>Motorway miles. People seem to regard these as if these were some sort of magic free miles ... The only real benefit is that the engine is up to temperature and hence will receive less wear.
Hardly. The clutch, the brakes and the lower ratios of the gearbox get very little to do at motorway speed, and not only is the engine fully warmed up - which also benefits the exhaust and emissions systems - but it's generally operating in a low-stress state, well within its capabilities. Similarly, the car has proportionally fewer starts, so the battery is less stressed too. And, while there may be the occasional pothole on a motorway, on my 85-mile regular run I reckon I see about as many as I would on a 3-mile trip into town.
My 103,000-mile Volvo is showing signs of wear, but only where I touch it - steering wheel, pedal rubbers (although not the brake pedal), upholstery on the driver's seat. The bits you can't see - battery, clutch, exhaust, and (really!) all the brake discs and pads - are the ones it came with from the factory in 2002. I'm happy to attribute that to its mainly-motorway life. I don't think anyone would give me £9,000 for it, though. }:---)
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Im wanting to sell my focus 1.6 tdci and buy something larger, more comftable and with a >> bit more get up and go
Mondeo TDCi ;-) or similar. Bigger and more powerful engine and comfortable. Surprised nobody else said this. It would for the money have a lot lower mileage.
Buying a high mileage diesel, I'd be scared someone had once put petrol in it at some point.
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>Buying a high mileage diesel, I'd be scared someone had once put petrol in it at some point.
I'd be more scared of that in a low-mileage one that had been someone's first diesel car. High-milers have been using diesel for years and generally know which pump to take it from.
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If motorway miles are mentioned, ask the seller which motorway he's talking about.
If M25, then equate that to numerous short stop-start town journeys :)
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Yes, but you can't rack up 100,000 miles doing that, can you? The OP doesn't say how old these cars are, but 100,000 miles at M25-crawl speed would take 5,000 hours. You could do that in seven months, but only without getting out of the car.
Edited by WillDeBeest on 05/02/2010 at 13:55
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Hardly. The clutch, the brakes ... .... .... .... for it, though. }:---) >>
WillBeBeest:
;-) Rubbish. *
* (not really, as I agree with everything you said. But I don't want people to find out how wrong the general public is in their perception of high mileage cars. As long as they run a hundred thousand miles away from them, I am happy as it means there is a bargain to be bought by me and my friends in the know).
Edited by jbif on 05/02/2010 at 14:10
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this is a hard one to advise because you are paying a substantial sum for high mileage prestige.
We service/repair and sell s/h some of the brands you mention. A few pointers:
1. The general public have an aversion to high mileage cars, so there is a substantial price step at 100k+. If you are putting 20k a year on these then expect significant depreciation given that you are starting from a 100k. A lot of the trade wont want your car at all in 3 years time.
2. Although it is true that the main mechanical components will be fine, its the ancilliaries that we find we are replacing. Alternators, steering pumps/racks, shocks, turbos, MAFs, DMFs. Relatively few DMFs last longer than 150k. Seats can also suffer, depending on how the car was used. Cars really do wear out and at 100k most are half-way thourhg the most optimistic working life. At 150k the car is three quarters worn out, even the average BMW. I am talking economic repairs here, with labour etc. I know a lot last for more than 200k, but Im working on the average.
3. A lot of estates are working cars, even prestifgge brands, so look for signes of wear and towbar (removed)?
If it were my money and I depended as much on the car as you obvuiously do then I'd look for something less prestige with lower miles, possibly still with factory warranty on it. I think it would be less risky and cheaper overall. Octy II estate springs to mind, possibly with DSG (although not my favourite transmission) or maybe the Subaru as mentioned earlier.
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You can get Hyundai Sonata or Kia Magentis with 3-yr warranty remaining for half of that money!
They are luxurious though not a prestige band and driving dynamics are not per with BMW etc.
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Good point. We now look after a couple of Magentis that are being used as airport cars. Already high mileage but all good so far. They are apparently the standard taxi now in some far eastern places like Singapore (have replaced Toyota Crowns). The are comfortable, plenty of toys and fine for M-way cruising.
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Don't remember seeing Kia taxis in Singapore but there are certainly Hyundais; still plenty of Crowns too, mind. But then, Singapore has an 80 km/h speed limit and permit rules that restrict the number of cars on the roads, so there are no high speeds there and surprisingly few traffic jams to shorten a car's life.
Incidentally, I should probably clarify my comments earlier. I think my 100,000-mile car still has plenty of life in it, which is why I'm not replacing it - yet; I certainly wouldn't think of buying anything that old for the use I put it to. I'm confident in mine because I've had it since new, but 20,000 miles a year must mean you depend on your car, so it seems unwise to take a punt on an old one you haven't known for years.
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Don't remember seeing Kia taxis in Singapore but there are certainly Hyundais;
Yes, they are Sonatas, CRDi, but basically the same car as the Magentis diesel.
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but 20,000 miles a year must mean you depend on your car, so it seems unwise to take a punt on an old one you haven't known for years.
I think this is good advice. If you do low mileage then an older high mileage car will be fine unless you're unlucky with repair bills etc. If you depend on it for a 20k miles pa then I'd personally go for something newer and lower mileage.
Unless you've set your heart on it having to be a BMW, Volvo, Audi... but you'd get a better value Skoda Octavia or even a VW Passat in your budget. Or I would have thought. You probably could get an Octavia vRS 2.0T with less than 40k miles within your budget.
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i think WT has the answer and he doesnt like blue smarties (alledgedly)
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Another to support WT for summing it up correctly. Would be interesting to know the ages of these vehicles and if they are main dealer... I guess not at those mileages.
Over the years we've taken advantage of low priced high mileage cars running many from 100K onto 150K.. even a couple over 225K... I've no fear of them as such.
However things are changing and as WT says it is not the body or main running gear that will let you down but you're starting off at 100K with a good bit of wear on turbo, clutch/dmf, aircon system, bearings, bushes, alternator, elec motors/switches etc.
If you are prepared to go up to 12K have a look at the makers used car locators on their websites. You could do a lot worse than a Skoda Octavia, Ford Mondeo or Citroen C5 (my own left field choice) which you'd get just run in at up to 15,000mls and max 18mth old for that money. You'd be sure of the vehicle history and get a good warranty.
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You probably could get an Octavia vRS 2.0T with less than 40k miles within your budget.
Good shout, rtj70.
Autotrader have an Octavia vRS 2.0T Estate for 10,995 with only 27k miles. Just one example of several.
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Hardly. The clutch the brakes and the lower ratios of the gearbox get very little to do at motorway speed and not only is the engine fully warmed up - which also benefits the exhaust and emissions systems - but it's generally operating in a low-stress state well within its capabilities.
Agreed, my 30K a year bangernomics Vauxhalls usually do 60K+ on a set of brake pads, and I've never had an exhaust rot through. Suspension wear is the main issue IMHO .. and I've never had to change a clutch even at 170K+.
Edited by SpamCan61 {P} on 05/02/2010 at 18:46
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I bought my Audi A4 at 4 years old 3 1/2 years ago with 112,000 on the clock. It has now done 170,000 miles and so far so good. Nothing has really gone wrong and continues to be reliable (touching wood!)
Before the A4, I had a Rover 75 that I bought at similar miles and sold on at just over 225,000 miles. Again, nothing other than regular servicing in many 1000'a of miles that I covered.
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Yeah, the issue here is that the OP is proposing to buy a car with bangernomics mileage but at 10 times bangernomics price!
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The OP is suggesting to buy cars around 3 years old - that is why they are that expensive.
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>I bought my Audi A4 at 4 years old 3 1/2 years ago with 112,000 on the clock. It has now done 170,000 miles and so far so good.
But you didn't pay £9,000 for it - did you?
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>>But you didn't pay £9,000 for it - did you?
I didnt but the point I was trying to make is that buying a car with 100K on it doesnt mean its on its last legs. I got my A4 cheap enough to take the risk but I have also realised that these kind of cars go on and on and on without much attention needed.
Whether the reputation of reliability is strong enough to command such high prices for a second hand car with over 100K could be debated for a long time, but my experience would say they are more than capable of doing 20K a year for a few years and there will be someone prepared to pay good money when you want to get rid.
Despite the mileage on my A4 and that it is now not far off 8 years old, I was still offered £2.5K trade in on something newer and ebay/autotrader prices for similar mileage/age cars are around £1-£1.5K highter than that. As long as there are no large bills its cheap motoring really
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The prices that th OP has been quoted should be regarded as VA - That is Vendor Aspirational.
IE they are NEGOTIABLE.
Lets say he decides that he likes the Volvo. I would work out what the car is worth TO HIM, then deduct 10% then make an offer.
If the offer is rejected, there will be others. Simple as that.
If the buyer wants to negotiate then there is hope.
As has been sad, there is a major public misconception about high mileage vehicles. But some people's driving profile will accomodate the saving to be made from a high mileage vehicle.
For example, that 03 Discovery TD5 I've just bought with 109k on the clock came in at a massive saving compared to one with 'average' mileage, yet I will get the same use out of it and probably pay the same money to run it as one at 70k costing almost twice as much. Why, because we will probably do 5k a year in it for the next 8 years and it will have a mileage of 150k. By then it won't matter a hoot what its mileage is as it will be worth peanuts.
Why did I buy this particular one? Because it was cheap and more importantly, it is clean has been regularly maintained.
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Hi All,
Firstly Thankyou so much to all of you for your input - some good advice in there, and sorry for my late reply!
The cars are around 2005 reg and although previously looking at these makes and models at various dealers found these nice looking examples on a web site at carl reeves trading in Lincoln (Take a look.....).
I must admit I hadnt even thought about a Subaru Legacy etc.
Im over 6ft and yes do a fair few miles hence the comfort needed and have promised the wife I will keep this one a bit longer then 18months this time! Partly why I was looking at the prestiege badges with plenty of toys etc.
Thanks again Guys!
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The OP is suggesting to buy cars around 3 years old - that is why they are that expensive.
I do realise that :-). the financial model doesn't look so good though when applied to 10 grand cars that'll have 160K+ on them in a couple of years.
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Pullers. I think most folks positive experience about high mileage cars, as is ours, does seem to be at the lower end of the price scale. Often at £2 -3k and rarely above £4k.
Moving up from a Focus your needs at your price would seem to be easily met by new shape Mondeo, C5, Legacy, Octavia, Volvo etc .... delivery mileage, ex-demo or up to 18mths old with a max of 15k with a solid main dealer prep/warranty. You'll get all the toys too with many of these makes if the right model is chosen.
Just a comment on the type of dealer you mention. Do you really want to spend in the region of £12k with a guy out in the wilds who pictures all his cars on a Fen track and is only available by appointment?? This guy might be the most honest seller in the world but such setups can make it very hard to chase down any warranty isues.
Edited by M.M on 07/02/2010 at 13:01
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