Whats the rule of Thumb on Miles?

Question

I have a 93' mazda 626 with 114,000 miles on it. My nephew is looking at a Eclipse 99' with 200,000 miles on it. After how many miles can you expect problems?

Answer 1

i currently drive a '90 Honda civic with 234500 miles on it (yes pretty close to actual mileage), i have had very few problems,in the seven years that i have driven this i have had to replace one clutch (at 206000miles,previous was original), one distributor(at 218000(also original) one battery and one alternator(originals).
it is all a roll of the dice. just keep your fingers crossed, and keep up with the maintenance. oh, i forgot the one electrical problem i had on the first trip home but that was just comical.

Answer 2

there is no real "rule of thumb" on cars. there are way too many factors to consider when making a choice on a used car...especialy one with miles as high as the Mitsubishi your nephew is looking at.

the only way to get a good answer is to examine the car, ask the owner lots of questions (accidents? regular services? at what mileage? service records? ever been in snow or seaside locations for extended period of time? smokers car?)

as far as compairing the two cars you mention, they are comperable. it's hard to say which would last longer, but the Eclipse is one of those cars that begs to be hot rodded, so it may have been driven hard. i know from experience (was a Mazda service manager) that the early 90's Mazdas were very reliable and didnt typicaly have major failure (no engine or transmission failure).

i would suggest talking your nephew into finding a car that has fewer miles. unless he is a gear head, then he would be able to tinker and do his own work to save money (which is what i do with my cars).

good luck!

Answer 3

Maintenance plays such a big part of the answer. How have the cars been maintained?
I would think that all things being equal, that once a car hits 200K there should be many parts that have to be getting ready to wear out. Suspension parts, engine parts, drive line parts. I would have the cars inspected by a mechanic before I would buy them. Have a thorough inspection done not just a glance over. Good luck

Answer 4

I don't know if there is really a rule of thumb persé, but any time you go over 100,000 miles, your chance of getting into problems becomes significantly higher. The 200,000 miler is a big risk. But heck, if the car has lasted that long, it could go well for a long time. It is unpredictable.

Answer 5

That's like asking if everyone has five fingers! It all depends on the preventative maintanence program that was performed on the vehicle!
I have had vehicles with 300,000 miles that I bought new and never did anything other than general maintanence like brakes, tune-ups, oil changes (every 3,000 miles) etc. Not everyone does that and therefore your auto's life is severely compromised!
I would say the rule of thumb is: "If you take care of your car it will take care of you"!

Answer 6

mileage means nothing. cars have minds of their own, when they want to break they will. i have a nissan with iver 200000 miles on it and no problems. bought my wife a new mazda six a year ago and its been in the shop twice. personally id go with the eclipse. mileage isnt that much of a factor even more so when it comes to sports cars.