Which would be a more important issue to you when buying a car?

[Flower7]

The age of the car.

The mileage.

[WindAtMyBack]

The condition of the car. The miles on the car affect that more than the age, within reason. If it gets old enough it can have problems just due to age.

Luck of the draw and how well it was maintained are the two biggest factors. How it was driven also makes a difference.

When I used to buy and sell cars I would only buy from people who had money, which means I mostly would only buy from certain parts of the city. You don't have time to check out every car out there, so you have to improve your odds for the ones you do have time to check. People with money are FAR more likely to take better care of the car.

I also would not buy cars that had signs of being driven by a young person. For example I wouldn't buy cars with college stickers or anything else that might indicate they were young.

Unfortunately very few cars are sold by private parties any more. When buying from dealers the cars are not only way more expensive, but you usually have no idea who the previous owner was, or how well they kept up the car. Even most "private" sellers are really dealers pretending to be private sellers. However, if you take your time, buying from a private party is still the best way to go.

[Flower7]

Do you think a 2005 car is too old? (81,000 miles)

[WindAtMyBack]

No that age is fine. The condition is the most important thing with a car that age. Mileage does matter, but not as much as overall condition. 81,000 for a car that age is low mileage. If it was kept up well, it might be worth looking into.

If you don't know how to check out cars, it might be worth paying a mechanic to go through it. I've sold several cars to people who had a mechanic check it. Any seller should be OK with you doing that.

Also, keep in mind that it's possible to set back the odometer.

[Flower7]

Very good tip, thanks. I had no idea it’s possible to change the mileage!

[humanearth]

The age, The older the better. See I only buy cars from 1984 and older

[Flower7]

That’s a good way to think about it!

[humanearth]

I really hate today's cars with all their computers and shit.

Besides it cost about 10-15 grand to restore a car at a professional shop (I do it myself even cheaper) and how much is a brand new car.

Who's saving more money? The person like me that buys junky old cars and fixes them up or the person that buys a new car for like 30-50 grand.

I have my car paid off in a year or less. The other person what 7 years of payments

[Flower7]

7 years sounds about right!

[humanearth]

Big money saving tip right there

[humanearth]

And no interest payments

[humanearth]

Wow thanks for the MHO. I never would have thought I would get one when talking about old cars to a lady.

Thanks Flower7

[ChiTown33]

They're both kind of important. Obviously mileage is more important because it's the overall wear on a car. But plastic parts, seals, etc degrade overtime whether they're in use or not so that does have to be taken into consideration. Also if a car is say 20 years. Old but only 20k miles on it for example. That's could be a red flag! Why did it sit for so long?
When purchasing a car I try to look for one that has about 12k miles for ever year of age. That's avg. Usage of miles. Lower is good but not ridiculously low. Try to buy from a reputable dealer if you're going that route. If they value their business they're not going to knowingly sell you a lemon.

And if you can avoid it don't buy right now. This is probably the absolute worst time I've ever seen to buy a car.

[Flower7]

Whats wrong with buying cars right now?

[ChiTown33]

Well you buying new or used? I assume by you question, used. It's just with the pandemic it has affected supply of new cars. Less new cars means less new cars sold. Less new cars sold mean less trade-ins which means less supply of used cars. And the used cars are being bought by those who'd buy new ( theoretically) which drives up price because the supy is smaller and the demand is higher ( theoretically) i's needed a different car for the last 14 months. I've been looking and the price has went up each month. Prices are so I've said no thank you. You don't agree?

[ChiTown33]

Sorry I should have proofread what I typed. I hope you got most of what I said. Lol

[Flower7]

That’s probably true. I just started car shopping very recently, so I haven’t t really noticed those things yet. And yes, I prefer a used car.

[MuddyMole]

Definitely age.
Rust is the biggest killer of cars, and that's down to age rather than mileage. Any modern car will easily manage over 200K miles.

A newish car with high mileage has likely just done a lot of motorway miles or longer commutes, which isn't a bad thing at all. Short journeys and stop-start driving in town/traffic are what cause problems - engines and turbos wear faster before they warm up; anti-pollution devices like EGR valves and DPFs get clogged; clutches, flywheels and gearboxes are put under more stress; and so on. Cars that have just sat for a while without being used, also develop problems.

The usual advice though, is to buy on condition, rather than age or mileage.

[DaveToo]

Depending on the vehicle, some lose half their value in the first three years from the showroom. Most lease companies only allow 12,000 miles per year before they punish you for going over.
If you don't drive that much, hence don't put a lot of miles on the car, you should be okay on the trade-in. Leasing a 2 or 3-year-old vehicle can work out okay, depending on the vehicle. Always look at the year of the vehicle, how many miles, and divide the mileage by the years. If it's over 12,000, you start out behind the 8-ball.

[bulletbob555]

I've bought a lot of cars that are older but low miles at a ceartain auction I've went to. Who wants to buy a vehicle Thats still nice and shiny but has reached its mechanical limits. I see pickups all the time that are less than ten years old that have 2-3 hundred thousand miles on them. Don't understand they still want thousands of dollars for same with hondas

[Flower7]

An auction is a great idea to find a car at a lower cost!

[Interstate]

@Flower7 NOT... necessarily. Auctions have their good eggs, but you get a lot that comes through there with blown head gaskets, intermittent working transmissions and all kinds of issues. You REALLY need to know what to look for if you are going to go to sale (Auction) to purchase a daily driver. I used to sell cars for a living, so I would know. If one is going to venture that far to buy a vehicle, one BETTER BE READY to take it to a reliable shop and expect the possibility of a disappointing phone call.

[Flower7]

@Interstate Good to know, thanks for the tip!
(TWSS)

[Interstate]

🤣 true dat

[bulletbob555]

I go to a special auction with. Maintained cars. I'd say more but he'll we are on the internet. I am driving first car from a private auction turned out ok. Never wanted to go to regular auctions. See when I worked at car lot the cars that had problems expensive problems they go to the auction

[Interstate]

@bulletbob555 Even with special Auctions people need to be careful. They may be perfectly maintained, but that doesn't mean there aren't any there that don't have a rusted out Sub-frame. There are dealerships that send vehicles out to sale because they needed a little extra detailing. A b. s reason to send a car to sale, if you ask me. They could have made a deal with a local used car lot instead. Generally, used car lots don't care about the interior because in more cases than any, the Customers don't either.

[Chris758]

Well living in Canada I'm better off to buy a 5 year old truck with high kms, than a 10 year old with lower kms. It's because vehicles here rust like crazy because of the salt they use on the roads in the winter.
Rust is a big deal and it's way easier to maintain a newer vehicle, than trying to change brakes, calipers, ball joints, wheel bearings etc. on a vehicle that's 10+ years old. They break a lot of extra things trying to change rusted parts and it gets expensive really quick.

[Static_In_The_Attic]

Condition & history of the vehicle such as accidents & damage, etc & after that mileage & age of the vehicle. A vehicle can have low mileage because the owner left it in a barn & forgot about it for 20 years & never started the engine. The age of the vehicle might not matter if the owner took care of the vehicle & over the years replaced everything & it’s running like it just left the lot it was bought on.

[Dragonpurple]

Mileage but if it is ultra low mileage that could be a problem. My truck is 12 years old and I only put around 5,000 miles a year on it but I drive it weekly, a car that sits for a long time will have issues. They are designed to be on the move. This is why motorhomes are known to have tons of issues because they sit all winter or do not drive that often.

[Bricealan]

Flower, neither of the factors you show are important to me. I will never buy another ICE car (Internal Combustion engine)

I take that back! Mileage might be a factor for me in buying another TESLA although if I bought used (doubtful) mileage might be a factor for Battery life. I have one ICE car, and only rarely drive it.

[SunnyCaliGirl]

The mileage and how well or not well the pervious owner has taken care of the car. The latter is probably the most important one as well or not well they took care of the car will determine how long the car last for you.
And that you take care of the car well as the owner is just as important

[DaveJord]

Mileage, duh? But honestly low mileage is determined by the age of the car compared to usage so without age the mileage is pretty irrelevant.

10,000 miles on a car in a few months or a few years? Big difference on depreciation on a resale value.

[DeeDeeDeVour]

The mileage. Something could be new but worn out due to so much usage.

[Flower7]

True!

[jahaims]

Mileage and make/model.
Age doesn't tell you much.
Wouldn't you rather have a 1990 Honda Accord with zero miles over a 2020 Honda Accord with 250k miles?

[Flower7]

Sometimes I get nervous about buying cars that old because it can be hard to get replacement parts for them if they ever need it.

[douride2]

I would sooner have a 5 year old car with low mileage then a newer car with 150000 miles on the odometer.

[Flower7]

What about 16 years old? I’ve seen a nice 2005 with just 81,000 miles. The year makes me nervous, but the mileage is fabulous.

[douride2]

Now that would depend on the make of the car & how well it was maintained. Any rust?

[Flower7]

It looks nice from the outside. I didn’t see any rust. It’s a Mercedes.

[douride2]

If your serious about this car I would get a mechanic friend to take a good look at it. Make sure you won't have any surprises later.

[Shy80sgirl]

It could be a low mileage older car, which has been through less driving Riggers. I definitely would prefer a lower mileage older car over a high mileage newer car.

[RebeccaBI2000]

I look at the mileage, but then depending on where the car came from, I am looking at other things as well. I started to lease vehicles, because I do not drive much anymore and the maintenance is paid for by the dealership

[Sun_Kim-Ai]

I wouldn't know, I've always had only new cars... I think that mileage should matter more? As it details the usage of the vehicle.

[Gagname]

Definitely the mileage…if it’s never or hardly ever been driven, it’s almost new despite the year of the car.

[Cringe]

If you're buying a used car the brand is the most important

[Flower7]

Great tip, thanks!

[Fireguy17]

How well it has been taken care of.
You can have a car than can be a piece of crap at 30,000 miles, and one that is fine at 75,000 miles.

[AviatorTom]

They're both important. More important is how the used car has been maintained. Does it even have maintenance records?