Once the decision has been made to purchase a used car, the research begins. The first part of that research usually involves determining where you intend to do your car shopping. You have the option of looking at used vehicles at dealerships, online dealerships like AutoTrader, or from a private seller. The steps you go through to buy your next car are the same, no matter where it is coming from. When buying used, potential buyers always look at the year of the vehicle and the odometer reading. Tell us one person you know who has ever bought an old car without looking at the number of miles it has. We’ll wait! That’s right, nobody in their right mind will purchase a used vehicle without looking at the mileage. Granted, there are other things to look at to determine the car’s condition, but this one number can often tell a lot. But, remember, it’s important, but it’s not everything when determining if the vehicle is worth buying.
Exactly How Much is too Much?
Well, this is a bit of a loaded question and it doesn’t come with a definitive answer. Some variables go with the mileage count that can determine if the high mileage is a deal breaker or not. Before getting into that, let’s put together a “general rule of thumb” number based on the average car so you have something to work off of when considering buying a vehicle with higher mileage. On average, car owners put around 20,000 KMs on a vehicle each year (give or take). The simple math is to take the 20,000 and times it by the age of the vehicle. For example, if you have a vehicle that is five years old, 100,000 KMs is about a normal and good mileage count. Not everyone looks at it this way. Some people look at the total mileage, independent of how old the vehicle is. For example, people put 160,000 KM as the tipping point of a vehicle being on the “too many kilometres” side.
Let’s step back though and look outside of the simple number of 20,000 KMs/year or 160,000 KM in a vehicle’s lifespan. It’s important to look at how the previous owner accumulated the KMs, i.e., highway miles or commuter KMs. City driving tends to be harder on a vehicle as a result of the constant stopping and starting, whereas highway driving has less wear on the vehicles as fewer parts are being used, which in turn requires a little less regular maintenance on parts such as brake pads, oil changes, timing belts, etc. leaving even high mileage vehicles in better overall condition than low mileage city vehicles.
It’s More than the Odometer Reading
As mentioned, the odometer is important but there’s more to determining if an older car is suitable or not. Of course, buying a lower mileage vehicle is a bonus, but don’t completely dismiss a high mileage car either. When buying a used car, be extra cautious. Once you’ve looked at the odometer and determined that the vehicle has an acceptable amount of miles/kilometres, there are a few other things to consider.
Vehicle History
When buying a used vehicle, always ask for a history report. If one isn’t provided, you can always get one yourself through Carfax. Ask the dealership or previous owner for the maintenance history, or even better ask if they have the full maintenance records. If a private seller is reluctant to provide any of this, take it as a red flag and walk away.
Consider the Type of Vehicle
There are certain types of vehicles that tend to last a bit longer, mainly because of what they were used for. For example, a big pickup truck may have been used to carry heavy loads and a work truck, whereas a sedan or SUV may have just been for getting to and from work causing way less wear and tear. As much as we don’t like to discriminate against different types of vehicles, there are certain makes such as Toyota, Honda, and Ford that are known for having a long lifespan regardless of the kilometres.
Acceptance
Part of buying a used vehicle is accepting that it would have gone through depreciation. Depreciation isn’t a bad thing on the price side. Buying a used vehicle is always less expensive because you don’t have to pay the depreciation costs associated with a new car purchase. Understand that older cars, like way older ones, don’t have the same technological advancements as modern cars and therefore won’t last as long. If you can wrap your head around these things, you will be in a much better place to purchase a used vehicle.
Always, Always
Always, no matter what the circumstances are; test drive your vehicle. It’s essential to get a feel for the vehicle before signing the final dotted line. Unless you’re buying from us, where all of our vehicles have gone through a 92-point inspection, we suggest you take vehicles you are considering for a pre-purchase inspection, just to be sure.
We were so anxious to jump right into determining how many miles is too much that we forgot to introduce ourselves. We’re FFUN Cars and we are a new way of buying used vehicles. We are all about YOU and your convenience. We are new but backed by years and years of automotive experience so we’ve got lots of knowledge, like advice on what you should know when buying a used car in Canada. We also make car buying stress-free and keep to ONE promise. ONE price, meaning there’s no haggling because our “salespeople” don’t work on commission. ONE person, as in you will deal with one person from beginning to end. ONE hour! Yes, we will get you in and out in one hour or less. The best part; you can buy your car online, in-store or a combination of the two. Those are just a few of the many benefits of buying from us. Again, it’s all about what’s convenient for you.
