How used will you buy a used car?

Started by the Teuton, April 20, 2009, 09:13:35 AM

So...?

Only new - I don't buy used cars
0 (0%)
CPO under 40,000 miles
7 (25%)
40-60K miles
5 (17.9%)
60-80K miles
0 (0%)
80-100k miles
3 (10.7%)
100-120k miles
2 (7.1%)
120k + miles
11 (39.3%)

Total Members Voted: 26

the Teuton

When it comes time to buy a "new" car, what's your limit on miles?  I am in the process of looking at beaters with heaters fairly seriously, and I've found some nice ones, but I am hesitant about buying something with well over 150k miles on it, even if the price is good.  I already had to replace my motor at 159k.

So what say you?  Is there a limit?
2. 1995 Saturn SL2 5-speed, 126,500 miles. 5,000 miles in two and a half months. That works out to 24,000 miles per year if I can keep up the pace.

Quote from: CJ on April 06, 2010, 10:48:54 PM
I don't care about all that shit.  I'll be going to college to get an education at a cost to my parents.  I'm not going to fool around.
Quote from: MrH on January 14, 2011, 01:13:53 PM
She'll hate diesel passenger cars, all things Ford, and fiat currency.  They will masturbate to old interviews of Ayn Rand an youtube together.
You can take the troll out of the Subaru, but you can't take the Subaru out of the troll!

2o6

Buying a first car, anything over 150k is out for me.

sportyaccordy

My Maxima had 125K or so miles when I bought it, and it ran about 38 thousand times smoother than my mom's RX did at half the miles. I think it depends on the car. For my next car I'm still in the air as far as what I want exactly but I hope to get something with less than 100K on it.

AutobahnSHO

I buy in the 90-150k range. It's all about what can you afford to repair??
The cheaper the more miles or more needs fixing OR BOTH.

ANY time I purchase a used car I immediately do an oil and tranny filter/fluid change. And start saving for repairs. :lol:
Will

Tave

It depends on my needs/wants.

For a DD, I'd push lower. If it's purely for fun, the sky's the limit. For something in between, well, I'd look at the stuff in between. :lol:
As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me.

Quote from: thecarnut on March 16, 2008, 10:33:43 AM
Depending on price, that could be a good deal.

r0tor

CPO... if there is no warranty, your just better off fixing the damn car you already own
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee No Speed -- 2004 Mazda RX8 6 speed -- 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia All Speed

CALL_911

For me, well, I'd get whatever's cheap. Hopefully in the 90K-120K range?

Odds are my parents will get me my first car, which will either be new or be a CPO with really, really low miles.


2004 S2000
2016 340xi

nickdrinkwater

Absolute maximumis 80k, but hopefully below 60.

Raza

Quote from: Tave on April 20, 2009, 09:53:15 AM
It depends on my needs/wants.

For a DD, I'd push lower. If it's purely for fun, the sky's the limit. For something in between, well, I'd look at the stuff in between. :lol:

There's the key.  A car upon which you don't need to rely doesn't necessarily need to be reliable.  I'm shopping for a used car, and what I'm looking at in my price range seems to have a low end of about 70K miles.  On a daily driver, I'd reconsider, unless I am fairly well assured that the car was looked after diligently in its life, but as a second car, I'd be less cautious.  Of course, I'd want to see that the car had been cared for, but the difference between 80K and 100K at that point are fairly negligible if reflected in price. 
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
If you can read this, you're too close


2006 BMW Z4 3.0i
http://accelerationtherapy.squarespace.com/   @accelerationdoc
Quote from: the Teuton on October 05, 2009, 03:53:18 PMIt's impossible to argue with Raza. He wins. Period. End of discussion.

3.0L V6

For a daily driver that doesn't stray much beyond city limits, I'd have no problem with ~100k miles. A car that sees a lot of highway use, I'd try to stay towards the 70k mile range when buying used.

omicron

200,000km/125,000 miles is my absolute limit.

L. ed foote

Depends on the condition of the car.  Mileage is unimportant to me.
Member, Self Preservation Society

Laconian

60-80k max. My car has 67k right now and it'd still be a good choice for a used buyer.
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

68_427

It's hard to find a 2.5 RS coupe with less than 120K, and I desperately want one.
Quotewhere were you when automotive dream died
i was sat at home drinking brake fluid when wife ring
'racecar is die'
no


Vinsanity

I don't have much problem driving around a car with 6 figures on the odo, but I'd much rather those miles be my own rather than an unknown.





hehe I rhymed.

Eye of the Tiger

Miles are even less shit than bitches, and bitches ain't shit.
2024 Mitsubishi Mirage ES

Tave

#16
Quote from: Raza  link=topic=18454.msg1045040#msg1045040 date=1240244564
There's the key.  A car upon which you don't need to rely doesn't necessarily need to be reliable.  I'm shopping for a used car, and what I'm looking at in my price range seems to have a low end of about 70K miles.  On a daily driver, I'd reconsider, unless I am fairly well assured that the car was looked after diligently in its life, but as a second car, I'd be less cautious.  Of course, I'd want to see that the car had been cared for, but the difference between 80K and 100K at that point are fairly negligible if reflected in price. 

Exactly, and you're never going to get a CPO on a 1966 Mustang coupe.


But if someone does, please call me. Preferably cobalt blue w/ a matching interior.
As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me.

Quote from: thecarnut on March 16, 2008, 10:33:43 AM
Depending on price, that could be a good deal.

Cookie Monster

Preferably in the 80-120k range but I would take anything up to 150k or so.
RWD > FWD
President of the "I survived the Volvo S80 Thread" Club
2007 Mazda MX-5 | 1999 Honda Nighthawk 750 | 1989 Volvo 240 | 1991 Toyota 4Runner | 2006 Honda CBR600F4i | 2015 Yamaha FJ-09 | 1999 Honda CBR600F4 | 2009 Yamaha WR250X | 1985 Mazda RX-7 | 2000 Yamaha YZ426F | 2006 Yamaha FZ1 | 2002 Honda CBR954RR | 1996 Subaru Outback | 2018 Subaru Crosstrek | 1986 Toyota MR2
Quote from: 68_427 on November 27, 2016, 07:43:14 AM
Or order from fortune auto and when lyft rider asks why your car feels bumpy you can show them the dyno curve
1 3 5
├┼┤
2 4 R

the Teuton

Quote from: 68_427 on April 20, 2009, 11:34:51 AM
It's hard to find a 2.5 RS coupe with less than 120K, and I desperately want one.

Cars under 50,000 miles still exist...for a massive premium.

Unfortunate that we're late to the game, eh?

My next car is probably going to be a Legacy upwards of 120k miles.
2. 1995 Saturn SL2 5-speed, 126,500 miles. 5,000 miles in two and a half months. That works out to 24,000 miles per year if I can keep up the pace.

Quote from: CJ on April 06, 2010, 10:48:54 PM
I don't care about all that shit.  I'll be going to college to get an education at a cost to my parents.  I'm not going to fool around.
Quote from: MrH on January 14, 2011, 01:13:53 PM
She'll hate diesel passenger cars, all things Ford, and fiat currency.  They will masturbate to old interviews of Ayn Rand an youtube together.
You can take the troll out of the Subaru, but you can't take the Subaru out of the troll!

ChrisV

This car has 168k on it right now, and had 143k on it when I bought it. It's my daily driver, and has gone on long trips. Its very first trip was from where I bought it in bridgeport CT, all over middle Ct and then back down here to Baltimore, 6 hours away. Within a month it was driven by my wife to Richmond, VA and back, up the Blue Ridge mountains.



I've had daily drivers that were over 30 years old, and consisting of most of their original parts.
Like a fine Detroit wine, this vehicle has aged to budgetary perfection...

Lebowski

If it was from a dealer or other unknown seller, I'd like to keep it within the manufacturers warranty period, or < ~40k miles.

If it's a car from someone I know, and I know the history of the car and know it has been well maintained, I'd go higher.

CALL_911

Quote from: the Teuton on April 20, 2009, 01:13:48 PM
Cars under 50,000 miles still exist...for a massive premium.

Unfortunate that we're late to the game, eh?

My next car is probably going to be a Legacy upwards of 120k miles.

If you don't mind if said Legacy is automatic, maroon, rusty in some areas, and FWD, I have just the car for you... :lol:


2004 S2000
2016 340xi

the Teuton

Quote from: CALL_911 on April 20, 2009, 01:41:16 PM
If you don't mind if said Legacy is automatic, maroon, rusty in some areas, and FWD, I have just the car for you... :lol:

Will that car pass a NY inspection, much less make it to Ohio for me to register?

I'm tempted.  It's a perfect big city college beater.
2. 1995 Saturn SL2 5-speed, 126,500 miles. 5,000 miles in two and a half months. That works out to 24,000 miles per year if I can keep up the pace.

Quote from: CJ on April 06, 2010, 10:48:54 PM
I don't care about all that shit.  I'll be going to college to get an education at a cost to my parents.  I'm not going to fool around.
Quote from: MrH on January 14, 2011, 01:13:53 PM
She'll hate diesel passenger cars, all things Ford, and fiat currency.  They will masturbate to old interviews of Ayn Rand an youtube together.
You can take the troll out of the Subaru, but you can't take the Subaru out of the troll!

CALL_911

Quote from: the Teuton on April 20, 2009, 01:45:27 PM
Will that car pass a NY inspection, much less make it to Ohio for me to register?

I'm tempted.  It's a perfect big city college beater.

It passed inspection.


2004 S2000
2016 340xi

the Teuton

Quote from: CALL_911 on April 20, 2009, 01:50:58 PM
It passed inspection.

This is very tempting.

We'll talk at the end of summer when a) I'm going down that way hopefully, and b) I have some dead presidents in my wallet. 

I am working my way into getting my parents into a Legacy, the Impreza isn't going anywhere anytime soon, I might be buying my next car this summer (read: Impreza, Legacy, Forester, or SVX), and another Subaru on the cheap would complement the whole damn bunch.

Now you got me all excited.

2. 1995 Saturn SL2 5-speed, 126,500 miles. 5,000 miles in two and a half months. That works out to 24,000 miles per year if I can keep up the pace.

Quote from: CJ on April 06, 2010, 10:48:54 PM
I don't care about all that shit.  I'll be going to college to get an education at a cost to my parents.  I'm not going to fool around.
Quote from: MrH on January 14, 2011, 01:13:53 PM
She'll hate diesel passenger cars, all things Ford, and fiat currency.  They will masturbate to old interviews of Ayn Rand an youtube together.
You can take the troll out of the Subaru, but you can't take the Subaru out of the troll!

SVT666

Depends.  If it's going to be my daily driver, then I want the fewest miles for what I can get in my budget.  Now, next year I'm going to be looking for a used pickup and I'll take whatever's in the best condition for $2000.

CALL_911

Quote from: the Teuton on April 20, 2009, 01:56:43 PM
This is very tempting.

We'll talk at the end of summer when a) I'm going down that way hopefully, and b) I have some dead presidents in my wallet. 

I am working my way into getting my parents into a Legacy, the Impreza isn't going anywhere anytime soon, I might be buying my next car this summer (read: Impreza, Legacy, Forester, or SVX), and another Subaru on the cheap would complement the whole damn bunch.

Now you got me all excited.



Hoooold your horses, I'll need to see if it'd even be for sale. I need a car soon, and that could be the one!


2004 S2000
2016 340xi

the Teuton

Quote from: CALL_911 on April 20, 2009, 02:17:17 PM
Hoooold your horses, I'll need to see if it'd even be for sale. I need a car soon, and that could be the one!

Fine.  An old POS E21 BMW 320i it might have to be...

But then that brings up another point, does mileage even matter when a car gets to be 30 years old?
2. 1995 Saturn SL2 5-speed, 126,500 miles. 5,000 miles in two and a half months. That works out to 24,000 miles per year if I can keep up the pace.

Quote from: CJ on April 06, 2010, 10:48:54 PM
I don't care about all that shit.  I'll be going to college to get an education at a cost to my parents.  I'm not going to fool around.
Quote from: MrH on January 14, 2011, 01:13:53 PM
She'll hate diesel passenger cars, all things Ford, and fiat currency.  They will masturbate to old interviews of Ayn Rand an youtube together.
You can take the troll out of the Subaru, but you can't take the Subaru out of the troll!

L. ed foote

Quote from: the Teuton on April 20, 2009, 02:24:58 PM
does mileage even matter when a car gets to be 30 years old?

Nope.  You figure the car has lasted that long...
Member, Self Preservation Society

BimmerM3

Like others have said, it depends on a lot of factors. My Accord had 53,000 miles on it when we bought it. The E21 reads 147,000 miles, but the odometer counts a lot slower than it should, so who knows how many miles it actually has on it.

It doesn't just come down to intended use either. For example, while Chris's 7er has been very good to him, if something does end up going wrong, he has the knowledge and resources that he would be able to fix it himself, saving him a considerable amount of money on repair bills. Additionally, if his 7er goes down, he has other cars he can drive until it's up and running again.

On the other hand, I don't really have much knowledge about working on cars, particularly when it comes to diagnosing problems, so if the Accord breaks, it's off to the repair shop for me. I also don't have an extra car to drive, so reliability is of the utmost importance.