High Miles on a car
I agree that taking care of your engine is critical to getting lots of miles from a vehicle. I was wondering the same thing about what I can expect from my 2010 Golf TDi Wagon as I am expecting way better results than other vehicles that I driven and/or heard about. That's why I joined this forum, since I don't know too much about the diesel engine.
I've owned a 1984 Subaru GL (2 door) 5 speed manual that I absolutely loved. Picked it up at 285,000 km's and drove it to 550,000 km's with NO trouble. At the end, the body was rusting but I gave it away and it was still running without a hitch. The only breakdown was the catalytic converter which would have cost $600 to replace but was covered on a 10 year unlimited mileage warranty which I was really surprised and elated about.
In addition to my Golf TDi, I drive a 1999 Dodge Caravan which I bought at 165,000 KM's in 2005 and now have 420,000 and still cruises so nicely on the highway. I plan to drive it past 500,000 KM's. Mind you I did did repaint and replaced the transmission (a used one) a couple of years ago, but still figure that I am way ahead $$$ wise over replacing the vehicle.
Also, I was consulting for a small bakery in 2008 and was comparing the useful life of a Chevy cube van vs. a Dodge Sprint with a 5 cylinder diesel engine. The useful life of the sprinter was rated at 800,000 kms vs 350,000 for the GM product.