Mileage?

davidm25

Morning all

What would you consider to be high mileage when buying a second-hand car? I'm looking at a 2011 Volvo at the moment and it has 130K KM on clock. Also a BMW 3 series, same year and similar KMs. Something like 130K KM feels a bit high for buying a 4-year-old car - am I wrong? Car is nice and like it other than that, have test-drove and drives nice, etc.

Is there a rule-of-thumb around the kind of KMs /year to look for, or anything like that?

Thank you,
D

gambit83

saw a article yesterday that the average annual mileage per year is 16k, http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/cost-running-car-ireland-drops-4104745 ,prob do double that myself, guess it really matters how it drives and if it is serviced frequently. maybe get a mechanic to check it out before buying

davidm25

Thanks gambit83, that's very helpful. 130K for a 2011 car would put it at about 32K KM/year, so that's right on what you said you'd do yourself. It does feel like it would be on the outer limit for what I'd buy - whether it's too much is the big question.

I appreciate the link and advice,
D

Lellostag

That kind of annual mileage would indicate a lot of motorway driving, which is kinder on the engine than just nipping around town with a barely warmed up engine...

130k km is not an awful lot for those cars, so the overall condition and service history is more important.

davidm25

Thanks Lellostag, that's a good point.

BTW folks, one of them is an automatic - would that be better, worse or no different for considering mileage?

Cheers,
D

bazz26

I think some people suffer a natural mental defensive mechanism when they see mileage of 6 digits whether it be km or miles. Mileage is not an accurate indication of usage or wear yet people use it as a yard stick for such. Cars tend to wear with how they are driven not just how far they are driven. I've seen low mileage cars in alot worse condition that higher mileage examples.

130k km is close to 80k miles, that is not excessive for a 2011 diesel car which is closer to 5 years old now that 4. My own 2011 diesel has similar mileage and I haven't had a minute's trouble with it in the 12 months I've owned it. There are still people out there that drive these cars for their intended use rather just for cheap tax. Judge the car on condition and service history as well as having it inspected.

Automatic v manual is a personal thing, I'm driving an automatic now having driven manuals all my life and have no regrets. Way more relaxing especially when stuck in traffic and very suited to the torque of diesel engines but some people still prefer manuals. Best thing to do is drive an example of both.

Frynge

My car is a 131 with 169k km on it. Mainly motorway and national roads and it is still going strong.
The car has been looked after as in getting serviced regulaly and i check things like oil quite regulaly as well.
It has let me down twice, once at 23k km with a faulty battery and the again at 120k km when the clutch went due to a faulty seal. Both replaced under warrenty but also not the biggest problem to have with a car.

What kind of mileage do you expect to be doing?

You will often hear horror stories about certain cars and their downfalls but these issues would still be in the minority and if you intend to look after the car properly then there should be no reason not to consider a high mileage car.

In saying that when i decide to sell my current daily (prob 4-5 years) i expect it to be difficult.

davidm25

Thanks bazz26 and Frynge, all good points. Yes, I've owned a car with over 200K (KM) in the past and it never gave me a minute's trouble, which is why I'm not ruling out this one. Good point about 80000m across (nearly) 4.5 years.

My own mileage should be modest enough during the year, say 20K KM.

Thanks
D