Is it a good idea to buy a used car that has a lot of miles on it?

Question

this car that i'm lookin at have like 100,000 miles on it, is it a good idea to buy cuz this is my first car cuz i'm only in high school

Answer 1

It's a good idea if you are looking for a cost effective solution to getting a cheap new car.  It is a bad idea if you are looking for a car that is for long distance driving and must be truly reliable.  It also depends alot on the brand, for example older volvos have a good reputation of getting alot of miles out of them, like 300 or 400 thousand.  On the otherhand some other cars can only sometimes reach 90 or 100 thousand before they start to die and have alot of problems.  Another thing to consider is what conditions is the car in, has it had previous problems. Next think about how you will be using the car, if it is for entense driving (30,000+ miles a year) you should definently avoid a car with high millage, because if the car breaks down on the road then you are in a whole lot of trouble.  But also you must think if you will be driving leasurly around the city and barly breaking 1 or 2 thousand a year you should be fine.  So it is difficult to answer the question without knowing the specifics but it is good to use discreation and think before you buy.

Answer 2

Depends on a few things. 100,100 miles is a large number but not necessarily alot of miles to one vehicle. Was the care properly taken care of ? Regular oil changes and maintenance ? Was it driven by a hot rodder or someone that just drives a car normally ? have a mechanic test the car by driving it and have them look for damages under the hood. leaky hoses ,belts, and see if the previous owner has a maintenance care book for routine repairs he did and check the dates.Check your battery.

Answer 3

You should have the vehicle inspected by a local mechanic before you buy it.It might cost you money but you will know if its worth buying or not.

Answer 4

it depends alot on how the car was driven and maintained... ex if it was driven by a little old granny and she changed the oil every 3000kms them you likley have a good car on your hands. It can vary alot from car to car, my fisrt car was a rust bucket but the mialage counter went all the way around and back to zero again by the time I was done with it... thats 9999999.9kms!!!

Answer 5

i'm not trying to profile certain cars but if i was you, i would look for japanese make cars.. japanese cars like Honda, Toyota, or Nissan are usually able to run up to 200,000 to 300,000 miles.. of course you must make sure to keep up the maintenance n treat it well, hope you find a good one!

Answer 6

A car that has been well cared for, 100K miles may be half its life. You can inspect things such as leaks, tire tread, engine noises, exhaust noise and internal damage. I have found that if people do/did not take care of the internal portion of the vehicle, they will not take care of the engine and its components.

For reference: I have a 1985 BMW 318i with close to 200K miles. I baby it and it looks and run very clean. The car has never left me stranded. I have used it everyday for the past two years on a 60 mile a day commute. Some people report these cars can go up to 300-400K. It all depends how the car was cared for.

Answer 7

The mileage doesn't matter as much as the actual condition of the car. Regardless of mileage you should ALWAYS have a used car inspected by a professional mechanic before you buy it. Do not take the word of the seller about a car's condition -- and get a CarFax report. Since used cars are sold "as-is" you can't take it back later, even if the seller lied to you. Here's an article that has some more tips for buying cars:

http://www.used-car-advisor.com/buy-used...

Good luck.