How much extra is 35k fewer miles worth?

[ripcord]

Quick internet search, but the number is totally believable. Cars burn, crash, get recycled, and sometimes at 5,000 miles. Many cars fail mechanically at 100,000 miles. It takes very little these days to total a car, and similarly, does not take much to push a car past the point of economic repair. Like most of us here, I find it very interesting when people go well past the expected life of their cars, usually through careful maintenance and proper operation, but this has come up in the past, and you can rest assured that most cars, even RAV4s will never see 200k.

You're way off. Very few cars "mechanically fail" at 100k miles. In fact, the average mileage on the odometer of passenger vehicles on the road in the United States is pushing 150K miles.

https://www.aftermarketmatters.com/national-news/odometers-numbers-spiral-for-all-vehicles-types/

 

[TomYoung]

You're way off. Very few cars "mechanically fail" at 100k miles. In fact, the average mileage on the odometer of passenger vehicles on the road in the United States is pushing 150K miles.

https://www.aftermarketmatters.com/national-news/odometers-numbers-spiral-for-all-vehicles-types/

I am not way off. The average odometer reading of cars on the road sheds almost no light on how long a car can be expected to last. Just to supply a simple analogy, suppose I invited five one hundred year olds to my house, and then told you that this probably means everyone makes it to 100. You’d know that’s wrong. You have to account for those who died at 2 months, or seventy-two. Back to cars, another confounding truth is that once a car reaches 100k, that particular car is very apt to make it to 200k.

 

[Elkins45]

Is this the more expensive one? That lift would be why it costs more, much more a factor than the mileage difference

No, it’s in the older and cheaper one. If I buy it I would remove the lift and try to sell it. Those things probably aren’t cheap.

I looked at and drove them both today and after crawling under both the more expensive one is definitely off my list. Way too much rust on the subframe and control arms for my money. The 09 looks much better, in spite of the fact the Carfax I ran shows it to be a NJ car until it landed in KY after being auctioned. KBB shows an average private party value of $6328 for “good” condition. If he’ll take $6500 I’ll buy it, otherwise it’s off to look at a 2013 Venza.

 

[PandaBear]

To me only. For a 120k vs 85k I would say it is worth an extra $2k more on an original $25k car.

 

[ripcord]

I am not way off. The average odometer reading of cars on the road sheds almost no light on how long a car can be expected to last. Just to supply a simple analogy, suppose I invited five one hundred year olds to my house, and then told you that this probably means everyone makes it to 100. You’d know that’s wrong. You have to account for those who died at 2 months, or seventy-two. Back to cars, another confounding truth is that once a car reaches 100k, that particular car is very apt to make it to 200k.

Your analogy doesn't really apply. If you were comparing human years to modern car miles driven, your example of 100 year old people would correspond to cars well over 300k miles. Maybe 400k. Minus a design or material flaw, a typical model of car should and do easily last in excess of 200k outside of the rust belt. Here on the West Coast, every other car on the road has at least that many miles.

 

[NA4U]

Well I'll chime in on this one.
I just sold the girlfriends 2018 RAV4 front wheel drive with a 101,300 mi. For 15,500. I started at 16200 and got tired of all the dealer Lucky Lou's wanting to steal it from you then sell it to the dealers for 14.5k to 15k.
This car has maintenance due probably in the next 5 K miles. The brakes are more than half life and the struts and shocks are at least half life or less. It rides smooth and true and a quiet clean interior.

Here in the Southland of Southern California Subarus and RAV4s are like Volkswagens in the 70s. So I figured I would take it and get my garage space back. But 100,000 miles on a car that's been maintained like this one has I think it's a safe risk. Ask him if you can do a quick compression check and do a CVT check by running it through the gears manually and decelerating. A good CVT transmission should give you ample breaking. Just my two cents here

 

[TomYoung]

Your analogy doesn't really apply. If you were comparing human years to modern car miles driven, your example of 100 year old people would correspond to cars well over 300k miles. Maybe 400k. Minus a design or material flaw, a typical model of car should and do easily last in excess of 200k outside of the rust belt. Here on the West Coast, every other car on the road has at least that many miles.

My point is that even if every other car on the has that many miles, it would not tell you how long a car is expected to last.

 

[Corollaman]

Good cars to be sure, but a very, very small number make it to 350k. A more realistic expectation is somewhere between 150k and 200k, which would weigh more on this quandary.

 

[Corollaman]

I've got a few miles to go, but it might make it.

 

[Corollaman]

Good cars to be sure, but a very, very small number make it to 350k. A more realistic expectation is somewhere between 150k and 200k, which would weigh more on this quandary.

 

[Gyro Gearloose]

Unless you plan to only drive very short distances I wouldn't buy either one. I bought a 85K 2010 Rav4 for my daughter when she was in high school and the car was perfect for the two years and 15K we owned it, but the ride was very rough and bouncy on the interstate and I have never owned a car with that much road noise. Although the car was still mechanically perfect as far as I knew, the driving experience was so bad we had to trade it for something more civilized when it came time to send her off to college.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

Stay away from the Rust Belt 2010, go with the 09' and re-sell the lift. You can make a few bucks on that. I owned one at one time, they don't ride well, but run good.

 

[Elkins45]

Unless you plan to only drive very short distances I wouldn't buy either one. I bought a 85K 2010 Rav4 for my daughter when she was in high school and the car was perfect for the two years and 15K we owned it, but the ride was very rough and bouncy on the interstate and I have never owned a car with that much road noise. Although the car was still mechanically perfect as far as I knew, the driving experience was so bad we had to trade it for something more civilized when it came time to send her off to college.

I must have less refined vehicle tastes than you. My wife has an 09 and I don’t find it all that terrible. I guess 20+ years of having my only vehicle being a 4x4 truck has desensitized me.

 

[ripcord]

I must have less refined vehicle tastes than you. My wife has an 09 and I don’t find it all that terrible. I guess 20+ years of having my only vehicle being a 4x4 truck has desensitized me.

Same here. The quarter tons and econo-boxes. I don't even notice road noise and vibration.

 

[andrew_j]

I’d pay for the 2010 because 2009 feels so old !

 

[Elkins45]

I should charge a fee to test drive cars.

That 2009 had sat unsold on Facebook for at least two months. I test drove it yesterday, called today to make an offer and it had sold. Nothing moves a vehicle faster than me thinking about buying it LOL.