Used vehicle buying high mileage

[rustytoolss]

I may be in the market for a used vehicle this coming year. What are your thought about spending upwords of say $10,000 for a used vehicle with HIGH Mileage ? I'm talking over 80,000 miles. Heck seems like most are over 100,000 miles.
Not that I want a high mileage vehicle...just seems that most of them are high mileage.
When it comes to make, I'm a Chrysler Man (everyone has their faults). Thinking of a Caravan/ or maybe a Dodge Magnum wagon.
But have also thought about a Honda Element ( Some people just have NO taste..ME ) I said Honda cause they are known to be built well...I've never owned anything but Chevy or mopar.
So give me some feed back.. about mileage/ caravans/ Honda element...our your thoughts of a durable vehicle that you would consider. Must have a fair amount of cargo room.
Kept in mind that I'm sure that I well have No really history of what ever I would buy (a used cars dealers favorite prey)

 

[eljefino]

Yeah I'd go over 100k but not spending $10k, no way! Not on those bread & butter cars.

I like the idea of the magnum wagon since it might be an enthusiast's car but you could find one not too beat on.

 

[earlyre]

And I felt bad about spending $10k on a 5 yr old, 70k mi car...

 

[gman2304]

I bought an 05 Chevy truck last January with 162,000 one owner miles for $7,000 and have put an additional 10,000 trouble free miles on it. I had an advantage as I bought it through my mechanic who had the truck at his shop to sell for the PO, so he knew the history on it since new. They're are good high mileage vehicles out there but you do have to be careful. Most people get tired of a vehicle after several years and either sell or trade vehicles with a lot of life still left in them.

 

[rustytoolss]

Well I'm just surfing the net at this point As far as price and mileage. Last new vehicle I bought has a massive electrical issue 4 years down the road/ out of warranty of course. But that's a different story.
My 2002 PT Cruiser is the one I may replace due to age/rust/mileage/condition. I just don't want to sink much more money into it at this point.
I know what you mean. Never thought that I would even consider $10,000 for used.

 

[stockrex]

bought a 90 camry v6 wagon for $800 in 2005, needed fuel PD, radiator (leaked) and battery cable (corroded) and some welding on muffler.
drove it for 2 years and $25k miles and sold for $1100.

For $10k I would go and buy a brand new Honda Fit at 2% and drive it till the fuel filter clogs up ;-)

 

[ThirdeYe]

I just bought a 2008 vehicle with over 100k on it and couldn't be happier. It's a joy to drive and much cheaper than buying new. Nothing about it feels like "high mileage" to me. Clean, runs and drives smooth, etc.

In short, I wouldn't let the number of miles throw you off. Buy based on condition, maintenance, and how much you enjoy it.

 

[Clevy]

100000 miles today isn't high mileage especially if properly maintained.
I've had only 1 engine "wear out". An 83 305 with soft cams. The cam is what did it in. Along with oil starvation.

 

[sciphi]

If you "get" the Element, it's a fantastic vehicle. A buddy has one, and really loves it. I wouldn't be worried with over 100k miles on it. It's a Honda with a K24. AKA a notoriously long-lived vehicle.

Do you need room for cargo and people at the same time, or just cargo and people at separate times? For $16,000 you can likely get a base Honda Fit. It will hold a ridiculous amount of stuff, but cannot hold more than two people while doing so.

Lastly, for Chrysler minivans, keep an eye out for the one-owner creampuffs that somebody got to cart around the grandkids on occasion. The 3.6/6-speed is okay on reliabiilty, and the depreciation surely cannot be matched. A newer one should be available with lower miles at your price point if you can be patient.

 

[901Memphis]

Make sure if you're Web shopping look at true car, it's where I seem to find the best information. I am in the marker for a 10k car also possibly going up to 15k, luckily I don't need a lot of cargo... I too was shocked by how much the suvs/crossovers are with them being higher mileage like you said.

 

[ET16]

Go for an older car, then, and pay less.

 

[datech]

First, why is this thread on the motor oil forum?

I have a relative that loves the Dodge caravans, but says they're better newer and the transmissions eventually succumb. They have huge space.

I bought a 07 Saturn VUE and I am amazed at the cargo space, while not as big as the van it allows 4 foot plywood sheets into the back door. Avoid the CVT transmissions.


BTW you will find that 80K is LOW mileage in all of the used car ads. High mileage is 200K+

 

[Rolla07]

I have seen brand new caravans for 20k. Id try to finance at a good rate. I paid under 8 for mine in 2010 with 45k miles, granted its a small base corolla. Get it inspected and ensure price is good.

 

[FutureDoc]

Well, I came from a Chrysler Family and I have several Chryslers in my fleet. 5 Caravans variants and the three identical ones are called "Snap, Crackle, and Pop".(Personally) You could not get me to touch one with more than 90K even if it was free (ok, maybe free with a $1K cash option). If you are a Mopar man, more power to you. Then again, you would not see me paying what other are paying for "used" Hondas. That being said, my bother has Sebrings which limped and funded repair shops along the way and getting to 140K was an achievement. Then he got his Honda at 90K and now it is somewhere around 210K without a lick problems. He paid to much for his Honda but, well, the life of an Athletics coach on recruiting trips. However, the Honda Element just was not impressive to me. Fuel economy was horrible (23mpg with a tailwind) and while the components were easy to replace, it wore quickly. I would personally look at an xB before an element. Mostly because they have been building them forever so there is likely a large stock on the used market.

When buying use, it is more about the actual car than the make. You can find good domestic deals for a low cost, and if you can find one that was kept up and one that managed to make it out of the factory assembled correctly, then you have something that will last as long as anything else. On the other side of the coin, because many used buyer just drop stupid money on iffy imports, that keeps the price up. In that market, build-quality vs wear and tear can be a wash. You can buy a 120K Honda for about the same amount as a 60K Chrysler... and both could/will likely have equal number of issues. Heck, I joking like to say that some high-mileage domestics normally have had the flaws corrected after a few tens-of-thousands of miles. Part of the trick is the market and you have to be willing to wait and find the right car. The problem with the minivan market is that there are too few players. You are going to pay a premium for used imported boxes (Honda/Toyota). Chrysler is the only other option (save Kia). The price for the used minivan markets can be inflated.

Heck, I bought my high-mileage '99 Subaru Outback and for about half used retail because it had "issues" that I could mend easily. Shocks, Power Steering Pump, Brakes, etc. Now in the X years and XX,XXX miles, I only had the knock-sensor break since refirbishing it...and it is nearing its third timing belt. Then again, the value of anything here in the mountains with working 4WD is $2K if it rolls on its own power. In that $10K/Sub 100K mile car, that is the bread-and-butter pricepoint. A lot of buyers, few vehicles... fewer with a lot of cargo space. You are likely looking at a Domestic mid-sized SUV or similar.

 

[rustytoolss]

sorry I posted this in the wrong place (fairly new to this site) As far as being patient for the right vehicle , that's what I plan to do. To many times people get that "car fever" and have to but something as soon as possible. Usually a bad idea.
My wife's on oxygen. We have a trailer at the lake. So I need to have enough cargo room for her oxygen machine/ and oxygen tanks/cart, plus cooler clothes etc.
I've thought of a Chrysler 300. But with the things she needs, a regular cars would quickly become a bad choice.
I mean , if I would have to buy a small trailer to hull the stuff to the camper....well that tells me that I just bought the wrong vehicle.

 

[crazyoildude]

Honda is not so trouble free these days compared to others. 15 years ago we barely saw a honda engine that needed rebuilding today we do many.

 

[rustytoolss]

Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
Honda is not so trouble free these days compared to others. 15 years ago we barely saw a honda engine that needed rebuilding today we do many.

Are those newer Honda engines? Or older 300,000+ worn out Honda engines ? What was the turning point ?

 

[virginoil]

what has this topic got do with oil for gasoline engines please move to correct forum

 

[Pop_Rivit]

I'm not sure that I would consider a vehicle with just 80,000 miles "high" mileage.

30 or 40 years ago it would have been. Today, that's just getting well broken in.

In July of 2013 we bought a 2006 Durango with just over 100,000 on it for $8800. Other than brakes (knew it needed them when we bought it) and complete fluid/hose changes (planned to do it when we bought it) it's been completely trouble free. We use it strictly for highway traveling and have put about 20,000 miles on it since we bought it.

I still don't consider it particularly "high" mileage.

 

[GregPR]

Back in 2011 I bought an '04 Honda Civic for $4200 with over 140K miles. It had clearly been neglected. I put new tires on it, changed the timing belt (still on the original) and swapped out all the fluids. It was a 5-speed manual and had a funny shifting thing going from 2nd to 3rd. I switched the transmission from whatever gear oil Honda uses to M1 5w30 if I recall correctly, and that shifting thing just went away. All told I was into this little car for under $5K.

It burned a little oil, but was otherwise an excellent, excellent little car and fun to drive. It was totaled about a year ago, and I really miss it.