That's a legitimate question I'm asking here: how important is low-mileage when buying a used car?
Obviously the answer is that "it depends," and I'm sure there some models of cars known to be problematic after certain mileage, perhaps especially in the past.
I just bought a 2012 Honda Fit base model, I may end up selling it for reasons not pertinent to this discussion but I think I made a good choice. This particular car has 136,000 miles on it and the price of about 5000 dollars. Lower mileage models often cost thousands more: 6,000, 7,000, I've seen them listed for 9 to 10K at dealerships. I reasoned that since this model year is quite reliable, the previous owner need only maintain the car properly and one can reasonably expect the powertrain to last much much much longer. The CarFax indicated that the previous owner did her maintainenace at the Honda dealership during the early years, and later at a reputable independent place, for a total of 24 service records (not all of them oil changes.)
This is not about my Honda Fit, this is about my opinion that much better deals can be had if one intelligently hunts for a higher mileage car. My example is not conclusive however since I only got the car and it may very well end up being a lemon, that is theoretically possible but my current car a 2007 Corolla is at 135K and rock solid reliable--more reliable than other much lower mileage Corollas probably since I cared for it so well.
Low miles = high initial cost. If you believe low miles are better cars, then the total cost of ownership will be lower, in the long run. I don't believe this to be the case, most of the time.
Obviously the answer is that "it depends," and I'm sure there some models of cars known to be problematic after certain mileage, perhaps especially in the past.
I just bought a 2012 Honda Fit base model, I may end up selling it for reasons not pertinent to this discussion but I think I made a good choice. This particular car has 136,000 miles on it and the price of about 5000 dollars. Lower mileage models often cost thousands more: 6,000, 7,000, I've seen them listed for 9 to 10K at dealerships. I reasoned that since this model year is quite reliable, the previous owner need only maintain the car properly and one can reasonably expect the powertrain to last much much much longer. The CarFax indicated that the previous owner did her maintainenace at the Honda dealership during the early years, and later at a reputable independent place, for a total of 24 service records (not all of them oil changes.)
This is not about my Honda Fit, this is about my opinion that much better deals can be had if one intelligently hunts for a higher mileage car. My example is not conclusive however since I only got the car and it may very well end up being a lemon, that is theoretically possible but my current car a 2007 Corolla is at 135K and rock solid reliable--more reliable than other much lower mileage Corollas probably since I cared for it so well.
Low miles = high initial cost. If you believe low miles are better cars, then the total cost of ownership will be lower, in the long run. I don't believe this to be the case, most of the time.