Who hasn't had their head turned by the idea of a sweet, low-mileage used car? The allure of a lightly-used seat, its plump upholstery yet to be flattened by thousands of miles spent with a posterior in situ, steering that's still spry and responsive, or a gearbox whose shift hasn't been slackened by the passage of millions of gearchanges, is hard to resist.
But what about the other end of the mileage spectrum? The one where most car buyers fear to tread; where a six-figure mileage isn't worth talking about unless it starts with a two, and where a rap sheet of recently-replaced perishables is the holy grail?
Well, as more and more people are finding, hunting for a high-miler can be an extremely savvy way to buy. Not only do you enjoy the benefits of a car that's extremely cheap because so few people are prepared to take a punt on it, but you also often end up with something that's had a huge amount of maintenance done on it already. Why buy a 90,000-mile car with the clutch about to go, for example, when you can buy one with 200,000 miles that's just had it done for the second time?
There are, I'd say, a few tricks to buying high-milers well. The first is to trust your instinct. Turn up to a car that's gleaming, and replete with signs of fastidious care, and the chances are a stratospheric mileage is nothing to be afraid of. By contrast, an old snotter with big miles will probably be just that - rather than the hallowed diamond-in-the-high-mileage-rough you're looking for.
Signs of frequent motorway use, such as a plethora of stone chips on the leading edge of the bonnet, are good news too, as of course, motorway cruising is the least stressful activity a car can face. If 150,000 of those 200,000 miles have been spent gently humming along at 70, nobody's been getting in or out of it, braking hard, or putting high cornering forces through the suspension, steering or body. In theory, then, the car should still feel fresh and tight.
Finally - controversial, this - but a wodge of history is crucial, in my view. If a car's had frequent oil changes throughout its life, then high mileage should hold no fear - and the only way to tell if that's the case for certain is to check the stack of invoices or, at the very least, the service book.
So, with the ground rules established, let's have a root around in the classifieds to see if we can find any likely candidates, eh? First up is this delightful old Volvo S90. Bit of a cheat this one, I'll grant you, as 167,000 miles isn't actually all that much by Volvo standards, but it's still a mileage most buyers will baulk at. It shouldn't be enough to put you off, though, because you get one of the bargiest Volvos ever made, fitted with a creamy-smooth 24v six-pot motor, laden with a leather-and-fake-wood interior, and endowed with the waftiest suspension there is. The advert mentions a full history file and a couple of perishables already replaced, it sounds like the current owner's cherished it, and there's a full year's MOT. All the boxes ticked, then, and yours for a very reasonable £1,695.
Genuine drop-top full-pressure Saab 900 Turbos are now going for five-figure sums in some parts, which is why it's gratifying to find this one sitting quite a way below £5,000. Of course, the reason for that is that it's done 215,000 miles - but as with the Volvo, that's less of a concern on a Saab than it would be on something less robustly built. There's no mention of history in the ad - which could just be an oversight as it's a private sale - but with so much work done to it in recent months and years, it sounds like half the car's already brand new. Look at that shine on the bodywork - could be smoke and mirrors, but I doubt it, and if not it suggests a well-loved example. I'd be tempted, especially if it looked as though it had spent much of its life on a motorway.
What if you don't want a sassy Swedish soft-top, though? What if you want to use the high-mileage advantage on a sensible family wagon? Well, get your reading gear around this Seat Leon ST 2.0 TDI FR. Frugal yet fun, smart and practical, the Leon ST makes for a cracking daily, and this example would be high on my list to go and have a nose around. It's done 157k in just four years, which means it's almost certainly spent almost all of its time ploughing up and down the motorway (though you'll want to check the seats and plastics for signs of wear just in case it's been a taxi). The advert talks about service history - which you'll want to check is thorough - and suggests it was last serviced relatively recently too, which is a good sign.
But this is PH, so I'm not going to end on a family bus. Instead, here's my favourite high-mile pick in the classifieds right now: a 2001 Boxster S with manual gearbox, for the devilishly enticing sum of just £4,450. The advert goes to great pains to discuss the whopping record of every little thing that's ever been done to it, which includes - you'll be relieved to hear - the RMS and clutch. There's no mention of an IMS bearing replacement to go with it, but you'd hope it'd be something you could either find in that extensive history or price into the sale. Really, this is the dream high-mileage car: wonderful to drive, great to look at, immaculately cared for and suitably cheap. Frankly, if one of you doesn't get out there and buy it, I might.
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