How Many Miles On a Used Car Is Too Much?

If you are looking for a used car over a new one, its mileage will be an important factor in your decision-making. That’s because the value of any used car is often directly related to its mileage. You may find a choice car in excellent condition inside and out, but then you will see that the odometer has passed 100,000 miles. Is that too many miles? Is it worth the risk? Or should you pass on it? When finding the right vehicle, how many miles on a used car is too much can be tricky. The reality is that it depends on the kind of miles, the age of the vehicle, and the car brand.

Type of Miles Driven

After a weekend of exhaustively shopping for used vehicles, you have narrowed your decision down to two. Should the mileage on each be the deciding factor in your purchase? It is sensible to think that the one with 50,000 miles on it will be far more reliable than one with 100,000 on it. Right? Not really. Fewer miles may not equate to a more reliable car. It’s more important to know how those miles accumulated on the car than how many miles there are. If those high miles are from highway driving, i.e., commuting a hundred miles or more a day on I-10, then the wear on the engine will be far less than a car that accumulated miles in the constant stop-and-go of local traffic.

Highway miles are a lot easier on a car. Driving on better roads at a steady, constant speed reduces the engine and transmission work. The long drives also maintain the car’s electrical system, i.e., the battery and alternator are fully charged. Cars regularly driven in towns and cities are against the near-endless stop-and-go traffic that wreaks havoc on any vehicle. Commuting ten miles across town, going from zero to thirty miles per hour, and constantly changing gears will wear out a car’s transmission, engine, and brakes faster than the hundred or more mile commute will. Add the beating a car’s suspension system takes daily driving over battered or poorly maintained streets and pothole-filled roads, and it’s even more worn.

Vehicle Age

Regarding mileage, most cars are driven in access of 15,000 miles a year. Therefore, a seven-year-old car should have approximately 105,000 miles on it. In this case, look for the service records and reports like Carfax or AutoCheck. The former will indicate whether the car had regular maintenance and oil changes, which suggests that the car was well cared for. The latter will provide a history of the vehicle’s ownership. This can let the prospective buyer know if it was a former rental car used for city driving, which indicates that it was most likely driven hard, or if the vehicle had five owners in seven years but with only 75,000 miles on it. In this instance, it may indicate its unreliability, high maintenance, and constant repair.

Brand

The fact is, some cars are made better than others, and those that are hold their value and last a lot longer. Carmakers such as Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Volvo, and Subaru, as well as some specific Ford and Chevrolet Trucks, will last more than 200,000 miles with proper care and maintenance. It’s a good bet that if you find a Honda, Toyota, or Nissan that appeals to you and has over 100,000 miles, it will go at least another 100,000 miles.

Buying a car with over 100,000 miles on it is not so problematic. How those miles were accumulated, and the car’s maintenance matters far more.

For a complete listing of our inventory at Drive Now, click below!