SHOULD YOU CONSIDER 'MILEAGE' WHEN BUYING A USED CAR? HERE'S WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING...

In the course of doing this job, about 80% of prospective customers are looking for used car with 'low mileage' (imagine someone looking for a 2003 car with 70,000 mileage!) but I often 'preach' to them to ascertain and go with the overall condition of the individual car instead of searching around town for a low-mileage vehicle. But fact is most people believe the higher the mileage, the weaker the engine. Is this true or not? Let's take a look at what people are saying:

* "Mileage matters because some vehicle components wear out at a given mileage no matter how well the vehicle has been looked after. In a general sense, the greater the mileage then the greater the wear. This goes across the board - the interior, the exterior and the mechanicals. Cars are getting more reliable and some taxis extract really high mileage out of their cars but a high mileage car is a tired car. The way a car is driven is probably more important than mileage but that is much harder to gauge and much harder to predict outcomes. There are some indicators that may give you an insight into the condition of the car and the way it was driven. Paintwork - chips and fading, underbody - dirt, oil and rust, engine bay - cleanliness, oil, rust, leaks and streaks, tyres - wear patterns, exhaust - colour, interior - driver seat condition, brake pedal rubber wear. A good car should start easy in the cold and sound right as well as feeling right."

 

* "The short answer is; mileage does affect the “book” purchase and selling values, however I have seen many vehicles, that were maintained well, with over 200K miles and still in very good condition. Conversely I have seen cars with under 90K that were VERY POORLY maintained and nearly worthless. In modest priced cars, being purchased for transportation, BUY THE CONDITION OF THE VEHICLE first, and be concerned about the mileage second."

 

* "Mileage matters, but not nearly as much as maintenance records. I have driven a couple cars with over 300,000 miles on them, and they ran fantastic. My current daily driver is a beat up BMW 735 with almost 250,000 miles on it, and it runs like it’s brand new. These cars have been very well maintained by enthusiasts though, not like the typical 150,000 Honda that’s had 8-10 oil changes in its lifetime."

 

* "It all depends on the car make and how well it was taken car of. You first need to distinguish if a car was highway driven versus stop and go city driving. You can easily tell a highway driven car just by inspecting the front of the car for any road rash, especially around the radiator. On a city driven car, you would see a lot of wear on the brake pedal with the rubber coming off. I would stay away from high mileage stop and go cars as they take the most abuse to wear and tear on the brakes, transmission and engine. High mileage highway driven cars have less wear and tear that are much better condition as they are driven at their optimal performance without the abusive stop and go."

 

* "High mileage with service records and maintenance done regularly is OK, without records it is a ticking time bomb. If the motor and/or transmission have not been overhauled then one or both will soon require one. That is guaranteed especially at mileages exceeding 250,000 miles. Lastly, durability depends on the reputation of the particular motor/transmission in the car being considered. A 2002 Lincoln Town Car with 160,000 miles with service done is like buying a car with 45000 miles. On the other hand, a Chrysler PT Cruiser with 80,000 miles and no service records is a guaranteed money pit within a few weeks of buying it."

 

excerpts: quora.com