Is it better to buy a newer car with higher mileage or an older car with lower mileage?

Answer 1

AN older car with lower mileage beacause, even though and older car may be old you know it's still good because, it lasted this long and to purchase and older car with less miles mean from way back then the person never did any hard riding on the car and if it's still riding now then frankly it's a good car.Don't purchase a new car with higher miles that only means that in that short period of time that person did some serious riding and the car is probably no good.

I have to assume the response posted by "juwanna" was a joke. That is completely backwards and sounds a lot like what a used car salesman told me when I was on his lot.

More miles do not make a car "more proven." It typically means a car has more wear. Given the choice of a 2-year-old car with 50k on it or a 10-year-old car with 70k on it, if the prices are reasonable, I will take the newer car any day.

Without talking to the previous owner(s), you don't know how the car was driven. High miles may mean the owner drove it to work on the highway every day 25 miles each way. I would probably take that car over one that was driven 15 miles each way in stop-and-go city traffic. The guy above who says high miles means the car was "ridden hard" is out of his mind.

I agree with the Feb. post and would go so far as to say. It's really 6 one half-dozen the other.

If a vehicle is 10 years old, is meticulously maintained and has all of the service records and history to go with it including regular oil changes. I would certainly consider it over a 5 year old car with lesser mileage that doesn't have a good history record.

Important tools when buying a used car included Kelly Blue Book Values. Carfax. Knowing the previous owner goes a long way. Lastly, if you don't know what to look for and listen for, bring someone who does.

New Contributor: Here are some things to consider: Every car has a limited number of miles in its lifespan. Therefore, the primary factor in measuring the life of a car is the mileage. How it has been driven, how well it has been maintained, and whether or not you know the owner all come into play after you know how much life has been taken out of the car. So, if you have to choose between age and mileage in predicting which car has more life left in it, mileage is usually the best measure. HOWEVER, both the build quality and the durability of cars have improved overall in the past ten years. So, in general terms, a newer car is, typically, built better and will last longer than a car that was built ten or fifteen years ago.

Be aware that mechanical systems wear out with use but other things like rubber, electrical connections and fluid systems can get messed up from just age.