how important are miles when car shoppping

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Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: redhat
I don't think 150k is near the end of life. I think if you're looking for a Camry or Accord with that mileage you can expect a lot of life from their drive trains.


Based on what? These are fairly "cheap" cars that were not overbuilt. Even if a vehicle is well-maintained, it does wear out eventually. 150k is nearing that point.


Based on thousands of them on the roads today, 150k isn't squat on a Camry or Accord that has been well maintained. I have personally seen several of these "well" built cars go over 150k and beyond with normal maintenance.
 
Depends on the history and what you are willing to do.
Not just Hondas and Toyotas last that long. I have had 3 3800s that went well into the 250,000s and a 4.3 and 5.7 that did the same. My old 454 is well over 250,000 now. When I got rid of it, it had 190,000, 85 percent of it towing, and it ran like a champ.
 
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
Depends on the history and what you are willing to do.
Not just Hondas and Toyotas last that long. I have had 3 3800s that went well into the 250,000s and a 4.3 and 5.7 that did the same. My old 454 is well over 250,000 now. When I got rid of it, it had 190,000, 85 percent of it towing, and it ran like a champ.


Thank you for mentioning the good old 3.8. I personally had a Series 1 take me to 231k and a friends dad took a Series 1 with an aluminum intake to 375k.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic

150k is usually when most cars are towards the end of their life.


Not of they are maintained according to the manufacturers recommendation. 150k is 50-70% used up depending on the vehicle make. I used to think that way until I ran a few to 170 then 190 and now I have one with 192k and plan to run it at least another 30-40k. Just depends on the car. But I learned one thing: If I have a car with 150k on it and it doesn't leak or consume oil. It will probably go 250k or more.

I dod meet a guy with a Lexus LS400 that had 800k on it. Original engine and 3rd transmission.
 
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For my "good" vehicles I've never bought one with much over 100K mi(112 to be exact)... For around town beater I only look at condition as I'll probably sell it in two or three years, usually for more than I paid...

Now days I go for the low mileage one owners that have been garaged... Have a '98 Grand Marquis that just turned 61K mi(bought in '10 with 33K mi), looks better than my '07 with same mileage...
 
I think a lot of you are solely focusing on the engine/transmission. Sure, under light-duty service, many cars will easily go 150k if they are maintained a bit better than minimum.

However, the suspension, interior and electronic modules may not have the same lifespan. At 150k, it is quite likely that the vehicle will need some suspension work and other electronic items (I.e. alternator and starter) will not be far behind.

The hassle factor is an important consideration. A payment on a newer economy car is under $500/mo, and the predictability and reliability is well worth it if you have a busy schedule. Not everyone's lifestyle is a good fit for a car that needs extra attention.
 
I wouldn't buy a vehicle with spaceship mileage unless it was very cheap. For $5k your one transmission and a set of struts away from an $8k vehicle.

Considering said vehicle can be purchased for just over $20k new your paying a large premium for the most maintenance intensive period of the cars life.

The last 170k mile car I bought was in HS and I paid $300 for it. If something broke I junked it.
 
Mileage is relative, age is relative. It's all in how badly you want it. I have a Citroen 2CV I drive whenever there is no snow or salt. I have replaced the frame, the engine, and many other parts along the way. However, I have driven the car on multiple 12 hour plus trips each way with excellent reliability. I drive a 3.8 powered Grand Prix in the winter with almost 240,000 miles and the car does need the occasional repair but the car has proven to be very easy to repair and the parts are very inexpensive and available compared to a Toyota or a Honda in my Michigan locale and I just keep on going. I also have a Lada Niva for the really bad days, but I have to think the inability to get parts quickly so I limit what I do with it.

I think the '02 Grand Prix, mile for mile, is the cheapest car I've ever owned. My family bought it new and I've driven it now that it's been relegated to beater status but that car has virtually all original parts and I don't believe that the typical same year Camry or Accord could have done it any better.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic

The hassle factor is an important consideration. A payment on a newer economy car is under $500/mo, and the predictability and reliability is well worth it if you have a busy schedule. Not everyone's lifestyle is a good fit for a car that needs extra attention.


So you are advocating to pay up to $6000 annually plus higher insurance? Not a very good recommendation. If you put $2-3000 in annual maintenance in a 150k car it will most likely go another 150k and you don't suffer the additional cost of the depreciation. My best bet is a Certified Used car with 30-40k on it and a 100k warranty. Then drive it to 200k and sell it. If you do the math on that combo you will see it is the best of both worlds.
 
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Originally Posted By: Ben Boyle

I think the '02 Grand Prix, mile for mile, is the cheapest car I've ever owned. My family bought it new and I've driven it now that it's been relegated to beater status but that car has virtually all original parts and I don't believe that the typical same year Camry or Accord could have done it any better.


+1 Your GP was a good one. Now imagine is you had dumped it at 150k.
 
Sure starters and alternators will take a hike eventually. So will suspension components for that matter too. But by no means does that mean the car goes to the scrapyard. I see all of those items as repairs/maintenance that will just need to be done at some point.

We have owned many Hondas and GMs that had their original starters and alternators well into their 200k lives.

I don't know... Maybe some of us like turning our wrenches and have pride in keeping an older vehicle on the road. Some of us need new and low mileage.

All of our old high mileage vehicles have had very healthy electronics, and the leather is still very nice on the 185k '99 Grand Prix.
 
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It really depends on what I want it for. If I just need a beater for winter or driving to work, and it can be had cheap, I'll go 200K + all day long as long as everything checks out. If its a daily driver, however, and I'm looking for something nice, I like to keep it a 50K or below.
 
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So you are advocating to pay up to $6000 annually plus higher insurance? Not a very good recommendation. If you put $2-3000 in annual maintenance in a 150k car it will most likely go another 150k and you don't suffer the additional cost of the depreciation. My best bet is a Certified Used car with 30-40k on it and a 100k warranty. Then drive it to 200k and sell it. If you do the math on that combo you will see it is the best of both worlds. [/quote]

Nowadays a car with 30-40k will sell for almost as much as a new one. Discounts and 0% financing can be had for new vehicles. Not for late model used ones. By the time you pay the extra interest the final price would almost be the same.as long as you have a car loan, you will need that higher priced (full coverage) insurance.
 
My last 4 vehicle purchases had 126K, 141K, 155K and 138K miles on them when I purchased them. I've had great service out of my GMs.
I would even consider buying one with 300K if it looked good and was priced accordingly.
I do my own maintenance and repairs.
 
I would buy a Camry or accord at 185k; but not for $5,000.00.

They are generally tough cars but a LOT can happen in 185k. If its one owner and the car still runs fine and doesn't shudder or throw any red flags you should be fine but make a really hard effort to not pay $5k. One owner with no problems generally means they took care of it. Also when you talk to them you will be able to ask questions and KNOW if they have really maintained it or if they are feeding you a line. If you can't tell the difference then it's a fools folly I guess.

Now, I'm not going to start anything but any modern (last 15 years) GM/Dodge/Ford car that has that many miles I will genuinely pass on unless I give it a very thorough examination. They aren't known for lots of miles (like their trucks are) so if it gets that far with minimal problems its an exception to the rule. Not saying it can't or hasn't been done. The 3.8 engine was a bull. I abused mine forever before I sold it. Nary a problem.

Both of our vehicles have high mileage and they run fantastic. It's all how you maintain them.
 
Originally Posted By: Doog
I did meet a guy with a Lexus LS400 that had 800k on it. Original engine and 3rd transmission.

My 350+k miles LS400 has original engine and transmission.

The only engine parts that had been replaced were: spark plugs(3 times), water pump(once, few months ago along with radiator and third timing belt), distributors(once, 250k miles ago).

May need to replace the valve cover gasket on passenger side soon, or just tighten the bolts a little to stop a slow gasket leak.
 
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Originally Posted By: Doog

So you are advocating to pay up to $6000 annually plus higher insurance? Not a very good recommendation. If you put $2-3000 in annual maintenance in a 150k car it will most likely go another 150k and you don't suffer the additional cost of the depreciation. My best bet is a Certified Used car with 30-40k on it and a 100k warranty. Then drive it to 200k and sell it. If you do the math on that combo you will see it is the best of both worlds.


Yes.

The opportunity cost should be a serious consideration. Car payments are inexpensive compared to mortgage or rent payments. If you are able to eliminate a certain amount of uncertainty from your life rather easily, why wouldn't you?

If I had to tell my manager that I had to take off an hour to drop off the car at the shop every month or 2, that would become an issue. Likewise, if I hurt myself while working on the car during a weekend, that would be even worse. The key is to have a transportation solution that has the least disruption.

Depending on what your life and job situation is, trying to find the lowest dollar option for transportation may not be the most practical option. Look, those who have been on this site for a while know that I used to advocate for fixing older cars and keeping them near perfect, but the time spent is better spent elsewhere.
 
IMO....it depends on how the auto was maintained.

I would much rather have a high mileage vehicle that was used predominantly for long trips. IMO....it's the older vehicle with low mileage and no service records that I would pass on buying.

IMO...A High Speed, long distance highway mileage vehicle is much better than a vehicle than had been garaged and short tripped with low mileage vehicle for it's entire life.

Long distance, High speed driving insures that all of the fluids are getting up to operating temp coupled with less engine wear than a short tripped vehicle in stop and go traffic.
 
Yeah if it was reguarly maintained and driven pretty long distances at a time, then 200k miles is like 100k short trip miles or less.
 
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