Newer high mileage or older lower mileage car - Help!

flossieflipflop

Hi

Just wanted some more knowledgable advice on which car is best.

We are changing our car and getting an estate, we have decided on a bmw 318.

our 2 options are:

car 1: petrol 54 plate, 81,000 miles, FSH one owner £4999
car 2: petrol 07 plate (new shape) 115,000 miles, FSH, one owner (ex lease) £5600

Both come with 3 month warranty and 12 months mot

We do about 13,000 miles a year. We do realise the higher mileage one won't have any resale value when we come to change again (prob 3 or 4 years time)

I really don't know which option is best (i really want the newer one but I'm a bit worried about the mileage)

Any advice?

SailorSam

You're only talking about a difference of 34,000mls.
Modern cars if they've been well looked after tend to be able to do higher mileages.
I'd go for Car 2

hcb42

cant you find another with not quite so high a mileage....wait a week, there will be another..

flossieflipflop

hcb42 wrote: »

cant you find another with not quite so high a mileage....wait a week, there will be another..

We can wait - we're not in a rush but would have liked to sell ours and get a new one before the tax is due on ours at the end of this month! But it doesn't really matter.

The only thing about car 2 is that similar age cars with even higher mileage are going for about £6/7000 round where we are so this seemed a bit of a bargain in comparisson.

gregpot2000

ex lease car any day! they are maintained regardless of cost with problems and niggles fixed on the dot by the main dealer, not just left because "it's probably nothing" and "i'm a bit skint this month"

In december i bought my dads company car from the lease company, it was 3 years old with 100,000 miles on it, but I knew that it had been looked after, as any slight little noise he would book it straight into the main dealers without a second thought. well wouldnt you do the same if someone else was picking up the bill?
Some very kind person decided to break into my house and steal the keys to that car, and my dads new company car in June. when the insurance paid out i had no hesitation in going out and buying another 3 year old Audi A4 with 100,000 on the clock as it was an ex lease car so will have been treated the same.

You know as well that such high miles in a short time will be motorway miles. which is best for the car, running at a constant speed at and always being warmed up is the best condition for the car to run at, and is really low stress on the car. think about it, even the steering wheel will be barely used!

High mileage newer car for me, any day! especially ex lease, as problems get sorted immediately, rather than left cos the person is a bit short that month!

flossieflipflop

That's what I was thinking. My only hold back is that it'll be worth peanuts in a few years when we want to change again but I guess the older one will probably be worth even less!

Kilty_2

Car 1 is nearly twice the age of Car 2!

Age kills a car in ways that are worse than mileage does.

flossieflipflop

yep! If car 2 had been a couple of thousand more we wouldn't even consider it but as there is only £600 difference that's what made car 2 so tempting - it's just that it's very high mileage but as ex-lease it has been full bmw service history so it's (hopefully been looked after!)

harveybobbles

£600 difference and you get the newer shape 3 Series.

When I see 54 plate old shape 3 Series' I think "why didnt yoiu buy a new shape"

Anyway, i'd always chose the newer car regardless of mileage.

Kilty_2

It's not "very" high mileage - plenty of repmobiles turn up at auction having done more miles than that in 2 years.

Maybe a bit higher than expected for a petrol, but providing it's got a full history (serviced every X miles - not every year - important!)

Lum

Car 2 has most likely had an easy life going up and down the motorway, look for lots of stone chips on the front bumper to confirm this.

Car 1 has likely seen more urban driving and short journeys, which is more likely to hurt the engine.

Based on the information given here, Car 2 would definitely be my first choice.