Is low mileage ever a bad thing when buying a car?
Discussion
Zerotonine said:
My Grandad bought a A reg Nissan Micra with about 17k on the clock a few years ago, after the old lady that owned it died. He used to rattle around in it and in the 5 years or so he owned it put another 10k on it. Threw it's cambelt at 27k and that was the end of that. He was a bloody liability on the road anyway, pushing 90 when he was forced by family to stop driving. So it probably did him a favour. (He still has his driving licence, has major cataracts in one eye, failing sight in the other, has to read the newspaper with a magnifying glass yet the DVLA says he is still fit to drive, go figure!)
And I have a 11 year old Accord with low mileage (for it's age), when i bought it a year ago it had 59k, now on 66k. No problems thus far, so it depends on definition of low mileage really.
A cambelt on a Micra?And I have a 11 year old Accord with low mileage (for it's age), when i bought it a year ago it had 59k, now on 66k. No problems thus far, so it depends on definition of low mileage really.
My first car was a Fiesta that was not far off 10 years old when I got it with only 18,000 on the clock. Within a week of getting it, an attachment for a coolant hose rusted through and sheered off, causing steam to pour from under the bonnet as the car overheated, coolant gushing out from under the car by gravity. Luckily it was a cheap fix once we found a replacement at a scrappie, but it wouldn't have taken much more to damage the head gasket!
My mom bought a Fiat Seicento with 24 K on the clock. Not soon after she bought it starts misfiring on start up and slowly losing water, so thought head gasket was on the way out. Nope, the water jackets had corroded and leaking water into one of the cylinders. New HG sorts it out for a little while, but i can't be topping the water up every few days, so one engine swap later and the car finally works properly.
Biker's Nemesis said:
Zerotonine said:
My Grandad bought a A reg Nissan Micra with about 17k on the clock a few years ago, after the old lady that owned it died. He used to rattle around in it and in the 5 years or so he owned it put another 10k on it. Threw it's cambelt at 27k and that was the end of that. He was a bloody liability on the road anyway, pushing 90 when he was forced by family to stop driving. So it probably did him a favour. (He still has his driving licence, has major cataracts in one eye, failing sight in the other, has to read the newspaper with a magnifying glass yet the DVLA says he is still fit to drive, go figure!)
And I have a 11 year old Accord with low mileage (for it's age), when i bought it a year ago it had 59k, now on 66k. No problems thus far, so it depends on definition of low mileage really.
A cambelt on a Micra?And I have a 11 year old Accord with low mileage (for it's age), when i bought it a year ago it had 59k, now on 66k. No problems thus far, so it depends on definition of low mileage really.
LotusOmega375D said:
DanielC4GP said:
Mate of mine bought a 10 year old Astra last year with only 19,000 on the clock. Did warn him when he looked at it that low mileage isn't necessarily always a good thing because of the obvious cold short trips. He only kept it for 6 months so never did get to see whether the low mileage did effect the reliability or not.
I'm sure there's a moral in there somewhere. I just need some help finding it. 
Its because most people use the mileage as the primary indicator of wear and condition of the vehicle. Your average buyer who doesnt know anything about cars feels they have little else to go on and dealers (both legitmate and not) know this. Thats why clocked (even obviously clocked) cars still sell. Mileage is useful information but it needs to be backed up by how it drives, the general condition, its service history and such like.
We borrowed the in-law's 10 year old Astra to go to southern France this spring, taking it from 25 kmiles to 27. It is usually just driven around town, but gets a full service every year. Handled it gently, but still the EGR valve played up, the airbox rattled loose and it is now slightly difficult to start when hot. The car never had any issues before.
All easily fixed, but I would only pay extra for a low mileage car if I knew how it has been used.
All easily fixed, but I would only pay extra for a low mileage car if I knew how it has been used.
We get rid of our work cars after about 4 years and 60,000 miles, so not 'high' milage for a car that is in daily round the clock use.
Believe you me, if you bought one of our Mondeos with 60,000 London Police miles, you would NOT be getting a bargain.
It's the type of miles that matter, not how many of them there are. I like higher milage cars, it means they've been used, and it means they are cheaper as most people assume 100k miles = dead.
Believe you me, if you bought one of our Mondeos with 60,000 London Police miles, you would NOT be getting a bargain.
It's the type of miles that matter, not how many of them there are. I like higher milage cars, it means they've been used, and it means they are cheaper as most people assume 100k miles = dead.
vit4 said:
To balance it slightly, my mk4 Escort; my mum bought it in 2007 for £250, with 30,000 from new, old lady's car used for short journeys and nothing else. But, it had an oil & filter every 6 months. It's been faultless, uses a little bit of oil now (55,000 or so) but IIRC the only thing it's needed is a water pump which was dirt cheap anyway 
I'm now setting off to do a 150 mile journey in it, watch it leave me stranded
My mk4 was in a similar situation (ok 100k+ miles) but driven by my grandfather sparingly around city, so not heavy use. Just frequent low level use. but it still goes with no problems. But watch out for the electrics vit4 I'm now setting off to do a 150 mile journey in it, watch it leave me stranded
So yeah I think older cars can be fine with low mileage but I understand peoples concerns especially as more modern cars are designed for motorway use and therefore may not benefit from pootling.
pwrc said:
vit4 said:
To balance it slightly, my mk4 Escort; my mum bought it in 2007 for £250, with 30,000 from new, old lady's car used for short journeys and nothing else. But, it had an oil & filter every 6 months. It's been faultless, uses a little bit of oil now (55,000 or so) but IIRC the only thing it's needed is a water pump which was dirt cheap anyway
I'm now setting off to do a 150 mile journey in it, watch it leave me stranded
My mk4 was in a similar situation (ok 100k+ miles) but driven by my grandfather sparingly around city, so not heavy use. Just frequent low level use. but it still goes with no problems. But watch out for the electrics vit4 I'm now setting off to do a 150 mile journey in it, watch it leave me stranded
I brought it on myself, I really did.
Flashed someone out and my high beams stayed on. Bare in mind this particular example has a couple of spotlights attached which make the Sun look a bit half-hearted, this was an issue
. Switched back to sidelights, and back to dipped and it was alright, but every time I flash with the sidelights on now the full beam stay on 
Earthing?
Depends on the car and depends on how it has been kept/looked after.
We bought a 29 year old car a few years back with 10,500 miles on the clock. It had been regularly maintained even in years where the mileage was just the trip to MOT and back. Stored in a purpose built 'motor house', it was a time warp car.
But you expect things to deteriorate with age so have replaced anything rubber and safety related (tyres, fuel lines, seal in brakes, etc). I wouldn't trust a 30 year old condom so applied the same logic to the car.
3 years on it's still a low mileage car (13,500), is kept in dehumidified garage where I run the 'fun' cars up to correct Ts&Ps on a regular basis if they're not being driven and ensure all components (aircon, wipers, pumps, horn compressor, etc) used and tested as well.
But fuel is the main concern as it goes off, gums up and other annoying habits. No surprise that the 959 had tanks and fuel pumps sorted.
We bought a 29 year old car a few years back with 10,500 miles on the clock. It had been regularly maintained even in years where the mileage was just the trip to MOT and back. Stored in a purpose built 'motor house', it was a time warp car.
But you expect things to deteriorate with age so have replaced anything rubber and safety related (tyres, fuel lines, seal in brakes, etc). I wouldn't trust a 30 year old condom so applied the same logic to the car.
3 years on it's still a low mileage car (13,500), is kept in dehumidified garage where I run the 'fun' cars up to correct Ts&Ps on a regular basis if they're not being driven and ensure all components (aircon, wipers, pumps, horn compressor, etc) used and tested as well.
But fuel is the main concern as it goes off, gums up and other annoying habits. No surprise that the 959 had tanks and fuel pumps sorted.
vit4 said:
I brought it on myself, I really did.
Flashed someone out and my high beams stayed on. Bare in mind this particular example has a couple of spotlights attached which make the Sun look a bit half-hearted, this was an issue
. Switched back to sidelights, and back to dipped and it was alright, but every time I flash with the sidelights on now the full beam stay on Earthing?trace the main beam relay and swap it out.
It can be swings and roundabouts, I bought my morgan as a 21 year old car with 18k on the clock. It was probably in better condition bodywork wise than it it had been used alot. But I suspect that most of its previous life had been trundling back and forth to the pub on nice sunday afternoons. It never left me stranded, but I have replaced a fair few things like fuel lines, coolant hoses and a few other bits that had just degraded, it could be that I would have needed to replaces these anyway after more than 20 years, I suppose.
Now after 30k miles in my 2 year ownership, it is in a much better mechanical state, the only major thing left to replace will be the standard, original exhaust, but when the time comes a nice custom stainless job will be installed
Now after 30k miles in my 2 year ownership, it is in a much better mechanical state, the only major thing left to replace will be the standard, original exhaust, but when the time comes a nice custom stainless job will be installed
Planes have "cycles" recorded, i.e. a take off and landing pair, I guess mileage is calculated but I think cars should have a counter of how many times they have been started and the distance driven, not counting the stop start technology as that is only when warmed up, it is the times started from cold that does the damage, so a rep that drives long distances would have more mileage but less "cycles" logged where the granny would have the opposite, we dont have that information but I will take a car that has done 100k with a rep in three years over a 20 k granny driven older one.
My mother in law had a 320 touring BMW and it never felt right, had never actually been run in as it had never been past 3000 rpm, seriously it never got revved, engines need to be taken through their operating range, it is what they are designed for but only when up to temp, it used loads of oil as well, I would imagine the engine never bedded in.
My mother in law had a 320 touring BMW and it never felt right, had never actually been run in as it had never been past 3000 rpm, seriously it never got revved, engines need to be taken through their operating range, it is what they are designed for but only when up to temp, it used loads of oil as well, I would imagine the engine never bedded in.
DanielC4GP said:
Lol yes not maybe the best conclusion to a story when trying to prove or disprove a point. However he did sell it for £1000 after paying £2000 at a grage for it. So it does prove just how much dealers over chrage and over hype low mileage cars to the general public.
£2k for a 10 year old astra? I think it says more about your mate than garages.This seems as good a thread to resurrect as any on low mileage issues...
I am looking at a 2006 car on Sunday which was part of a collection (dry stored) until recently, when the owner traded it against a Maclaren MP4!! The car only has 2700 miles on the clock so is ultra-low mileage. The seller had it serviced in 2008 (2 year service intervals) at 1700 miles, but not again until 8th April 2013 as part of the part exchange terms with dealer.
I spoke to the service department at the main dealer and they did a major service, plugs, brake fluid and aircon discharge and re-gas. I asked them about the rest of the car and they said it was all good and like new. Bearing in mind this isn't the dealer selling it, so they wont benefit, should I have any other concerns?
I am looking at a 2006 car on Sunday which was part of a collection (dry stored) until recently, when the owner traded it against a Maclaren MP4!! The car only has 2700 miles on the clock so is ultra-low mileage. The seller had it serviced in 2008 (2 year service intervals) at 1700 miles, but not again until 8th April 2013 as part of the part exchange terms with dealer.
I spoke to the service department at the main dealer and they did a major service, plugs, brake fluid and aircon discharge and re-gas. I asked them about the rest of the car and they said it was all good and like new. Bearing in mind this isn't the dealer selling it, so they wont benefit, should I have any other concerns?
Lots of years ago I bought a 4 year old Chevette from a guy who was half way through a 2 year driving ban. ie the car hadn't moved for over a year. I serviced before I used it it but first time out a water hose split then electrics were dodgy, had to keep spraying with wd40 2 weeks later the radiator sprung a leak, 2 weeks later one of the pistons melted, turned out an oilway was blocked with rust. I fixed it and sold it, it was a lot of years before I bought another Vauxhall and now I'd be very careful with something that hadn't moved for a while
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