car choice -v- milegage

[njrose51]

so very simply. choice of 2 cars.

1 is a 2010 with 29,000 miles. 1 is a 2012 with 79,000 miles but a much higher spec car.

what is the best one to go for, considering i will be doing about 25,000 miles a year?

Sacrifice a better spec car internally and externally for lower miles?

Views appreciated!

Nick

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Can you advise what the cars are, that would help? If the 2012 car is an Audi A6 and the 2010 one a Vauxhall Astra then I would say go for the 2012 car.

Do both cars have full service history? I seem to remember, I'm lucky as I lease my car through work and never reach this point, that at around 70-80k miles there are some big jobs to do on cars as part of standard servicing. Have you checked what they are for the 2012 car and have they been done? You could be buying a world of pain if not.

25k is a lot of miles so you want the nicest car you can get. I would lean towards the higher miler but higher spec but you need to do your homework first to make sure you are not going to regret it.

 

[njrose51]

Both Vauxhall insignia. Good service history on both. Most of my mikes are motorway and I can't bring myself to buy a BMW Mercedes or Audi due to the badge costs.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Depends on who’s owned them previously. A 7 yr old car with only 29k miles may well be genuine, and if full history could be a good buy. However if it had anymore than one private owner I would wonder why it says so low mileage.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Nothing wrong with an Insignia. The question next is does the spec of the lower mileage model look good enough or does it lack some modern comforts?

Looking again at the original post, 29k in 7-8 years is very low and may not actually be good for the engine, particularly if it is a diesel. Low miles are good but there is a limit to that maxim. At least the other car has been driven. Again though, check the big jobs that need doing around that mileage and see if they have been done.

I'd still be tempted to go for the higher model, particularly if both are diesels, but don't sue me. It's a blind opinion only :thup:.

 

[Deleted member 21784]

I always stick to a simple rule of thumb

average mileage of a car is 12k a year.. the 79k mile car is slightly above average but not by much

the other one is obviously well below

the more spec will be better .. you will enjoy the car more

say a car lasts 250k miles... at your 25k miles a year that's 6 years until it reaches that figure on the 79k mile car which isn't that bad

id personally go for the higher mileage but better spec

 

[Spear-Chucker]

I like to put the miles on a car myself - I don't thrash them much but there are those that do. Probably not such a big issue these days as engine design technology and materials used are very good.

Is the car mainly for work I guess, a practical decision? Worth checking sites like Honest John to make sure there are no nasty problems with a specific year/model of the vehicle...

 

[DCB]

The 79k car may need a new timing belt which can be expensive. If it's a diesel the dual mass flywheel can be an issue again an expensive issue.

 

[Piece]

How are you paying for the car? Lease? Company? Loan? Finance? Cash? Are you owning at the end and how long will you have it?

Answers to above will help you. Away from that, my view is get the one with toys.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I'm pleased to see no one has so far asked what the colours of each car are as a determining factor? :rofl:

 

[londonlewis]

so very simply. choice of 2 cars.

1 is a 2010 with 29,000 miles. 1 is a 2012 with 79,000 miles but a much higher spec car.

what is the best one to go for, considering i will be doing about 25,000 miles a year?

Sacrifice a better spec car internally and externally for lower miles?

Views appreciated!

Nick

How many years are you likely to keep it for?

Might be worth considering how many miles it will have on the clock at the point you want to get rid of it.

 

[jim8flog]

A car I have owned for about seven years would have relatively low mileage. It would have been regularly serviced and maintained. However by that time most I have owned have started to show their age.

Low mileage on older cars may mean lots of short runs and engine not getting fully warmed with lots of stop/starting.

I would have a full inspection done on it first.