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The high price of cars and estates in particular is making me have to consider higher mileage models -
Thoughts please on a 2017 plate car with over 120k on the clock. Is this 'still considered high' for a modern car? It's a 1.5 TSI VAG group petrol engine (manual). Good points are only one owner and FSH.
Worth a punt, or look for older cars with less mileage? I do around 5-6k a year now and tend to keep cars for at least 5 years, preferably closer to 10 so would maybe be nudging 180-200k if I keep it for that length of time.
120k is nothing if it's been well looked after, dealer service history, etc...
It's probably a lot better than an ultra low mileage car that's spent most of it's time sitting around doing nowt.
It's high for a 5 year old car, but not high per say.
How does the price compare to a 50k miles one?
And you'd need documented evidence that essential maintenance has been done - thinking timing belts/gearbox oils - the big awkward, costly jobs not just oil and filters.
It wouldn't necessarily be put off but I would give the car a good check before buying. 120k in 6th gear cruising along the motorway will be very different to 120k in 1st and 2nd gear around town.
The issue is around components such as the clutch, timing belt/cambelt, gearbox and suspension. These would all have needed doing on a car with that mileage (maybe not the suspension). Timing belts even though manufacturers say never need changing, they do, and can often only last 80-90k.
If these have all been done then should be cheap motoring.
I've just bought a 12 year old 100k Audi, bought based off the service history and condition. It runs almost like new and is surprisingly up to date.
Tech in ICE cars hasn't changed significantly since 2014/15 dependant on what you value. I'd maybe consider something a year or two older with lower mileage at a similar price.
It wouldn’t necessarily be put off but I would give the car a good check before buying. 120k in 6th gear cruising along the motorway will be very different to 120k in 1st and 2nd gear around town.
here I think the milage actually works in your favour. Its done 120000 in 5 years. thats 24000 a year so likely to be a lot of motorway cruising.
I have a little experience here as an owner, and I'm going to say that age is MUCH more important than mileage. I've said it before, but I had a taxi in Glasgow once that was a Skoda Superb, about a year or so old. I commented on how nice it was compared to some of the other junk I'd been in. He said it'd done 120k miles; he and another guy drove it to and from the airport in shifts 23 hours a day 7 days a week. And it still appeared to be basically a new car, you wouldn't have guessed it had done more than about 10k.
I'd rather have a 2017 with 120k than a 2012 with 80k. Another issue besides actual wear is the owner's attitude towards the car. A newer high mileage car might've had one or two owners who'll have paid decent money for it which means they're more likely to have spent money on maintenance - proper full services, quality parts etc.
Another issue besides actual wear is the owner’s attitude towards the car. A newer high mileage car might’ve had one or two owners who’ll
have paid decent money for it which means they’re more likely to have spent money on maintenance – proper full services, quality parts etc.
...be a company car or a "private lease on a car allowance because company policy is to have a <3 year old car" driven by someone who is sick to the back teeth of motorways and if they had a fuel card as well its been ragged. It will have gone to the proper dealer as soon as the light came on though.
I’ve got a car of that age with that engine. Actually a 67 plate so not quite 5 years old. 69k miles now. Cam belt due at its 5th birthday next month. Quoted £499 at a Skoda main dealer. Make sure it’s been done or knock that off what you pay for it. 4x4 need Haldex fluid change at 3 or 4 years I think which we had done
Ours has been mostly driven around town and the gear change feels notchy. The service before last the main dealer alerted me to a possible leak of some sort and quoted £1k to fix it which came down to £700 after talking to Skoda as full dealer service history from new and only 4 years old etc. I decided it didn’t need doing as I couldn’t see any evidence of a leak and it wasn’t mentioned at the next service. Funny that.
As long as they service history is there and you are happy that everything was done at the right time I’d agree that a car with those sort of miles may have had an easier life than ours with less
I have a Volvo V70 '04year on 198k miles owned from 60k miles.
Also just bought an XC90 '10year with 215k miles.
It depends on the car - Volvos are big heavy solid things but I did a mid life refresh of the V70 last year with £2.5k of parts (OEM& genuine Volvo), the XC90 is having a refresh before I use it and I reckon it will need just over £3k of parts. This doesn't include labour as I service them myself.
Up to the 200k mark the V70 was good - had the odd minor niggle (CV joint boots, alternator, suspension arms), the XC90 was apparently good (owned by a friend) as it did the bulk of its motorway miles early on in its life.
I also have an '04 Berlingo with half the miles of our Volvo for the same age but that has still needed a fairly major refresh (parts are very cheap for them though)
In summary it's not necessary miles that cause problems but age. Age and miles will deffo need money spending on it
I happily run higher mileage cars, mine's at 120k now and plan to keep it for a good few years yet.
BUT I think that mileage is often where a lot bits do start to need doing if not done already. In the last 20k miles I replaced rear shocks, rear calipers, front springs and front suspension arms / bushes (plus usual service items brakes etc). It's driving lovely again so I don't begrudge it, but be prepared for it. If I wasn't planning on keeping it I wouldn't have done everything and any new owner would be in for some big bills...
In 2019 I picked up a 2015 Passat with 130k on the clock, it was a ex lease so technically one owner with full service history, place selling it had done the pads,discs and other things needed and the car was mint inside and out. 3 years later and the car hasnt skipped a beat*, people are surprised when they hear how many miles it has done.
*2 new tyres were needed this year
He said it’d done 120k miles; he and another guy drove it to and from the airport in shifts 23 hours a day 7 days a week
The airport run company we used to use prided themselves on driving like Miss Daisy - never accelerating or braking hard, always as smooth as humanly possible. Absolute min wear and tear on the car.
The airport run company we used to use prided themselves on driving like Miss Daisy
They crash and then need someone else to drive for them?
Lower mileage cars seem to command ridiculous money these days, and like others I'd argue that you could well be better off with something newer and higher miles. A car could be as badly worn as one with double the miles if it has had a lifetime of short journeys. Plus many components perish with age. The prices people expect for low mileage cars aren't worth it imo.
how about a 250,000 mile civic. that's a year old..
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a41889256/honda-civic-high-mileage-for-sale/
Forgot to say - I bought the 2010 XC90 running with MOT for £500 as it has 210k on it.
The issue is around components such as the clutch, timing belt/cambelt, gearbox and suspension. These would all have needed doing on a car with that mileage (maybe not the suspension). Timing belts even though manufacturers say never need changing, they do, and can often only last 80-90k.
Something like that +1
My C-max was written off with 150k on it and all it had had was front innner control arm bushings, an alternator, 1 wheel bearings, and routine servicing, tyres, brakes etc. It still drove like new.
Unless there's something known to go wrong at x-miles/years then I think most cars these days probably get killed in accidents or when they just become undesirably old that even routine maintenance writes them off. My Berlingo was worth less than it's next years worth of maintenance and MOT (tyres, probably brakes, cambelt and back axle refurbish).
Having said that, the Ford drove like it was new, the Berlingo drove like it was from the 1940's, so bear that in mind!
I’d go through the service history with a fine tooth comb to check everything had been done that needed done, then buy it if you’re happy. It’ll be an ex-lease car that’ll should have FSH. Majority motorway miles.
my first port of call is to stick the reg in the DVLA MOT checker and see what has come up on there. Its not as good on newer vehicles as they won't have had many MOT's but it can give an idea of what the owner(s) could have been like and whether they bothered to deal with any advisories that came up, and how the miles were accrued.
Pretty much all the cars i've had, i've punted on around the 120-140k mark as they started getting costly. But, they were old at that point, and the problems were age related rather than mileage related.
It's been said on here loads of times - if you want to knacker a car, just leave it sitting on your drive.
Most expensive and unrelaliable car I had was the one I bought with lowest miles, whereas all the high mileages ones have been fine e.g. Toyota bought at 100k miles, driven until 150k miles (written off in accident) with just routine servicing.
Just bought a 2015 100k mile Kia diesel so we'll see if this pattern continues....
It's always made me wonder why we are obsessed with the number of miles a car has done when most other engines record the hours they've run which is probably more important.
My 59 CRV with 160k passed its MOT this afternoon. I'd buy another with 100k on it if priced appropriately with correct history. Prefer chain driven camshafts.
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a41889256/honda-civic-high-mileage-for-sale//blockquote >There was another article linked off that about a guy who put 740,000 miles on a Fiesta!
"What about the car? He reports that the engine has never been cracked open yet uses only about a quart of oil every 8000 miles. The dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT) hasn’t been nearly as maintenance-free. Its clutch packs were replaced twice, at 347,000 and 545,000 miles. (Actually, the second time, it proved much quicker and no more expensive to go ahead and replace the entire transmission with a nearly new, $600 unit.) Other repairs included the main computer, fuel pump (it was making noises, Mike didn’t wait for it to fail), throttle-body motor, starter, alternator, coolant-recovery tank, radiator cooling fan, HVAC blower motor, body-control module, and the A/C compressor (“it was getting a little noisy”). The horn also was replaced, with a four-note unit from a 1971 Cadillac."
On a 2017 plate is it the 1.5 or the 1.4? I’ve got the 1.4 in my Passat which is fine, my mate has a 1.5 in a 20 plate Leon and he reckons there are horror stories of it losing power and burning oil.
When I bought my Octavia, it was four years old with 82k on the clock. I gave it away after fifteen years with 160k miles on it, having never been serviced, the only mechanical issues had been the leaking sunroof, and the turbo was worn. It went to Poland, and as far as I know then went to Romania or Lithuania, somewhere like that. Amazing reliability, that car.
It's the 1.5.
I've spoken to the vendor, timing belt hasn't been done but he's willing to negotiate based on that fact - how much do you reckon to have it done - £500?
It used to be £350 at the main dealer on my Passat but I think that was a bit of a headline deal to get people in.
Fwiw my Dad drove company cars most of his career, typically about 70k in 2 years. Towards the late 90s / early 00s he said the engines were just getting good when he had to hand them back (Saab 95, Volvo V70,etc). He actually tried to keep them but the lease wouldn’t allow it.
My 2013 Audi has 30k on the clock - things go wrong just as they would if it was a 9yr old car on 100k
how much do you reckon to have it done – £500?
As per my reply up there, I’ve been quoted £499 to have it done at Skoda main dealer on our 67 plate kodiaq with the same 1.5 petrol engine
Driving a 20 year old Honda here with ~140k miles on it.
Most everything that's gone or going wrong with it has been age related rot. Rubber bits like drive belts and engine/box mounts and seals and bushings. Tinworm on suspension arms, springs, calipers getting old and seizing, coolant pipes rotting through (that one was a pain as it dumped the coolant).
Mechanically, engine, box, rest of running gear, bodywork, interior, has all been fine, would just keep going, with the regular servicing.