Hello all
I'm looking to upgrade from my current banger to a Yaris (51 plate). I've been quoted approx 1350 pounds for a 1.3 5 dr hatchback. My only concern is its got 100,000 miles on it. Is this too high for a little car? I don't want to fork out lots of cash for it to only last a couple of years (I've had my E reg Polo for nearly 5 years!)
Many thanks
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 19/06/2009 at 02:05
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Well....if you bought it and it did indeed only last two years ( unlikely at an optimistic guess ) even so it would still have only cost you £12.98 a week. If you got three years out of it that would come to £8.65 a week and so on. Sounds quite cheap to me.
If it's in good condition and has a believable and full service history there is no reason to not consider it. I regularly run cars to very high mileages and if they are cared for they rarely give problems.
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Thanks. Didn't think of it that way but maths has never been my strong point!
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The old chestnut of, if its had a full service history that simple toyota engine and design should be good for 2-300k miles, some toyota's will go up to 500k but the reason they don't break before then is because they are so old they get scrapped anyway as they become end of line.
I read an article the other day which said 100k is often a mental barrier for most people. They see a car with that mileage and can't get past the fact they think it will suddenly become unreliable. Cars can go wrong by 30k, its all a gamble.
You will just have to keep an eye out for age wear on the suspension, shocks, wheel bearings, discs, pads, clutch etc. To be honest unless they have recently been replaced, they are a more likely to need replacing at that age, but you probably know this having just come out of a "banger".
Just check the engine ticks over without judder, it revs smoothly, take it slowly up and look for judder or noises and check the oil level is ok.
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Oh and if its any consolation, at a car that age, the mileage is a good sign. Be wary of a 8/9 year car that has only done less than 50k. Which means it spent most of its life sitting or doing short town journeys which really isn't any good for the engine and could even been clogged up with carbon deposits. If you buy it, take it on the m-way and depending on the gearing of it, do 70mph in 3rd for up to 10 minutes (might need 4th but keep the revs around 4k). Get the engine hot and then take it through the full rev range for a bit then drive gently at lower speeds before shutting down.
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Smaller cars tend to do fewer miles, so this one has done a highish mileage for a supermini.
Best advice at this age is buy on condition, not mileage.
If it drives well, it's probably a perfectly good buy.
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My Yaris has only done a tiny milage in 8 years but my physios 1l has done well over 100k with only a few minor niggles. As mentioned before buy on condition and how it drives.
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A friends 1 litre Yaris is on 140k without trouble. Neighbour's 1.4 Clio did 200k with the most basic of care. If it drives well, it probably is well.
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100,000 miles is nothing on a cared for modern car.
Most cars I've owned have been 100k+ milers, and they provide just as reliable service as 20,000 milers in my book. They need to be serviced on time, and you have to allow for the odd worn bearing, bush or other odds and ends, but other than that it's nothing to worry about. The cost of the few additional items needed is more than offset by the lower depreciation and the fact there's no need to pay £100 per hour main dealer labour rates for servicing.
I took a mk1 Focus from delivery miles to 100k, and if anything it drove better at 100k than when new. Lovely loose, free, but not sloppy feel to the mechanicals, and top notch reliability. Felt like it would do the same again no trouble at all. My current 146,000 mile Volvo is also as reliable as clockwork and still drives superbly.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a high miler.
Cheers
DP
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...I took a mk1 Focus from delivery miles to 100k, and if anything it drove better at 100k than when new...
Agreed, my 2002 1.8 TDCi Focus never went better than when I sold it at 80,000miles.
I suppose it can't have been, but I almost thought it was still loosening up.
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Should have added, that in that 100k, said Focus (1.8 TDDi) had:
7 main dealer services (8th due as it went back)
Four sets of front tyres
One set of rear tyres
A couple of bulbs
A new auxiliary belt tensioner.
Breakdowns = nil
Failures to start = nil
Noticeable faults on return = nil
I reckon the engine took about 20k to loosen up. The gearbox was still getting sweeter at 100k. Notchy when new, but allowed beautifully slick, flick of wrist changes as it bedded in.
Volvo has done its 146k with no major failures, and only a handful of replacement parts outside of consumables and the normal service schedule.
We've never had it so good in terms of longevity, regardless of the badge on the bonnet.
Cheers
DP
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Couldn't agree more with your last statement DP. My Mondeo estate notched up another several hundred fuss free miles this week. Still smooth, rattle free, pulls like a train and comfortable. The bodywork is in very good order apart from an odd stone chip at the front. The leather interior is unblemished despite the regular abuse it takes from my work kit in the week and our mountain bikes and equipment at weekends. It often ends up half way up tracks many would only attempt in a 4x4 as we seek out new muddy places to use our bikes. By this time next year, assuming I keep on with it, it will be eight years old and heading for 200k miles.
Everything non consumable is still the original equipment. Never had a breakdown or a failure apart from a couple of headlamp bulbs. Clutch, turbo, injectors, exhaust, gearbox, DMF, suspension etc are all as it left the factory seven years ago.
I might be curious enough to see how far it will go now.....( assuming it doesn't self destruct this afternoon that is....)
;-)
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