Which cars will make the 200K mile mark?

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Cars are lasting longer than ever. The average age of cars on U.S. roads is now over 11 years, and passing the 200,000 mile mark is getting more common.

Consumer Reports has done the research on which cars are likely to go the distance. They asked people why they think their cars made it past the 200,000 mile mark, and most owners credit TLC.

Brent Mather's 2006 Lexus IS 250 is still going strong, and it has more than 230,000 miles.

"I do an oil change every 5,000 miles. I make sure the pressure, the air pressure of the tires is good and I keep looking out for it," Mather said.

A Consumer Reports reader survey, covering more than a million vehicles, identifies which models most often reach 200,000 miles.

The top 10 are either Toyotas or Hondas. They're the Toyota Prius, Camry 4-cylinder, Corolla, Sienna V6 and Highlander V6. From Honda, the Odyssey, Pilot, Accord 4-cylinder sedan, CRV and the Civic, excluding the Hybrid, SI and GX.

Those owners spent an average of $550 on maintenance and repairs last year on things like brakes, shocks, and timing belts.

Still Consumer Reports says by the time a car hits 200,000 miles, you should think about replacing it.

"By 200,000 miles, most cars' hard life on the road has begun to take a toll on the structure and key components. And older cars just don't have the numerous safety advances that have appeared in recent years," said Consumer Reports' Jim Travers.

Those include collision avoidance, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, side-curtain airbags, and electronic stability control.

Consumer Reports says another advantage of replacing your old car is that newer models have advanced steel and structural architecture that absorb the impact of a crash better.