What does "highway miles" have anything to do with the value of a car?

Question

I keep seeing that in the newspaper. Miles are miles arent they? I drive 25 miles down the highway down the road to my job every day. What does that have to do with anything?

Answer 1

When you drive longer periods of time without stopping, you get better gas mileage and it's less wear and tear on the car.

Answer 2

Highway miles are miles the car has spent simply driving on a highway. The difference between town miles and highway miles is that highway miles are easier on a car and cause it to put less stress on the engine. In town miles the stopping and going causes the engine to work harder.

A car that has spent more time on the highway versus a car that has spent more time stopping and going will be far better off even though they have the same mileage.

Answer 3

Well if you will pardon me, I work on cars a lot in my spare time, and I also read car ads a great deal in my spare time and your question brings all sorts of things to mind, some of which just outright amuse me, and I have thought to herein share. But in fairness, first I will answer your question.

There are all sorts of reasons highway miles are better on a car than those accumulated in stop and go driving. Among them, short trips in which the engine does not get to operating temperature produce inefficient combustion and tends to contaminate oil so the engine wears out more quickly. Then too, is stop and go driving you use the starter motor more, the transmission shifts more often, the brakes operate more often and so all sorts of components wear out more quickly.

Still, as I say, I read a good many classified ads for cars, and I like to look for bargains, so I see all sorts of come-ons, and I have the following observations about them.

Highway Mileage--Well I always love that one. What it usually means is that you can leave out the "way" part. The seller is trying to explain to you why, even though the car has 300,000 miles on it, they were "easy" miles. When you go see that one don't be surprised if part of the paint scheme looks like the car may have been used as a taxi cab or a police car.

Cream Puff--This is a term almost exclusively used by shady used car dealers, not regular car owners selling their cars. If you want to test this, call the guy and when he answers (on his cell phone of course) tell him you are interested in the car he is advertising. If he pauses, and then has to ask you which one, well, my point will be made.

Priced to Sell, Won't last Long--Call me superstitious, but I take this as a warning from God. If the seller has warned you in advance, however obliquely, that the car "won't last long" take him at his word.

Answer 4

You are right- when it comes to trading in your car, miles are miles, and it's value will be adjusted accordingly. If you're going to buy a car, that's a different scenario altogether. If you're sure that the mileage on the car, albeit high, ARE highway miles, you can still bargain for a good deal, but know that the power train has not suffered as much if those miles were put on the vehicle in city traffic. Constant running at highway speeds does not hurt or wear on a power train as much as stop and go traffic.

Answer 5

I believe the idea is that a car does more stopping and starting when driving in traffic.

This results in wear and tear on the brakes and suspension, and doors are opened and closed more as you stop at the shops etc. Also city trips are shorter, so you use the starter more often. The engine doesn't really get properly warm, so junk accumulates in the exhaust system.

When you drive on a highway the brakes don't need to work often, and generally the car takes less stresses (even though it is usually going faster). Also the engine runs at optimal temperature for more of the time!

So 100miles in town ages a car faster than 100miles of open road.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

When an advertisment says that a car gets X highway miles, it means that it gets X miles per gallon of gasoline, but only on a flat, open, streth of land. Driving through the city, in a stop-and-go sort of way, makes cars get many fewer miles per gallon.

So if an ad says that a car gets 25 highway miles per gallon, it will likely get only about 15 in the city.

Answer 7

Highway miles are easier on the engine since it's running at a constant, low RPM. While in the city, you keep having to stop and go , revving the engine high, making it work harder and wearing it out faster.

Answer 8

Highway driving is different than city driving. The long, open stretches of highway at higher speeds put different kinds of wear and tear on a car than the stop-and-go and potholes of city driving.

Answer 9

properly, with any success your corporation makes use of between the computerized databases alongside with ADP or CCC to position a cost on the motor vehicle. The "e book expenditures" you will get off the web provide you a ballpark figure at proper. the corporation will owe you actual funds value (ACV) depending on the issue and value of the truck purely beforehand the coincidence. a real and precise ACV is in accordance with actual "promoting expenditures" of similar automobiles no longer the "asking value". ADP or CCC will provide a printout showing similar Durangos that were bought on your section. once you communicate which includes your declare adjuster make certain you ask in the experience that they use ADP or CCC. both are approved by all states for evaulating the price of totaled automobiles. no remember how the corporation figures the ACV ask them for copies of the documentation to illustrate the position they were given their figures.

Answer 10

HWY miles are easier on the transmission, engine, brakes, and even the suspension. Starting and stopping a lot (city driving)wears everything out quicker.