Who buys nearly new cars with high miles?

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Browsing the classifieds I came upon this '15 S350 S-Class - former chauffeur car, of which there are plenty it seems, with 238k on it, up for £17,995. I couldn't help but wonder who would buy it?

The reason I'm curious is it seems in such an odd place, where it has big miles but it's still not that old, so hasn't depreciated far enough to be "cheap". I can't help but think if you had to finance 18k for a vehicle, why not go a bit more and get a lower mileage car? And if you're the type of person who has 18k in immediately transferrable funds, also would you not buy something else? Similarly if you're a business, would you not get a lease deal on a lower miles car?

I just can't see who would go "that's the car for me", because even relative to other similar options it's not that cheap.

I know motorway miles are fairly gentle and so on, I'm not saying the car's knackered, it just seems an odd crossroads of heavily used but still expensive. So what happens to them? Do they shift from the first seller (that S350 is private sale) back to a dealer, to another dealer, and so on, until they depreciate enough to be worth a punt as a smoker barge? Or do they just sit on the market for 6 months until the seller gets bored and stuffs it through an auction to go for peanuts to someone.

I happened upon this V90 hybrid too, which makes me ask the same question. It's not that I think nearly 85k is "high miles" on a car, it's that it's a '17 plate so still hasn't really depreciated far enough. You're not going to spend £25k in one lump on it surely, and for over 500 quid a month on finance why would you not go for a lower mileage car?

Idle thoughts on a rainy slow Wednesday afternoon.

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Fady said:

I did realise or rather hoped that it was now not so easy to adjust odometer, or at least there would be a trail of evidence. For example, there is no service book for MBs as it's online and can be updated by main dealers and indies alike.

Whereas, 'm not adverse to buying slightly higher than average mileage newer cars, I can't imagine what the attraction is in something with moon miles unless it was literally being given away. Even then, wouldn't interest me personally as would be like sitting on a time bomb.

(Btw this seems like a regular 'gassing' post to me - mods on here probably work as football video assistant refs as well!)

Yes, I didn't post it here because I wasn't looking for buying advice or anything, it was more a general question on a random topic so I posted it in general gassing - but it got moved within five minutes. Maybe because I put buying in the title. They're an efficient bunch, I'll give them that!

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For the avoidance of doubt, I'm not saying I find buying a high mile car at a discount confusing. It makes perfect sense. If anything I'd trust a well looked after car at higher miles more than I would something that has just been bumbling to the shops and back since it was new.

The crux of my question was that these cars are examples of those which are up for equal to, or approaching, market value despite their mileage. I'd understand taking on that Volvo, for example, if it was still within warranty but much cheaper than equivalent models with lower miles - but it isn't. Same with the S350, there are other cars available with half the miles for the same price - that's where my curiosity as to who'd snap them up comes in. If it was £5k cheaper than everything else, I'd get it. But it isn't.

Buying a high miles car if it's well looked after and has evidence to support it, at a reduced price, makes perfect sense to me.

Sadly on balance I think the outcome of them sitting on the market until the seller suggests a lowball offer/goes through auction, before being clocked and put back on the market at a considerable profit, as has been suggested, does make the most sense.