How Many Miles Is Too Many On A Used Car Is Purchasing A Car With Fewer Miles Better
Believe it or not, fewer mileage on a vehicle doesnt necessarily mean its the better option when compared to a used car with more miles on the odometer. If you encounter an older vehicle with a usually low mileage you should exercise caution. Odometer fraud is real. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 450,000 cars are sold in the United States each year with inaccurate odometers that have been reset or electronically altered.
You can verify the odometer reading by performing a CarFax or Autocheck which will give you an inside look into the vehicles history. The overall condition of the vehicle can also attest to whether the odometer reading is correct. If the car interior and exterior are in good condition and it has incredibly low odometer chances are it has driven much over the last years.
Don’t Be Cheap With Parts
Saving a few bucks here and there on cheap fluids and parts could cost you a lot more in the long term. Using inferior oil filters, the wrong oil or generic parts could cause premature breakdowns and damage. Your car’s owner manual should tell you what type of oil it needs and what fuel it will allow it to perform best.
When replacing parts, it’s a good idea to use OEM parts whenever possible. That especially applies to vehicles still under warranty, but in general, OEM parts are made for a precise fit and should last as long as the original part.
If your vehicle doesn’t require premium fuel, you won’t get any benefit from using it. However, if your car does require premium fuel, you could have some serious problems if you don’t use it.
What To Look For In Buying A Car
If you’re buying a new car, another thing you’ll probably be looking closely at is the latest safety and technology upgrades. Some features to keep in mind include automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and forward collision warning. Electronic stability control and rear cameras are also worth seeking out, although they’re now required on new cars sold in the U.S.
When car buying, make sure to research any prospective vehicle for crash test results and reliability ratings. When you’re looking at older cars, then things get a bit more complicated. At that point, you’ll want to look at vehicle history reports, such as Carfax or AutoCheck.
If you have limited mechanical knowledge, you’ll want it checked by a professional mechanic. At the very least, look for leaks, signs of water damage, paint overspray, and corrosion.
Purely from a safety standpoint, cars rated Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety are invariably an intelligent choice. The IIHS is widely regarded throughout the automotive industry for its safety rankings. Like Consumer Reports, they compile an annual ranking of the safest cars based on size and class and the safest SUVs and vans.
The IIHS notes that large, heavy vehicles provide more protection than small, lighter vehicles. For this reason, a larger vehicle might be safer than a smaller one, even if the smaller one is a Top Safety Pick+.
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Top Things To Look For In A Car’s Maintenance History
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Brakes. Pads should be changed every 30,000 to 70,000 miles. The brake discs may last up to 120,000 miles.
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Timing chain and belt. Cars typically need new ones every 100,000 to 150,000 miles.
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Transmission. While expected to last from 150,000 to 200,000 miles, regular service can largely determine whether a car hits this milestone. That includes automatic transmission fluid sometimes labeled as “sealed for life.”
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Oil change. Oil is the lifeblood of any vehicle, and dirty oil can wreak havoc on an engine’s components. Service records should always indicate oil changes at the manufacturer’s recommended intervals.
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Fluids maintained. Proper maintenance should include topping off and changing when necessary all fluids, including the car’s coolant and engine oil.
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Check Engine light. A check engine light being on is cause for raising an eyebrow, too. While it could be triggered for a wide range of reasons, it’s worth figuring out the cause.
The Dirty Truth About How Often You Need Your Oil Changed
By: Cherise Threewitt | Updated: Jan 19, 2021
Oil changes are just one of the many minor hassles of car ownership, but they’re crucial to keeping your car in good shape. Of course, if you don’t change your oil on time and with the proper products, it could void your car’s warranty.
However, car experts now say that the standard oil change interval of every three months or every 3,000 miles is old news, and that most cars can travel quite a bit farther before needing the oil replaced. If you’re changing your oil more frequently than necessary, it won’t help your car. It doesn’t harm it either, but you’re wasting money, time and resources. Keep in mind, too, that throwing away oil that’s still usable puts a strain on the environment.
There are four main “recommended” intervals for oil changes based on factors specific to you and your car:
- Every 1,000 miles or every six months
- Every 3,000 miles
- Every 5,000 to 7,500 miles
- Every 10,000 to 15,000 miles or every six months
Let’s take a look at the circumstances for each.
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Lasts Forever: Toyota Avalon
While the Sequoia was ranked most likely SUV to last beyond 200,000 miles, the Avalon takes that same spot for passenger cars. Even then, they’ve been known to last much longer than that. The Avalon also offers a more comfortable and luxurious experience when compared to Toyota’s equally reliable, but rather boring commuters like the Corolla, while still offering all the reliability, making it an excellent choice for a daily driver.
How Many Miles Should My Car Model Have
Remember that the year of the car isnt always the same as the year it was made. For example, a 2021 Toyota Corolla could be made and sold in the year 2020. So the mileage a used car should have really depends on how many years its been on the road! Here are some examples.
How many miles should a 2020 model have?
A one or two year old 2020 model should have 15,000 30,000 miles.How many miles should a 2015 model have?
A five or six year old 2015 model should have 75,000 90,000 miles.
How many miles should a 2010 model have?
A ten year old 2010 model will often have 150,000 miles or more on the odometer.
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Older Cars Can Be Good Buys Too
This doesn’t mean a car that’s older than the 3- to 4-year-old sweet spot is always a bad buy. If an older car has been well taken care of, it is possible that it’s a good purchase for you.
“If you’re looking for something that is a stopgap between now and a year from now when you’re planning on buying a new car, it might not be a bad thing to buy a $3,000 or $4,000 car with 100,000 miles on it,” Reiss says.
Video by Jason Armesto
Just be sure it doesn’t have thousands and thousands of dollars of needed repairs. You should look to see which parts have and haven’t been replaced, and how recently, along with how much it will cost for you to do any repairs you might anticipate. Car manuals will note what needs to replaced at what number of miles driven.
“If you’re spending more than about $4,000 a year on maintenance, then you probably should look a little deeper and find something that’s not going to need $4,000 a year in maintenance,” Reiss says.
Is The Build Quality Of Cars Getting Better
According to Auto Express journalist Mike Rutherford, “the quality of cars today is so good that customers are keeping them longer”. He goes on to say that “in the 2000s-2010s have been building cars better than they used to”.
The Department of Transport states that in the early 2000s, cars only averaged a lifespan of six and a half years. In 2017, official DfT statistics reveal that the average age has increased to 8.1 years.
Despite this increase, the UK is still behind other European countries who keep their cars for 11.1 years on average, and the US who have an average ownership lifespan of 11.8 years.
High mileage cars are cheaper than their low mileage equivalents and have now become more appealing because they’re likely to last longer. However, if you plan to keep your car for six years or more, you will be at a greater advantage if you buy it when it’s considered to be low mileage.
Cars averaging less than 12,000 miles a year that have been well maintained and cared for should have a longer lifespan. In addition, it will take them longer to get to the 150,000 mile landmark, giving you more time to clock up those miles yourself.
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Lasts Forever: Toyota Sequoia
It should be obvious when this list is filled with Toyota products, that their reputation for reliability is by no means an unfounded claim. The Sequoia is an obvious choice too. As Toyota’s large SUV, it’s built like a tank for rugged driving conditions and has had generations of improvement on top of its already reliable platform. After all, the Sequoia is ranked to be the SUV most likely to last beyond 200,000 miles.
Won’t Last A Year: Cadillac Escalade
Specific to 2015 and 2016 model years, the Cadillac Escalade also made it onto the “Never Buy Used” rankings. Problems typically arise from the transmission and electronics, with owners reporting problems like torque converters and radios failing almost immediately after buying the car new from the dealer.
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When Is A New Car Considered Used
Legally, a new car automatically turns into a new car once someone acquires the title ownership. It doesnt matter if the car has been driven or not the moment a buyer acquires the car, it seizes to be a new car.
That said, even if a buyer leaves a car he/she bought in the dealership lot that particular car has become a used car despite not being driven out of the dealership lot.
In contrast, theres no specific duration a new car would stay before being considered a used car. In essence, until an individual officially and legally buys a car, even if the car spends over five years in the dealerships lot, it is yet a new car.
So, if you were buying a 2005 model car in 2012, if the car hasnt been previously registered with someone else, it is still a new car. The seven years duration doesnt matter, except for if youre considering features and technologies.
General Mileage Guidelines When Shopping Used Cars
Given two cars, same year, make, and model, it might seem obvious that the one with 50,000 miles is valued higher than the one with 200,000 miles. Is mileage alone enough to make a good second-hand car decision? Unfortunately, its all too easy to simply assume fewer miles make for a better deal, but its not quite so simple. High-mileage cars and low-mileage cars are not necessarily polar opposites.
In general, its a good idea to assume the typical driver puts on about 12,000 miles per year, which can be a good guideline for determining the value of a prospective used car. The average ten-year-old car should have around 120,000 miles on the odometer, anything significantly more or less could indicate trouble brewing. Here are a few examples of how mileage alone can be misleading when considering the value of a used car:
Keeping all this in mind, it can still be difficult to judge between similar vehicles with differing odometer readings. How many miles are too many? Really, it depends on a lot of factors but, if in doubt, shoot for the 12,000-mile/year average. Even so, dont be afraid of cars that are outside of this range, provided the used car in question has been well maintained and there are records to show that.
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What Is Acceptable Mileage
Just like in any other deal, the buyer must be willing to bargain. The car will have to be inspected by a mechanic when it reaches the dealership. The car may have to be taken to a garage for routine maintenance or repair before being given to the customer.
It will also have to undergo some kind of test drive in the dealership parking lot, around the factory, or even around town. The mileage may go up for this time because of all these driving around.
However, if the odometer shows more than 3 digits you should ask for a discount or a newly swapped vehicle.
Maintenance And Service Schedules
Speaking of maintenance schedules, establish one and stick to it. There is absolutely no substitute for regular preventive maintenance, says Cascade Collision, to ensure your car lasts for many years and many miles to come. While no one likes to sit around the shop waiting for their car to be done, it’s far better to spend an hour or so every six months than it is to find yourself without a car for several days due to an unforeseen repair.
Regular oil changes, tire rotations, tune-ups, changing your brake pads, and check-ups can avoid surprise issues by catching them before they become major. They also make your engine run better for longer by keeping it properly lubricated and healthy and can make the car worth more upon resale.
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Change Every 10000 Miles
If your car’s manufacturer recommends synthetic oil, or if you decide to make the switch, you could go as many as 10,000 miles or more between oil changes. Though synthetic oil is much more expensive than regular oil, it has more benefits. It performs better than regular oil and is better for the environment.
Opinion differs, though, whether upgrading is worth it. While some experts suggest doing it in most circumstances, Consumer Reports said in 2017 that, generally, you shouldn’t switch to synthetic if your car doesn’t need it. If you frequently tow heavy loads, synthetic oil can help ease the extra strain on your car’s engine. If you own a model known to be prone to sludge issues , synthetic oil can help alleviate those problems and prolong the life of your engine.
Highway Miles Versus City Miles
In all likelihood, the car in a rural area will rack up more miles than one in a densely-populated city. But those desert miles represent good mileage: mileage that accumulates with a certain ease not found in city driving. The reason for this is the same reason why sellers love to boast about highway miles in their advertising: an open road with no turns to contend with or stoplights to brake for is the least stressful scenario for an automobile. It is also the scenario that racks up mileage the fastest.
City cars that arent taxicabs or rideshare vehicles will likely go well below the national yearly average of 12,000 miles a year. But theyll wear out faster thanks to the nature of urban conditions versus cars that largely see long highway trips.
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What’s Good Used Car Mileage
Whether you’re looking at a car, truck, or SUV, tracking mileage is a good idea and should factor into your purchasing decision. For the most part, the older a car, the lower it will be priced, but that’s not always true. If there’s a car that’s three years old but has 75,000 miles on the odometer, it will probably be cheaper than a similar car that’s five years old and has 50,000 miles on the odometer.
As long as a vehicle has been properly maintained, it should last well over 100,000 miles. More and more cars are staying on the road longer, thanks to better construction and more frequent maintenance. In terms of used car mileage, about 10,000 miles per year is normal. So, if you’re looking at a car that’s five years old and has 50,000 miles on the odometer, it should be on your list, but more goes into things than just the odometer.
Change Every 1000 Miles
First, if some experts say that 3,000 miles is too often, why would those same experts recommend intervals of every 1,000 miles? It all depends on your driving habits. If your driving routine consists mostly of trips that are 10 miles or less, you should consider changing your oil more often than every 3,000 miles for two reasons:
In short, if you drive your car infrequently as in much less than the mileage of your recommended service interval you should still change your oil twice a year since the oil degrades over time.
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