How Many Miles Is Too Much for a Used Car?
MILEAGE IS A NUMBER OF MILES TRAVELED.
The biggest advantage of buying a used car is that it could save you money. That's right, new cars can be very expensive. Pre-owned vehicles or used cars are considered a better bargain than new ones as it has a lower price tag. Buying a used car can save you as much as 10% to 60% of a vehicle's original price depending on the make, model, year, etc. After three years of ownership, a new car can lose about 58% of its initial value, commonly referred to as car depreciation. Meanwhile, a used car has less depreciation value and may be resold in the next few years for nearly the same amount of price you had purchased for it. You may even sell it at a higher price worth if your car has been fixed, customized, and upgraded with newly added features. Moreover, you can be assured that a used car acquired from a car dealership had been thoroughly inspected and certified before putting it up for sale. Used cars may usually cost less to insure, since the vehicle may worth less than a new car.
The Car Mileage and Vehicle Life
One of the important factors to keep in mind though when buying a used car is its mileage. As defined by Wikipedia, mileage is a distance traveled in miles typically measured by an odometer. Mileage is one good indicator of a car's value, condition, and reliability. The low mileage and high mileage can directly affect the buying and selling value of a used car. Presumably, a vehicle that has covered more miles has more wear and tear, but that may not always hold true as low mileage cars can have just as much wear and tear, or even more.
The average car in the United States is around 12 years old and its industry average miles driven per year ranges from 10,000 to 15,000 miles. Let’s say we use 12,000 miles per year as a standard point for determining the value of a prospective used car. Under such normal circumstances, we can estimate that the average ten-year-old car should have around 120,000 miles on the odometer. If it has a lot more or a lot less, then you might want to probe on the possible car problems encountered and do further investigations. Learn more on How to Avoid Odometer Fraud by WikiHow.
Most car buyers would shy away from a used car with a well over 100,000-mile mark because this can symbolize a blinking caution that the car has reached its golden years. However, thanks to modern technology, the previous 100,000-mile rule of a vehicle life has now been extended to 200,000 miles and more. Manufacturers are using more advanced, state-of-the-art car components and more enhanced & powerful fluids that ensure a car can last longer. If a five-year-old used car has a mileage of 60,000 miles, then we can assume that it would have a lifespan of 11 more years, provided that the car is regularly used and well-maintained. Learn more about buying a used car from the car buyer expert, Enrique.
Overall Car Condition and Maintenance Records
Besides the mileage, make sure to check on the overall car condition and maintenance records before jumping to buy a used car. A simple visual inspection of the interior and exterior of a vehicle can give you an idea of how the car was managed by its previous owner. You may walk around the car to closely examine its appearance while testing and inspecting it from all angles. You may look for signs of repainting, check for rust and corrosion, inspect all the tires and wheels, scan the windshield and dashboard, check all the lights and gauges, look over the seats, and test the air conditioner, radio, door locks, horn, etc.
A badly kept interior and exterior of a vehicle can be the result of mishandling or that the previous owner had not even bothered to care for the car. On the other hand, regularly keeping the car in good shape can display a well-maintained interior and exterior of a vehicle. Car owners, who are dedicated to sustaining the vehicle in good condition, are most likely to keep more thorough maintenance records of its repair service history. You might consider a used car with complete documentation to be a preferable buy than a used car with incomplete service records.
Another best practice would be to research and to stay on track of all the maintenance records of your chosen car. You need to observe and be more knowledgeable on the service intervals to discover what typically needs to be carried out at certain mileage levels. This would help you adhere more to the car's follow-up check-ups and suggested maintenance schedule. Finally, go for a test drive. Turn the key on and listen. Decide driving on freeways, city streets, rural roads, parking lots, etc. or plan a route similar to your daily driving experience to get the feels. You can check the controls, transmission, brakes, smoke, and everything else if they are running smoothly.
How Many Miles Are Too Many for a Used Car?
At first glance, it may seem sensible to assume that a low mileage vehicle is more superior and is eventually more advantageous to purchase. Supposing that you are eyeing on two cars having the same price. The first was an 80,000-mile car with five owners having patchy service records, while the second was a 100,000-mile car with a single owner who meticulously keeps all the maintenance reports and receipts, which do you think is the better buy? Or perhaps you have two cars with the same make, model, and year. One car has a 120,000-mile that runs very well and another is a 70,000-mile car that's no longer fit on the road. From the two scenarios above, it is understandable to say that those higher mileage cars - the one with complete service records and the one that runs very well - are the better options to consider.
A single owner of a ten-year-old car but with just 50,000 miles on the odometer may likely be due to infrequent drives with the vehicle usually garaged, carefully cleaned, and maintained in the likes on a display. Despite its low mileage, the parts of the car that do not get used regularly may become brittle and break more easily. The car may also put up with a weakening of engine and battery especially when not in use. More problems can arise if the low-mileage car has not had proper regular maintenance. In contrast, a high mileage vehicle of 150,000 that is well-maintained and is driven frequently will have more endurance.
Another thing to take note of is the kind of miles you put into your vehicle. A traveler driving a 120,000-mile vehicle mostly on highways might be in a finer shape overall than a one-time rental car with an 80,000-mile which was likely driven hard around the city. Highway mileage and city mileage can affect the vehicle’s condition differently over time. Unlike the higher standard of highways and freeways, the city roads are generally not a smooth surface to drive on with the constant threat of potholes and other road hazards. Even though city miles are driven at a slower speed, the constant starting and stopping of the vehicle can mean using more fuel and can be hard on the brakes. Conversely, the vehicle breezing through the highways at a constant speed is an easier take on the engine.
In hindsight, whether a car is 50,000-mile, 200,000-mile, even 300,000-mile or the sky’s the limit, you should remember that mileage is just a number. The car mileage alone should not be the basis when assessing a used car. You have to dig deeper into the history of the vehicle, the previous owner/s, the places it has been, the manner it was driven, the kind of miles put in the vehicle, and how well it has been maintained throughout the years. The entire picture should be taken into consideration before selecting a used car. Regular maintenance is still the key secret towards keeping a vehicle healthy and in great shape and it can, in turn, preserve the value, reliability, and durability of a used car.
TRIVIA: Did you know that the world’s highest car mileage ever recorded is 3.04 million miles?
Come and meet the 15 Cars With The Highest Mileage Ever Recorded.
1966 Volvo 1800s
"I bought this car, and I was so pleased that the car always took me to work every day, took me home every day, never gave me any grief, never gave me any problems, never needed any repairs. So, I expect that I'll still be driving the car until there's nothing left of me — the car'll still be around. The car's in better shape than I am."
- Irvin Gordon
Hello there! :) Thank you for stopping by our page. We hope this blog post has enlightened you somehow. You must be looking at a used car right now and wondering if its mileage is worth a good buy. Or maybe you have a car to sell, but you are not sure if the mileage is enticing enough for a prospective car buyer? Well, you don't need to go far, we may be able to help you!
Whether you need advice from an expert car buyer or you want to sell your car quickly - just look for Enrique and he'll be glad to whisk all your worries away!
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