Buying newer and higher miles versus older and average
Discussion
Hi guys
I’ve been on the lookout to get a new daily for a short while. I settled on a Discovery 4 with the sdv6 and the 8 speed auto box. The search has proved ok if a little tricky as I’m on a tight budget, a fair few 12/13 MY cars coming up in different spec/ trim, not many in the desired hse trim. In or around 100k miles and due a cambelt is the typical fodder.
Anyway, I have agreed to go this Thursday and see something different, a MY14 early face lift SE spec car. It has the advantage of being the cheaper tax model post face lift and also slightly more economical, even if not by much.
Only snag is it’s on 150k miles at 5 years old. It’s consistently done 30k a year (89k at first MoT), the seller has sent me pictures of service invoices every 15k, along with some minor works like gear selector etc.
Also, he’s sent evidence of cambelt change at 111k and the big one, nearly £4k spent on replacing both turbo’s at 120k. It’s also got a pretty clean MoT history. One advisory this year for a joint noise on the suspension. All this work carried out at a LR Indy and not the dealer, from new it seems!
In my head, the engine is probably going to run forever if looked after. But what about the other bits. The 8 speed (ZF?) box, hows it’s longevity? Water pumps, air suspension components, all the usual stuff.
I want to keep the car a minimum of 5 years (75k ish) and so I’m concerned I’m going to have a worthless 225k Mile example on my hands vs buying something older with lower miles on.
I know the old adage is buy on condition and not mileage, but what says the general LR beard around these parts? Anything to worry about? Should I scrap the idea and keep searching for the perfect one to turn up with lower miles?
I’ve been on the lookout to get a new daily for a short while. I settled on a Discovery 4 with the sdv6 and the 8 speed auto box. The search has proved ok if a little tricky as I’m on a tight budget, a fair few 12/13 MY cars coming up in different spec/ trim, not many in the desired hse trim. In or around 100k miles and due a cambelt is the typical fodder.
Anyway, I have agreed to go this Thursday and see something different, a MY14 early face lift SE spec car. It has the advantage of being the cheaper tax model post face lift and also slightly more economical, even if not by much.
Only snag is it’s on 150k miles at 5 years old. It’s consistently done 30k a year (89k at first MoT), the seller has sent me pictures of service invoices every 15k, along with some minor works like gear selector etc.
Also, he’s sent evidence of cambelt change at 111k and the big one, nearly £4k spent on replacing both turbo’s at 120k. It’s also got a pretty clean MoT history. One advisory this year for a joint noise on the suspension. All this work carried out at a LR Indy and not the dealer, from new it seems!
In my head, the engine is probably going to run forever if looked after. But what about the other bits. The 8 speed (ZF?) box, hows it’s longevity? Water pumps, air suspension components, all the usual stuff.
I want to keep the car a minimum of 5 years (75k ish) and so I’m concerned I’m going to have a worthless 225k Mile example on my hands vs buying something older with lower miles on.
I know the old adage is buy on condition and not mileage, but what says the general LR beard around these parts? Anything to worry about? Should I scrap the idea and keep searching for the perfect one to turn up with lower miles?
I suppose if the price reflects the high than average mileage and the service history is on point then if it's in good condition it could be a sound purchase.
I mean if the car is capable of doing 150k over 15 years and having plenty of life in it, then little difference in 5 years I guess.
My daily car has 140k on it, I bought it with 102k on the clock already and do around 1k a month in it. It has averaged under 10k a year but shows no signs of stopping and doesn't feel fragile by any means.
I mean if the car is capable of doing 150k over 15 years and having plenty of life in it, then little difference in 5 years I guess.
My daily car has 140k on it, I bought it with 102k on the clock already and do around 1k a month in it. It has averaged under 10k a year but shows no signs of stopping and doesn't feel fragile by any means.
I think that the key thing is resale value and if that is important for you.
Some bargains can be had when you find a high mileage car that has been well maintained, and if you plan to run it until it dies or for another 10 years then all is good.
But if you tip it over 200K the market almost disappears, no matter how new or desirable the car is. Again, who cares if you aren't going to sell it, but if you are then you do need to think about that.
Some bargains can be had when you find a high mileage car that has been well maintained, and if you plan to run it until it dies or for another 10 years then all is good.
But if you tip it over 200K the market almost disappears, no matter how new or desirable the car is. Again, who cares if you aren't going to sell it, but if you are then you do need to think about that.
MJ85 said:
Has the gearbox oil and filter been changed at 72k max? It’s unlikely you’d not encounter issues with a ‘box at 150k on its original oil for much longer.
Interesting question and thanks for the advice, something that has not popped up in my research up to now. This i don't know the answer to until i sift through the paperwork. one or two of his pictures were quite blurry so might well have done, might not. There's loads of these at or around 100k miles for sale and i'd be surprised if any of them have had a gearbox oil flush, it's all this "sealed for life" stuff from manufacturers.Does this ZF box have this in it's official maintenance requirements? The car has been indy serviced all it's life so i think there's a chance of it having been done if it's required officially by the manufacturer.
Assuming it's changing smoothly and there's no issues getting it in/ out of the various gears, could it be assumed good and a oil and filter change done immediately?
Craig W said:
I think that the key thing is resale value and if that is important for you.
Some bargains can be had when you find a high mileage car that has been well maintained, and if you plan to run it until it dies or for another 10 years then all is good.
But if you tip it over 200K the market almost disappears, no matter how new or desirable the car is. Again, who cares if you aren't going to sell it, but if you are then you do need to think about that.
Unless my circumstances change significantly then no, it's not important per se. i would intend to keep the car until it's in shed territory anyway. Some bargains can be had when you find a high mileage car that has been well maintained, and if you plan to run it until it dies or for another 10 years then all is good.
But if you tip it over 200K the market almost disappears, no matter how new or desirable the car is. Again, who cares if you aren't going to sell it, but if you are then you do need to think about that.
I work form home and my current driving at the moment consists of 1 mile each way school run, 8 miles to the station and a bit of NSL running about, then every couple of weeks i do a 120 mile round trip to watch my football team. Then the occasional long motorway run for work.
The only change i foresee in my future is a new job back to less London-centric (train) travel and more motorway work to visit customers.
I'd tend to go for a newer, higher mileage model. Unless there's specific reasons not to. Usually stuff that does big miles does them on the motorway, and lives an easy life with few cold starts and not a lot of stop start stuff.
Police and Ex highways stuff is excepted though, as they can spend huge amounts of time idling at the side of the road though.
Police and Ex highways stuff is excepted though, as they can spend huge amounts of time idling at the side of the road though.
eltax91 said:
MJ85 said:
Has the gearbox oil and filter been changed at 72k max? It’s unlikely you’d not encounter issues with a ‘box at 150k on its original oil for much longer.
Interesting question and thanks for the advice, something that has not popped up in my research up to now. This i don't know the answer to until i sift through the paperwork. one or two of his pictures were quite blurry so might well have done, might not. There's loads of these at or around 100k miles for sale and i'd be surprised if any of them have had a gearbox oil flush, it's all this "sealed for life" stuff from manufacturers.Does this ZF box have this in it's official maintenance requirements? The car has been indy serviced all it's life so i think there's a chance of it having been done if it's required officially by the manufacturer.
Assuming it's changing smoothly and there's no issues getting it in/ out of the various gears, could it be assumed good and a oil and filter change done immediately?
https://aftermarket.zf.com/remotemedia/lol-lubrica...
5-, 6-, 8- and 9-speed as well as 4HP20 automatic transmissions:
ZF 5-, 6-, 8- and 9-speed as well as the ZF 4HP20 automatic transmissions are filled maintenance-free with specially developed
partially synthetic ATF oils. Maintenance-free fills are intended for normal operating conditions. Especially driving at very high
operating temperatures can result in accelerated aging or increased wear of ATF oils. In case of above-average operating
conditions, such as:
- frequent freeway driving in the upper speed range
- offensive, sporty driving style
- frequent trailer operation
it is recommended to refresh (change) the oil of the automatic transmission every 100,000 km or no later than after 8 years.
In each case, only released ATF oil may be used for oil changes. And oil changes must be performed in accordance with the
relevant specifications.
MJ85 said:
eltax91 said:
MJ85 said:
Has the gearbox oil and filter been changed at 72k max? It’s unlikely you’d not encounter issues with a ‘box at 150k on its original oil for much longer.
Interesting question and thanks for the advice, something that has not popped up in my research up to now. This i don't know the answer to until i sift through the paperwork. one or two of his pictures were quite blurry so might well have done, might not. There's loads of these at or around 100k miles for sale and i'd be surprised if any of them have had a gearbox oil flush, it's all this "sealed for life" stuff from manufacturers.Does this ZF box have this in it's official maintenance requirements? The car has been indy serviced all it's life so i think there's a chance of it having been done if it's required officially by the manufacturer.
Assuming it's changing smoothly and there's no issues getting it in/ out of the various gears, could it be assumed good and a oil and filter change done immediately?
https://aftermarket.zf.com/remotemedia/lol-lubrica...
5-, 6-, 8- and 9-speed as well as 4HP20 automatic transmissions:
ZF 5-, 6-, 8- and 9-speed as well as the ZF 4HP20 automatic transmissions are filled maintenance-free with specially developed
partially synthetic ATF oils. Maintenance-free fills are intended for normal operating conditions. Especially driving at very high
operating temperatures can result in accelerated aging or increased wear of ATF oils. In case of above-average operating
conditions, such as:
- frequent freeway driving in the upper speed range
- offensive, sporty driving style
- frequent trailer operation
it is recommended to refresh (change) the oil of the automatic transmission every 100,000 km or no later than after 8 years.
In each case, only released ATF oil may be used for oil changes. And oil changes must be performed in accordance with the
relevant specifications.
I decided against the one in my OP but this is very useful info for the rest of the cars in the search. What I will say is that many examples are in the 90-120k bracket and none of them have had a ‘box oil flush. I guess this means it can’t be in the LR book.
I’ll be getting the bits and sorting it out as s’ok. As the weather turns my way in spring whatever I buy.
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