Problems buying a high mileage car

[admin]

What are the main problems and issues from high mileage cars?

Would a 3 year old car with 80,000 miles on the clock be a better buy than a 10 year old car with 40,000 on the clock assuming that both had been regularly looked after.

Most of this is down to the way the car is looked after and maintained but surely more miles equates to more bills and running costs as parts need to be replaced.

What are your thoughts on high mileage cars vs older low mileage cars?

 

[HDi fun]

Maintenance is everything. Personally I'd go for the younger car with higher mileage, everything else being equal (as you imply) and the price being fair for the accrued mileage.

Not that 80,000 is high mileage anyway.

 

[T9 man]

Agreed!

 

[claymore]

200,000 is the new 100.000 miles, i would rather buy a car that's been pounding up and down the motorway in top gear in a straight line for a hundred thousand miles than something that's been up and down the gearbox, going around loads of roundabouts for 20k miles

 

[HDi fun]

The engine will have done less revolutions in a high gear than in a low gear so there's numeric justification for a long distance cruiser to be less worn than a town car. The engine actually has completed less revolutions.

 

[aston]

280k is the new 70k, Higher mileage cars with a full history and few owners are all I buy, Have never been caught out, Our current 2008 Mondeo is at 180k and spot on, my jag diesel had over 220k on the clock when I sold it, Sound (same engine as the Mondeo) Mercedes commercial vans are often advertised with over 400k on the clock, for myself it's the amount of previous owners which concern me usually...