Are people buying and selling high mileage cars
Discussion
Was looking at Audi estates on the usual platforms and couldn't find anything with less than 100,000 miles on it. Just wondered what peoples attitudes are when it comes to buying, then owning and then selling cars with more than 100,000 on the clock?
I've done it and I won't go into detail but it is the worst car I've ever owned. But maybe that was just one bad example?
I've done it and I won't go into detail but it is the worst car I've ever owned. But maybe that was just one bad example?
With diesel cars it not uncommon to have 150k+ on fairly new cars as they are bought to efficiently cover lots of miles.
Buying a petrol model will probably have lower miles due to the previous owners requirements.
Depends on the car and how it was cared for, 15k a year isnt bad as long as it's been serviced and components replaced as they wear out. People commuting long distances require reliable cars so can be very well cared for despite the mileage. I had a car I sold with 205k on the clock and it was fine, I have worked on cars with 40k that have oil that looks like black porridge with glitter.
Yes people buy and sell.them.
Buying a petrol model will probably have lower miles due to the previous owners requirements.
Depends on the car and how it was cared for, 15k a year isnt bad as long as it's been serviced and components replaced as they wear out. People commuting long distances require reliable cars so can be very well cared for despite the mileage. I had a car I sold with 205k on the clock and it was fine, I have worked on cars with 40k that have oil that looks like black porridge with glitter.
Yes people buy and sell.them.
Condition and history is key for cars.
Cars with minimal servicing and a shoestring budget are personally to be avoided.
I bought my Discovery 4 in July with 110,*** miles on it.
It had a folder of history that showed from 90-110k it got all timing belts changed, the ZF autobox serviced, front and rear brakes all changed, and 2 months before I bought it, £800 worth of Pirelli tires.
Rather amusingly, the high mileage cars I’ve bought have been fine.
The low mileage cars have been more troublesome.
Something to be said for cars like to be used, not sitting about.
Cars with minimal servicing and a shoestring budget are personally to be avoided.
I bought my Discovery 4 in July with 110,*** miles on it.
It had a folder of history that showed from 90-110k it got all timing belts changed, the ZF autobox serviced, front and rear brakes all changed, and 2 months before I bought it, £800 worth of Pirelli tires.
Rather amusingly, the high mileage cars I’ve bought have been fine.
The low mileage cars have been more troublesome.
Something to be said for cars like to be used, not sitting about.
ingenieur said:
Was looking at Audi estates on the usual platforms and couldn't find anything with less than 100,000 miles on it. Just wondered what peoples attitudes are when it comes to buying, then owning and then selling cars with more than 100,000 on the clock?
I've done it and I won't go into detail but it is the worst car I've ever owned. But maybe that was just one bad example?
Brother bought an A4 with about 120k on it around 15 years. Now has 340k on it, still in daily use. I've done it and I won't go into detail but it is the worst car I've ever owned. But maybe that was just one bad example?
This 100k thing everyone has is ridiculous.
A lot depends on the reputation of the car (especially the engine) in question.
You can sell a Volvo (especially a D5 powered one) or a Lexus for example with 200,000 miles on it, and people will still want it - albeit cheaper than a low mileage one - because a cared for example will have shrugged it off like its nothing, and have loads of life left in it without throwing telephone number bills every so often.
A car powered by some of the VAG TFSi engines, or a BMW N47, or something with more brittle build quality that will look and feel thoroughly shagged at 100k? Maybe not.
The UK car market has been distorted heavily for years by cheap finance and discounting, which has made new cars widely affordable, and used ones cheap through more people buying new, and a very healthy (over?) supply of 3-4 year old stuff straight off cheap finance deals. In the context of this, the market for higher mileage stuff has been quite restricted in a way you don't see in many other countries because more people have access to something newer and lower mileage.
As more people are priced out of new cars through above-inflation price hikes and more expensive finance, I think this will start to change as their options become more limited. I'm not saying everyone will go out and buy a starship mileage shed tomorrow, but their money isn't going to go anywhere near as far, and their choices will become more limited. Many too will hang on to what they have and put more miles on than they might have done before things changed.
You can sell a Volvo (especially a D5 powered one) or a Lexus for example with 200,000 miles on it, and people will still want it - albeit cheaper than a low mileage one - because a cared for example will have shrugged it off like its nothing, and have loads of life left in it without throwing telephone number bills every so often.
A car powered by some of the VAG TFSi engines, or a BMW N47, or something with more brittle build quality that will look and feel thoroughly shagged at 100k? Maybe not.
The UK car market has been distorted heavily for years by cheap finance and discounting, which has made new cars widely affordable, and used ones cheap through more people buying new, and a very healthy (over?) supply of 3-4 year old stuff straight off cheap finance deals. In the context of this, the market for higher mileage stuff has been quite restricted in a way you don't see in many other countries because more people have access to something newer and lower mileage.
As more people are priced out of new cars through above-inflation price hikes and more expensive finance, I think this will start to change as their options become more limited. I'm not saying everyone will go out and buy a starship mileage shed tomorrow, but their money isn't going to go anywhere near as far, and their choices will become more limited. Many too will hang on to what they have and put more miles on than they might have done before things changed.
I've had low mileage cars which have cost are fortune in my ownership because everything was original and old.
As an example:
Car 1; 30k car, done 3k a year, everything original
Car 2; 80k car, done 8k serviced every year, just had the major service so water pump and cambelt done, recent tyres, new clutch, new brakes all round, few bushes and other bits changed
I'd be all over car 2 personally
And as above, condition is key, car 1 might have had 1 owner but they didn't care about cars and it sat around most of its time on a street in London. Car 2 has had 6 owners all of whom cherished it, 3 of them garaged it and 1 was a car valeter by trade.
It's all about condition
As an example:
Car 1; 30k car, done 3k a year, everything original
Car 2; 80k car, done 8k serviced every year, just had the major service so water pump and cambelt done, recent tyres, new clutch, new brakes all round, few bushes and other bits changed
I'd be all over car 2 personally
And as above, condition is key, car 1 might have had 1 owner but they didn't care about cars and it sat around most of its time on a street in London. Car 2 has had 6 owners all of whom cherished it, 3 of them garaged it and 1 was a car valeter by trade.
It's all about condition
Its partly the the myth that 100k is a massive amount of miles. It might have been in 1983 on your Renault 25 but not these days when 20 year old cars are still perfectly fine and have all the usual mod cons you'd need.
The early 2000s are a bit of a sweet spot, blending mechanical (which people can fix) and tech and particularly pre-COVID were covering much further on average per year.
A 2010 A4 with 105k on it is actually pretty low mileage considering and that engine will go well over twice that if looked after relatively well.
I've never been too concerned buying "high" mileage as I know to do my checks and I also will even it out slightly as my annual average is about 3500. Funnily enough, the 2 most troublesome cars I've had are also the 2 with the least mileage. It goes that way sometimes.
The early 2000s are a bit of a sweet spot, blending mechanical (which people can fix) and tech and particularly pre-COVID were covering much further on average per year.
A 2010 A4 with 105k on it is actually pretty low mileage considering and that engine will go well over twice that if looked after relatively well.
I've never been too concerned buying "high" mileage as I know to do my checks and I also will even it out slightly as my annual average is about 3500. Funnily enough, the 2 most troublesome cars I've had are also the 2 with the least mileage. It goes that way sometimes.
For me it's more important how it got its miles and age.
A relatively new car doing 40k motorway miles every year isn't going to worry me too much at 3 years old. A 20 year old one with the same 120k miles that's been used for tooling around potholed urban roads and so on isn't a different kettle of fish.
A relatively new car doing 40k motorway miles every year isn't going to worry me too much at 3 years old. A 20 year old one with the same 120k miles that's been used for tooling around potholed urban roads and so on isn't a different kettle of fish.
ingenieur said:
Was looking at Audi estates on the usual platforms and couldn't find anything with less than 100,000 miles on it. Just wondered what peoples attitudes are when it comes to buying, then owning and then selling cars with more than 100,000 on the clock?
There are currently 698 Audi estate cars on a well known car buying website between 2 & 5 years old with less than 50000 miles on so there are plenty of average mileage cars still about.The difference though is that 10 year old premium cars are a lot more desirable than they used to be and don't seem that old now. A 10 year old car with 100000 miles on is about average mileage, low if anything for an estate car.
Although I've run cars well over 100,000 miles with few issues, it's always mostly been mileage I've done. I'm not sure I'd risk someone else's 10 year old 100000+ miles car, possibly with not all the maintenance possibly being done correctly etc. unless the car was very cheap.
Forester1965 said:
For me it's more important how it got its miles and age.
A relatively new car doing 40k motorway miles every year isn't going to worry me too much at 3 years old. A 20 year old one with the same 120k miles that's been used for tooling around potholed urban roads and so on isn't a different kettle of fish.
This.A relatively new car doing 40k motorway miles every year isn't going to worry me too much at 3 years old. A 20 year old one with the same 120k miles that's been used for tooling around potholed urban roads and so on isn't a different kettle of fish.
The wife has a 16 plate Kuga with 100k on the clock. She loves it. It runs perfectly. Changed the cambelt 10,000 miles early ay 90k and it's good for plenty more miles.
A lot to be said for sticking with a car you know. She refuses to swap it out when I have raised the suggestion. She might be tempted with an XC90 or an old school 2013 or so Defender 110 (that's her dream car), but right now, she likes it, she knows it and it just chugs along.
20 years ago, I'd be looking to swap out at 70k but a modern car if serviced properly and not used for lots of short runs, has amazing durability.
Been looking at getting a Jaguar XJ, the recent model, the values of those falls off a cliff after 100k but it’s a car built for long motorway trips.
I am sometimes more suspicious of tiny mileage cars as age is probably a bigger concern, stuff like TTs go for a lot more but would rather have one that has been used than a garage ornament that is likely nearing needing a load spending.
Key thing with any car is what’s been done, a set of tyres for the aforementioned Jag is £800 or so, brakes probably the same, then has it had a cambelt, what £700 ?
So it’s easy to buy something needing two grand spending very soon.
Also, leggy stuff is good for making a cheeky bid on.
I am sometimes more suspicious of tiny mileage cars as age is probably a bigger concern, stuff like TTs go for a lot more but would rather have one that has been used than a garage ornament that is likely nearing needing a load spending.
Key thing with any car is what’s been done, a set of tyres for the aforementioned Jag is £800 or so, brakes probably the same, then has it had a cambelt, what £700 ?
So it’s easy to buy something needing two grand spending very soon.
Also, leggy stuff is good for making a cheeky bid on.
I'm not actually that bothered about mileage, I've had enough cars and worked in the motor trade long enough to know that low mileage does not automatically mean a good car, sometimes it's the exact opposite and its the mega mileage stuff that has been fastidiously looked after.
My last XC70 was bought with 199,500 miles and was a far far better presented and maintained car than some of the sub 100,000 miles stuff I looked at. It ran for 3yrs and a further 50,000 miles with minimal fuss. Similarly I recently bought a VW Transporter with 175,000 miles and "oooh, don't do that" people wailed however having looked at a few lower mileage vans, none were as good be it cosmetically or mechanically.
Simply doesn't bother me, never has... you buy based on the condition and the price point. I have no interest in the excitement surrounding low mileage stuff nor the premiums it commands, granted if it's rare or collectable than that's slightly different but paying a big premium because something positively average has remarkably low miles, nope.
Current cars have 185,000 miles, 247,000 miles and 229,000 miles.
My last XC70 was bought with 199,500 miles and was a far far better presented and maintained car than some of the sub 100,000 miles stuff I looked at. It ran for 3yrs and a further 50,000 miles with minimal fuss. Similarly I recently bought a VW Transporter with 175,000 miles and "oooh, don't do that" people wailed however having looked at a few lower mileage vans, none were as good be it cosmetically or mechanically.
Simply doesn't bother me, never has... you buy based on the condition and the price point. I have no interest in the excitement surrounding low mileage stuff nor the premiums it commands, granted if it's rare or collectable than that's slightly different but paying a big premium because something positively average has remarkably low miles, nope.
Current cars have 185,000 miles, 247,000 miles and 229,000 miles.
Limpet said:
A lot depends on the reputation of the car (especially the engine) in question.
You can sell a Volvo (especially a D5 powered one) or a Lexus for example with 200,000 miles on it, and people will still want it - albeit cheaper than a low mileage one - because a cared for example will have shrugged it off like its nothing, and have loads of life left in it without throwing telephone number bills every so often.
A car powered by some of the VAG TFSi engines, or a BMW N47, or something with more brittle build quality that will look and feel thoroughly shagged at 100k? Maybe not.
The UK car market has been distorted heavily for years by cheap finance and discounting, which has made new cars widely affordable, and used ones cheap through more people buying new, and a very healthy (over?) supply of 3-4 year old stuff straight off cheap finance deals. In the context of this, the market for higher mileage stuff has been quite restricted in a way you don't see in many other countries because more people have access to something newer and lower mileage.
As more people are priced out of new cars through above-inflation price hikes and more expensive finance, I think this will start to change as their options become more limited. I'm not saying everyone will go out and buy a starship mileage shed tomorrow, but their money isn't going to go anywhere near as far, and their choices will become more limited. Many too will hang on to what they have and put more miles on than they might have done before things changed.
I know everyone sings the praises of V50 D5s but on my old 2014 one. It had alot of electronics. You can sell a Volvo (especially a D5 powered one) or a Lexus for example with 200,000 miles on it, and people will still want it - albeit cheaper than a low mileage one - because a cared for example will have shrugged it off like its nothing, and have loads of life left in it without throwing telephone number bills every so often.
A car powered by some of the VAG TFSi engines, or a BMW N47, or something with more brittle build quality that will look and feel thoroughly shagged at 100k? Maybe not.
The UK car market has been distorted heavily for years by cheap finance and discounting, which has made new cars widely affordable, and used ones cheap through more people buying new, and a very healthy (over?) supply of 3-4 year old stuff straight off cheap finance deals. In the context of this, the market for higher mileage stuff has been quite restricted in a way you don't see in many other countries because more people have access to something newer and lower mileage.
As more people are priced out of new cars through above-inflation price hikes and more expensive finance, I think this will start to change as their options become more limited. I'm not saying everyone will go out and buy a starship mileage shed tomorrow, but their money isn't going to go anywhere near as far, and their choices will become more limited. Many too will hang on to what they have and put more miles on than they might have done before things changed.
The TPMS module failed (tyre pressure) and it cost £400 to replace and recode in.
Sod the risk of other things.
I'll be looking for a new old estate in the future but it'll be a basic electronics car.
I was brought up on the theory that low miles = better.
A couple of years ago I bought a low mileage Golf as a stopgap which I knew I would own for a short period of time. I think it had 50k miles on at 8 years old. By far and away the most unreliable car I have ever owned (not that I have owned lots of cars). But it was an (expensive) lesson learnt and in future will/do aim to buy cars that see regular and relatively decent use.
A couple of years ago I bought a low mileage Golf as a stopgap which I knew I would own for a short period of time. I think it had 50k miles on at 8 years old. By far and away the most unreliable car I have ever owned (not that I have owned lots of cars). But it was an (expensive) lesson learnt and in future will/do aim to buy cars that see regular and relatively decent use.
Hugo Stiglitz v2 said:
I know everyone sings the praises of V50 D5s but on my old 2014 one. It had alot of electronics.
The TPMS module failed (tyre pressure) and it cost £400 to replace and recode in.
Sod the risk of other things.
I'll be looking for a new old estate in the future but it'll be a basic electronics car.
I've a friend who is a big advocate of old, mechanical estates... nothing goes wrong, solid as a rock etc etc. However they're had their fair share of "significant" issues and repairs aren't always exactly easy as parts are becoming scare. Those old 2.5TDi VAG units Volvo used in the old stuff, utter bombproof... never go wrong... unless they go tits up and snap the cam. So yes, modern stuff can be a bit spendy but all cars can. This sort of merges into the "Joy of a shed" thread where shedding is harder now than ever - stuff that was old, solid and easy to run is now getting really old and thus we have moved on, but on towards an era of cars that were more complex. It's a fine line. It's also sometimes luck. The TPMS module failed (tyre pressure) and it cost £400 to replace and recode in.
Sod the risk of other things.
I'll be looking for a new old estate in the future but it'll be a basic electronics car.
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