The jeep had 242 on it when I bought it, the Corolla 195. I paid a total of 900 for the pair.
The jeep had 242 on it when I bought it, the Corolla 195. I paid a total of 900 for the pair.
I've cringed at some cars with 240k and also wouldn't bat an eye at 200k. Realistically, I guess I would want to be the person taking the car past 200k and think most cars with regular maintenance will go up to 200k easily. I do worry about rust at higher miles because those cars have surely been on the road a looooong time.
I recently raised my highest mileage at time of purchase bar to 248,000 for a '94 Ford Ranger, just over a month ago. So far the only repair I've done to it, besides switching out an uncomfortable steering wheel cover for one that is less painful on my hands, was a set of new windshield wipers, and it's made it through a 500 mile road trip including a crossing over the Smoky Mountains on US-441 without any trouble. I might want to replace the clutch sooner or later, if I hold onto it long term.
My sister had a new renault alliance that fell apart at 15,000 miles
My M5 is 183,000 and still goes like hell. My dad put 350k on an old 320i all original drivetrain and 300k on a Volvo 240
In some respects it seems like luck how a car ages, sometimes the day it was built, and a lot on what engineering was put into the before thought of the car.
Depending on the vehicle and what kind of shape it's in. different VWs that were close to 200k when I bought then and a GMC Safari that had about 205k when I bought it. And also a 1991 F250 Diesel that I don't know how many times the speedo has been around.
So to answer the question, 225k would probably be the limit for me.
Unless.....
A few months ago I bought a 08 VW Rabbit with 209K kms (close to 130k miles), as a DD. I've put 23k kms on it since then.
If it's in good condition and a known reliable platform, then I don't mind higher mileage.
Oh and I paid $1900 CAD for it and it passed the Safety Inspection with no work required.
Knurled. said:Dirty/shredded interiors are generally a good tipoff that the PO was the kind of person who didn't care as long as it still moved under its own power.
I know of somebody that would keep their car so clean it looked new... and ignored the horrible noises the car made. Why? Cleaning a car is cheap. Keeping it running gets expensive.
Aside from the windows, my interiors aren't generally terribly clean, but I do the mechanical stuff religiously. I mean, there isn't old garbage in there, but there's likely to be dirt in the floormats and dust on the dashboard.
Mileage is pretty irrelevant to me. Condition is everything. Any rust or body damage is a deal breaker.
My current work vehicle was bought at 180k. It's in excess of 200k now and I'll probably keep it until 400k+.
My wife's Suburban was bought at 280k. It's north of 300k now and it will stay around until she gets tired of it.
The Cherokee was bought at 245k.
The wife's Mustang at 140k.
The G35 at 160K.
The P71 at 110k.
To me, mileage isn't a huge concern as long as the condition overall is solid, minor issues (determinable leaks) or needing a general maintenance done doesn't scare or bother me.
My Intrepid has 360kms (223miles) and when we were doing the prep for bodywork, we found a few minor issues but nothing over the top when it came to overall condition for the year and miles. My parts intrepid that has a reported 180kms (111miles) is scraped, bent, ripped and rusted underneath to the point I am actually glad it's off the road.
Since I bought the BMW, I will more closely examine the quality of 'upgrades' with a much, MUCH higher level of scrutiny, regardless if they are a friend or not.
I typically buy based on condition as opposed to mileage. I figure if someone relied on a car to go 25k a year, they must have maintained it.
I bought my Mustang six years ago with 270k, it now has 307k. The PO was a friend of mine who drove it 130 miles per day on the highway, except in the winter when it was parked in his garage.
We bought a 3 year old Dodge Ram a great years back with 135k on it, it was in good condition and looked like it had been well-maintained (I spied a NAPA Gold oil filter on it).
Lately I've seen just as many newer cars on flatbeds as old ones, so I think everything is probably a crapshoot (regardless of mileage).
I know of somebody that would keep their car so clean it looked new... and ignored the horrible noises the car made. Why? Cleaning a car is cheap. Keeping it running gets expensive.
Find me ALL of those people. Those are my ideal sellers. Well, i guess except for the ones that are pristine cosmetically AND mechanically AND nearly giving it away. But those are even rarer.
Brett_Murphy said:Knurled. said:Dirty/shredded interiors are generally a good tipoff that the PO was the kind of person who didn't care as long as it still moved under its own power.
I know of somebody that would keep their car so clean it looked new... and ignored the horrible noises the car made. Why? Cleaning a car is cheap. Keeping it running gets expensive.
Aside from the windows, my interiors aren't generally terribly clean, but I do the mechanical stuff religiously. I mean, there isn't old garbage in there, but there's likely to be dirt in the floormats and dust on the dashboard.
I've done all this this:
Intake gasket, all brake lines, COMPLETE rearend rebuild, leveling kit, wheel spacers, 4 wheel brakes, all fluids changed, L&R tierods, ignition switch, transfer case motor, new stereo... probably a few more things I'm forgetting.
While I vacuumed the interior exactly once.
I'm from Texas, so the sun has yet to rise on the day that I buy a car with rust. I ain't got time or energy for that.
If I am putting my wife in it, 75k max miles and it will be a Honda or a Toyota. I am a mechanic and I can fix anything, I just don't like the stress of having to on my wife's car. Strictly scheduled maintenance is all I want to do to it. She makes plenty of money so whenever my gut tells me that anything significant is looming I tell her to hit the eject button and move on to the next one. Significant is defined as more than a wheel bearing, brakes, water pump or the like.
For me, no limit. My LandCruiser had 250k when I bought it. Fixing cars is what I do so whatever comes down the repair pipeline is fine by me. I buy whatever car matches my desires and fix whatever repairs come along with it. I typically drive less than 500 miles per month so it's not like I stack any appreciable mileage up anyway. And I always have a back up vehicle of some sort so the most imposition I have is moving my stuff from one car to the other if something unexpected happens to my front line driver.
Cousin_Eddie said:If I am putting my wife in it, 75k max miles and it will be a Honda or a Toyota. I am a mechanic and I can fix anything, I just don't like the stress of having to on my wife's car. Strictly scheduled maintenance is all I want to do to it. She makes plenty of money so whenever my gut tells me that anything significant is looming I tell her to hit the eject button and move on to the next one. Significant is defined as more than a wheel bearing, brakes, water pump or the like.
That's me exactly. When it comes to Mrs' car it's always a 1-3 years old with lowish mileage and a good history. I'm very particular because I know it's going to be a 7-10 year ordeal and I do NOT like having to work on her car when there are other things I'd rather be doing. At least with my own car I can either ignore the problem or drive my truck if it's bad enough. Mrs. does not ignore car problems.
It may be moot (or in this case mute!) because the high miler won't answer my emails. You'd think if you were advertising a low demand car in a low demand configuration with high mileage, there would be incentive to respond. Apparently not. He's reading them, but not answering. I'm looking at the lower mile car as well as another somewhere in the middle today.
Two cars I called about yesterday that looked good, were reasonably close, and priced right were listed as manual trans and turned out to be automatic. BTDT, so I made the sales people verify before I went to look at them. I don't know how that happens, they said. I do, it's called incompetence.
And I only just realized how badly I butchered the title.
Great discussion as most people on this forum know how to keep old cars alive. If a car has 200K miles and still runs it is a good sign that it was cared for, How well it runs tells how well.
I like 150-170 as a range, but how it runs and leaks are critical. we keep a car about 3 years average and usually sell for at least 75% of what we paid for it. Never buy a car with rust or major fluid leaks. We have followed this formula for over 20 years, and never paid over 5K for a car. And until we bought a Subaru never had to do major work. Now I can pull a motor and do head gaskets in my sleep!
mr2s2000elise said:Lesson in life: buy condoms.
Right there with you, been deferring a well-earned mid-life crisis for way too long. Damn fiscal responsibility. Made my kids a deal -- get a full ride to school and I'll buy you whatever car you want. (and me, too)
On-topic: Mileage doesn't matter to us, but it does matter to everyone else, if you don't plan on driving it into the ground. Also totally varies on the specific car in question. Unibody cars to fatigue and get floppy, and chassis integrity varies greatly by manufacturer. If I lived in a rust belt state, I think I would buy at 3 years old and sell at 6.
Last 10 years or so, momma gets a new car every 100k and I drive a 150-200k mile pickup, and then keep a side project. Most pickups tolerate high mileage well, are cheap to fix, and maintain resale.
I was lucky in that respect. Neither of my kids were smart enough to go to school 
I just can't do high mileage. Someone's butt was in that seat, the pistons, valves, rods, wrist pins, bearings, and transmission were spinning and shaking, the body was rattling over potholes weakening spot welds, rattles, buzzes, and clangs... no way.
The bottom line for me is that mileage means use. Bottom line. It was used for that many miles. I don't understand why high miles are preferred. Every mile is one mile closer to a major failure, and every mile is one more mile when the PO might have deferred maintenance, used it as a hooner, or whacked a fender and didn't report it.
I'll keep my low(er) mileage stuff.
If I have to make payments on it, I try not to go over 25k miles, and the lower, the better. I try to buy new when possible.
If it's an outright purchase, then I'm usually buying something terrible, so mileage is irrelevant. 
porschenut said:I like 150-170 as a range, but how it runs and leaks are critical. we keep a car about 3 years average and usually sell for at least 75% of what we paid for it. Never buy a car with rust or major fluid leaks. We have followed this formula for over 20 years, and never paid over 5K for a car. And until we bought a Subaru never had to do major work. Now I can pull a motor and do head gaskets in my sleep!
I do the same thing, but I try to shoot for under 80k. The last time I paid more than $5000 for a car was ages ago when my (now ex) wife and I had some money and I bought her a used Mercedes for $14k.
1- buy low mileage vehicle for $4k
2- drive it for three years and 50k
3- detail it and sell it for what I paid.
4- purchase next $4k vehicle.
I have never had a car loan.
No mileage limit.
But beware of the replace everything scheduled maintenance interval.
In your example, if there's a major service pending at say every 90k, buy the high mileage one. You'll likely have to do the same amount of work on both of them anyways.
Tyler H said:mr2s2000elise said:Lesson in life: buy condoms.
Right there with you, been deferring a well-earned mid-life crisis for way too long. Damn fiscal responsibility. Made my kids a deal -- get a full ride to school and I'll buy you whatever car you want. (and me, too)
On-topic: Mileage doesn't matter to us, but it does matter to everyone else, if you don't plan on driving it into the ground. Also totally varies on the specific car in question. Unibody cars to fatigue and get floppy, and chassis integrity varies greatly by manufacturer. If I lived in a rust belt state, I think I would buy at 3 years old and sell at 6.
Last 10 years or so, momma gets a new car every 100k and I drive a 150-200k mile pickup, and then keep a side project. Most pickups tolerate high mileage well, are cheap to fix, and maintain resale.
No deal with my kids. 1 wants my Elise, other wants my FJ. They suck all my money and now want to take my cars too.
I just can't do high mileage. Someone's butt was in that seat, the pistons, valves, rods, wrist pins, bearings, and transmission were spinning and shaking, the body was rattling over potholes weakening spot welds, rattles, buzzes, and clangs... no way.
The bottom line for me is that mileage means use. Bottom line. It was used for that many miles. I don't understand why high miles are preferred. Every mile is one mile closer to a major failure, and every mile is one more mile when the PO might have deferred maintenance, used it as a hooner, or whacked a fender and didn't report it.
I'll keep my low(er) mileage stuff.
I work on cars for hours a day, but i let cars sit for 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and multiple, multiple cars. In that respect I am an extremely experienced car neglecter! At a certain age/mileage ratio you can be pretty certain a car wasn't left sitting. My cars rarely break when I'm using them, but they ALWAYS break if i leave them sitting long enough. There are certain possibilities for 'non-destructive storage' but in the case of the type of car that sits because the owner doesn't care, i'd rather it was just driven that whole time. Assuming i get both theoretical cars for the same price. I'd almost always rather have miles damage than sun damage, rodent damage, water damage, tree damage etc that often accompany a car being cheap and NOT having a ton of miles because it just sat in conditions so poor you couldn't charge rent for them.
Then you have your cars that have low miles because they sit all the time, BUT they sit indoors, out of the elements etc. Usually the people that have those 'know what they have' in their own minds and i dont like their prices anyway.
In reply to Curtis73 :
Miles are only part of it though, it would be different if it was a hour meter then you wouldnt have the example like I posted above.
Low miles can mean it was lovingly taken care of and in great shape. It can also mean that it was super unreliable and they never drove it because they couldn't.
That's why condition is much much more important than miles
ebonyandivory said:Brett_Murphy said:Knurled. said:Dirty/shredded interiors are generally a good tipoff that the PO was the kind of person who didn't care as long as it still moved under its own power.
I know of somebody that would keep their car so clean it looked new... and ignored the horrible noises the car made. Why? Cleaning a car is cheap. Keeping it running gets expensive.
Aside from the windows, my interiors aren't generally terribly clean, but I do the mechanical stuff religiously. I mean, there isn't old garbage in there, but there's likely to be dirt in the floormats and dust on the dashboard.I've done all this this:
Intake gasket, all brake lines, COMPLETE rearend rebuild, leveling kit, wheel spacers, 4 wheel brakes, all fluids changed, L&R tierods, ignition switch, transfer case motor, new stereo... probably a few more things I'm forgetting.
While I vacuumed the interior exactly once.
How man burger wrappers are there on the dashboard, how many towels do you have taped over the seats, are the inner door panels held on by gravity and luck?
That's the kind of nastiness that I mean, and see on a regular basis.
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