How many miles are just right?

[Johnnytheboy]

Following on from this thread...

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

... if you were buying a used car, what would you consider to be the optimal annual mileage?

I guess answer 1 would be "depends on the car".

If it's done 30k a year it might be in deceptively good nick, if it's just gone back and forth up a motorway every day.

If it's done 1k a year it may have never warmed up, and been driven by the kind of old lady that never checked the oil in its whole life.

My car does 6k a year, almost entirely comprised of 30 miles each way to my family home on a Saturday. I may be biased but I fel like that's a fairly optimimum usage pattern.

[MJK 24]

Optimum usage is cruising at around 2,250 - 2,500 in top gear on a smooth road I'd have thought.

Multiple cold starts and short urban journeys are harder on a car than a gentle long cruise up the motorway

[Bitzer]

I nearly always buy a 3 to 4 year car with around 60k on.

The biggest hit of depreciation has gone, and more often than not they're one owner as well. We try to keep them 3 years with another 30 to 40k on, so still 'sellable' I.e. under the 100k limit that still exists.

[Johnnytheboy]

OK, but if the price wasn't the issue, say you had three cars at roughly the same price, all three years old.

One has done 10,000 miles
One has done 20,000 miles
One has done 40,000 miles

Would you automatically choose the lowest mileage one?

[PH lurker]

Johnnytheboy said:

OK, but if the price wasn't the issue, say you had three cars at roughly the same price, all three years old.

One has done 10,000 miles
One has done 20,000 miles
One has done 40,000 miles

Would you automatically choose the lowest mileage one?

No, other things play a part.

[Johnnytheboy]

PH lurker said:

No, other things play a part.

As I said in my first post, it depends what you're buying I guess.

Diesel mile muncher vs Ferrari, for example.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Meeting the previous owner is usually the best guide to how the car has been used.

[PH lurker]

Johnnytheboy said:

As I said in my first post, it depends what you're buying I guess.

Diesel mile muncher vs Ferrari, for example.

Recent camblet, or not; more often. (I know that's a few miles down the line from 10K).

[steveo3002]

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

Meeting the previous owner is usually the best guide to how the car has been used.

lots of miles in the hands of decent owner thats maintained it would be better than low milage mongo thats been screaming about it on school runs and boucing off kerbs

[300bhp/ton]

Johnnytheboy said:

Following on from this thread...

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

... if you were buying a used car, what would you consider to be the optimal annual mileage?

I guess answer 1 would be "depends on the car".

If it's done 30k a year it might be in deceptively good nick, if it's just gone back and forth up a motorway every day.

If it's done 1k a year it may have never warmed up, and been driven by the kind of old lady that never checked the oil in its whole life.

My car does 6k a year, almost entirely comprised of 30 miles each way to my family home on a Saturday. I may be biased but I fel like that's a fairly optimimum usage pattern.

Depends on the car entirely and condition.

[ian_touring]

Mileage is not as important as servicing.
Good service history makes mileage nearly irrelevant, for the cars I have bought recently.