How many miles is too many?

[Cognizant]

I'm looking into cars (since it doesn't seem promising that my dad's sticking to his plan of buying a family car then giving me the nissan), and I know what you're thinking about my question; it really does depend on the manufacturer because different makes have better engines.

But as a general rule of thumb, how many miles on the clock is *too many*? If it really does depend on the make, I was looking into older(*) Toyota Camrys or vans, Hyundai crossovers , and Dodge/Chrysler vans.

*Older as in model years 1998-2007

[Abyssal Echo]

Thats a hard question to answer. it really depends on how well the car or truck was taken care of. my moms 94 Dodge truck has over 200,000 on it. my neighbors 91 Saturn has over 300,000 on it.

[Plasma]

I don't even consider that old. My first truck was a 1974... But I'd say if it's over 200k you need to make sure it doesn't leak, runs well and was taken care of

[unknownuser]

I don't think miles should be the biggest concern on an "older" car... you're going to want to find one that's been fairly well maintained. If you can find one that's still the original owner or one that was driven by an elderly person that didn't drive much, those are usually ok bets.

Really, I think the best thing to do is look around and see what's being offered, since you're not set on a specific model or year... see something that catches your eye, do a quick research of it to see if it fits your needs, reviews/reliability scores, check up on going prices, and then go check it out/test drive it with parents.

I've been doing this a couple of months and seen some great cars- they usually sold fast or came with a red flags/a catch, though... I actually went to check out one today and I'm going to seal the deal on her tomorrow! (it's 10 years old, only has 30K miles, and is a true Cali car- NEVER seen snow or anything, truly beautiful)

[PinkFloyd]

This is what I ended up following for buying a car that's about 10 years old:

Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Acura, Nissan, Subaru, Volvo, Infiniti ---- up to 150,000 miles

Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Kia, Hyndai ---- up to 120,000 miles

BMW, Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, Land Rover, Saab, Audi, Volkswagen, Bentley (There are some cheap Bentley's out there...) ---- 100,000 miles

[Cognizant]

This is what I ended up following for buying a car that's about 10 years old:

Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Acura, Nissan, Subaru, Volvo, Infiniti ---- up to 150,000 miles

Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Kia, Hyndai ---- up to 120,000 miles

BMW, Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, Land Rover, Saab, Audi, Volkswagen, Bentley (There are some cheap Bentley's out there...) ---- 100,000 miles

This is actually really helpful, thanks :)

Thanks for everyone else's replies, too!

[PinkFloyd]

This is actually really helpful, thanks :)

Thanks for everyone else's replies, too!

Thanks. :)

Oh, and I ended up buying a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GT with 117,000 miles on it. Hell of a car.

[Infidelitas]

This is what I ended up following for buying a car that's about 10 years old:

Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Acura, Nissan, Subaru, Volvo, Infiniti ---- up to 150,000 miles

Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Kia, Hyndai ---- up to 120,000 miles

BMW, Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, Land Rover, Saab, Audi, Volkswagen, Bentley (There are some cheap Bentley's out there...) ---- 100,000 miles

This (just adjust the mileage depending on year)

The engine in my 2001 Camry is pretty much bulletproof!

[Stepney]

Hell, my little old '29 Ford has over 1,000,000 miles on her, and is still happily chugging away, if that's what you mean... Oh, you mean modern cars! Well, I'm afraid I can't answer, they don't make 'em like they used to.

[Cognizant]

Hell, my little old '29 Ford has over 1,000,000 miles on her, and is still happily chugging away, if that's what you mean... Oh, you mean modern cars! Well, I'm afraid I can't answer, they don't make 'em like they used to.

Damn! And I totally know what you mean, cars just ain't as bullet proof as they used to be. My Grandpa's Ford F150 from the 80's or 70's is still kicking strong. Pretty amazing if you ask me.

Anyways, my dad ended up buying a nice truck for the family meaning that I get to drive the Nissan LEAF until the lease expires next year. I'll be sure to use all your guys' feedback when it comes time to buying my own car!

[LifeOfLove]

Okay this is a difficult question, and many things should be factored in. One major part is maintenance records, assume if there is no record, it wasn't done. That said, somebody who bought the car new, did everything on time and has the records to prove it for 200,000 miles, the car is more than likely going to be awesome. Now, if it's had 8 owners and no records, I'd be scared if it had over 100,000 miles on it. A lot depends on how it was taken care of, how hard it was driven (your grandma's car with 200k on it is waaaaaay better than the one from that young guy down the street who is always flooring it but only has 160k on it). Best way to tell anything, find a few you really like, and take them to a trusted mechanic to look at them. That's the best way to tell what kind of life is there.


Recently my boyfriend just bought another Subaru. It's a 1999 with 275,000 miles on it. Runs amazing, was the original owners with all the paperwork who he bought it from. It looks, runs, and feels like it has 130k on it. Just have to really look at what you are getting, and if you don't know much bring a friend who knows something about cars.

[dame]

Okay this is a difficult question, and many things should be factored in. One major part is maintenance records, assume if there is no record, it wasn't done. That said, somebody who bought the car new, did everything on time and has the records to prove it for 200,000 miles, the car is more than likely going to be awesome. Now, if it's had 8 owners and no records, I'd be scared if it had over 100,000 miles on it. A lot depends on how it was taken care of, how hard it was driven (your grandma's car with 200k on it is waaaaaay better than the one from that young guy down the street who is always flooring it but only has 160k on it). Best way to tell anything, find a few you really like, and take them to a trusted mechanic to look at them. That's the best way to tell what kind of life is there.

100% agree with this. The best cars are the ones with the least amount of owners & most maintenance records. Don't judge the car by just looking at the exterior, it can look great but it can also drive like shit.

[Professional Russian]

It depends. A V engine won't last as long as an inline. And a diesel will almost always outlast a gas. I have speedometer sitting around here with 300,000 miles on it and it was on a 300-6 Ford straight 6. Also on one of our Hershey trucks we have 425,000 on a CAT C7. It all depends on engine type. I'd be worried about about the tranny. I know how to rebuild an engine not a transmission