If there is alot of miles is that a bad thing?

Question

there's this 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix i want to buy but the miles are over 100,000 does that mean the car is going to bust down on me like its not in good condition or it might be just alot of highway miles Are alot of highway miles bad???? HELP!!!!!

Answer 1

depends on if it has been took care of.

Answer 2

I own a shop, and work on high mileage vehicles all the time. Funny thing, we don't work on many low mileage vehicles! Do I tell you what you want to hear, or do I be honest with you? What you want to hear: If it is a nice car, and you can get it for a decent price, then buy it. Highway miles doesn't mean a whole lot as far as a vehicle is concerned, and this is due in part to overdrive transmissions that make it easy on the engine. To be honest with you: 100,000 miles is when most all vehicles start to give trouble in one way or the other. This is why you see the 100,000 mile warranties offered now days. That many miles on a well maintained vehicle is still a lot of miles. No one keeps their maintenance done properly any more. We are now entering a throw away vehicle age, and most people just drive the vehicles, and when it starts to give trouble they get rid of it. A word to the wise: When you purchase a used car, you are buying someone else's problem. They got rid of it for some reason, didn't they? It's like buying a time bomb, and you are just waiting for something to go wrong, and with that many miles you can bet something will. I'll bet some little old school teacher owned it to, right?
Glad to help out, Good Luck!!!

Answer 3

Depends on how well the previous owner took care of it. Highway miles or city miles doesnt make a difference because they both consist of the car working the engine components.

Grand Prix are good cars but with any car that has high miles something is bound to break down on them. So just take that into consideration as well.

If the seller is asking over $6000 for the car I would not buy it if I were you.

Answer 4

High mileage is NEVER a good thing, but how bad it is depends on a lot of things:

How well was the car maintained? If the seller has service records, you have proof of how well it was maintained. Service records are worth money because of this.

Where were these miles driven? 100k miles in LA isn't the same as 100k miles in Texas. Stop-and-go driving (city miles) is much harder on a car than cruising at a constant speed (highway miles). And 100k miles in Alaska isn't the same as 100k miles in Texas. Cold weather is harsh on engine seals. The best climate for mechanical reliability and preventing rust is the desert, particularly more northerly areas. (The only issue in that case is sun damaged paint and rubber) After that, relatively dry, southerly coastal areas like California and Florida.

You can tell where the car has been by looking at registration and service records on Carfax. (These service records are very incomplete, though...they are no substitute for actual receipts) If the car is from the northeast or midwest, or a northern coastal area, be on the lookout for rust. If it's from Alaska, pretty much forget it. The best cars will mostly be from the southwest and mountain states.

100k isn't terribly bad for a Grand Prix, especially if it's the 3.8 liter V6. That is one of the more reliable cars GM has built in the last 20 years.

Answer 5

Highway miles are supposedly lighter on the vehicle since you are not constantly changing the load you put on the car like stop and go traffic that you normally see on the freeway either way the motor is most likely pretty worn so compare its price to that of one with lower miles and same year or a newer year also i do not really like Pontiac cars especially used so i would go almost new maybe dealer used certified car.

Answer 6

The more miles are on the car, the more the car has been used. Things wear out with use, so a car that has 100,000 miles is more worn than a car that has fewer miles on it and will therefore likely have more need for repairs. It certainly is unusual for a car that is only three years old to have that many miles on it. That mileage is more expected for a car that's 10 years old. So you might think about it as the car being like a 10-year-old car rather than a 3-year-old one. I hope this helps you make your decision.

Answer 7

The fact its a 2004 pontiac grand prix means its going to break down on you alot. Adding over 100,000 miles to it just worsens the already bad problem.

The only pontiac i would touch is the GTO, which wasnt designed by pontiac (it was the holden monaro).

Answer 8

Mileage that high is very undesirable.
For the vehicle to rack up that much miles in such a short time can only mean highway or freeway driving. Driving in urban areas is harder on a vehicle, with continued stop and go, excessive idling, etc. A car driven 100k miles on the highway is the equivalent of an urban driven vehicle 200k plus miles.

Answer 9

that is very high millage for a car of that age but it might not be bad if it has been looked after and serviced regulary get a mechanic to give it a good look over and to listen to the engine to see if it sounds right check for to much moisture in the oil and leaks just common knowledge things if you are happy and it is at the right price which should be alot lower than another one of the same year and at half the milage if you want it get it could be a bargain ,

Answer 10

That is good. These days, most cars could make it to 200,000 miles. Highway miles are better than city miles for cars.

Answer 11

that is a bad thing a little bit more miles and the cars will stop or not a couple but about 10,000 more mile and the car will stop i wpuld not get it i would get a car with lower miles