Is low-mileage a poor criteria for car buying?

[lizpat]

That's a legitimate question I'm asking here: how important is low-mileage when buying a used car?

Obviously the answer is that "it depends," and I'm sure there some models of cars known to be problematic after certain mileage, perhaps especially in the past.

I just bought a 2012 Honda Fit base model, I may end up selling it for reasons not pertinent to this discussion but I think I made a good choice. This particular car has 136,000 miles on it and the price of about 5000 dollars. Lower mileage models often cost thousands more: 6,000, 7,000, I've seen them listed for 9 to 10K at dealerships. I reasoned that since this model year is quite reliable, the previous owner need only maintain the car properly and one can reasonably expect the powertrain to last much much much longer. The CarFax indicated that the previous owner did her maintainenace at the Honda dealership during the early years, and later at a reputable independent place, for a total of 24 service records (not all of them oil changes.)

This is not about my Honda Fit, this is about my opinion that much better deals can be had if one intelligently hunts for a higher mileage car. My example is not conclusive however since I only got the car and it may very well end up being a lemon, that is theoretically possible but my current car a 2007 Corolla is at 135K and rock solid reliable--more reliable than other much lower mileage Corollas probably since I cared for it so well.

Low miles = high initial cost. If you believe low miles are better cars, then the total cost of ownership will be lower, in the long run. I don't believe this to be the case, most of the time.

 

[fsdork]

I think it depends on a lot of factors. Where I live, and for the limited amount of mileage I put on personal vehicles in a year, it is far more likely that my vehicles will reach the end of their lives due to age and corrosion related issues. For that reason, buying something with higher than average miles is not likely to be a problem. If I lived somewhere with milder weather and no road salt, and/or I piled a lot more mileage on my vehicles, I might reassess.

 

[lizpat]

If I lived somewhere with milder weather and no road salt, and/or I piled a lot more mileage on my vehicles, I might reassess.

Can you explain what you mean by this? I'm not sure I understand..

 

[daves87rs]

Can you explain what you mean by this? I'm not sure I understand..

In the great white north the salt the heck out of the roads here/there. Quite often even at this day and age the drivetrain will easily outlast what rust damage has done to the rest of the car.

For example, I had to retire a 2003 Cavalier due to too match rust on the frame, even though the engine and trans where both still in great shape.

Higher miles would still be fine here - most cars are still lucky in the day and age to make it to 10 years because of rust issues, unless the owner worked really hard to keep the salt off....

 

[CharBaby]

Here is a video that shows an example of what you are asking. And it's only one example, not gospel. It is just one way to look at this.

 

[Lubener]

Low mileage did influence my buying decisions twice. Those two cars ended up being the two worst cars that I ever owned.

 

[supton]

High mile highway cruiser could be worn out--or not. But at least it'll hurt less if you choice poorly.

Of course, a high mile city car with a stack of work receipts showing that it was repair (and often) might be a good buy.

 

[JHZR2]

I have both ends of the spectrum.

81 Mercedes with 76k miles (bought used)
98 S-10 with 67k miles (bought new)
...
96 Ram with 439k miles (bought used)


The overwhelming fear, I think, is that a high mileage vehicle is closer to needing something major, and a low mileage vehicle might not have had parts replaced, and now faces dry rot or something like thst.

I haven’t personally encountered either to be truth. High mileage vehicles that have been maintained, and parts replaced when need be, can last a very long time. Body rot is more of a concern, IMO.

Low mileage cars kept well might face the need for tires or fluids, but so what? If you buy it, wouldn’t you want to re-baseline these things to begin with?

Buy on condition, maintenance, and knowledgeable owner.... records are a good criteria too.

 

[Cujet]

Cost per mile is the way I calculate automotive purchases.

I've mentioned this many times. Unfortunately, many people refuse to "believe" the fact that older cars are priced by remaining worth.

It's wonderful when you can purchase your vehicle of choice for much less than new, with low miles. Don't know how often that really happens now though. As used cars are expensive today. That $5,000 Fit may make 200,000 miles with good service (although that engine is not known for long life) and the repairs may not be excessive. I'd guess a steering rack will fail (common) , along with radiator, water pump, hoses, brakes, and of course tires and routine service. At which point it's worth nothing. Add in the cost per mile of fuel and insurance and a brand new Fit won't cost you more than 5c per mile more. Period, end of story.

It's true that we can often keep older vehicles running nearly forever with enough replacement parts and service. However, by the second $7,000 CVT replacement, or the second $4,000 timing chain job, along with thousands in brakes, air conditioning evaporator and heater core replacements, dashboard deterioration and less than functional cockpit electrical components, Not to mention rust, at some point most owners realize that a new vehicle is simply less hassle and not really more expensive to operate than the old one.

There is a reason the IRS allows 56 cents per mile in 2021. That's a pretty good estimate on real world operational costs for an average vehicle.

$2000 insurance per year, 12,000 miles, is 16 cents per mile!
$1100 in fuel per year (fit) is 9 cents per mile.
65,000 remaining miles is also 9 cents per mile.
$2500 in repairs (brakes, rad, steering rack) is 4 cents per mile
$2000 in tires and service (oil changes etc) is 3 cents per mile

We've got a cheap car that costs 40 cents per mile, without any unexpected large bills.

You might find it interesting that a new Fit, purchased well, and kept for 200,000 miles will also cost about 9c per mile in capital costs.

 

[RooflessVW]

I'll take service history and how the car presents itself over the number on the odometer every time.

 

[BigCahuna]

I for one, don't think having a stack of receipts for repairs mean much. I have a stack for my '02 explorer dating back to 2004. Oil changes brakes, wiper blades ect. Guess what? those items have been changed several times since then so what do they prove?. I've looked at vehicles with low miles , and I know if I bought it it would need alot of nickel and dime parts to keep it working right. The more a vehicle is used the more things will need replacement. Saying one brand of car is better then another is manure. A given part may not have to be replaced as often, but generally will cost more when it does. Does that make it better?. Gentle use of a vehicle is what will help a vehicle last longer. Example, when you start a car in the am, do you take right off or let it run for a minute to get the oil circulated? Are you always accelerating hard because your always in a rush?. With a used car you won't know how the previous owner treated it. Especially if the car was bought from a lot. Probably came from an auction from another state, Who knows?. You rarely see a car for sale that isn't clean and shiny, like everyday it was wiped down with a baby diaper. As far as Mileage goes, would you pay the same for the same vehicle with 225,000 miles on it , as one with 37,000 miles on it, even if the first had receipts?. What I'm saying is any vehicle your considering buying has to be judged on its own. Like a pickup truck from a guy that used it for his cement business, or would you want one from a guy that drives his to the office everyday, and may pick up 6 bags of mulch from home depot every spring?.,,

 

[PimTac]

The mileage may not be as important as the condition of the car since you live in New York. The other thought too is how those miles were put on the car. 80,000 highway miles might be better than 30,000 miles of short trips.

 

[eljefino]

If I could be convinced it was not the only vehicle in someone's fleet, maybe.

A Fit is a poor example, because it's typically a commuter car, and someone's only car. It's also a popular choice to tow behind RVs which eats the suspension, and doesn't add odometer miles.

A Lincoln Town car may be a good buy, because a 95 year old just drove it back and forth to Florida and let it sit for weeks between bingo nights.

My prius broke the odometer at 299,999. It sees mostly highway. But if it saw fewer miles they'd be city miles, which "use up" the HV battery pack.

A 2wd truck in the Northeast probably lives with a backup vehicle for snowy weather. It makes a great used purchase because it's seen less salt-- and because the buyer has less competition looking for a more useless vehicle.

 

[DriveHard]

I had an Audi A3 that was just pristine, but had 230K when I bought it and nearly 300k when I sold it. It still ran and drove like new...above normal maintenance, the only thing I had to do was replace the high pressure fuel pump lifter. Great car!

 

[Gyro Gearloose]

I always look for cream puff used cars and I've never seen an instance where a higher mileage newer car was in better condition than a lower mileage older car of the same price. I suppose people who drive a lot necessarily treat a vehicle as a consumable item and just can't worry about putting scrapes on the interior trim, dents in the bed etc.

Having said that, age is important too. My personal experience is things start breaking at 6 years, get aggravating at 12 years, a PITA by 15 years and the two 30 year old trucks in the family have something new that has broken every time you use them.

 

[supton]

It's wonderful when you can purchase your vehicle of choice for much less than new, with low miles. Don't know how often that really happens now though. As used cars are expensive today.

That's a good question. We seem to be in uncertain times where things keep changing. Or are they? I'm not sure the used car market has recovered since the Great Recession? I get the impression that the hit in new car sales wasn't as bad for this pandemic, but used prices are still up.

I think you make good points. I'd hazard that if one drives many highway miles they might beat your estimates, especially if they do their own labor. Problem is, you might be right, those days might be closing. Finding a good used example, that has inherent good longevity to start with, cheap parts, and isn't hard to work on, might represent a hard to find trifecta. Not sure it was ever easy to find a good used car.

Maybe buying new and getting the best years is smart. Certainly easier if one can swing the payment. With a dramatic reduction in my driving I'm starting to wonder...

 

[KCJeep]

Great video post, I learned some tips for sure and that explains a few experiences as well.

My Passat is barely two years old but I have a long all highway commute (39 miles one way) and it is displaying some of the things he mentioned already (front chips). You hit an awful lot of stuff on the highway.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

Low mileage did influence my buying decisions twice. Those two cars ended up being the two worst cars that I ever owned.

Same here. My low mileage BMW has been the worst car ever owned including a high mileage BMW. I still have it though....

 

[RDY4WAR]

Mileage doesn't account for much for me when it comes to buying a car. I would rather have a car with 150k miles that was all highway with regular oil and fluid changes than one with 50k miles that was all city and short tripped.

Case in point, a close friend bought a 2012 Cadillac last year that only had 43k miles on it. He figured he got a good deal with having
My 2002 Tahoe has 270k miles and still has <5% leakdown, compression within 5%, and is clean inside, but 80% of its life has been spent cruising down the highway.

 

[UncleDave]

It's neither bad or good, simply one criteria.