with how long it will last. How well it has been maintained is far more important.

That said, $1100 is on the high end for that car.

Its shot, don`t buy it.

If you leave it in the garage and keep it from getting wet , it might last another 100 years. But if you are going to drive it down the road don't invest in a brand new air freshener to hang from the mirror.

The age of that engine doesn't concern me near as much as 387,000 miles.  But if it starts, runs and drives now, its worth at least 500 dollars, and if it also stops when you want it to add another 100 dollars to the price.

Some people are suggesting $500, which sounds reasonable.  But some are afraid of the high mileage, which is foolish.

Like any used car, it may last for years , or minutes.

If it runs good right now, then it is likely to earn its keep

how much maintenance has been done to it? I think its ready for the crusher in most cases. Whats the condition of the suspension ,seat belts, ect for that many miles it may of had another engine and gear box in it all ready ? How many strange noise does it make? Theres a lot of parts to replace once things are worn out.

If you have to get it to pass an honest roadworthy forget about it.

Anyone dumb enough to spend even $100 on a car with over 387K on it doesn't need friends. They need a Shrink.