When and what do you do with miles

[h22sparkle]

Hey I know everyone has a car but when do you consider high mileage? Do you prefer a car with high miles? What do you tell someone who tries to low-ball you because you have high miles on a car before you sell it? or in the process of selling?

I hate it when people say of this and that is high miles I reply remember low mileage cars also prone to not being maintained too it depends on the owner. high mileage cars can be maintained too. Whats your take on it id like to hear everyones opinion.

[deevergote]

I'd pay more for a 200,000 mile Honda, Toyota, or Volvo than I would for a 100,000 mile Pontiac, that's for damn sure.
Honestly, if it's an old car, I'd rather know it was driven and maintained, rather than left to rot in grandma's garage. Lack of use can be just as bad as other forms of neglect! But when the miles are super high, yeah... it matters. I sold my 7 year old Fit for less than 10% of what I initially paid for it because I put 390,000 miles on it. And it was a bit banged up.

[toycar]

miles mean nothing to me.

more miles = must run decent if nothing obvious plagues the drivetrain..


first thing you do with any used car is get all maint done. so, seriously, unless something is obviously wrong, i could care less about miles.

[CyborgGT]

Anyone ever go to buy oil, see that 75,000 is considered "high mileage," then remember how high up their Honda is and deflate a bit on the inside?

To me, "low" is under 150k. A Japanese car is just breaking in at that point.

[deevergote]

I'm sure that figure was also devised by a marketing team to get people that normally put $4 quarts of conventional oil in their aging engines to switch to $8 "high mileage" oil. Especially if they buy into the oil change every 3,000 miles nonsense. That's a goldmine right there!
MOST cars will have no trouble making it to 75,000 miles these days. Therefore, every car on the road will, at some point, be a candidate for "high mileage" oils.

[CyborgGT]

I know 3k per change is crap (I have the factory manual for the CB and it says 7k with no mention of synthetic), but have you seen the commercial for that "one year oil"? That kind of scares me. Granted, I believe 12k is what most people are assumed to drive a year, which isn't much. My RSX's mileage shows I've driven it about 25k per year since I've owned it, because I like to take the long way everywhere and with the mountains ten minutes away from my house, going for a drive is usually too tempting to ignore.

Just the other day I got an intermittent CEL for my variable valve timing system I need to find time to diagnose, but otherwise the car still feels great at 200k. As long as a previous owner can provide some sort of proof of basic upkeep, or they allow a long test drive, I wouldn't shy away from a car past 100k miles.

[GTRON]

Should I even be bothering with "High Milage" oil? I get Valvoline Maxlife, and change it every 3.5k-4k miles.

I do drive in more "severe" conditions here in Kansas City, lot's of stop lights, and I have a bit of a heavy foot.

[sonikaccord]

Any car outside of warranty is high mileage.

But seriously, I don't consider mileage as too much of a factor unless no repair records or history is available. If that's the case, I would assume that no PM has been performed and things are liable to break at any moment.

Yes, I do prefer cars with high mileage as they are usually priced more competitively. Normal, non-car, people will look at that car and shy away because it has 160k on clock. It gives me bargaining power.

Low balling because of mileage has an easy response. Go find another one. I keep my receipts and log my repairs...most regular people don't do this. That 50k mile car could be a grenade with the pin pulled, but it looks better because of the assumption and stereotype that low mileage cars must be more reliable in all cases. My 160k mile car with damn near all seals, bushings and bearings replaced won't be as appealing.

[deevergote]

I know 3k per change is crap (I have the factory manual for the CB and it says 7k with no mention of synthetic), but have you seen the commercial for that "one year oil"? That kind of scares me.

My wife's CR-Z says in the manual to change the oil whenever the oil change icon appears, or after one year, whichever happens first. We've put 7500 miles on it in a little under a year and a half. We just did our second oil change last week.
That being said, "one year oil" terrifies me as well. An older car that may leak or burn oil is asking for trouble if the owner is inattentive. My LS2 burns a quart or two between 5,000 mile oil changes (that's well "within spec" according to GM...) Imagine if I put the average 12,000 miles per year on that car, and I didn't think to check the oil for an entire year because of my "one year oil"... that engine would run dry.

[toycar]

111k on a 2014 fiat 500l i bought new. of course, well maintained, but, mileage means nothing to me on the car.

6 speed manual, easy to change fluids, no leaks, good compression. i take this car on 600 mile drives atleast once a week for my job. 268 miles one way, i dont even flinch.

and most people associate fiat with POS

[deevergote]

I've seen some cars with terrible reputations carry on just fine with careful maintenance. Cavaliers, Escorts, etc... Cheap cars that are primarily purchased as disposable transportation, often by people who don't know the slightest thing about cars. Even with those things, regular care and maintenance can make them last an impressively long time. "Quality" is more a measure of how much abuse a car can take than it is a genuine measure of a car's ability to last.
Fiat also SEEMS to be turning their reputation around. It's a tough task, since they have to restore the tarnished reputations of Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and Chrysler/Dodge all at the same time! All while trying to make Maserati a competitive brand. Jeep and Ram are probably the only FCA divisions at the moment that have standing reputations for decent quality.

[AccordWarrior]

Jeep and Ram are probably the only FCA divisions at the moment that have standing reputations for decent quality.

Decent quality is relative. Popular fan base is probably a better assumption. I'd never own a Jeep without a warranty, which is why I did the Maxcare Lifetime on Amy's Grand Cherokee.

[CyborgGT]

and most people associate fiat with POS

Old ones, before they were brought back to America, yeah, but have the new ones already developed this reputation?


Randomish, but I once saw a guy with one of those sponsored spandex cyclist shirts that had FIAT front-and-center. I asked him if he happened to own one, and he just laughed and said, "No. Failed Attempt at Italian Technology." Lolwut? Is the failed attempt at spelling out an acronym part of the joke?

[toycar]

lol, thats funny


fiat = fix it again tony

never had a problem with mine. the 500l came with 1.4l turbo abarth drivetrain, i love it. plenty of space, power isnt bad, 6sp + turbo is always fun.


paid almost 30k for it, trade in is like 6k. lol

[h22sparkle]

I noticed with disposable cars mainly from nissan and dodge that are disposable go through decent maintenance but it depends on the quality both of the car quality and workmanship of the owner or fleet maintenance too not to mention the part used through the provider. If you use shit parts thats what you will get.