Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

[mscher]

Anyone had good luck with one?

There are plenty of cars and trucks for sale with 175K to 230k miles, still with (reasonable )asking prices of $2-9K +. Jeep Cherokees, Ford F150, Subaru legacy, Nissan Pathfinder.

Are the owners just getting tired or pouring money into them, are they dumping them before they start to go south? I have always been in the "run em until they are ready for the scrap heap, camp.

Assuming these are in the running shape the seller says they are, is it possilbe that there is enough life left, that one can get a few more years out of them? Can one get another 100k miles out of them?

I'm looking for one that I can pay cash for, but if it's iffy transmission repairs, or mystery running glitches, in the future, then I may be better off buying something newer. I can do brakes, exhaust, struts, door electrics,etc. , but I don't have time (or expertise) for more serious engine/trans issues and I certainly don't want a repair shop queen.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

obviously the higher the mileage, the higher the risk. But if you chose well and the price was right, I've seen a few high mileage cars that I would have risked.

I have a '97 E150 with 260,000 miles on it. Based on my experience, I would have snapped it right up at 150,000 miles. It has been the best vehicle that I have ever owned.

I just had the original transmission serviced (once at 149,000 and again at 258,000 miles) The transmission guy said that there was not one thing that he could spot that portended the eventual demise of the transmission.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

In my opinion its not the mileage its the driver and the route and the maintenance history. Lots of high mileage (not all) are highway commuters. These are great buys and suffer way less wear and tear than in city commuters despite the odo reading.
The steering and the brakes hardly get used over a 45 minute drive whereas an in town commuter car gets the wheel pulled and the brakes hit about every 15 seconds.
Anywhoooo, it depends...look into the history and of course the driver.
Good Luck
BP

 

[SeaKaye12]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

A friend of mine operates a used-car business. His favorite saying when a prospective customer shakes his head at a high-mileage vehicle goes like this:

"I buy 'em for the miles that they have left, not for the miles they have already been run"

Still; it's a tough call; coming down to the maintenance thing of course...but also to one heck of a lot of good luck.

Lets face it; when you are buying a vehicle without any warranty....it could matter little how many miles it has on it when something major fails. If you're it's owner when it happens...it's up to you to deal with it.

Buying a vehicle with fewer miles might stack the odds a bit more in your favor...but how much; really? Major components fail at most any mileage.

Today's vehicles are in a different world when it comes to life-expectancy; mechanically anyway.

If you or the vehicle has spent a lot of it's years in the rust belt....that's another story.

Good luck; there's really no answer to your question.

Chuyck

 

[Beefer]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

In my opinion its not the mileage its the driver and the route and the maintenance history.

I agree 100% with this. But that's the problem. You really have no way of knowing the true service history, unless it's a one owner and all receipts are available. Then you'd actually have to read through the receipts to see what was done when.

Cars aren't like years ago where they were done at 100k. I view the average car's/truck's life expectancy to be close to the 200k mark (without knowing the true history). Yes, there are plenty of great vehicles out there at 200k that will go another 100k, it's just really a crap-shoot buying the right one. I buy at 120k (absolute high end) or less (preferred), and feel comfortable with those marks.

 

[swaycleveland]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

toyota 4runner 96 to 2000 pick ups are hard to find due to a recall on the frame 3.4 motor should last you roughly 300 400 k im running a 93 with a 3.0 ( you dont want that motor) but i have 358k on it
the 3.4 is pretty much bullet proof change the timing belt every 125k and your done
parts are cheap and pentiful
subaru is a airplane engine average life about 250 to 400 k
a bunch hard to work on but still a great buy
go get yourself a 99 4runner pay about 7000 less if you can and youll have it forever!
heres my baby climbing ( buy the way its stock)
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm218/swaycleveland/wellsville 4-09/100_1649.jpg

 

[illman]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

i tell my customers where i work to always have the vehicle checked out at a bodyshop/mech shop,look for tell tell signs of how someone takes care of their car.

 

[geeco1]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

Alot of cars will go 200K+ now days. I traded in my Hyundai with 250+ on it. It still ran fine, I just wanted a newer vehicle. The dealership had another one sitting there with 400k+ on it (not for sale but using it as advertising).

I just bought my son a car with 120k. It cost me $1300. If it lasts him 12 months, then that is about $100/mo. Cheaper than any car payment that I could get.

The way I look at it.... you can spend thousands up front and get a nicer/newer car, or you can spend a little now, and a little for repairs as you go along.

 

[BuzzStPoint]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

I bought my 2000 Impala with 195,000 miles on it. 4 years later we have 242,000 miles on it. Still running good.

I work on cars so work that needs to be done doesn't cost much. So mileage doesn't scare me. Like said above. It's all on who drove it.
The car had 3 owners. Including me. 1st owner put the miles on the car, We was a reverend who traveled the state going to churches. 2nd owner had the car for 6 months. Ended trading it in to buy a truck. Then on to me.

 

[avenger79]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

it's all about the maint. if it has regular maint records and some normal wear parts have been replaced not neglected and left for the next owner you should do fine with higher mileage vehicle.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

.....I just bought my son a car with 120k. It cost me $1300. ......

Curious what that might have been?

 

[mscher]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

Tonight, I purchased a 2001 Chevy Silverado 4x4 extended cab, with 177k miles. Looks and drives like new. Not even close to a new car price. We'll see.

Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

Of course you may have to replace somethings from time to time but you've got a solid reliable vehicle there. All good engines and all good transmissions. In addition to a good running gear.

Good luck with it.

 

[i386]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

The transmission guy said that there was not one thing that he could spot that portended the eventual demise of the transmission.

Your transmission guy has a great vocabulary.

 

[eavega]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

I started a similar thread about what to look out for when buying an older used car, since I suddenly had to purchase a vehicle. I asked my mechanic if he would check out the vehicle if I bought one, and it turns out he offers a used car check-out standard service for $75. My new-to-me 1997 Jeep Cherokee (purchased last Friday) will be going to get checked out tomorrow.

190000 miles on the Cherokee, but owned by the daughter of a Jeep dealership mechanic, so it seems that the vehicle was well maintained. Mechanically the car seems sound, but physically its what you would expect of a 13 year-old car that an 18-year-old learned to drive with. I had to buy some transportation while my normal vehicle is involved in some litigation with the manufacturer. At worst, it lasts me a year without needing a major repair, so it sets me back less than $100 a month which is less than a rental. At best it will become the "Camping and boat towing" vehicle.

 

[jtmarten]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

I'm hopefully going to pick up a 'transition' vehicle tomorrow night. Cheap transportation to/from work until I sell the BMW. It'll maintain the value of the Bimmer by not putting on 1500-1800mi/month, and be cheaper than driving the Suburban @ 12mpg.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

Tonight, I purchased a 2001 Chevy Silverado 4x4 extended cab, with 177k miles. Looks and drives like new. Not even close to a new car price. We'll see.

Thanks for everyone's input.

I bought a '97 chevy silverado 4x4 extended cab with 170k on it off a used car lot and it had been in the woods but was in good shape. I sold it when it had 286K on it and it ran like the day I bought it. No tranny trouble, no motor trouble---replaced the inside door opening lever (plastic) on both sides, though. $20 fix for each side.
I now own a truck just like yours above and it had 95,000 on it when I bought it. It has 120K on it now and no problems. I love mine!
Good luck to us both!
JBJ

 

[geeco1]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

Curious what that might have been?

It was a 2000, Mitsubishi Eclipse.

 

[guidosarduchi]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

2 cars ago I bought a 1991 Honda Accord auto transmission with 226,000 miles. I had the timing belt changed right away and a cv joint replaced. I sold the car at 305,000 miles and it still ran good. It was time to get something newer.

You can tell a lot about how a car has been taken care of my the condition of it. The car looked like it could have had 26,000 miles on it. It must have had all highway miles on it, and was well taken care of. All of the upholstery was in pristine shape, and the body was in great shape too. All I did was tires, brakes, and oil changes.

I guess imo mileage is only part of the story, and mileage alone doesn't mean a whole lot. We just bought a VW Jetta diesel and are hoping to get a ton of miles out of it.

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Buying a High Mileage Vehicle

To add to the things that have already been said;

-Ask if the required maintenance has been done ( Timing belt, spark plugs,fuel filter ect). A lot of people will sell a vehicle if a big tune up bill is coming up. This could be a good thing if it has not been done and use as a bargaining chip. But if its way past this service the vehicle may be a time bomb.

- Best advice like said before is to have it checked out by some who know,s what they are talking about. May be a few bucks but money well spent.