CossieRich

iTrader: (1)

Need a new car as im driving circa 110 miles a day. Fast A road and then the dreaded M25. Car will be a 530d or 535d. Seeing as I will be putting a lot of miles on it per month, do I buy a car with lower miles which costs more to start with and de-value it quite considerably within a year due to the amount of miles, or do I buy one that has higher miles already and always be worried that something can/will go wrong. What is classed as high miles these days anyway?

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

If I was doing that many miles a day I'd want something a bit more fuel efficient than that. Seems daft to buy a low mileage one as it will depreciate much quicker. Nothing wrong with higher mileage cars, my mondeo is on 113k, me having done the last 40k and it's been fault less touch wood!

CossieRich

iTrader: (1)

My 06 plate 535d that I had a couple of years ago returned 38 mpg average which was a mixture of town and motorway driving, so I was going on the assumption that minimum town driving in a mapped 530d or 535d will easily see me at 45ish mpg. But you know what they say about assumptions

Zetec_mk4_XR3i

Don't think higher mileages are as much as an issue nowadays...my daily Audi TD has 145k on it and you would never know. In fact when I was looking for it, I chose this one over lower mile cars as was better looked after with thorough service history.

I had a cheap Focus for selling on and it had done 180k, still drove surprisingly well!

tony66

iTrader: (7)

as for price milage is the biggest factor in car purchase-but for actual use...
the bmws you mention do miles well-but at 150k ish it may well suffer from the gearbox valve block wear[makes it hunt up and down at steady throttle-and resetting the gearbox softwear wont cure it] that said it doesnt stop the car going a to b-just irritating once you notice it
other than that milage doesnt seem a factor as the common fails happen any age after a few years old-glow plugs,glow plug control units,thermostats etc
the 335/535 d seem a very good buy -easy to get 45mpg out of my 335d

if you go audi-clutches,fywheels,boxes,oil pumps etc after 100k

xr2wishy

iTrader: (2)

hmmm....
i have a 330d remapped and at first i thought great on everything, although i have been stuck on short trips recently causing the mpg to step right down to 25mpg!!!
give it a boot and down the motorway and it'll float back up to 40mpg.
worried about high mileage???? in these modern times with good servicing and care i don't think you have to worry so much. the only issues i've got with mine are a couple of suspension links that have been replaced, thermostat stuck open and dpf got a bit clogged, but cleared up without any cost.

oh yes, mine is just tipped over 170k and is a dream to drive, auto is a must so a map can be applied without endangering your gearbox. that said, if economy is very important, i'd be considering a 2.0TDI, 200bhp is easy and more, much better on juice.

that's what the wife will be getting early next year to replace the bora, which has been very good over the years.

CossieRich

iTrader: (1)

Economy is somewhat important. A 6 cylinder diesel is VERY important

tony66

iTrader: (7)

couldnt agree more
all the 4 cylinder engines simply cant compete to the bigger multi cylinder dervs for refinement etc

T666 FRS

iTrader: (4)

My mk1 FRS has 211500 on the clock and runs a dream All down to how well they're maintained

massivewangers

iTrader: (1)

I bought an ST220 on 112k, put 35k on it in a year and all I changed was an ABS sensor and the tyres, and I gave it a load of stick along the way.

Equally, I then had a V70 D5 (which is supposed to be bulletproof) and it was nothing but trouble.

Used cars are always a gamble.

jameswrx

Exactly, maintenance is key.

I dispair at the lack of maintenance on most cars.

My Impreza wagon has done 131k miles but it's been serviced regularly and looked after by mature owners. It runs like a dream and the engine sounds superb, feels really strong. On the other hand I've looked at imprezas with 70k, black oil just about touching the bottom of the dipstick and they sound crap. No doubt the lower mileage one in that scenario would be in far worse condition inside.

High mileage? Question the maintenance, if it's good it wouldn't be a problem. It's also worth bearing in mind with high mileage diesels that the injectors do wear out regardless of maintenance and at 130k may well have been replaced already and good until 200k but buyin a 95k mile car that's still on a lot of original parts may actually be a worse buy in some cases.

I did a job on a lady's car the other day that she's "had enough of" because it's "started letting her down lately" I asked her when she last had it serviced (as I looked at the 1cm hard deposit of oil on the underside of the oil cap) and she went all coy and said "I've never had it serviced". Me thinking jeez, bet she's had it a couple of years.. I then asked her how long she's had it.. "8 years" was the reply! 8 fuckin years and not one bit of maintenance!

gjh

Don't think high mileage is something to really worry about these days, as long as the car is serviced like it should be and parts are replaced when worn I cant see how its really a problem.

AJC

iTrader: (6)

I'm happy to buy a low miler and put the miles on it, but not happy buying high milers, i think it's because i know i maintain vehicles properly, i will trust them when high miles, i always expect other people to never maintain anything properly

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

The wifes mk1.5 focus has 130k on it. Its been a good reliable car and we havent spent much on it.

Oranoco

My old B5 has just passed 180k and I have thrashed it for 110k of those. Bar wear an tear and service item it's been spot on. Oh yes, the original clutch and flywheel grenades at 172k this year. First big bill while I've had it.

STeve

iTrader: (11)

days of mileage being a issue are long gone, service history and a well kept example is all I look for in any car and simply no point in buying a low mileage example when your going to rip the arse out of it putting miles on it

st220kyle

It's relevant to what type of car it is. I wouldn't be put off a high mileage petrol focus for example but would I trust a modern French car with high mileage? No.

STeve

iTrader: (11)

I dont think anyone would consider a french modern thing a car anyway

andy888

don't touch french!

st220kyle

Yeah good point

smiley

Been doing 50k + miles a year for the past ten the dervs I've had seem to start suffering as said above around the 150k + mark fuel pumps injectors. gearboxand clutch problems never had due to motorway miles I wouldn't be buying anything with over 100k on it if your planning on keeping it a while I've heard about legendary taxis from drivers doing 250-300 probably billshit just service regular and don't spend to much that way when it does go wrong its easy to decide if its time to get another or repair I'm due another next year will be a gttdi golf

Oranoco

After the aggro my Mrs low mileage nearly new Peugeot has caused us I just wouldn't touch a French car. Unless the other option was a Vauxhall.

natehall

iTrader: (2)

had a couple of highish milers when I was doing 100-110 miles a day..

mk3 Mondeo TDCI, bought it with ~157k on the clock for 1k with no history, put another 18k on it, sold it for £800, all i had to do to it was a wheel bearing and set of rear discs and pads, a boost hose and a EGR blanking plate, total cost of ownership including a set of boots and servicing every 6k, ~£600 over 18 months

Bought a D4-D Toyota Avensis, bought it on ~148k with no history and put a further 25k on it - and it was bulletproof, In the 2 years I had it, it needed servicing, brake discs and 6 tyres in total. Total cost of ownership was about £700, including the £300 loss over the purchase price and £400 in repairs..

1.8 Diesel Fiesta (non-turbo), boy this was slowwwww. paid £475 for it, added 20k in miles to it, sold it for £450 and only had to repair a lower wishbone, doorlock and fit tyres/service it. really cheap and dull motoring though.

Id say get a high miler if your putting on the miles, yes you will have some repair costs, but these engines are designed to take 200k+ with basic maintenance, history was never important to me as I was buying at the budget end of the market, knew the first thing id do after getting it home is go through it mechanically to see what was wrong and give a full service..

Probably saved myself thousands with this attitude in buying throwaway cars and selling them at a point I thought major repairs were likely in a further 5-10k..

massivewangers

iTrader: (1)

Put 20k on my 172 Cup Clio in a year and it's been fine, no less reliable than anything else I've owned. Small French cars are great.

It's the bigger ones with all the electronics that are shit.

R4N SS

iTrader: (6)

I have done over 40k in my golf since owning it for a year and a half - only had to service it about 4 times, 4 tyres, front cv and drop links.

Does 62mpg on the motorway and goes well. Its a an auto so you can feel lazy and relaxed when driving

ajamesc

There a cheap e39 m5 on eBay with almost 200k on it. Looks really clean with good history. Not sure how wise it would be buying one with that mileage

Chas

IMHO assuming things have been maintained well buying higher mileage makes two things worse:

-Resale - they are awkward to resell but then so is a car you put the miles onto
-interior wear - Without opening a can of worms this IMHO comes down to the owners. My Mondeo V6 3.0 with 260k had a better interior than potential replacements I saw with 80k - I kid you not, including shiny steering wheels and seat bolsters.
-Exterior - My Mondeo V6 cheated here - it got hit on the front at 170k and thus saw a respray.

A badly maintained car will be just that. When I was looking to buy a daily to take the strain of my S1 RST I was shocked at how much dross was for sale at £3k. Some of the cars I drove with at 100k drove and knocked worse than my Mondeo at 250k that I gifted to my dad and the Mondeo needed new dampers then. The interiors and general condition of the cars were horrorshows as well.

Yes, I know cars are secondhand but there are no excuses for when it comes to neglect.

FWIW I've seen a few high milers in my time (driven and owned) that have been reliable and great later on including:

-Mk3 Mondeo 2.0 Ghia X - 380k until the diff blew up the second time - I should not have scrapped/broken up that car in hindsight. We bought that at 77k.
-Same again but with 210k - Again that was very clean at the mileage (I'll see if I can get some pics of it back then)
-Mk3 Mondeo 3.0 V6 Ghia X - This was an ex-SOCA car and I do wonder if the history against it was false. At 100k when I bought it the interior was literally like new as was the feel of the switchgear. It was almost as if the car had seen an interior replacement. Bar my sister's car with 210k it was the cleanest purchase for me.
-Mk3 Mondeo 1.8 LX - Yes there is a theme here! My dad still owns this car and it is still not a bad looker. It's had some love to get it to 305k but it is still decent car as a daily despite the lack of pace.
-Porsche 944 Turbo - This had 180k on it but bar a rip on the interior seat (Sports bolsters) it was a very clean and honest car. It did however have a king's ransom thrown at it prior to me owning it but it was trouble free over the 15k I did in it, not something many Turbo owners can confess, regardless of mileage. It did however see KW v3 suspension, bigger and refurbished Brembos, head rebuild, exhaust and a few other things, and it was driven hard ; It was an ex-show car for ProMax Motorsport. It was a far far better 944 than the 110k S2 example I owned prior to it. It did take longer to sell however, despite being the far better and if I am honest the more original car of the two.

As a parting gift, here's the last ticket of one of the above .

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

Fair play that is good going! There was me thinking my 08 mondeo with 115k was on its last legs lol

STEVEST24

Good going there with the Mondeos, my stepdad had a VW Pickup (really a Skoda Felicia) 1.9 diesel and that did 220k in our hands, it had a gearbox rebuild and clutch, but was very reliable and was abused abit. It changed my view of Skoda, it was a peach!

Saw it locally few years ago, still going.

Dodgy Diver

we just took a merc sprinter in as p/x with 580,000 miles on it and still the same engine

chowfornow

I've got a v70 d5 which we've had from brand new, it's now done 284,000 and still used daily, I'd definitely have another, plus being an estate I'm always filling it full of old ford parts,

gcfcos

No advisories that's impressive

gingeRS

i think your mpg might be a bit hopeful

my 530d will indeed do 44mpg on the motorway, but only manages 27mpg round town

in terms of mileage, my only concern would be buying an auto as they dont tend to wear the miles as well as manuals, my 530d is just about to hit 150k, and im not convinced theres much life left in the box.....

my FRS has done 120k miles and has been 100% reliable in the 8 years ive owned it

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Thats some going on that mondy.

Both the wifes focus and my ST17O have 130k on them. We have hardly done any work to the wifes focus apart from wear and tear.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

We have a few Peugeot partner vans at work and they only have about 24k miles on them and the gear stick is like sturring soup.

Carlos-Titx

Our old berlingos were like that. Just throw the stick and hope for the best

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

We've got Citroën and Peugeot vans at work, they are all shit. One if them is a 15 plate, 29k and it just feels totally fucked already. Wheel trim fell off on the motorway and clouted another car, the parking sensors don't work, and the wipers turn themselves on even with the ignition off and van locked up lol.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Our partners have faults with the rad fan constantly running and the outside temp sensor inop.

The wiring loom in the door fooks up. The wires snap. Lol at repairing the wire in the door to fix the rad fans.

The Crocodile Hunter

My mrs has had a 1600 one of these as a daily for the last 7 years. Its just turned 237k and been the most reliable car ive known. All its ever needed is basic servicing and a couple of sets of drop links. The original ford exhaust lasted until 223k!

jason3249

I know its abit of but high mileage don't really bother me its broke in lol

My merc van has 241k on it 08 plate still drives like new lol got it when it was on 110k still going strong....

I had a 530 loved it wife made me sell it a few years ago for a stupid convertible really i use my van lol

EDIT...If you look after it it will look after you