Used car Mileage & Condition....

[Canyoncrew]

Give me your opinions. Which used car are you more likely to purchase and why:
-High mileage, good condition car OR
-Low mileage, not so good condition.

I am defining good condition as very clean, few or no dents, few or no spots on the upolstery, paint still looks nice, clean engine, and some maintence records but with high miles. Poor condition would therefore be the opposite but it had low miles.

I'm talking about a 9-12 yr old car.

Opinions??? Thanks!!!

 

[rriddle3]

It would depend on my plans for it. If I was going to try to milk it out as long I could, I'd go for the low mileage one. If I was planning on using it like a mule and dumping it, I'd get the high mileage one.

 

[Canyoncrew]

Using it for daughters last yr of high school and 4+ yrs of college.

Thanks.

 

[BrianWC]

It depends on whether it's American, Euro, or Japanese. If it were American, go for low miles. If it's Euro, high miles but be prepared for something expensive every now and then. If it's Japanese, high miles no worries....

 

[rriddle3]

Well, in that situation I think I'd get the high mileage one, but what exactly are we talking about here? What cars and what mileage are you choosing between?

 

[Matt_S]

It seems like you're deciding between good physical condition (looks) vs. good mechanical condition. I'd go for the good mechanical condition (i.e. low miles) before something higher mileage that looked better, especially for a college-age daughter. Odds are she'd have less chance of having a mechanical issue leave her stranded that way.

 

[defeated]

It's hard to tell without seeing the actual cars, but I lean towards high mileage, good condition. I've had better luck with high mileage used cars than low mileage.

 

[Canyoncrew]

Is it wrong to generally assume that a car that is in good condition (take care of) is more likely to be in good condition in regards to the engine and maintenence? If someone does not good take care of the looks of the car what will make them change and take good care of the engine / maintenence? Using this assumption, a high mileage, good condition used car is the way to go. Am i way off base here??????????

 

[defeated]

That's exactly my way of thinking, Canyoncrew. Also, it's a question, to me, of "If something goes wrong mechanically, is it worth putting money into?" A 150k car in nice condition is something I'd rather invest in, rather than a beat to heck 60k car.

 

[cousincletus]

I would go with a low mileage lease return. Look for signs of abuse mechanically. People with kids may have a trashy looking car but not necessarily neglected mechanically.

 

[javacontour]

Looks may or may not tell the true story. My 210K mile Geo Prizm probably hasn't been washed in 3+ months. But maintenance is top notch.

For some people, the purpose of the car is to simply provide reliable transportation, not to be a fashion accessory.

In fact, under the hood is probably the cleanest part of the car, LOL.

My boss is the opposite. His car is spotless, he details it frequently, but has no clue about maintenance. He just gets rid of them at about 100K, and gets a new car and starts the detail routine again.