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Feb 25, 2014 11:38:49 GMT
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As said it depends on the car, mechanics and more importantly, person.
I personally prefer to buy a low mileage car because of re-sale value, but always I always try and find a bargain so if that means buying a good example with higher miles, then so be it. If its a good example, its a good example regardless of what numbers are on the clock.
FSH can be a good sign, but most dealers don't service cars properly and the service book along with mileage can be doctored anyway, it doesn't tell the whole story, always.
I buy a car on the fundamentals, good running gear, quality of running gear, structural rust issues (I can ignore superficial imperfections) and its potential.
Let's not forgot a car can look a bit rough and be a gem and likewise at the other end of the scale, regardless of mileage. A car needs checking over and it needs to meet your priorities/needs and wants, the figures on the odometer are NOT going to dictate its reliability and they're certainly not going to guarantee anything...
If you're just going to look at mileage (either way) then you could end up with a lemon, either through buying something on its last legs that's been run into the ground or a low mileage turd that hasn't been looked after and needs a ton of things replacing/rectifying (sometimes these can be rough gems but it would depend on your needs and the price you're paying).
A higher mileage car that's been looked after has usually done high mileage for a reason(if its been looked after), its reliable. It also means there's a good chance it's had its major faults rectified (unless its never had anything wrong with it)
A lower mileage car (ignoring condition) might have lower miles for a reason also, its a pile and isn't reliable enough to use regularly.
I like buying rough diamonds, either; Lowish mile examples that have been used as second/weekend cars and have a few faults (bodywork etc) but the basis for a very nice car or a higher mileage car that is a good honest example, been used and looked after regularly that has now served its purpose and has either been made redundant through upgrading or other circumstances.
On both occasions you're likely to find a good example and a good deal when comparing it to "mint" examples with low mileage or a car with high/low mileage that is a "pristine" example.
Those are the principles I use when buying a car before allowing mileage to make my mind up.
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Feb 25, 2014 13:15:30 GMT
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My so called old man bought a low millage Fiat Brava once, the very reason why it was low mileage came apparent very quickly as it only as it never ran for more than a few weeks without having to be towed away and repaired so it spent most of its life in a Garage.
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Ryannn
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,421
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Feb 25, 2014 13:46:27 GMT
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I never buy on mileage. I had commuted 40 miles a day for a year in a Saab 9-3 with over 250k miles and it never missed a beat, drove like a 40k car. My Mini has also done over 100k and has had no major failings in the 9 years I've had it. On the other hand, I've owned cars with less than 50k on the clock that have suffered electrical and structural issues from being stood around! If you find one that you like, just buy it
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Last Edit: Feb 25, 2014 13:47:04 GMT by Ryannn
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Feb 25, 2014 18:32:04 GMT
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I have no issue with the car having done over 100k but nearer 200k gives me the jitters!! As long as it goes well & is a bit tidy then it'll do for me, I'm hoping to keep the Coupe as well, however accoring to the DVLA it could be several weeks before I can get a VIC test for it so will need to be having a look around this week.
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compass
Posted a lot
www.compasstrading.co.uk
Posts: 1,644
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Feb 25, 2014 18:46:49 GMT
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I have no issue with the car having done over 100k but nearer 200k gives me the jitters!! As long as it goes well & is a bit tidy then it'll do for me, I'm hoping to keep the Coupe as well, however accoring to the DVLA it could be several weeks before I can get a VIC test for it so will need to be having a look around this week. I`m pretty sure you can drive a CAT C car before it has the VIC check, as long as it has an MOT. At least you could when I had a CAT C 5 or so years ago. Going back to the original question, I wouldn`t be scared of high miles. I`ve had a W124 Merc with well in excess of 200k, and my current tow car/work horse is a 2003 Trooper with 210k. neither of these cars have given me any trouble. There are always exceptions to the rule though. As people have put previously, buy on condition, history and owner count. If it`s had low owners, and whoever owned it has saved all receipts etc, you can be sure it`s been well looked after. I used to be scared of big mileage, but now I seem to really enjoy putting miles on the Trooper, just to see how far it can go until it gives in!
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duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member
Out of retro ownership
Posts: 1,320
Club RR Member Number: 70
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How many miles are too manyduncanmartin
@duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member 70
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Feb 25, 2014 19:53:34 GMT
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I had Fabia and Superb TDis with more than 120k and they were fine. Good history with both. I've currently got a Multipla JTd with 235k on it, and that's been great too. That came with no history but had been owned by my local fiat indy for the previous 6 years! So if you buy the right car from the right place, you can save a few quid of you choose a car with significant miles...
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Feb 25, 2014 20:22:56 GMT
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Bizarrely I wouldn't consider spending my own money on something with a lot of miles as a daily, but then my company Accord has done nigh-on 145k and is still on the original clutch, battery, exhaust etc and still feels strong. It could eventually be a good buy for someone, but at 10 years old it's always in the back of my mind that if the DMF or something like that does go, then it's probably more than the car's worth. It's a good car but, as a couple of others have said, the rest of it has done the mileage too. The interior is great and the body very tidy, but I'm sure it clunks a bit more than it used to. The VAG thing I don't get, prior to the Accord I had a 53-plate Passat TDI Sport. Absolutely cracking car and a great drive, but it needed a fair few bits before it was sold on at 144k, most notably a gearbox rebuild at 98k that along with a clutch and DMF came to the thick end of £2k. That was from a local garage too, VW wanted close to £3k... If you're not doing daft mileage and with only £2k to spend, I'd be tempted to ditch the diesel idea and go for a reasonably economical petrol instead. It'll probably have less miles and should be cheaper to maintain. That said, the engine in my Metro Turbo has only done 69k. At the moment I'm trying to pluck up the courage to risk it further than round the block...
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boo
Part of things
Posts: 26
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Feb 25, 2014 20:56:43 GMT
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used to have a mk2 golf gti it had done 160,000 miles on it when i sold it .bouhgt it with 140,000 miles on it drove realy well still felt nice and tight my mate had the same car but half the mileage it was a dog compared to mine . he couldnt belive it had that many miles on it and still look good
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Foxy
Posted a lot
Making pink manly in the north!
Posts: 1,913
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Feb 25, 2014 20:56:56 GMT
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My father's old T4 bus had 670,000 miles on it when he parted ways. Regular servicing and easy motorway miles meant it was tip top when she went. Still rattles about I believe.
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I'm the handsome fella with the cheesy white specs or is that the cheesy fella with the handsome white specs?
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panza4
Part of things
married
Posts: 474
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Feb 25, 2014 21:15:25 GMT
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If its any use, my 04/54 transit lwb T350 125 has just past 222250 and is still going strong. If its been looked after, serviced when it should have been then high milage shouldnt be a problem. You can tell if the current owner of a high milage car is passionate about it as soon as he refers to the car with an affectionate name.
my baur is called jordan.
my transits called herculeese after the steptoe horse.
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If it aint broke, take it apart and find out why!!
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Feb 26, 2014 14:58:25 GMT
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I had a 1985 SAAB 900 Turbo for 5 years and that just clicked over 750,000 when I sold it.
Had a MK5 Transit with over 400,000 on the clock and no issues.
My 1999 Sprinter Recovery truck is just coming up to 250,000 and no issues. Just changed the turbo, stripped and rebuilt the injectors to get rid of cold smoking, changed the EGR valve, full service (none of which had gone, but wanted to freshen it up) and had it re-mapped. Absolutely flies.
Even though I mostly like to go for low mileage vehicles, it isn't the be all and end all.
I was looking for a Transit Jumbo up to three years old a couple of years ago and as I was spending quite a bit of money I was put off a bit by high milers, but I viewed loads of vans and kept going back to the best one which was two and half years old and covered over 140,000 miles, but it had been owned by a blue chip pharmaceutical company which had just one fleet of the year in the 1000+ vehicles category and had a service log as long as your arm and apart from wear on the drivers seat (passenger bench had never been sat on) and wear to the rubber floor matting under the driver's feet and a couple of small dings it was awesome and drove like new. As it was a good £4000 cheaper than some far rougher, but lower mileage examples I bit the bullet and bought it. Brought the body up to mint condition in no time, changed the rubber floor matting for new and the drivers seat and steering wheel, Fitted a decent Italian leather cover over the steering wheel, tailored seat covers over the seats, a tailored grippy rubber protective matting on top of the standard and fitted all new ply lining in the back and had it tweaked and re-mapped up to 191BHP. Fantastic van, drives like a dream I love it. And seeing as you can buy crate engines from Ford for not ridiculous money and that I own a bodyshop I hope it'll last me forever as long as I keep loving it as much as I still do now!
A combination of mostly motorway miles, anal maintenance and the fact that for the size of the loads it carried they were only light pharmaceuticals and it was also limited to 70mph until I bought it.
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Specialist Bodyshop & Fabrication Classic, Retro, Prestige & Custom Small Repairs to Concours Restorations Mechanical Work Vintage to Modern
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eg2
Part of things
Posts: 205
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Feb 26, 2014 15:22:51 GMT
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Lots of good points raised here -
I've got an 02 plate Leon TDI 90, bought on 106k miles 2 years ago for £2000, now just shy of 151k. until a few weeks ago it hadn't missed a beat, gave it services and new brakes/tyres as and wehn required but that was it - unfortunately the turbo went on the m23 spat all of the oil out and theres potential damage to the bottom end from oil starvation so I've been looking at replacing it
I have a similar budget of 2k looking for something around the 100k mark again but the prices of these things seem to have increased in the last couple of years - very few well lloked after cars at that mileage and price
I'm so peturbed by the lack of options I'm contemplating not getting rid of mine and instead buying a recon turbo (£250), 2nd hand ALH engine on 100-120k miles (£300), clutch kit with single mass flywheel(£150), and a timing belt kit (£100) - meaning £800 + the residual value in my car as it stands (been offered £400 as is) would mean for £1200 I'll have a 150k car with lower mileage engine, good turbo, clutch and cambelt for a lot less than I could actually buy another one second hand... or the same as I could buy one where i can't guarantee the clutch/cambelt/turbo won't fail...
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Feb 26, 2014 22:13:13 GMT
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I bought a very sensible clean, low mileage Touran as a family car for my wife. Unfortunately the turbo self destructed at 45k. My current daily however, is a W124 Merc diesel with well over a quarter of a million miles and going strong. I've had a few big old German cars with galactic mileages and they have been great, you can just be unlucky sometimes I suppose.
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67 VW Split bus 69 Beetle Cab 96 Jeep Cherokee XJ Sport
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As others have said it really depends on the individual car. Our old b5 Passat had 160k on it and it was bulletproof. The mrs' touran with half the miles on it has had to have the turbo replaced already. My old mans mk2 astra made it to 315k on the original untouched engine and looked like an 80k car. Depends on how it's been used too - motorway mile munchers will have less wear that one that's been used around town. Obviously once you get around 160+ you're looking at starting to replace things but if it's been maintained well a lot of these might have already been done. Be careful with VAG diesels if they've been on long-life servicing
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Feb 27, 2014 11:14:17 GMT
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One of the local firms has a merc van nicknamed the starship enterprise, showing over 500,000 miles now and they haven't been easy ones, but it has been serviced and is still going strong. I think the key thing is regular fluid checks & maintenance, as soon as someone thinks it not worth the time/ money to change the oil/ filter as its done so many miles it's no long before they come to the end.
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lilbob
Part of things
Posts: 419
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Feb 28, 2014 19:50:02 GMT
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at work we have a 09 Iveco van thats just hit 182000 miles and some 2011 fiat vans that are on 157000 miles they get thrashed every day fully loaded but its all motor way miles and they get serviced every 16000 miles the merc sprinters that the fiats replaced were 2006 models and they were hitting 380000 miles so in fairness as others have said if they are serviced well then high mileage isn't a problem to worry about
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recarouk
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 435
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my last 4 cars have all been Vag group PD cars, passat 130 with 147k on A6 C5 TDI with 177k on, Mk5 Golf 1.9 with 138k and a Mk4 130 with 116k on, mileage has never bothered me a drop, out of the 4 the passat drove the nicest and had a decent turn of speed when you needed it, would reccomend them to anyone, and with the exception of the Golfs the Passat and Audi were both sub £1500
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xcore
Part of things
Posts: 123
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my e39 530d is on 217k and going strong!
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MK2VR6
Posted a lot
Mk2 Golf GTi 90 Spec
Posts: 3,329
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Mileage is irrelevant. Seriously. My '99 A4 Tdi is on 124k and has a rattly top end, despite detailed service history. I don't care though, as it's a bomb-proof AHU lump and the car is a £1k dogwagon. My fiancee's mk4 PD130 Golf is on 132k with history and is as sweet as a nut. No oil burning, leakage, pulls like a train in every gear, never failing to return <50mpg. I'm confident the Golf's engine will be easily good for 200k+ if it's serviced regularly and well looked after. I'm convinced motorway cars are the ones to go for - engines always running at proper temperature over long distances, regularly serviced and not full of carbon build-up due to being revved freely. Your biggest worry should be things like DMFs and DPFs. When we eventually replace the Golf with a newer VAG, I won't pretend to be worried out those factors...
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Mark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,097
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The rule I always go for is that for pretty much everything made in the last 15 years, a good rule of thumb is to buy on condition, not mileage. Low number of owners, detailed service history, good quality tyres and generally good condition bodywork/interior are indicators that a car has been well maintained. This is no longer the 60s/70s and engines don't wear out as such anymore but luckily the general public are still obsessed with low odometer numbers resulting in great bargains for anyone willing to look past it.
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Last Edit: Mar 2, 2014 4:49:37 GMT by Mark
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