Buying a USED car?

Question

If I am buying a used car, How much mileage is too much? Is a lot of mileage bad?

Answer 1

Your best bet would be to find a Consumer Reports Automotive issue (I think it's the March or April issue) and go to the back, where they have repair records and ratings for nearly all vehicles sold in the United States in the past 7 years from that issue. (You can generally find those issues at a local library.) Cars with more problems should be bought with lower mileage, while cars with very few problems can be bought at much higher mileage with little fear of something going wrong. (For instance, a very unreliable vehicle like the Chevrolet Blazer would be a bad choice even with just 40,000 miles on it, while a very reliable vehicle like the Toyota Corolla could be bought with over 100,000 miles with likely no worries).

Of course, your best bet would be to find the vehicle that best suits you, see where the problem areas are, and be sure to check those areas of the vehicle before you buy it. If those areas are fine, and there seems to be no other problems, then the vehicle should be good.

Overall, I would say that over 130,000 miles is just too many for any vehicle unless it's a diesel. In that case, anything under 225,000 miles should be fine as long as it's been well maintained. Also, keep in mind that if you don't mind buying a vehicle with a few small problems to save money over a perferctly-maintained one, American cars are the easiest to acquire parts for and the cheapest since the parts don't have to be imported.

I hope this has answered your question. If you have any more, please feel free to ask.

Answer 2

A car should average 12,000 miles a year, so a 5 year old car = 60K miles.

However, it just depends on the car. I generally would never buy a car w/more than 100K because I keep my cars for 5-7 years. If you're buying a $3,000 car obviously you're going to have to be open to mroe miles. If you're buying a $10K car, shop aroudn and find something with 50,000 miles or less.

Answer 3

I only buy used vehicles because I refuse to pay the ridiculous prices they are asking for new. Consider how long you are going to keep the vehicle, the fewer miles on it the better. That translated into more useful miles left for you to drive. I wouldn't consider buying anything with 200,000KM (120000 miles) at any price, unless its just going to be a winter beater that is just taking you to and from work. I like to find vehicles under 100,000km (60,000 miles) and have been very successful with this.

Answer 4

depending on what car you choose it does. Honda offers 7 years or 100,000 miles warranty on their used car. but if your not buying from a dealer, then you should have one of your mechanics check it out and make sure there is no big problems in the car.

Answer 5

Depends on the car and how much you want to spend, but anything with more than 12-15K/ yr is high and should be bought at a discount.

Answer 6

too many miles can be bad... that should be factored into the price. no matter what you buy, make sure it is from a trusted dealer and you have the car inspected, try this site, there are many tips on what to look for to make sure it is a good car:

http://www.carsdirect.com/used_cars/search