Age vs Mileage.

[insomnia]

Yesterday, I was helping a friend shop for a used car. He insists he only want a used car with low miles ( 1. more options
2. newer car generally have newer(better?) technology and safer
3. highway miles doesn't wear the engine/transmission as much as city miles
4. better rubber seals and gasket conditions.

Of course, I realize preventative maintenance and build quality are key factors to a car's longevity. At the end of the day, an older car with less miles can last as long as a new car with more miles. What do you guys think?

-Jim

 

[2Fast4U]

Mileage is everything. Would you rather have a 1968 Vette with 150 miles on it or 1999 with 150,000. Vette may not be a good example because of desire-ability for the older ones but mileage is everything. Then again it depends on options. Is safety a concern? Maybe have to have side impact air bags, etc.

 

[Jeepster_nut]

I rather have a newer high mileage vehicle vs. an older low mileage vehicle. Sitting is no good for a vehicle. Things need to stay moving and lubricated. I know with my jeeps I had that they had all sorts of issues with dried out valve guide seals and sticking brake components.

 

[Mr Nice]

I would take the car with the lower miles if the price was right.

Let say you are looking at a used car with 100K miles, how well has the previous owner kept up on the maintanance or did they just do the bare minimum just to keep the car on the road.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Another thread touching on same subject.

 

[92saturnsl2]

I've always picked low mileage over age... Mostly because I find that models that I like, that were too expensive when newer, become affordable the more they age even if they have low mileage.

I've had good luck with this approach so far.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
I've always picked low mileage over age... Mostly because I find that models that I like, that were too expensive when newer, become affordable the more they age even if they have low mileage.

I've had good luck with this approach so far.


^^Big 2nd here

 

[2Fast4U]

I just cannot imagine how people come up with there thinking. Let's just say we have a Toyota Tercel you're looking at. You are looking at a model whose generation spans 1995 to 2005. What kind of thinking would cause you to buy newer high mileage vehicle? Unless there are huge safety differences or other changes. Interior and exterior of these are both exactly the same.

You can get:
2000 with 8200 miles for $3500.
2004 with 78000 miles for $3500.

 

[berniedd]

Unless you know the owner, how could you tell if he really drove it more on the highway than stop and go city driving?

 

[Spyder7]

Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
I've always picked low mileage over age... Mostly because I find that models that I like, that were too expensive when newer, become affordable the more they age even if they have low mileage.

I've had good luck with this approach so far.


+1. My first car I bought was an exception in that it was both high mileage (350k km on a '79 VW Rabbit) and a pretty old car when I bought it 3rd or 4th hand (the owner wasn't sure on how many people had the car before she bought it). It ran like a top for the 2 years before I moved and had to sell it though, needing only a fan belt, water pump, and battery over that period.

This one in sig was 10 years old with 96k km (60k miles) on it when I bought it. Single owner though, and your typical nanny driven older car.

If buying today, I would consider higher mileage if they were mostly highway miles, as those highway miles are easy on a car and keep all its moving parts exercised.

"Older" here means that 10 years is about as much as you can push it on a year round driven car, while still being able to get a few good years out of it before it starts to rust out.

-Spyder

 

[2Fast4U]

Originally Posted By: berniedd
Unless you know the owner, how could you tell if he really drove it more on the highway than stop and go city driving?


You're exactly right. From some crazy reason any time I've ever looked for a car and it had high mileage according to every owner it was 'highway miles'. LOL.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

I have found out most people I know seem to have better luck buying high mileage late model cars then low mileage cars a few years older..On the older low mileage cars the bulk of the cars had power window and A/C issues [not good for Miami as it is going to have to be fixed] which could end up being very expensive to fix..Plus some had issues like with door handles falling off..Some even had sludge...But on the high mileage late model cars everything was just fine for years.

Like bernieed said you really do not know if the car was highway driven unless you know the driver..I know several people who put alot of miles on their car and never go on the highway because they are afraid of all the lunatics on them..They almost never go over 50 MPH but the change their oil more often because of it and the car runs just fine with no sludge..But they do need brakes more often then most.

On any car if you can not track down the service records I will stay away from it..You can even get service records on a used patrol car so getting the service records should not be such a big deal.

 

[2Fast4U]

Originally Posted By: CROWNVIC4LIFE

On any car if you can not track down the service records I will stay away from it..You can even get service records on a used patrol car so getting the service records should not be such a big deal.


Are you kidding me? You're on a forum with fanatics taking special care of their cars. General population never does anything. My neighbors don't wax their cars ever!

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Originally Posted By: 2Fast4U

Are you kidding me? You're on a forum with fanatics taking special care of their cars. General population never does anything. My neighbors don't wax their cars ever!


Their have been people right here on this forum [not newbie either] that have bought cars with zero maintenance records..Not many but a sprinkling of them..They generally come on here a few weeks later asking how to get rid of the sludge.

BTW my neighbors do not wax their cars either or wash them for that matter.

 

[fdcg27]

A great deal will depend upon the care and use the vehicle received over its life, as well as its original build quality and the willingness and ability of the prospective owner to work on the vehicle.
You can't buy a better car than an old W123, 124 or 201, if you find a good one.
However, they are all old cars now, and unless the buyer/owner is willing/able to do a little wrench turning now and then, they aren't affordable.
If you want a BMW, an e30 or e36 is a good choice, but these are now old cars as well.
Also, without service records to back it up, the mileage on a car's odometer means nothing.
Too easy to "fix".
There are really good models out there, and some that are really awful.
More than age or mileage, a prospective buyer should reasearch the cars which interest him, and then find the best among the best of that lot.
Age and mileage by themselves mean nothing.

 

[subiedriver]

I bought my '04 Subie Legacy sedan 2 years ago with 80,000 miles on it, it was a single female owner, but the service records were with the car, she actually maintained it. The car now has 117,000 miles and all I've done is typical maintenance items. Spark plugs, timing belt, valve cover gaskets, fluid changes, stuff like that. This car has been stone reliable, best car I've owned to date, no joke.

Based on my experience with this car, I'd buy another Subie in a heartbeat, my next car will be '05 or '06 Legacy, non turbo with a 5 speed.

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: 2Fast4U
Mileage is everything. Would you rather have a 1968 Vette with 150 miles on it or 1999 with 150,000. Vette may not be a good example because of desire-ability for the older ones but mileage is everything. Then again it depends on options. Is safety a concern? Maybe have to have side impact air bags, etc.


Everything original on both aside from necessary repairs to keep it running? I'll take the 1999 Vette if it's a daily driver that I can't sell, assuming it looks similar to how it would after 150k miles of me driving it.

Both factors are equally important to me. 1 year is equal to 12k miles when I value used cars. All soft material ages even when not used, and low mileage may mean hard city use. A few extra years could mean a few extra years of sitting in the sun or being coated with wet salt. A vehicle can look and operate perfectly at 20 years and 200k miles, or it can be beaten into submission after a year and 10k miles.

Either way, without maintenance records and a good talk with the original or previous long-term owner, it's a [casino game involving a table and throwing dice] if you don't do some serious inspection and test driving.

 

[Cutehumor]

it depends on how many miles a year you drive. We drive about 13k miles a year. so a 09 vibe with 36k miles was a good fit for us. but if we drove 30k miles a year, I would be looking for a used low mileage vehicle.

 

[CBR.worm]

I dont want to buy a car that is more than a few years old. I would prefer it have 24K over 100K generally, but condition plays a bigger role for me. I have looked at some worn out 20K mile cars and some like new 100K mile cars that are less money. If a 3 year old car has 100K miles, they are probably mostly highway miles.

I looked at a car (BMW) last week with 190K miles on it, it was in great shape but that is too high for me to start. I drive about 40K a year and want to at least get a few years out of each vehicle.

 

[VNTS]

Prefer lower mileage late model. Looking at used cars past 2 year and most with over 50K are abused and neglected. People dont know how to maintaine cars and are too cheap to do proper maintenance. So the higher the mileage on them the worse condition.

I just picked up PT Cruiser with 4k Miles on the clock cheap, pretty tough to screw up a car in 4000 miles

On other hand most with 50K or more were neglected, all you have to do is look under the oil fill can and that tells the tale.