Question about the mileage of cars? 10 points?

Question

I dont know a lot about cars.

What does the mileage measure (other than the age which it doesn always reflect)?

Will it eventally run out?

What is an acceptable mileage for a car of 5-7?

Is it good to buy cars older than 5 years?

I think thats it for know. 10 points on offer for good help

Answer 1

the better care you take of your engine... (which auto manufactures dont make cars for and gasoline does not do...) the better mileage you should get... if you want more detailed info... I have a pick up truck that was getting 16 highway miles...16 mpg now... 40 and with some wonderful technology I expect to get at least 100...

Answer 2

Buying a five y/o car is ok. I should think the annual average mileage for a car ranges around 12-15K/yr. What you buy still makes all the difference in the world. Sites like Edmunds.com & kbb.com give very good info on used car values. Look for cars that have always had above average resale & reliability. Consumer Reports always does an annual review of cars & has charts showing which cars are the best used & worst used. I recommend you follow that closely. Many cars are simply disposable. The Kia & Hyundai brands are good examples of money that can be used on a better product. Those cars become worthless real fast while Honda, Mazda, Toyota, & Nissan have always produced some of the most reliable cars on the road. But consider U.S. made cars like the Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan. That model beat out Toyota in that catagory. Avoid all suv's for the time being. Now is not the time to own one unless you actually intend to use it daily for their designed purpose. Any used car you see that you like needs to be inspected. Any new car you see you won't have to do that, but look into the future in regards to how long you plan to keep it & it's overall history in reliability. The cheapest new car isn't always the best. Spending a little more on a good car is better than being nickle & dimed to death later on in repairs. Right now I just bought a Nissan Sentra S for around $18K + tax & I am getting 37mpg on the hwy and an overall 29mpg in mixed city/hwy driving. It costs me $38 to fill up when the tank gets down to 1/4. Gas being $4.09/gl here one hr S of Chgo. I hope I helped a little. There's lots of used car advice out there. Shop around, don't buy the 1st one you come across, & if a dealer is pushing a specific car on you, avoid it. It's usually their special car that they really want to get rid of & that means it may have problems. G'day.

Answer 3

It's not the mileage that is so important; it's the actual condition of the car that is important. Some cars are worn out at 75,000 miles, others are just getting started at 150,000 miles.

The only way to know which is which is to have a car inspected by a qualified mechanic and get a CarFax report. It's entirely possible to find a car with 200,000 miles that is in great shape, but another of the same make and model with 30,000 miles that could be a lemon.

Answer 4

Wow, you touched a nerve there. All kinds of answers all over the map.

Let me explain that there are so many factors. Many of them mentioned here, that affect how long a car will last.

Let us start with the odometer reading. Or mileage if you will. A car that is used in an urban area with frequent short trips and at five years it has 60K on it is not necessarily in better condition than the same car with 100K of freeway flying miles.

In fact the wear of the internal engine and transmission parts can be far more.

While low mileage is preferable in resale than high mileage, the most important thing is the maintainance history. A car with 60K on it and a poor maintainance history is not going to be a better car than one with 100K and an excellent history of the proper service being done at the proper time by a qualified dealer. The car that is going to last the longest is the one with the good service history.

Some things to look for in getting a car that will last. If the car has been modified in any way, steer clear of it. Ask about the use of synthetic oils, etc. The owner that spends a little more for premium products to maintain his/her car is selling you a better product. Note the overall condition of seats, paint, cleanliness of the engine compartment, etc. All signs of someone who cares about their car. Check to see if the owner had an extended warranty. This means that the previous owner spent a few dollars keeping the car up.

Last, but not least, you are always taking a chance on any car you buy. New cars can have problems too. Buying used can save you afortune in a lifetime. Just be aware that you need to look a lot closer when you are buying used, and you need a good mechanic who is willing to give the car a good eyeballing.

Answer 5

It measures how far the car has traveled.Yes the odometer can get so many miles on it it wont turn or a digital wont read anymore but for most cars that will never happen.A car 5-7 years old will probably have around 140-160 thousand miles.and if you take care of a car from the start most are good for 200,000 miles or more.

Answer 6

Mileage is simply the number of miles the car (really, the engine) has endured. I use the word endured because the higher your mileage, the more the car has been through. Highway miles are preferable to city or suburban miles because there is less wear and tear done to the brakes, shocks, engine, etc for every mile driven. There is definitely a finite number of miles that any car can drive but it varies so greatly. It's not unreasonable to expect 100,000 to 150,000 out of a well-maintained car. Saabs, Volvos, Mercedes with diesel engines, and most Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans, and their sister brands will all last a long, long time if they're cared for properly. There is a million-mile Saab as well as a million-mile Volvo.

On average, you can expect to drive about 12,000 miles per year. So by that equation plus an allowance for a bit more, a 5 year old car shouldn't greatly exceed maybe 65-70,000 miles (and a 7 year old car shouldn't really exceed 90,000). Buying used, especially more than 5 years old, can be a gamble. Depending on the vehicle, you may be facing problems with rust, electrical issues, things being worn out (like brakes, tires, and all that other stuff that needs replacing). It's best to have a skilled mechanic take a good look at ANY used car, particularly one of that vintage.

Answer 7

mileage is really a measure of howlife the car has, certain things start to wear out around a certain number of miles and there are routine services for cars as they have traveled certain distances, like a 60,000 mile tune up, and so on.  that also explains why highway miles are better than street miles, because less wear is being done to your car while it is traveling at a steady pace instead of stop and go

Answer 8

Mileage is the most obvious indicator of how much a car has been used.  All other things being equal, a car with high mileage will have less remaining useful life and will therefore be worth less than the same car with lower mileage.

Average mileage is 12-15,000 miles per year.  Some people do more, some less but that is a typical range.  

That said, I would rather buy a very well maintained vehicle that has some miles on it than a lower mileage one of indifferent or unknown maintenance habits.