Used car purchasing: repairs vs mileage

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When I bought my used vehicle, I got it near 200k miles and with faded paint. The price was $2700. Years later I saw the same vehicle with 70k miles and with clean paint. But the price was $8000. Fast forward, I sank $3500 into the 200k vehicle I purchased due prior owner negligence. That 3.5k bought a low miles engine that has been running fine for nearly 2 years now. Other tidbits were replaced also, like engine mounts, water pump, etc.

What do you guys think is a better option? From 2 perspectives, financial and preference. Is it better to take a cheaper worn out car and use the extra money to budget repairs or spend the extra on a lower mile example? Financially, what's better? Finances aside, which would you take?
 
There is more to it than lower miles. I would rather have a 200k car with maintenance records vs a 70k car with sludge in the engine.

With that said. My highschool years were spent buying a car with a bad engine or trans and replacing the bad part with a used one and driving that car into the ground.
 
I bought my 2008 F150, 8 years old with 103,000 miles

It is now 10 years old with 176,000 miles

My ONLY repair: one alternator

I think 100,000 - 200,000 is the "sweet range" to buy a used vehicle (*IF* it is clean)

I paid $8,250 and it's still worth about $6,500 today.

That's 73,000 miles of use for less than $1,800 - - it is pretty hard to beat those economics
 
The most reliable and enjoyable 3 cars I've owned so far have been one owner (senior), low mileage (less than 40,000 miles), 8 to 12 years old, garage kept, and well cared for. The service records came with 2 out of 3 of them. I paid a 'premium for the year' price for them, but only about 20% or so of their original cost when new. They have all been very reliable.
Downside is that if the car is totalled, insurance doesn't care that the car was 'mint', and will just want to pay what a typical car of that year is worth (not much).
It can take quite a while (months) of scanning ads for the car you want, but the search can be kind of fun.
And of course you'll literally be driving a seniors car, which will have long since gone out of style. But I don't care, and take pride in having an older car in nice shape.
 
Originally Posted by Chris142
There is more to it than lower miles. I would rather have a 200k car with maintenance records vs a 70k car with sludge in the engine.


This, definitely. A well-maintained, high-mileage car, especially with records, and a seller who can tell you all about it, is absolutely a great choice. My Fusion may have 265,000 miles, but it looks great, and if I were to sell it today, whoever were to buy it would be getting a great car with plenty of longevity.

On the other side of the coin, I used to have an '89 Hyundai Excel years ago that was just a mess with only about 130,000 miles.
 
Clean high mileage and well maintained is the ticket to saving the money. The most important factor is buy the correct dependable brand of vehicle to start with. A Toyota Corolla or a Honda Civic is going to be a way better risk than buying a vehicle that is prone to problems. I am not going to name any brands but there are a lot of them out there that are shakier than a Shakey's Pizza. LOL.
 
I think it's the luck of the draw. A vehicle with great records could have everything worn out on it all the same. And a vehicle with no records and lots of wear might refuse to quit.

I'm not sure how many examples you'd have to measure to get past anecdotal evidence--10? 100? Otherwise we're all just talking about our one or two examples and then trying to make rules out of them.

My last used car came with a couple of receipts for oil changes, tires and other bits. Not a complete stack. It motors on and doesn't care.

I also think there is a bit of luck involved in keeping said car from getting wrecked due to someone else's driving.

Anyhow. As a general rule of thumb, I'd rather save the money and go more worn, if only because things can fail at random--I'd hate to spend all my budget to get a great vehicle then have the trans drop out. But that's just a rule of thumb--I might elect to spend as much as possible up front, depending upon the exact case. It does work for some people, after all (Murphy's law isn't exact, sometimes you can actually get ahead--for a bit). But I'm not saying I'd buy a $100 vehicle and then drop engine, trans, etc only because I have a huge budget. I think I'd rather do my shopping on the basis of cost of potential repairs. Is the trans expensive or cheap to repair? Are junkyard motors common? Is there are a part which is NLA?
 
Originally Posted by carviewsonic
The most reliable and enjoyable 3 cars I've owned so far have been one owner (senior), low mileage (less than 40,000 miles), 8 to 12 years old, garage kept, and well cared for. The service records came with 2 out of 3 of them. I paid a 'premium for the year' price for them, but only about 20% or so of their original cost when new. They have all been very reliable.
Downside is that if the car is totalled, insurance doesn't care that the car was 'mint', and will just want to pay what a typical car of that year is worth (not much).
It can take quite a while (months) of scanning ads for the car you want, but the search can be kind of fun.
And of course you'll literally be driving a seniors car, which will have long since gone out of style. But I don't care, and take pride in having an older car in nice shape.
Sounds like my MGM! I'm not as young as I used to be (54), but I don't care if people think it is a grandpa car or not, plus it will likely last until I am a grandpa!
 
check out Dave Ramsey talks on buying used cars on youtube,,,he has some good points,,,may tick you off though...
 
My sister has a Lincoln Town Car with less than 10k miles on it. She had the dealer she bought it from service it 2 times each year until these last 2 years. It has been garaged its entire life. It drives and rides like a dream as you would expect. Wife wants to buy it from her and use it as her car. Only thing I know wrong with it is that it has a broken mirror on the passenger side that she snagged on something. Even my lawyer wants to buy it. It is 2005 model and has the leather interior that is like new also. Sister had her license jerked by state of Illinois so now it sees no miles unless I take her for groceries in it. These kind of cars in this condition are getting very hard to find in an age where every car has high mileage. I know my own truck now has 205K and runs like new.
 
IMO the environment means just as much as maintenance, etc. I plan on buying a high(er) mileage SUV from the south. Like Oklahoma or Texas. I wouldn't buy that same vehicle if it resided here in NH. Too much time in the salt. Majority around here wont pass inspection for rust issues over 200k. Too hard to work on.
 
June of 2017 we purchased a 2006 Buick Lacrosse 3.8l with ~ 37,000 miles . Gave $ 6250 out the door . I would say it was / is in about 90 - 955 condition .

Tires 50% or better , brakes seem good . I replaced the infamous 3.8l plastic coolant elbows , tstat , heater & radiator hoses + added a gallon of 100% coolant . Dealer changed the oil before we took delivery . I vacuumed 4 quarts of Dexron 6 from the tranny & replaced with new synthetic .

Used a turkey basted on the brake and PS fluid .

So far , have not put enough miles on it for 2nd oil change ( 3000 mile OCI ) . We have been very pleased with it . Largely use it for a road car .

Gets 26 - 27 MPG or better on the road .

A/C & heater work .

We have been quite happy with it .
 
I have bought a few higher mileage vehicles (125k, 175k, 195k)... all have been great for me. If I had needed to replace the engine on any of them, I would not have felt like it was a good deal.

Generally, you get what you pay for... make sure what you are paying for is what is important to you... (comfort, style, status, peace of mind, performance, etc)
 
I know that it is a bigger risk when buying a higher miles car, in terms of break downs. Considering equal maintenance regiments, I think it's usually better to get the cheaper car even with larger risk of headache, at least from a financial point. I have heard that saying that it is usually cheaper to fix than replace. Does that apply to buying older used vehicles also? Better to get a $2000 Camry with 200k miles than a $5000 Camry with 100k miles?
 
Originally Posted by CourierDriver
check out Dave Ramsey talks on buying used cars on youtube,,,he has some good points,,,may tick you off though...


What does he budget for cars? 20% of annual salary cash only?
 
Ditto on all the high mileage, but maintained cars. The average car payment in the US is now over $500 a month. With my "old and high mileage" vehicles, I don't spend near that much in an entire year on maintenance and the odd replaced part on each. Buying a decent used car is way better financially, IMO and experience.
 
A lot of that depends on if you can DIY the repairs . Makes a BIG financial difference . And try to buy parts at a reasonable price . ( I shop RockAuto.com & Advance Auto with the speed perks discount , and have the majority of the tooling )

Another consideration is your age and physical condition . I an rapidly reaching the point on both , where my DIY'ing will diminish .

We have purchased the last 3 cars by internet shopping . For example , a lower cost , older car with moderate miles ;

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...ampleListingsTitleLink#listing=225445421

Of course , when I was growing up , an American car was burning oil , enough to consider trading / replacing / overhauling by 100,000 miles . 160,000 is the most I have ever had on a car . Trany went out on a 1996 Chevy Lumina 4 door sedan . Car was not worth the repair . Ended up selling it for $ 300 . Motor was still OK . Never added a quart of oil to it .
 
If buying a used car more than 2 years old I think garage kept is a good idea if you car about appearance . So much rubber and plastic everywhere these days , plastic headlights , taillights etc. Myself I would never buy a car with over 20k .Why you ask , I do not agree with 10k OCI , and never will .
 
Another option is Hertz used cars. I have helped several friends get cars there, and all were good deals.
2017 Rogue, 2015 Altima, 2015 Sentra, 2016 Yaris (dinky car but drove well).

If you wanna go cheaper, I tend to look for Accords, as they seem to hold up well.

For higher end cars, of course you wanna be extra careful.
Earlier this year I bought a Lexus CPO (certified) 2013 GS350 F Sport for $22,300.
I wanted the CPO because these cars are loaded with electronic technology. If something goes, it is big bucks.
The CPO cars come with extended warranty.
 
Originally Posted by Kurtatron
When I bought my used vehicle, I got it near 200k miles and with faded paint. The price was $2700. Years later I saw the same vehicle with 70k miles and with clean paint. But the price was $8000. Fast forward, I sank $3500 into the 200k vehicle I purchased due prior owner negligence. That 3.5k bought a low miles engine that has been running fine for nearly 2 years now. Other tidbits were replaced also, like engine mounts, water pump, etc.

What do you guys think is a better option? From 2 perspectives, financial and preference. Is it better to take a cheaper worn out car and use the extra money to budget repairs or spend the extra on a lower mile example? Financially, what's better? Finances aside, which would you take?
It depends, but if you do the work yourself then it is a no brainer, that is how you save money on cars. Buying something that is clapped out and on it's original suspension and timing belt at 150k miles is different than a newer car that the owner is trying to unload before it's next big service interval.

I guess it really depends on how much time or mileage you can get out of it versus how much you pay. If you are desperate and you think the car will pass emission/safety inspection easily even though it is in bad condition due to neglected maintenance, why not?

I wouldn't buy a $2700 car and pay a shop $3500 for repairs, that's a little ridiculous. Penny wise, pound foolish.
 
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