what should i look for in buying a car and what is Mileage?

Question

i'm planning on buying a car. what are things i should look for? i hear people say to look at milage, what is that? does that have to do with the engines? thanks!

i'm buying the mustang convertable or 2004 mitsubishi spyder in car max. how much is an average mileage in a car. how would i know if it's been runned a lot. thanks!

Answer 1

o my, the mileage is the amount of miles the car has gone ( usually indicated on the dashboard of the car) the more miles the car has gone, the more "wear and tear" has been done on it. usually a car with more miles is less then the same car with a little miles on it. ( but it also depends if there are any new parts within the car). You should def bring someone with you that has some mechanic background to make sure the car looks ok " under the hood"

Answer 2

Mileage refers to two things. How many miles that are on the odometer, (that little dial on the bottom of the speedometer.) The higher the number, the more problems you might have, depending on how the vehicle was maintained by the previous owner/owners. Mileage also refers to how many miles the car can go on a gallon of gas. The higher the mileage rating, the less fuel it takes, so the more economical the car is to drive.
Try looking through car sales magazines. You might get a good idea of how much car you can afford that way. Also try going to car dealers after they close. That way you won't have some high pressure car salesman trying to sell you something you can't afford to pay for, or can't afford to drive. Bring your Dad or another adult who has experience buying a car along with you. Don't ger suckered into buying something right now because the salesman told you it is a great deal. Remember, those people only want to get you to buy the most expensive car they can get you to buy. The larger the price, the bigger their commission check will be.
As a general rule, the smaller the car, the more economical it is to operate. However, you might want to look at other things before you buy. How comfortable it is to sit in and drive. The visibility you have while driving it. How it looks, and the shape of the body and interior. Is it a fixer upper? Can you afford to put money into it? If you find something that looks good, take it for a test drive. You might take it to your mechanic to see if the engine is in good shape if it's an older car and won't need work. If the car dealer objects, and wants his mechanic to show you, hand him the keys and tell him "no thanks." Also call your insurance company to find out how much it will cost to insure it. Ask around and find out if there are any dealers NOT to go to. Everyone will recommend someone to see if they were treated well. What you need to know is who, in your area, is a ripoff. Ask at the local auto parts stores and mechanics shops. Remember to never name names when talking to a dealer about their reputation. Just say, "I've been told by several sources," and leave it at that. You don't want someone who confided in you left open to a law suit.

Answer 3

The odometer (in the speedometer) shows how many miles a car has been driven in its life (provided nobody turned it back, which is illegal). A late model car that is lower priced because of high mileage isn't necessarily a bad deal because, say, a two year old car with the mileage that a three-year-old would normally have would mean the car has a two-year-old body with a three-year-engine, suspension, etc. They used to say 12,000 miles for every year a car has existed was average. Now, I think, they say 15,000 (but check that).

A car with, say, up to 60,000 miles on it usually (USUALLY) doesn't have a whole lot of problems. At around 60,000 they may start to need some suspension and other repairs. Many cars do quite well with as much as 150,000 miles on them or more; but that's high mileage and getting a car with that much on it is taking a chance. Depending on how well its been maintained or repaired, you can get a car with a load of miles on it that requires little - or not.

Don't know if you're looking for used (I assume since you asked about mileage you are), but the frame, engine, transmission and suspension systems are the most important things that you don't want on the way out when you get the car. You also don't want rust that could affect any safety or emissions inspection stickers. Just a few ideas.

Answer 4

Just based on yoru question you seem fairly clueless about buying a car. No disrespect just being honest. The reason I say so is you are going to be a big fat target for dishonest car sales men. My first suggestion is decide what car you want prior to going to the dealer. Go to Kelly blue book and look up the car pricing and average mileage for the age of the car. Mileage is basically how far the car has been driven. Generally visiable below the odometer on your heads up display. The more miles the less valuable and less dependable the car is. Also keep in mind the upkeep of the car by previous owners also wears in. If it's an used car get a car fax report, and make sure it's manufacturer certified.

in the case of a new car none of the above apply given the car is well new.

If it's new you wont care about the mileage because it shouldnt' have any.

Answer 5

I am in the car business. I can help. First you need to decide what's important to you. Do you want a coupe (two door) or a four door (sedan)? Sporty or practical? What type of options do you want? CD player (which is standard in just about every vehicle now days) sunroof? chrome wheels? leather seats? Automatic or manual transmission? What are you looking to spend? Do you want new or used? Are you concerned about gas mileage? Are you concerned about safety features?That's what you need to find out first. Your options are almost infinate. You asked about mileage. Are you talking about gas mileage or the miles on the vehicle? I don't mean to confuse you. Gas mileage is how many miles per gallon your car uses. If you have a 15 gallon gas tank and get 25 miles per gallon you can go 375 miles on one tank of gas. Anything over 25 mpg (miles per gallon) is concidered an economy car. Some vehicles can get up to 70 mpg. If gas mileage is a concern you would want to look for something with a 4 cylinder engine, or a hybrid vehicle. Miles on the vehicle is how far it has been driven and how much wear is on the engine. If you see and advertisement for a vehicle stating the vehicle has 20,000 miles (or 20k miles) that is how much the vehicle has been used. Once you decide on the vehicle you want, check out websites like autotrader.com; cars.com; carsoup.com. On these sites you can build the vehicle you are looking for. One suggestion, if you decide you want to buy a pre-owned or used vehicle by it from it's originating company. i.e. if you want a used Pontiac G6 go to a Pontiac dealership. Toyota buy it from a Toyota dealership. When you do this, if the dealership is large enough, they will have a certification program on the used vehicle. When a vehicle is certified it has to pass a significant amount of tests and must meet certain criteria. Also, if a vehicle is certified it must have a clean title-meaning it was not a salvage vehicle, does not have flood or water damage, the odometer must work among other things. Any certified vehicle will come with some type of vehicle history report. Ask to see it. You will also get an extension of the factory warranty with this certification. If you buy a vehicle that has an expired factory warranty, I would suggest purchasing an extended warranty. Every larger dealership should offer you one at the time of purchase. If they don't ASK THEM. A major thing if you buy from a private party (any place but a dealership) you are taking a risk. Most private parties are smart enough to disclose the vehicle you are puchasing as "as is." This means that if there is something wrong with the vehicle, it's going to be your problem. If you do buy from a private party, do your own vehicle history report on it. It costs some $$$ (maybe $10) but it could save you big time in the future. Carfax.com and Autocheck.com are VERY reliable sources. One thing you need to do is be comfortable with a sales person if you go to a dealership. If you don't like them or if you think they are full of crap, they probably are. I hope this helps you out. Any other questions just let me know. I am a finance manager at a dealership and I used to sell cars 3 years prior to that. Not to mention my family owns a dealership. I am a credible source.

Answer 6

When considering a vehicle purchase it is important that you meet your needs and that you not get caught up with bells and whistles or sales pitches. I recommend making a list of things that you want, in terms of features (eg. blue paint, sunroof, automatic transmission or whatever) and that you also take the time to note things that you do not want your vehicle to have (eg. four doors, older than 3 years old, etc...). Now for mileage - fuel mileage is a measure of how many miles a vehicle can drive on a specified volume of fuel. One of the more important things to consider when buying a car or truck, is the fuel mileage that the vehicle gets. The better the mileage, the less it will cost you to drive. For new cars this number is listed on the window sticker. For older models you may need to call a dealer or visit a website that posts this information, like Consumer Reports, or Lemon-Aid, or such. KEEP IN MIND that the figure you see will not guarantee that you will get that mileage, rather it is the measure of fuel consumption that the sample vehicle of that model was able to acheive when tested by the EPA. There are a number of factors that affect mileage,: from engine size, tires and tire pressure (the most common causes of poor fuel economy) to rain and wind, to how fast you drive, to name only some. The best comparison that you can make is to compare one new vehicles rating to that of another new vehicle. The sample vehicles for all models of cars and trucks are tested on the same course under the same conditions. I would also recommend that telephone your insurance company to find out what the isurance will cost before you buy - different types of vehicles have different risk ratings. Make sure that you know what you are buying before you spend your money - you'll probably be driving your vehicle for a considerable amount of time.

Answer 7

mileage is a way to express how old car is. the higher the mileage the wear and tear that has gone through. an average driver makes about 12,000 to 15,000 miles per year that does not mean it is bad to have a have a high mileage car. if the owner takes care of it that expect there car to live with higher mileage. ihve friend that had a honda accord that lived up to 200,000 before it had a minor problem the car though however it died out after the odometer turned 350,000 miles.

Answer 8

its always good to take it for a test drive and maybe stop by a mechanic to have them check it out for you. basically i would look at the condition of the car (dents, rust, faded paint) and the interior. When people talk about mileage, they are talking about how many miles are on the car. The odometer in the dashboard will tell you this. take the mileage reading and divide it by how old the car is. average mileage for a car is around 12,000 miles a year.

Answer 9

the vehicle is 7 years old with 2 hundred,000 miles on it? it is almost 28,000 miles a year or 550 miles per week. It could were a fleet vehicle, salesman's vehicle or taxi cab or had to force a lengthy, lengthy way round holiday to artwork. seem for something else. stated retail fee is $7,360 no matter if that's in striking situation. The broking received't grant a guaranty, so i'd not furnish any more effective than $5,three hundred simply by unknowns, it history and such. If the broking will supply you with a a million year force practice assure, then perchance $7,three hundred. all of us can falsify a CarFax rfile with a computing device to make the vehicle seem sturdy. i don't believe vehicle sellers.

Answer 10

do not be concerned for millage look for records of properer vehicle maintenance records , if well taken care of millage is a very minor concern, look for oil changes timing belts is applicable, transmission services if automatic, fuel , brakes , tires, most of all make sure the vehicle had proper records of regular secluded maintenance, if so high millage is nothing to be concerned about good luck, also see if vehicle has been in a wreck and if so how bad was it does the vehicle track strait when driving behind the vehicle, see if it runs crab (term)stuff like this, a well taken care of can be a 14 year's old, car with proper maintance should be a good vehicle, be aware, good luck