Buying high mileage vehicles. Why?

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: pandus13
depends....
high-mileage in short time... Maybe.
Example: About a year ago , in my quest for wagons, i found 2 VW Jetta Wagons Diesels with 200k and 189k miles, highway only, former sales people cars, all maintenance done on the clock...

Heck, for some vehicles, when buying used and more than one or two years old, you're going to get insanely high mileage. Try to find a used VW diesel, or even a used diesel truck (more than a couple years old) that hasn't got 200,000 miles plus on the odometer. Any used VW or Mercedes diesel, up here, will be even higher than that yet.

I forgot in the post:
Both cars, where in pretty Good shape and only 2 years old.
I think they sold pretty quick to some diesel enthusiasts...(They where the lowest priced diesels in the area, no accidents/floods/salvage)

 

[69GTX]

Originally Posted By: andyd
I'd rather buy a car with 125-150 K miles on it than one of the same age with 60-75K miles. The garage queen has yet to need the big stuff fixed on it. Front end, steering suspension, pumps, and exhaust are gonna be due for work. A 150 Kmile car has had that stuff fixed already.


Actually my last daily driver went to 230k miles on original suspension all around (air suspension too), orig fuel/ps/water/oil pumps, original exhaust and AC. Only the radiator was replaced along with brakes and fluids, spark plugs, drive belt. While the car was spent at 230k miles...it was still pretty clean by 150k-175k miles. Rust sort of killed it after 8 winters.

 

[Kurtatron]

I don’t know how you guys do it. I have a 200k Solara that I absolutely hate. It vibrates on the freeway, the gears grind, and the exhaust leaks. I only keep it because I am broke. If I had money, I would upgrade gladly. I want a low miles car. Maybe around 80k miles or so. I so hate having no money.

 

[SirTanon]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Usually it is a budget related reason.


In my case it usually is.. although I'm just a frugal person and I don't believe in spending more than I have to for a vehicle that meets my needs.

Originally Posted By: The Critic
I think 75k-175k is the "sweet spot" for owning a modern vehicle. You will have some minor to moderate repairs, but the operating costs should be manageable as long as you choose a reasonably reliable model to start with. Someone else would have eaten most of the depreciation as well.


I'd say this is a reasonable range, but personally, I think higher than 175k.. even into the 200k-225k range.. is also realistic, provided you take your time and look for a car with a good maintenance history and a good mechanical track record. Some vehicles are just prone to issues.

Originally Posted By: The Critic
175k+ is sketchy territory for any brand; I have yet to see any 175k vehicle (regardless of brand) that did not require a significant amount of work to bring it back to good condition. Most of the examples that I have seen have a lot of deferred maintenance (e.g. oil seeps/leaks, suspension wear, etc.).


You've never seen my Fusion then. It's in better shape than tons of cars with half its mileage. I will admit, however, that it's definitely far from the norm in terms of cars with a quarter-million miles.

 

[exranger06]

Originally Posted By: Kurtatron
I don’t know how you guys do it. I have a 200k Solara that I absolutely hate. It vibrates on the freeway, the gears grind, and the exhaust leaks. I only keep it because I am broke. If I had money, I would upgrade gladly. I want a low miles car. Maybe around 80k miles or so. I so hate having no money.

If you had gotten all of those issues fixed as they popped up, your car would still be working perfectly and you wouldn't hate it so much. My Accord is 26 years old and has 198k miles and it still runs and drives great. If something breaks, I fix it as soon as I can. As a result, I still enjoy driving it very much. I have zero desire to trade it for a newer car and I will gladly keep driving it for another 20 years.

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: SirTanon
You've never seen my Fusion then. It's in better shape than tons of cars with half its mileage. I will admit, however, that it's definitely far from the norm in terms of cars with a quarter-million miles.


Your Fusion needed $1500 worth of engine work done to it. And at first the shop recommended putting a new(used) engine in it which most people would have done. So you got lucky on that part.



Originally Posted By: SirTanon
Well, I just got back from picking up the car from the dealership. Once they got their act together, things went pretty well, and they earned back some points, as far as I'm concerned.

All up, including the tear-down, reassembly, head rebuild, all new gaskets (head, intake, exhaust, etc.. and new fluids and filter, as well as them taking 2+ hours this morning to take it out, test drive it, run some final diags, etc.. the total bill came to $1464.12 (incl. tax).

I also found out that the machine shop took all the valves out of the head, examined and machined anything that needed it, while they had it.

I've only driven the car about 5 miles since I got it back, but it runs just fine

All-in-all, I must say I'm okay with the amount paid.

 

[SirTanon]

Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Originally Posted By: SirTanon
You've never seen my Fusion then. It's in better shape than tons of cars with half its mileage. I will admit, however, that it's definitely far from the norm in terms of cars with a quarter-million miles.


Your Fusion needed $1500 worth of engine work done to it. And at first the shop recommended putting a new(used) engine in it which most people would have done. So you got lucky on that part.



Originally Posted By: SirTanon
Well, I just got back from picking up the car from the dealership. Once they got their act together, things went pretty well, and they earned back some points, as far as I'm concerned.

All up, including the tear-down, reassembly, head rebuild, all new gaskets (head, intake, exhaust, etc.. and new fluids and filter, as well as them taking 2+ hours this morning to take it out, test drive it, run some final diags, etc.. the total bill came to $1464.12 (incl. tax).

I also found out that the machine shop took all the valves out of the head, examined and machined anything that needed it, while they had it.

I've only driven the car about 5 miles since I got it back, but it runs just fine

All-in-all, I must say I'm okay with the amount paid.


I knew someone would bring this up. I think $1500 worth of work over 4 years is pretty cheap. In addition, the car was still 100% driveable and even got decent fuel economy without getting the work done, but I'm the kind of guy that doesn't like to let things go that need to be fixed. I'd have done it myself, too, except I work, so it would have taken too long. Also, I'm not sure I'd say I "got lucky." I just knew what I was talking about, did my homework, and had the necessary documentation to stand on.

Heck, I've seen car noobs spend $1500 on unnecessary service that a scammy service dept. talked them into on a less-than 3-year-old car. "You need an engine flush, a trans flush, a fuel system flush, etc.." If they turn that down, I wouldn't call them lucky, I'd call them smart.

Having said that, I think my point stands. The original comment was "I have yet to see any 175k vehicle (regardless of brand) that did not require a significant amount of work to bring it back to good condition." At 178k miles, the car needed a new belt tensioner.. all of $45 plus 90 minutes, and then pretty much nothing until 215,000 miles. Even when it did need the valve work done, it was already in 'good' condition, and just needed the valve work done to bring it back into 'excellent' condition. At this point (252,000 miles), it's STILL in excellent condition, gets ~30mpg, and needs nothing, and the head/valves are likely good for another 200k+ miles.

 

[Kurtatron]

Originally Posted By: exranger06
Originally Posted By: Kurtatron
I don’t know how you guys do it. I have a 200k Solara that I absolutely hate. It vibrates on the freeway, the gears grind, and the exhaust leaks. I only keep it because I am broke. If I had money, I would upgrade gladly. I want a low miles car. Maybe around 80k miles or so. I so hate having no money.

If you had gotten all of those issues fixed as they popped up, your car would still be working perfectly and you wouldn't hate it so much. My Accord is 26 years old and has 198k miles and it still runs and drives great. If something breaks, I fix it as soon as I can. As a result, I still enjoy driving it very much. I have zero desire to trade it for a newer car and I will gladly keep driving it for another 20 years.


I suppose it was partially my fault. I bought it 2 years ago for $1700. I have put lots of money into it, $3000. So it’s not like I have ignored issues. But I have had 3 different mechanics look it over for vibrations, and none of figured it out. one said tie rods, another said wheel balance, another said worn out shocks. I did all those repairs, and it has not solved the problem. I have had to replace the axle, engine mount, tuneup, and exhaust flex joint. The car has needed so much work. You take a gamble when you buy a used car at 175k plus. I chose this one because it did have good service records, engine had 3000 mile oil changes; but I think the previous owners probably flogged the thing. I would like the car too if it didn’t have the aforementioned problems, but I don’t want to sink anymore money into it.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Usually it is a budget related reason.

I think 75k-175k is the "sweet spot" for owning a modern vehicle. You will have some minor to moderate repairs, but the operating costs should be manageable as long as you choose a reasonably reliable model to start with. Someone else would have eaten most of the depreciation as well.

175k+ is sketchy territory for any brand; I have yet to see any 175k vehicle (regardless of brand) that did not require a significant amount of work to bring it back to good condition. Most of the examples that I have seen have a lot of deferred maintenance (e.g. oil seeps/leaks, suspension wear, etc.).


I've driven a few cars through 200K and budget had nothing to do with it.
For the average owner who takes their car to a shop for every little thing, you're probably right.
For those with a little knowledge and a little skill, the parts needed to keep an aging car in good running and driving condition are cheap and widely available while specialized knowledge is readily available for free.
The typical decent car can reach 200K running and driving well without any huge expense.

 

[eljefino]

How do you know that new car's gonna be good? Direct Injection, turbos on small displacements, etc. Some will be great, some will be lemons, and some will walk the line but be unloved and cheap as a result. I like this category. You find out which is which after they all get driven... a lot.

But then when you buy a used car, you wonder, why is the seller selling this? By the time a car's $500, that reason will stare you right in the face.

A total [censored] box is the most honest car for sale out there.

 

[NGRhodes]

Originally Posted By: ZZman
Many people want low mileage vehicles and many are willing to take the gamble on high mileage cars (100,000 +).
If you gamble why do you do it?
Nicer vehicle for the money?
Hate car payments?
I fix my own vehicles?
Vehicles are more reliable today?
Etc....


IMHO the gamble is not milage, but not knowing the history of the car and not knowing about model specific problems that occur [with age/milage], inadequate inspection of the vehicle, no warranty/comeback.
Would you buy a new car with no paperwork, no warranty, cash only sale ?

 

[wander2039]

Depends on the price, condition and make/model. But I can do the work and that's the key. Having to use shops for everything will be $$$. Dropped $60 on the rusted out 256k Festiva couple weeks ago for new control arms and bushings and now it rides/drives good enough to rack some miles on it, if the rust doesn't advance I bet I could get another 5 years out of it. Taking it to a shop wouldn't of been worth it. I really don't like most new vehicles so I'm willing to sacrifice some of my time to keep the old cars running.