What is high mileage for a petrol + diesel when buying a car
Discussion
bakerstreet said:
rallycross said:
A one owner 3 yr old petrol car that has done 150k motorway miles is just run in.
A one taxi owner 3 yr old diesel that has done 90k miles mini cabing in London will be worn out.
The friends who told you a 100k mile petrol will be worn out are either misinformed or stupid.
How does a London Cab manage 500k in its lifetime then? Same trhing for London Ambulances. 150k of hard abuse before they are moved onto other duties. A one taxi owner 3 yr old diesel that has done 90k miles mini cabing in London will be worn out.
The friends who told you a 100k mile petrol will be worn out are either misinformed or stupid.
Go on condition, not mileage. A random number on the dashboard has no bearing on what shape a cars in. Pre-emptive maintenance helps, I just replaced the water pump, viscous coupling and belts on my 146k BMW 528, not because they were necessarily worn out, but because I know they are a weak point. For any car you are interested in research what goes wrong and why/when.
excel monkey said:
When you say total cost, do you mean stuff like residual values and VED?
The people who know best about high mileage durability are fleet managers. Any of them on here? If "OMG DIESEL BORK" is such a massive cost, how come the fleets carry on buying so many diesel cars?
Because fleet contracts are usually 2-3year deals, then they get punted off at auction and trickle on the private market.The people who know best about high mileage durability are fleet managers. Any of them on here? If "OMG DIESEL BORK" is such a massive cost, how come the fleets carry on buying so many diesel cars?
Edited by excel monkey on Wednesday 5th September 10:15
It depends a lot on the type/size of the engine and how it is used/stressed
A 4l Lexus V8, with forged bottom end, that is just been wafted about on motorways is going to run indefinitely, provided it’s serviced and ancillaries are replaced. It’s over engineered, understressed and being driven sympathetically. Whereas 1.6 Golf, with 10 different owners, sketchy servicing and unsympathetic driving (ragged from cold, short journeys, stop/start traffic etc) is going to really suffer as the miles are piled on.
Apart from exceptional failures, modern engines just do not become irreparable. People think a car is worn out, but often it just needs maintaining, including the replacement of long-term service items and ancillaries.
My r129 has 220,000miles on its 5.0litre V8 and it is as strong and as clean as the day it left Bremen. The engine has had fluids and filters, spark plugs, a crankshaft position sensor, a MAF unit and an alternator; one day I may change the injectors.
My w126 has 161,000miles on its 5.6litre V8 and it too is super strong: it has had timing chains and valve stem oil seals and a few new rubber pipes.
Likewise my w124 which has 246,000miles and is as feeble as ever.
All of these cars have had myriad repairs and consumables, many the kind of thing that you expect to change only once every 100,000miles or more and many at relatively substantial expense; each of them is mechanically 100%, however, and I would expect them to remain so forever.
The problem is that people consider a want of £1,000 of repair and maintenance work to indicate that the vehicle is finished when in fact all it indicates is that they don't have any money.
My r129 has 220,000miles on its 5.0litre V8 and it is as strong and as clean as the day it left Bremen. The engine has had fluids and filters, spark plugs, a crankshaft position sensor, a MAF unit and an alternator; one day I may change the injectors.
My w126 has 161,000miles on its 5.6litre V8 and it too is super strong: it has had timing chains and valve stem oil seals and a few new rubber pipes.
Likewise my w124 which has 246,000miles and is as feeble as ever.
All of these cars have had myriad repairs and consumables, many the kind of thing that you expect to change only once every 100,000miles or more and many at relatively substantial expense; each of them is mechanically 100%, however, and I would expect them to remain so forever.
The problem is that people consider a want of £1,000 of repair and maintenance work to indicate that the vehicle is finished when in fact all it indicates is that they don't have any money.
I buy my cars at 100K , and go from there .
My two W126's are on 230K and 160K , both run like new . Had a W124 to 430K , two others beyond 200 , a couple of W123's to similar mileages , and a W114 to 270K . All of these were petrol .
I have just bought my first diesel at 100K , just run in .
I would regard 'high mileage' as upwards of half a million , anything less is pretty normal .
My two W126's are on 230K and 160K , both run like new . Had a W124 to 430K , two others beyond 200 , a couple of W123's to similar mileages , and a W114 to 270K . All of these were petrol .
I have just bought my first diesel at 100K , just run in .
I would regard 'high mileage' as upwards of half a million , anything less is pretty normal .
Breadvan72 said:
My Matra Murena has done 132,000 miles and is still going like a Southampton Slapper on Royal Navy Pay Day.
Ah fellow Murena owner there can't be many of us ....mileage is the least of your worries.My current Jag X350 is coming up to 100k, I'll be keeping it to a least double that. My last x300 Jag did 325k and was sold on running perfectly, my old diesel CX did 425,000 k and was sold on running ok...
I think the mileage thing is a bit of an English obsession, so I wouldn't worry about mileage on any car if it has been otherwise well maintained.
Pontoneer said:
I would regard 'high mileage' as upwards of half a million , anything less is pretty normal .
"Reasonable" perhaps, but far from "normal". The average lifetime mileage of a car in the UK is something of the order of 100k miles. I doubt more than 1% reach 200k.Cars can go on a very long time, but the punitive cost of parts combined with our extremely high rates of depreciation means that they very rarely do.
r129sl said:
Apart from exceptional failures, modern engines just do not become irreparable. People think a car is worn out, but often it just needs maintaining, including the replacement of long-term service items and ancillaries.
My r129 has 220,000miles on its 5.0litre V8 and it is as strong and as clean as the day it left Bremen. The engine has had fluids and filters, spark plugs, a crankshaft position sensor, a MAF unit and an alternator; one day I may change the injectors.
My w126 has 161,000miles on its 5.6litre V8 and it too is super strong: it has had timing chains and valve stem oil seals and a few new rubber pipes.
Likewise my w124 which has 246,000miles and is as feeble as ever.
All of these cars have had myriad repairs and consumables, many the kind of thing that you expect to change only once every 100,000miles or more and many at relatively substantial expense; each of them is mechanically 100%, however, and I would expect them to remain so forever.
The problem is that people consider a want of £1,000 of repair and maintenance work to indicate that the vehicle is finished when in fact all it indicates is that they don't have any money.
No modern engine (or indeed any engine really) is beyond repair. I think though if the cost of repairs to the engine (and by that I mean actually opening it up) exceeds the cost of a working secondhand engine, then it shot. Otherwise you get to a Trigger’s new broom situation….”I’ve done 600k on this engine…..it’s had the crank changed twice, new heads, new valves, piston rings……”My r129 has 220,000miles on its 5.0litre V8 and it is as strong and as clean as the day it left Bremen. The engine has had fluids and filters, spark plugs, a crankshaft position sensor, a MAF unit and an alternator; one day I may change the injectors.
My w126 has 161,000miles on its 5.6litre V8 and it too is super strong: it has had timing chains and valve stem oil seals and a few new rubber pipes.
Likewise my w124 which has 246,000miles and is as feeble as ever.
All of these cars have had myriad repairs and consumables, many the kind of thing that you expect to change only once every 100,000miles or more and many at relatively substantial expense; each of them is mechanically 100%, however, and I would expect them to remain so forever.
The problem is that people consider a want of £1,000 of repair and maintenance work to indicate that the vehicle is finished when in fact all it indicates is that they don't have any money.
kambites said:
The average lifetime mileage of a car in the UK is something of the order of 100k miles. I doubt more than 1% reach 200k.
Do you have a source for that, or is that just a guess?It certainly sounds very low to me, as I'd guess the average lifetime mileage would be in the region of 150k give or take - a bit higher for diesel saloons and a bit lower for city runabouts.
Certainly that fits with older cars I see advertised and the sorts of mileages I tend to see on cars that are in the scrapyard (other than a few low milage ones that have been crashed)
FreeLitres said:
Depends a lot on the car.
A newish 150k mile 5-series Beamer will probably be in better shape than a TVR on 150k miles on it's first engine.
Or indeed an E Class Merc with a V6 vs. a Corsa with a 3pot. If they are driven the same then Merc will cope better with the same mileage vs. the Corsa.A newish 150k mile 5-series Beamer will probably be in better shape than a TVR on 150k miles on it's first engine.
This isn't a "snobbery" statement, but it stands to reason that an engine which isn't working so near it's full capacity will outlast one which is more stressed relatively.
DaveH23 said:
rswift said:
I think the mileage thing is a bit of an English obsession, so I wouldn't worry about mileage on any car if it has been otherwise well maintained.
This sentance sums it up pretty well. excel monkey said:
J4CKO said:
the economy thing influences a lot of people more than it should, total cost should be looked at
When you say total cost, do you mean stuff like residual values and VED?The people who know best about high mileage durability are fleet managers. Any of them on here? If "OMG DIESEL BORK" is such a massive cost, how come the fleets carry on buying so many diesel cars?
Edited by excel monkey on Wednesday 5th September 10:15
100k is nothing these days, my daily turned that 5 years ago and back in June it turned 200k - still on the original engine, rings etc...
Have changed the odd sensors (MAFS, CPS, Lamda etc) and refreshed the suspension components but these are all pretty much classified as consumables...
V8 german engineering has stood the test of both time and hard usage...
I'm guessing high milage as a debate in the UK is due to the heady days of British Leyland / Austin Rover etc...where 60k miles was considered a lot!
Have changed the odd sensors (MAFS, CPS, Lamda etc) and refreshed the suspension components but these are all pretty much classified as consumables...
V8 german engineering has stood the test of both time and hard usage...
I'm guessing high milage as a debate in the UK is due to the heady days of British Leyland / Austin Rover etc...where 60k miles was considered a lot!
The more miles its done the more worn out it will be, yes you can get low mileage cars that are buggered too. But in my experience the more miles its done the more it costs you to keep on the road. 80k and above you start to replace items. and there are plenty of lower mileage motors about, so why touch the high mileage stuff?
redweapon said:
The more miles its done the more worn out it will be, yes you can get low mileage cars that are buggered too. But in my experience the more miles its done the more it costs you to keep on the road. 80k and above you start to replace items. and there are plenty of lower mileage motors about, so why touch the high mileage stuff?
Because they're cheap, and once you've put them right they'll do another 100k for pittance.That's over-simplified I know, but essentially true.
Whenever I look at a secondhand car that's more than a year or two old I treat the odo as nothing more than a bit of digital dashboard adornment. The number on it means absolutely f*** all on a car that's 5+ years old and has already been through 2 or 3 owners in its life.
Re: petrol -v- Diesel, I think it used to be the case that Dizzlers would last longer, when we were talking about Pug/Citroen XUDs and old Merc 240Ds and the like, and comparing them with the crappy Pintos and A series BL lumps that WERE lucky to make it to 100k, but nowadays it's all down to the maintenance and how willing an owner is to spend £500 on a car that he sees as only being worth a grand.
The highest verified mileage of ANY passenger car is a 1800cc ohv petrol lump in Irv Gordon's Volvo, last seen heading towards 3 million miles. Now THAT'S what I'd call high mileage in a car...
Re: petrol -v- Diesel, I think it used to be the case that Dizzlers would last longer, when we were talking about Pug/Citroen XUDs and old Merc 240Ds and the like, and comparing them with the crappy Pintos and A series BL lumps that WERE lucky to make it to 100k, but nowadays it's all down to the maintenance and how willing an owner is to spend £500 on a car that he sees as only being worth a grand.
The highest verified mileage of ANY passenger car is a 1800cc ohv petrol lump in Irv Gordon's Volvo, last seen heading towards 3 million miles. Now THAT'S what I'd call high mileage in a car...
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