car help please?

Question

how bad can it be if a car has over a 100,000miles on it when you buy i am looking to buy a used mazda miata but the only promblem is that some of thee old ones for a good price have a over a 100,000 miles on them and i dont wont a wore out car that tears up every time i turn around so is it bad or will it be okay to get a miata with over a 100,000 miles on them and any info on the miata itself thanks

Answer 1

100,000 miles is high if you are paying a moderate price.

Cars are typically traded in by the "average" consumer at about that time, that is when warranties expire as well.

So as the previous poster said, definately have a trustworthy mechanic check it out and take their advice and decide on your own.

If well taken care of a babied car can last quite a bit longer than 100,000 miles but that depends on the previous owner's maintenance habits, oil changes, fluid flushes, brake maintenance and everything else.

Keep in mind a lot of parts start to go out at about that time, spark plugs, water pumps,alternators,belt,pulleys,hoses, sensors, etc.

So unless you are getting a really good deal, I personally would not buy it on a standard gasoline engine. They just are not designed to run on original equipment much above that.
So unless you enjoy working on cars, which doing it yourself actually can be cheaper than buying a new one, then I would be very leery about it.


Now if this were a diesel then you would have a significant amount of life left. I have a diesel with about 200,000 miles and it still runs like a champ. (Knock on wood ;)

Look for a gas engine that has about 50,000 miles or less if you are paying a good price.

This car is probably not worth more than 1,000 dollars.
Especially with this model car. (In my opinion they look like they would be nightmare to work on) and cost a lot to repair.

So use your own judgment and common sense and I would recommend asking a friend or relative that is car saavy on their opinion.

Answer 2

Before you buy it. Have a mechanic check it out. Then decide to buy it or not.