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Old 02-10-2018, 08:00 AM
 
Location: Richmond VA
6,885 posts, read 7,896,042 times
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I'm in the market for something for my daughter to drive. My budget is $5000.

While looking at 15 year old cars, (Rav-4 and CR-V and the like) I'm seeing a lot of differences in mileage.

How many miles is too many? There has to be some kind of ratio of age:mileage to go by.

Or do I just not worry about the age and go by the mileage?
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Old 02-10-2018, 09:33 AM
 
28,122 posts, read 12,612,875 times
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Any honda in that price range is going to have high miles, but generally they are still worth it. Hyundai and Kia are probably the best brands to look for. In that price range, I would think mileage would be around 130-160k.

Cars last much longer these days, I remember the days if a car had 100K miles, its life was pretty much over!
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Old 02-10-2018, 09:54 AM
 
Location: Pikesville, MD
2,983 posts, read 3,094,543 times
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Average mileage is 12-15k miles per year. More than that is high miles, less than that is low miles. For example, At 15 years old, 150k miles would be low miles.

Don't go by age OR mileage, but by condition and maintenance records. And remember, it's how the miles were put on that matter. 100 miles of an interstate trip puts on WAY less stress and wear than 100 miles of stop and go city driving. So a car that's lived 100k miles of inner city life may have more wear and tear than one that has had 200k of rural life.
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Old 02-10-2018, 01:05 PM
 
Location: Central Mass
4,630 posts, read 4,902,554 times
Reputation: 5382
How many miles are too many? somewhere between 40k and 500k.

I had a VW that was unreliable from the factory.
I had 2 Datsun 280s that were reliable with 180k
I have a Miata and a Volvo with 225k each and are very reliable.

SO, don't concern yourself with either age OR milage. The car itself is what matters - a POS is always a POS
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Old 02-10-2018, 01:38 PM
 
Location: NNV
3,433 posts, read 3,757,275 times
Reputation: 6733
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiffer E38 View Post
Average mileage is 12-15k miles per year. More than that is high miles, less than that is low miles. For example, At 15 years old, 150k miles would be low miles.

Don't go by age OR mileage, but by condition and maintenance records. And remember, it's how the miles were put on that matter. 100 miles of an interstate trip puts on WAY less stress and wear than 100 miles of stop and go city driving. So a car that's lived 100k miles of inner city life may have more wear and tear than one that has had 200k of rural life.
This. I think this person owns a BMW so I'd listen to them...

Seriously, they are spot on. You may even want to consider taking the car to a good mechanic (if the seller allows this) and having him check the car out for $100-$150. The car won't be perfect but he should be able to find major flaws.
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Old 02-10-2018, 02:09 PM
 
1,977 posts, read 6,864,775 times
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Toyota and Honda's hold their value, some of it is warranted but some is just hype IMO.

How a used car was maintained might be more important than the miles.

I also agree that Hyundai and Kia as a used car are a better deal. When I was shopping for a similar car, I bought a one year old ex-rental Tucson with 30K miles for $15K. It was also nicely loaded with rearview camera, bluetoooth, automatic headlights which I felt to be a necessity for my teen driver. The comparable CRV or RAV4 was pretty stripped down and would cost way more, almost getting close to the price of buying brand new.

I am pretty car savvy and do my own inspection, but if you like a car, as mentioned, pay YOUR mechanic to check it out.

In my case, I got the 10yr/100KM warranty transferred to me too. (CPO)
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Old 02-10-2018, 02:14 PM
 
1,877 posts, read 2,238,204 times
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I'd say it depends on the make and model, and you would do yourself a big service by doing further research on reliability and maintenance by joining a model specific forum once you narrow down your search. I joined TDIclub.com about 4 months before buying a used VW TDI back in 2004 to learn about the car and any likely problems to expect. I did the same when buying a Lexus hybrid and a BEV.

Generally, I would stay away from anything European and lean towards the Japanese makes like a Honda or Toyota. I like Mazdas and Subarus but I don't know if they are as reliable beyond 100K miles as the former mentioned brands.
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Old 02-10-2018, 02:40 PM
 
Location: Eastern NC
20,868 posts, read 23,565,307 times
Reputation: 18814
Since this is for your daughter, you want something very reliable. Get her a used Camry, Accord, Corolla, or Civic.
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Old 02-10-2018, 03:23 PM
 
Location: Riverside Ca
22,146 posts, read 33,558,160 times
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I would go by a lowest miles one owner full records of maintenance and repair. Have it checked out by a mechanic before purchase.
Imo the brand anymore is nowhere near as important as how it was maintained. Most manufactures s use the same suppliers for parts. They use the same engines and transmissions in a variety of vehicles. That’s why you find Toyota engines in GM cars. Or Ford engines in Mazdas. Etc.

I bought a one owner 10 year old Kia 4 cylinder with 107,000 miles for 2600 bucks. Had to put 400 in registration and AC repair. So let’s call it 3,000 bucks. I drive it every day to work. 130 miles round trip. Everything works fine.
Most My other cars are 160/180/183/000 miles on that order. But I have all maintenance records and take care of them.

Ifvthe car looks dirty, and generally run down walk away.
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Old 02-10-2018, 04:12 PM
 
3,861 posts, read 3,155,294 times
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Whatever you get high miles, or even over 80k miles will need some work.

so set some $$ aside for the unknown. ie, brakes, radiator, shocks,timing,water pump.
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