Your mileage/year cutoff when buying a used vehicle?

[Stinsok]

I'm in the process of looking for a mini van (there goes my last shred of coolness-if I have any at all.) I really don't want to get anything with over 60,000 miles I know people that don't think twice about buying something with 100,000 miles.

[fenderhutz]

If it's a Honda, none really as long as it's sound.

If it's a domestic minivan, buy an extended warranty.

[Mon Rominee]

I refer to track record of vehicles and reliability records as deciding factors well before year of manufacture, but yeah, my cutoff poitn for mileage is around 70 thousand, dependent on maintennance records. Then again, I've driven some dogs with only 30 grand on the clock. The chance you take with a used vehicle.

Due dilligence on the make and model, then buy from a reputable dealer, with set price you're willing to pay (educate yourself on the high and low of the market on kbb.com & edmunds.

[FretlessArt]

Most Honda's will need a timing belt and a water pump change at the 80K mark. this service will cost between 400 - 600 bucks. the other cost factor is CV joints. They go bad about the same time. That repair will be in the same price range. If those 2 major issues have been resolved you are good on the honda up to the 120K mile mark.

The standard tire kicking issues to look for are, shocks, brakes and tires. Perhaps you should call a honda dealership and ask what all of these repairs would cost. You can use that quote to haggle down the price of the van. Just a thought from a person who has had 7 honda's

[burk48237]

I'm on my second Nissan Pathfinder. I put 203,000 on the first and when I traded it in, it was still tight, not burning any oil and had not had any major repairs. My current Pathfinder is on 236,000 with pretty much the same service record. I'm aiming for 300,000 on this one. I have a friend who buys used Subarus at about 100,000 for low dollars and gets another 100K out of them. If it's put together and maintained right it should hold up.

[Johnny Crab]

Been buying used cars for 25+ years.

No year cutoff(explained below).
Mileage: we ALWAYS look for mileage in the 30k's.
ALWAYS get the extended warranty. We've used them on all but one vehicle(wife's current conversion van).

Look VERY closely at the underside for ANY traces of leaking seals/boots/CV/universals/transmission..etc....best done on a Sunday afternoon(around here) when the dealer has been closed all day and no one has been paid to wipe the bottoms clean so any leaks can be seen. Drive the thing and listen and "feel for" the obvious(hard shifting, whining tranny or water pump or power steering pump, dragging/grinding brake sounds, etc.) We avoided ANY vehicle that had any of the above(when buying used).

About the year cutoff:
We inherited my Mom's car (1997 Olds) and although it was well-taken care of and in the 35k mile range....we replaced(so far): tires, brakes, hoses, belts, spark plugs & wires, water pump, thermostat, and one ignition coil.

A co-worker just bought a used pickup truck for $1500 with 18k miles on it(driven by a little old man) and only needing similar care(as above) to be LIKE NEW(garaged and hardly driven).

Old but low mileage = replace a lot of things right away to have a very reliable vehicle.

[whyseye]

I've been lucky buying 7-9 year old cars with 50-75K....takes a bit of shopping around, and you have to do your homework to avoid salvage titles, etc., but they've usually been driven gently and well-maintained, and I can buy and insure them pretty cheaply due to their age....I may have some maintenance costs here and there, but it's usually much less expensive than a comparable car payment would run over the same time frame....

[hartke20g]

since you're looking at minivans, pay very close attention to any transmission problems/sounds. most minivans are driven by the typical soccer mom, who doesn't even bother to stop before changing gear. more of their typical behavior includes blasting the A/C, flooring it whenever taking off, and not knowing that vehicles have fluids that need to be changed.
when/if you buy a used car, immediately change ALL the fluids and filters you can do yourself. another common problem to check for is oil consumption. test drive the car (for a long distance), then come back in a few weeks and compare the oil level. with old/dirty oil, some of the pathways inside the engine can get blocked up, which doesn't let the oil go anywhere, thus being burned in the combustion process. check for rust spots, too. it wouldn't hurt to also lurk around any forums for that specific make/model to find out about common issues and modifications.

i'm sure i left out a bunch of information, but that should keep you busy for a while.

EDIT: here we go. just started remembering more stuff. pop the hood and listen for an evenly-timed ticking; that means the valve lifters are bit worn down. however, that's not anything that should really be worried about- unless its abnormally loud. also, check to see if the suspension (especially the rear) sags or not. if it does, then the springs (leaf or coil) need to be replaced. and a ride that's rougher than it should be indicates worn out shocks. (that's another thing soccer moms like to do- fly over speed bumps like they weren't even there)

[JonathanD]

Honda=Love you long time.

[hbarcat]

I bought a used '86 Ford Escort GT with 210,000 miles on it in '94 because the original owner was a friend of mine and I knew that he took supreme care of his vehicles. I finally sold it in '98 when it had 330,000 miles on it and it still ran great.

[Pilgrim]

The year really doesn't matter.

The last four used cars I bought have had from 85,000 to 95,000 miles on them when purchased. All are still running, most with around 115K to 130K miles on them. ('97 Chevy Blazer, '99 Jeep Cherokee, '91 Camaro, '94 BMW 325I.)

However, I do a lot of my own maintenance work and light stuff like changing water pumps, starters, alternators and belts doesn't bother me. There are a number of things that usually need to be done around 100K, but none of them are major teardown items.

The critical part of a car is the engine and drivetrain. Those components last MUCH longer than they used to. That said, if I were buying a car for daily business use, I'd probably buy one that's 3-4 years old and has less than 50K on it.

[casualmadness]

Originally Posted by JonathanD

Honda=Love you long time.

Yep. Hondas last forever. I just bought a 2008 Accord. I expect to have it for many, many years.

[mothmonsterman]

never owned or bought a car with less than 300000 miles on it, my wife just bought a brand new car, when she got it home she took me for a ride... it had 4 miles on it lol.
I couldn't quite wrap my head around it.

[LiquidMidnight]

When it comes to years, I'm more concerned with what years were good years for particular models of cars. You can find this out by looking at things like Consumer Reports. Oftentimes, engineers think that something's a good idea. Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't; but the person who pays for the engineering FUBAR is the consumer. I just recently had a locksmith change the ignition system in my Ford Focus, which has a reputation for going bad. Ford doesn't do a recall, because it's about a $500 fix at the Ford Garage, so they make mucho money fixing their own inferior product. It would be like if I were an IT tech and I furnished an office with crappy computers, then I make money on fixing them everytime I get a service call. I can assure you that I paid nowhere close to that by having the locksmith fix it.

I'm seriously considering a Honda for my next vehicle. My family use to always buy vehicles from the "Big Three" American car manufacturers because my grandfather use to work in a steelmill, but honestly, why should I buy inferior products out of patriotism?

[playinpearls]

2 exceptions on hondas....

1. with 99-2003 odyssey has bad transmission problems. Some have been warrantied, but most not...

2. The honda passport. IS not a honda, its an isuzu with a honda logo. I used to work for an isuzu dealer.

other than that i'll buy any honda, 10-12 years back, up to 120 k on miles....cannot beat'em...