what is the maximum suggested amount of car mileage to buy in a used car?

Question

how much mileage would you reccommend before running into problems?

Answer 1

Rule of thumb for a car purchase is 12,000 miles for every year of use... Most new car dealers selling used cars, feel that anything over 60,000 miles is too much... most of them wholesale cars with more than 60,000 miles to used car lots... It really depends on the condition of the car though... a well maintained car could be considered reliable with more than 100,000 miles on it... and a Japanese car like Toyota would probably be a good purchase even with 120,000 miles on it if well taken care of ! Check the maintenance records of any car you wish to purchase as well as a Carfax report to reveal any odometer tampering and body damage that the car may have encountered !

Answer 2

In general, I would say around 50,000 miles. Different makes have different lifespans, but in general, plan on a vehicle having a "healthy" life until around 100,000 miles.

It really depends on what you're going to get. An example - Dodge typically has transmission issues around 70,000 miles. Ford can leak like a sieve at any point. Most any of the imports last pretty well. Ones I would suggest are Toyota, Honda or Mazda. Those three are among the best in reliability for used cars, and are good options in different budget ranges.

In terms of how much mileage a car "should" have, the standard is about 12,000 miles per year. For example, a 2001 should have about 72,000 miles. This is also a good guide to go by because if there's less mileage, the likelihood of the previous owner(s) taking care of it is somewhat higher, versus someone who loaded miles on is more likely to beat it into the ground and ignore regular maintenance, like changing the oil.

Other used car buying tips - find one that is certified by the manufacturer (i.e. Toyota Certified Used Cars). They come with an extended powertrain warranty and other safeguards that can come in handy down the road when you own your vehicle. Plus, they are forced through more rigorous standards than other used vehicles on dealer lots.

Carfax is somewhat useful. I know a lot of people trust it so much that it's part of the deciding criteria in purchasing a vehicle. Reality is, it's useful for checking the title history to make sure it wasn't previously salvaged or flood damaged. As far as tracking accidents, it's useless. I've seen some cars with substantial work in a body shop done that had a "clean" carfax report.

Answer 3

Depends what you are paying but I personally feel like there is no need to purchase a car that has over 50 thousand miles. anything over that might be shady and 100 thousand is ridiculous. It all really can depend on the year of the car versus the mileage on it...good luck.